The only problem is that 'one' is the operative here, my venue, the Coventry Canal just a minute's walk from home, having never provided me with more than one in any session, no matter how long its duration. I think I have caught four now, all from the same hundred yards of cut and none anywhere else for miles in either direction. This fish is clearly very localised, choosy about where it lives and not at all commonplace, anywhere.
Waiting for the pope
I began in the wrong place, a spot with wind coming up it, always bad choice on a canal if float fishing. I then went around the corner to the site of my last ruffe capture where I sat fishing double red maggot for an hour and a half without so much as a dip of the float. I was just thinking of giving up and going roach fishing in the basin when the float dibbled and dithered and eventually slid under.
Of all the fish it could have been I was amazed to see my actual quarry flapping on the hook, a pope, or daddy ruffe. I was now off the mark and so I had to fish on, thinking that I only needed another two to pass five ounces total and clinch the point, but a further hour in and it was looking desperate so when dusk came I moved along to the other place where I had caught ruffe, two, on separate occasions, one a monster of three ounces or more.
I finally got another bite here but the fish, about the right size to equal if not beat the British record ruffe was the wrong kind of ruffe unfortunately, entirely a perch, in fact.
Ah well, at least we all now know that ruffe are still biting this time of the season so there's still half a chance with them, if only someone can find a place where more than one are prepared to bite in the same afternoon.
Oh, and BTW, Keith, Danny and Pete. I weighed this fish accurately, and guess what?
It's going to take five or even six of them...
I hope you went and bought a lottery ticket after you caught that little bugger. Infact I am begining to think that there is more chance of winning the lottery than getting the ruffe point.
ReplyDeleteMore chance of marrying the Pope than catching 6 Pope I'd say!
ReplyDeleteI doubt I've caught more than 6 in my life and like you, never more than 1 in a session. It looks like a near impossible task around these parts.
Mind you, there's other targets on the list I'd say are even harder!
I have been tipped off that the reason I may be missing out on the multiple ruffe up the canal is that unless they are in a large shoal they are very easily fed off with even a handful of maggots so match anglers seeking to scratch a few use mini cage feeders stuffed with bloodworm and joker with a piece of worm on the hook and cast around the swim with it.
ReplyDelete