A palindrome of perch

 

"It's an ill wind" they say "that brings no cheer", but yesterday's squall brought cheer aplenty as a result of an upturn in my perch fishing fortunes. This winter's perch campaign had started slowly, my first two trips resulting only in the capture of a handful of very small perch which, following four years of almost constant success and the landing of a reasonable number of 2 pound plus perch, was beginning to feel mildly vexatious.  

Following the lack of success on my previous two trips to my favourite perch pond I opted to try a different lake on the same complex to explore its potential, and in the hope that a change of scene might lead to a change of luck. 

Clouds were scudding threateningly across the anthracite sky as I walked around the small lake to choose a swim, eventually settling on a pitch that had a line of reeds in the margins which looked as if they would provide just the sort of cover that a wily perch might seek as a base from which to launch its ambush. An attractive little perch bob float taking just 2BB was threaded onto the line, with a small prawn tipped with red maggot on a size 12 barbless hook completing the simple and unfussy set-up.

I was joined for this short morning sortie by two of my regular companions, Roger and Pete, and after a quiet first hour my float danced a little jig before submerging and I found myself tussling with a lively and determined perch. The fish was admired, photographed, weighed at 1 pound 11 ounces and then returned carefully to its watery home.

Shortly afterwards, the weather, which  had carried an air of menace from the moment of our arrival, decided to make good on its threat and the heavens opened to ensure that the remainder of the session would be not only cold but also wet. Unperturbed I continued to feed small handfuls of red maggots and broken pieces of prawn along the edge of the reedbed and about an hour later I once again found myself connected to an angry perch which several times sought the sanctuary of the reeds before eventually conceding and allowing itself to be drawn into the waiting folds of the landing net. A heavier fish than its predecessor, the second perch of the morning (and last fish of note) pulled the scales to a pleasing 2 pounds and 2 ounces. 

I fished on in the rain for another hour, but only managed to add a couple of very small perch to the tally, and by half past eleven was ready to bid Roger and Pete farewell and pack up to depart for the warmth of home. 

The fishing had not been easy and the weather inclement, but I was pleased with my brace and there was a certain tidiness about the fact that the weights of both of the fish were palindromic- or perhaps it's just a symptom of the peculiar way that my mind works that noticing a mathematical pattern in the capture of two fish pleases me. Whichever of those options is the case, I'm not bothered- we go fishing to be pleased, and I was more than happy with my pair whose numbers read the same whether written backwards or forwards. If this session's 1 11 and 2 2 can lead to a 3 or 3 or even a 4 4 at some point in the future then I suspect my joy will be almost complete!