A good time had by all

After missing the last trip of the Thurnby Church Anglers due to a work commitment it was good to be back with the gang for our first attempt at a weekday evening outing. John, the owner at Spring Grange Fishery in Beeby, had kindly reserved several swims for us, and-in dribs and drabs- the club members arrived, fresh from either work or school.

A number of angling approaches were used, some choosing to fish on the pole for silvers, while others set up on the method or with bolt rigs with carp as the intended quarry. My son and Roger were soon cooking, and the smell of bacon, eggs and sausages wafted across the evening air.

Pete was the first to catch, a chunky mirror falling prey to his method and banded pellet attack. Ben, one of the club's youngsters was catching perch on a whip, and Greg was catching a succession of, pretty,golden rudd, also pole fishing.

I had lost a fish earlier in the session, but when my bite alarm sounded for the second time I made no mistake, and after a determined fight my son skilfully slipped the net under a nice common, thus enabling me to relax and enjoy the rest of the evening without dwelling on "the one that got away"!

 

 

Across the group it was never more than a few minutes before someone was catching, and there was always the opportunity to wander the bank and while away a few minutes chatting to other club members. Roach were in evidence, with Pete taking a fine brace of top quality fish on his favoured method tactics.

 

 

 

Also among the roach, although favouring a pole and maggot approach, were my son and Pete's wife, Brooklyn, who thought she'd only come to watch and enjoy the evening sun, but ended up joining in with the fun.

 

 

 



 The most praiseworthy angling feat of the evening went to Louie, who landed a hard fighting carp on light pole tackle and a single maggot and small hook. The look on his face as the elastic shot out of the pole and across the lake, and watching him quickly adding extra sections to the pole while holding on for dear life and the spectacle of the fight itself were the evening's highlights, with this long, lean common being the reward for his efforts:

 

 

Pete added another carp, and rudd, perch and roach continued to fall to the pole anglers, but the statistics of fish caught fails to do justice to what was, above all, an evening where the quality of the company, the attractiveness of the surroundings and the balmy summer evening were all as much a part of the experience as the catching of fish. Thus far 2015 has been one of my best fishing years for some long while .... catching pike with Pete from January to March (including several doubles between us), watching my son catch his first ever pike, and club trips with the church fishing club have made it a year to remember. If a man's wealth is calculated by the quality of the people he goes fishing with, I can certainly lay claim to being rich.