Thursday 2 July 2009

Dancing to an underwater tune...

The close season ended and I caught tench as befits. I couldn't repeat the coup unfortunately and though I returned for a dawn session and tench were certainly present in the swim I had just the one missed bite to show for my efforts. It was interesting though, or more accurately, infuriating.


I scattered a small handful of corn along the rushes and cast two rods to sit as near to them as a waggler will be got. A waggler is a float that requires you sink the line behind it and consequently moves back toward you in the process, so I have to perform all kinds of rituals to accomplish this without drawing it too far away from its landing point. I could dress the line with fairy liquid but for some reason I haven't, I could back-shot but don't, I do seem to make thing unnecessarily difficult for myself, don't I? Anyways, the floats settled and a few minutes later one float began to dither around as a large fish moved near and fanned its tail, causing the float to sway and bob. This got my full attention, but minutes passed and nothing else happened. Then the other float began to do exactly the same thing, with the same end result.

This went on for two hours; at times both floats dancing to the underwater tune at the same time. Eventually the near float began to move sideways but without downward movement. I checked to see if a boat was coming as the movement looked like the movement of a float dragged off its moorings by the surge of an approaching vessel. I checked the other float, but it was still. I picked up the rod and the float snicked quickly under - I struck into thin air. No other bites came that dawn, and by eight O'clock all motion had ceased, the floats stood undisturbed.

I wonder if all my free offering were taken? Perhaps these tench are wiser than I first thought!



No comments:

Post a Comment