As I had a thew hours to kill I decided to give one of my local waters a go, there is some real prizes in there but as the lake has been neglected for many years access can be difficult, the good thing about that is, is that not many folk can fish it and it's basically a virgin water from an anglers point of view, talked to the new bailiff and the future of this water seem to be going in the right direction.
So all sooted and booted and off I went, I had to wade through a channel about 5 foot deep to get to the island.
You can see here that it's not the easiest terrain and with all the trees and branches it's also not the fluff chucker's first choice of location but with all the fishy looking swims it's got to be a wise move.
My weapon of choice was a red and white marabou with a zonker strip and some pearl flash on a size 5/0 hook that I tie myself.
As you can see on this photo, casting is very restricted, never mind casting with a fly rod, but I am a determent little **** and kept trying and trying. After removing and unpicking my fly from the surrounding trees and reeds for the gazilionth time I decided a change in plan is required.
As I stood there thinking up a new plan this swan came over to say "hello" I thought to myself if only this bird could talk it could tell me where all the fish are in the lake as it got an birds eye view.
With the "birds eye view" thought in mind, I decided to climb a tree and do some aerial reconnaissance, one word of warning tho, Waders do not come with the best climbing boots, so unless you have good medical insurance it's a tactic best avoided.
After scouting from the air and satisfied with the intelligence I went on an amphibious assault.
And what do you know, a thew wet moments later and a managed to pul a 5lb 1oz pike onto the bank.
Well, it was long session that was not easy, but I have generated some knowledge that will be valuable for future sessions to come.
A lovely lake, with some nice scenery, that is if you don't mind the occasional fridge or window frame floating about.
All the best, Chris.
