"Signing off" at the Estate Lake

This morning my son and I packed our tackle into the car knowing that it would probably be our last trip of this year in pursuit of crucians. The siren call of old esox is getting louder and pulling harder by the day, and we'll soon be into our autumn/winter pike campaign.
We arrived at the lake early and chose a swim large enough to accomodate us both, and giving both of us a good reed bed to fish to. We fished in what has become our usual style at the estate lake, short poles, light lines, small hooks and maggots fed "little and often."
The weather was kind to us, offering the sort of sunshine that wasn't much in evidence this summer, and the fish were in obliging mood. As the morning wore on the bites slowed, but by the end of our four hour session we had around fifty fish, mostly crucians in the keepnet.
We even had a visit from my teenage daughter and a friend, and I surrendered my pole to them for a while, with them managing two fish apiece, which for my daughter's friend were the first two fish he had ever caught.
So, how to evaluate our summer on the Estate Lake?
 Despite coming nowhere near our target of a 2 pound crucian, there really can be no complaints. The lake itself is enchanting, the crucians beautiful , every session has been a pleasure, and it's been a welcome change from what had become the tedium of sitting behind buzzers endlessly doing the same thing.
However, although the crucians have pulled the elastic a bit, there have been no epic fights to remember, and so it will be nice to tangle with a few pike (hopefully) as winter sets in.
So, until next year, it's farewell to the Estate Lake as the Canal and a winter spent chasing pike beckons enticingly.