Highbench 4th May 2007

The Marmitangler and JAA took a trip to Highbench to try out the light 9ft spinning rod bought specifically for the children. I'd rigged up some 4lb line on the smallest fixed spool and set up a small porcy quill and water knotted on 18” of 3lb platil and a size 14 barbless. I'd got a pint of mixed maggots earlier no so I bunged in a few handfuls and set the Marmite fishing. I got a small roach plumbing the depth.

Fishing toward the corner of lake, I left Marmite to it, while I set up some 4lb on the pin and tackled up my little used DAM Quickfire match with a small float I've only had 30 years or so. In the meantime a few more roach were swung in,making the setting up a longer process that usual. I nabbed a few roach on my own water-knotted 3lb trace.

The evening sky was clear but being in the north east corner in the light-less lee of the trees the air was cool. There was little wind, and as the evening proceeded the water lost almost all the ripple,until the only movement was fish taking the gnats off the surface.

Marmite had a bigger bite that usual and Dad netted her first Crucian carp. Great stuff. Another followed soon after as well as a steady stream of Roach and Rudd, mostly in the 1-2oz bracket.

I gave up on my little float as it became apparent that the bait needed to hit the bottom fast or get intercepted by smaller than usual fish. I went for the smallest paste float in the box (the ones with the eye whipped on the end).

This allowed me to put a No. 4, two inches from the hook. I tried to get more Crucians with corn, but a single grain reduced the bites to non existent, barring one careless 4oz roach. I went back to the 3 maggots on the 14, while Marmite carried on with here tally, adding more roach and Rudd. Then it went really quiet for almost an hour.

During that hour refreshments were shared around – there were hot veggie sausages in a flask and cheese and cucumber sandwiches, and a bit of a pork pie for the old man.

Sport picked up slowly around 7:30ish, and Marmiteangler had a another Crucian or 2 and Dad had a couple and some 'snotties'. Much amusement at the name. At about 8 I looked over my should and same a small Roe deer making it's way down the lake towards us. As I looked and got Marmite to look it saw us and panicked and started looking for a hole in the hedge to escape. Darting to and fro, it gave up the hunt and made a hole, even as I was reaching for the camera.

It couldn't have been more than 10 yards from us, a treat at any time but in the gathering dusk of a good evening's fishing with your daughter it was the cherry on the cake.

A short while later Dink's float sailed way and on striking it kept going. I should mention that the reel while admirable in many respects, had a clutch that had adjacent settings that were too light and too heavy for the rod. What are the odds? The light setting was on. The fish bored on, with Twinkle unsure and I put the rod tip up and as I nipped around the other side of here to help, the fish kited right into the rush bed, and despite my best effort it was too tangled in the stems and the hook length went. A real pity as it was very likely one of the elusive tench here, which are heard of but seldom seen.

We both caught steadily but more slowly until it was almost too dark to see and with 10 minutes to go we swapped places as I was catching steadily and Marmite wasn't and I immediately got a very zippy bronze Bream around 3/4lb. Marmiteangler then had her last Crucian and as it turned out her last fish. 21 in all with 5 Crucian's, all welcome at any time and a few perch to go with the roach and Rudd. Top Evening.