A Mid Term Mixed Bag...

Any hint of Spring that had been in the air vanished quicker than the Doctor's tardis on a BBC set. I watched the mercury drop day after day as temperatures plummeted once again. The weather forecast incessently droned on about the bitter east wind, factor in the wind chill and it was a serious case of freezing the balls off a brass monkey and yourself, if you dared or were stupid enough to stay out in it for any amount of time.
I was in a spot of bother, the mid term break had just arrived and the junior piker was bursting for some action at the river. Try explaining recent flood levels, daily snow flurries and gale force winds as reasons not to venture out to a ten year old! Eventually I gave in, we braved the elements and headed to a swim that has produced the goods of late. We came home perished, the wind had cut us in two, I was raw to the bone and to top it all, the fish in their infinite wisdom did not entertain, not as much as a run...
We held off for the guts of a week watching the forecasts, playing the x box and waiting, waiting for a small weakness in the blocking high which would allow a marginal break in the weather. Friday was looking like the best of a bad lot. Temperatures (not that they felt it) had crept up a degree or two as we met the biker piker on the towpath. We were not there long when a rod  almost ended up in the river, it leapt out of the rear bank stick, the alarm screamed "RUN" as a psycho jack hammered a bait. The junior piker was well hooked up and into his first fish of the day. A hard fighting Barrow pike came to the bank. It was the biggest smile I'd seen on his face all mid term break. Little did he know there was more in store...

I stood there (freezing) watching my rods, willing them to burst into life, they remained static, not as much as a nudge. I was playing a rather bad game of  hide and seek with my unseen quarry. The junior piker let a roar, I nearly jumped out of my skin, he was in again! A smaller fish. This time however on his lighter rod and tackle so there was an almost comical battle of tug o' war before the fish finally decided to let him win and come to the net. Things were looking bleak for the biker piker and myself, we were now two nil down to my young lad.

I went through the usual ritual of moving the baits around dropping them in the best holding spots I could find. I even went as far as slinging one out right across the river to a small pool under the far bank. Coffee, sandwiches, more coffee and more waiting. Then something happened. Yes, the junior piker was roaring yet again. "I've got one"... I raced down the bank to help him, what a surprise!. Splashing in the water in front of us a beautiful Barrow brownie.

A surprise bonus Barrow brownie for the junior piker.

At this stage it looked like the game was up, we were 3 nil and two species down to the junior piker! But in the end lady luck did shine as did the sun later in the afternoon. The biker piker was next up, he picked up a jack in the middle of the afternoon and my gamble on the far bank pool paid off  just before we called it a day.

Alan, the biker piker strikes again!

And finally I got one.

Talk about saving face! What a great day, conditions were far from ideal, windy, sunny and very cold. No massive fish but we all caught, some more than others... It was the junior piker's mid term, he caught fish and I was happy!