September 2009 ~ Bikers World

When the phone rang and Rhys asked whether I could join him for a session of lure fishing on the Thames, the plan was quickly fixed without too much thought. At five to six Sam and I waited patiently for Rhys to appear and two minutes later we were off in the direction of the River Thames at Weybridge ready for some predator fishing. Rhys had recently purchased a small boat ideal for lure casting and he had already put in a few sessions with some good results. Jerkbait and light spinning rods were packed in the hope of some pike and perch hitting our lures, but also with the hope of other species such as Chub gracing our net along with the aforementioned species.

The traffic was non existent so early in the morning so we made good time to our chosen destination. Now early September with clear skies there was a cool edge to the cloudless morning. As we sped along, plump woodpigeons dashed overhead in search of a autumnal acorns and magpies foraged in the fields by the side of the road beneath the trees that had recently begun their seasonal change. Golden and brown leaves drifted to the ground as we passed by with Pike on our minds. We hoped the autumnal weather would mean the fish would be feeding-up ready for the cold season ahead.

In no time at all we had the boat in the river and were off in the direction of the weir pool that lay upstream from our launch site. Things were still quiet on the river apart from some carp fisherman who were setting up their stalls, undoubtedly ready for a long wait. Three very happy anglers headed off up the quiet river extremely glad not to be stuck under a bivvy for the day.

The weir looked perfect for some good fish and we were convinced we couldn't fail. Two weirs running down onto shallows which led to deep areas of 15 feet looked exactly right, so we started casting in earnest. With a lot of water to explore and the possibility of some big fish I started by fishing a big brightly coloured rattle trap before I spied a lovely looking jelly perch in Rhys' tackle box (nice one mate). It didn't take long for the perch to get well and truly nailed by a good pike which we quickly photographed and released.

Over the next hour or so some small Perch hit our spinners but nothing of any size came our way so we decided to head down stream to explore some other spots. I now had confidence in my rubber perch and was hopeful that some other fish might find it irresistible. Moored boats

along the edges of the river provided likely looking cover for Thames predators. The closer the lure landed to the boat the more likely I figured a hook up would be. The river had now become busier as pleasure boaters, kayakers and canoeists had arrived for their mornings sport. As we drifted down stream the lures flew but nothing obliged until we reached a nice looking gap between some moored boats. I flicked my rubber perch under the bow of a barge and let it sink for a moment before starting a slow retrieve. After just a a couple of turns of the reel I felt the lure get well and truly eaten. Not a hard bite, but rather a gentle and determined munching of the lure. I struck into a solid fish that showed below the surface after a few seconds. We all assumed it was a pike until it surfaced and showed itself as a lovely big Zander! The race was on to net it but considering the lure was not even visible it seemed unlikely that the fish would be lost.

Safely netted we jumped onto a pontoon and admired and photographed our prize. A first for all three of us! Estimated at 9Lb it was a very good first fish and of course I couldn't wipe the cheesy grin off my face. Now everyone was keen for more fish and as I tossed my lure off the far end of the pontoon I saw a fish appear and grab the lure, only to drop it and vanish.

It looked like another zander but I couldn't say for sure. After we had stretched our legs we climbed back aboard the boat and set off. Rhys couldn't resist a cast into the "zander area" and as he pulled his lure out of the water at the end of the retrieve the water erupted as a very lively pike tried to grab the artificial bait. Before Rhys could compose himself my lucky perch was flying to the white water only to instantaneosly get nailed by the obliging pike!