Piking Pilgrims Progress

Although angling can be a solitary pastime, and at particularly melancholy or reflective points I enjoy a solo foray, most of the time I like a social aspect; to have a bunch of friends with whom I share my angling adventures. These days my two most frequent angling companions are my son and Pete,my regular fishing partner,  with a supporting cast of friends and anglers that includes Roger, Craig, Mark and a few others, along with an annual "cameo" bankside appearance from my daughter.

 

 

 At the moment, as "indian summer" gives way to Autumn,  the main preoccupation for Pete and I are the pike and perch of the Grand Union Canal, and the last four weeks have seen me fish twice -once with Pete and once with my son (above) along with aforementioned annual cameo from my daughter- while in the same timespan the prolific Pete has managed four trips. In addition to the one with me he's been three times with his son, on one occasion also accompanied by Mark, another of our church's anglers. He's been getting among the pike, too, as well as the ubiquitous perch.

 

 

 



However, it may well be that of greater significance than the actual fishing sessions (three pike for Pete,  a first ever pike for his son and the usual plethora of landed perch, perch that "followed without taking" and pike that threw the hooks for the rest of us) will prove to be the brief recce's he's been indulging in of new stretches of the canal that "look" to be ideal spots for predators to be hanging out in search of a fish supper.

 

 

He's been discovering weirs, locks, bridges and a host of other features, stretches and swims that scream "pike" or "perch". The photo's that he's been sending me speak for themselves, in consequence of which an early morning session is planned for Friday- a first light upon the water start, and a couple of snatched hours lure fishing before work. We're going to be pioneering on one of Pete's new stretches, with all the expectation that comes with a first trip to a new section of the canal. We may hit pike and perch "gold", or we might just as easily blank, and it's that element of the unknown and unknowable that gives fishing its permanent frisson of anticipation.  Only three sleeps to go .....