Crucian campaign comes to an end.
I have to admit
that I don’t really know how to feel now that the crucian campaign
has ended. Was it a success?
To be honest this is the first year
that I have fished Enton during the opening month, May, and to be
frank I didn’t spend that much time there basically because I
didn’t like the atmosphere. Some anglers made the most of the
ruling, two nights on then twelve hours off. Now reading into this an
angler was able to arrive an hour before dawn (lets say on a Monday)
fish all day, all Monday night, all day Tuesday, all Tuesday night,
all off Wednesday including a couple of hours into darkness Wed
night, then leave the venue for 12 hours before returning and doing
this all over again. Unfortunately the ruling states that these
anglers need to leave the venue but some decided to sleep in their
vehicles but not before making sure they knew when other long stays
anglers were leaving, and securing the going swims for after their
sleep! It’s called ‘The Circus’ and believe me Enton was a
proper one last month. Anyway if you were one of those anglers that
bent the rules then don’t feel bad if you can’t return for a fat
spawned up crucian next year! Another thing that I couldn’t get my
head around was how some anglers feel they have to ‘big’
themselves up and lie about the time scale a session actually lasts
and what and how they caught certain fish. Now to me if I’m on a
water for 24hrs (very rare) then the session doesn’t start when I
catch my first big crucian, it started when I arrived, irrespective
how many times I moved swims! Amazingly these anglers are very
capable anglers so why they need to do this I just don’t
understand. Oh sorry, maybe it’s because you want to win a Drennan
or a Korum weekly award (another sore point at the moment).
Unfortunately Enton has now lost its identity, known as a circuit
water and not the fantastic and beautiful club lake I once knew.
Knowing what this
fishery was many years ago I have seen its crucian’s slowly decline
and the tench take hold (lets hope it doesn’t end up like Harris),
however the club does now have the British record crucian to its
name, yet for how long will it remain the top crucian water in the
country? Not long if things continue!
I’m glad to hear
that the club may close the venue next year during May (I’m well
behind them if they do) as they do need to protect their fish stocks,
but one thing’s for sure if they don’t close the lake and take
those bloody cormorants out then they will have no fish smaller than
a couple of pounds swimming around and that includes crucians.
Thinking about it the smallest crucian I’ve caught this year is
around 2lb 8oz and as for the rudd, well they seem to be in decline
as well sadly just when they looked like they were going to thrive.
So maybe the year classes behind the big crucians have already gone,
so looking at it, the time bomb has already started, only time will
tell.
So how did I fare,
well my catch rate (crucian wise) was far better than one every 24hrs
which seemed to be the case for some anglers and no, I didn’t fish
the going swims doing the standard flat bed feeders at 30yards range.
I fished in a completely different way to everyone else; basically
fishing for one fish at a time and on occasion’s right under my rod
tip. My target for the six week period was 3lb 12oz and although this
was only bettered once, I did slide the net under numerous three
pounders. The icing on the cake, if I can call it this, was beating
my personal best of 4lb 3.5oz taken from Little Moulsham many years
ago with a crucian of 4lb 4oz and, no it wasn’t carrying any spawn!
My mate Chris didn’t do as well, but then again he seemed
disillusioned with the place and waited till the circus had moved to
spawned up tench venues before enjoying it for what it should be, oh
as well as catching crucians of 3lb 5oz.
So there you have
it, in terms of getting back into the big fish world I can safely say
that two of the three campaigns this season (silver bream was a
non-starter) have been a success with two personal bests in the shape
of a 6lb 5oz golden orfe and a 4lb 4oz crucian, yet I’m still not
up and running in any yearly competitions which amazes me! Maybe I
will have to ‘big’ my next captures up a bit……
It wasn’t until the sun had
disappeared and dusk was setting in that the first and only barbel
was caught, one a shade under 9lb and a Loddon first for Richard
Blake. I’m sure if the anglers had stayed on into darkness that a
few more would have shown however on such a muggy night and after
arriving early and roving around the temperature had taken its toll
on us all. I also witnessed a couple of barbel twisting and turning
on a gravely bottom with no interest in food so it also looked as if
they were going through their spawning ritual.
