Adventure indeed. Or perhaps I should say
MISadventure.
The trip was planned for Piking on The Exeter ship canal, and get Karl his first Pike.
The trouble I had getting my gear sorted the night before was all the omen I needed, but as the 2 day trip would prove, our bloody mindedness to carry on regardless would drive us through.
Having a late start instead of the early one we arranged was the beginning. Also the warnings of deep snow and traffic being stranded at the halfway mark of our route. When we got to that bit, it was clear enough, so we came out the other side of it and off to Exeter.
We started at the Lime kilns for a spot of plugging for the last hour of light (we were THAT late).
One small jack pike was the reward, but nothing for Karl yet.
As the light faded, we set off to the Swing bridge section to bivvy up for the night.
The empty swim we spotted there earlier was now filled, so we bivvied up next door.
We got the kettle on and the rigs out at least.
The temp dropped like a stone. We chucked a couple dead baits out, but I wasn't feeling well at all, so I crashed out at 8:30 and left Karl to it.
Typically, I spent a fitful night shivering as I had not been able to find my winter sleeping bag, my hand warmer wouldn't work, and my bivvy is single skin.
At 7am I heard Karl wander over to tell me the canal had frozen. It was solid from bank to bank and he had spent an hour trying to get his rigs OUT from the night before.
There was even a layer of ice on my blanket and inside my bivvy.
We stood there wandering what to do next when we heard a noise like roaring breaking glass. Down the the canal came a canoe, with 2 hardy souls using the canoe like an ice breaker, battering their oars through the ice and shoving it forward. It was a surprisingly noisy affair. The noise in this vid is ALL ice, there was not a breath of wind.
Even after the plastic ice breaker, we couldn't get our rigs in, as the lines would be at the wrong angle, and kept snagging on the edge of the ice, so we decided to pack up and move swims to try further up in the hope of finding a clear area.
That's when we found the van was dead. Karl's battle bus made a wheezing sound and didn't even fire. It turns out it had been -4 to -7 degrees C around Exeter that night, and we think the diesel injectors had got gunked up. Of course the battery was also flat after trying to start it. So we sat and waited for a car to pass by.
We were in luck. An hour later 2 guys who were looking to pike fish arrived and jump started us.
About 500 yards further up we parked up again and tried in a small area of broken ice, where we actually had a couple tentative knocks but no takes.
At this point I discovered I had somehow placed my fishing bag down into some dog mess, so I had a raving rant about that and threatened to sit in the van till Christmas.
I really H A T E dog fouling.
After an hour here, we then decided to move to the Double locks section, as someone had said it was clear of ice up there. We jumped in the van all excited at the prospect of actually getting a bait in properly. But the fishing fairy was not with us. As we drove the short (3/4 of a mile?) to the locks, we were stopped by the boys in blue. Why? well we had got over excited about the fishing and forgot to put our seat belts on.
£30 fine each and lose about 45 mins light. Its nearly lunchtime now.
Very annoyed with ourselves for forgetting that basic safety. :-(
We finally made it to the double locks, and started to leapfrog each other dropping deads in for 15 Min's a go at 50y intervals.
Nothing - and now its raining too.
As the time was against us, we had a last ditch effort with some lures in the basin of the double locks themselves, but had nothing.
At 4pm we gave up, despondent at our seemingly crap luck and crap results, but trying to stay positive at the lessons we had learned, and making plans for the next trip.
We had, after all, carried on fishing in the face of adversity, and in sub-stupid temperatures, and still managed at least 1 fish and learnt lots. :-)
Baits
We tried ledgering smelts in smelt oil, half mackerels, and also the new Dynamite baits predator brush on stuff, that was actually impressive. Its easy to use, and left a very clear oil slick even in such dire cold conditions, and little 'bits' in it washing off the bait.
Also tried small chunks of mackerel on a large circle hook under a float set quite deep.
Next time you lean green toothy buggers....... next time !
