Unclean

 Is it really July? Where has the time gone?

Talking of time, I'm approaching my 60th anniversary of using a rod and line. Where did that time go?

I left my blog licking my wounds from a rather trying session in France. It brought with it a realisation that I needed to reassess my fishing from top to bottom. Age, injuries and arthritis have all contributed and that happy little bunny that once hopped between swims and fisheries has gone forever. With it my ambitions have had to become realistic so, massive wild lakes abroad are a no-no and even the steep, high banks of the Wye or Teme are demanding a new respect. 

I've not been at my best for a long while. They have dubbed it the 'Hundred Day Cough'  which, along with the weather and my reluctance or inability to push myself, have all brought meagre results. However, I always aim to beat at least one personal best per season and I did that with my second serious trip. 

As PB's go it's a modest achievement as I am certain I have caught bigger bream in the past but haven't felt inclined to weigh just another six-pounder. I have learned that under rather than overestimating fish,  can work against me. So I put a fish on the scales and it went to 7lb 3oz or was it 4? It was a pound or so bigger than my official pb so who cares, it was a job done.

I've got into a routine of blank - catch - blank - catch - a low double carp on the next visit - blank - catch - a couple of chub from the Lugg, followed by a blank the other evening.

My heart hasn't really been in it. Catching bream can be fun but how often can you do it before it becomes tedium accompanied by a smelly net? They really are easy on this water, I'll go for them again but for now I turned to the carp that are a challenge. They only go to mid-twenties which I do feel are worthy however, there's something about the pace that I cannot put my finger on, it just doesn't float my boat.

The Lugg is a very noble challenge but, it does require a lot of walking and some terrible sheer banks. Add to this the coloured water from the fruit and veg cleaning and the inevitable raw sewage, well, no thanks. I found a swim last year where gravel gave you good visibility of the bottom and the numerous chub that hoovered up my pellets and hemp. On one occasion, they were joined by three nice barbel, a difficult target on the Lugg nowadays. I went back a few weeks ago and you can barely see the bottom but the visibility was just good enough to know that not a single fish entered the swim. Very grim.

Incidentally, whilst on the Lugg, my lad had three ahem, large ladies enter his swim, totally ignoring the chap fishing not ten yards away, and moved across him so that he had to reel in. Their conversation included, "Well, it must be clean if there's fish in here". This brought about a reply from Neil "Just make certain you wash your hands when you get home." Some people just don't get it, do they. 

If they'd seen what we've seen floating downstream.....

My tench lake is stuffed with weed plus the fish only seem to feed with any purpose if you arrive whilst the stars are still out. If the birds are singing, the fish have gone back to bed. I do not function after early starts anymore and night fishing for tench is overkill. I've lost interest there too.

What to do? Well, here comes the reason for the title. I need to fish but I need to be comfortable. I shall continue to look for suitable venues and, as the cooler weather approaches, I shall be targeting the zander on the Gloucester Canal for a very doable pb. In the meantime, I have taken the decision to fish Commercials in the form of the Docklow complex. My first look at Docklow was 24 years ago and I hated it, still do in many ways but, there are only so many fisheries around and this one has plenty of variety, easy access and, whatever water you fish, you still have to catch them. I've taken the grandbrats to a few commercials and have always enjoyed trying to make the best of a swim. I do not crave a 'fish a chuck' water and indeed, during my walk around most of the pools there today, I only saw one roach landed. So, I can target carp, tench, crucians or roach and work hard to avoid barbel as stillwater barbel don't count, and ide which should all be abroad - period.

Fishing there will make me feel 'unclean' as it goes against many of my principles but hey, we all have to cut our cloth accordingly - don't we?