Well the month starts with Gareth and family spending some times at Newark (antiques fair and fishing) and Castleford (family and Rugby League match). In the few hours that he managed to get fishing he had some success.

Anyway on their return it was The Tuesday that I had my first excursion of the month as a dodgy knee required some rest and a visit to the doctors. So Gareth and I fished Bowood from 2:30 to 4pm, I plonked him on 10 and I had 9. Nothing much to write home about for me with 4 roach, 6 skimmers/blades and 15 rudd for 1-15. Gareth on 10 had about 50 silvers but my day was made when he had a run on the pike rod and he hit a fish that was keeping down and felt heavy, I suspected a good double but Gareth’s face was a pictuire when it surfaced and I subsequently netted it – a new PB of 17-05.

Wednesday sees us back at Bowood from 2:30 to 4pm only taking the pike tackle but with a very heavy water colour after rain there were no runs although there was fish moving. Next day following yet more rain we gave Bowood a miss and headed for the Marden at Hazeland, fishing any slacks we could find in the top field that was high and rising still with chocolate water. The third spot we tried Gareth had a Minnow on red maggot – we were just using leger rods and lowering our weights into the slacks.

Buoyed by the relative success of saving a blank I had a go in the same spot and had probably the smallest fish I have ever cleanly hooked – just about an inch long, I then had a second even smaller drop off probably just holding on to the maggot.

The weather prevented any real attempts at fishing over the next few days although Gareth had a go after the pike on the canal at Rowde without landing any although he hooked 3, but the Sunday sees us on the canal at Horton from 9:30 to 11:45 just fishing the whips. It was hard going, made even harder by the numerous canoes that were practicing for the Devizes to London race and paddleboarders! However we managed to scrape together 12 fish each, mine consisted of 8roach, 1 rudd, 1 gudgeon and 2 perch for 1-03 while Gareth’s 12 weighed 1-02!

Monday sees us back at Bowood with me on 9 and Gareth on 10. Fishing 2:15 to 4:15 but this time just taking the whips and the pike rods. Gareth fished a more conventional homemade chianti style float whereas I stuck with my Chinese varieties. Whip fishing resulted in 13 roach 11 rudd, 8 skimmers/blades and a micro perch for 3-06 after a slow start. Gareth went off like an express train but then slowed right up (probably a pike sitting there) and had 1-12 but he then had a pike of 9-06 which was , I suspect, the culprit of the slowdown.

I also had a run and the fish came in steadily rather than spectacularly, as it got closer I could see that the line had wrapped under its body safely netted it went 17-06! We speculated whether it was the same fish Gareth had but it was unlikely.

With their return to China due on Wednesday, Gareth had a couple more fruitless pike sessions, one at Bowood on the Wednesday morning and the other on Tuesday afternoon on the Canal at Froxfield where he did at least see a couple of pike but they just nudged the bait and were not interested in the smelt. Normal service now resumes after their safe return to China!