Unbelievable perch haul!!

4lb9oz

The plan for saturday morning was to head to the Thames and try for a few different species, namely Perch, Chub and Barbel. We had decided to leave the heavy lure gear at home so we didn't get tempted into fishing for Pike!

A likely looking tree in a known Barbel hotspot was our first spot to try. Positioning ourselves 30 yards above the tree enabled us to place our baits perfectly below the over hanging branches. I chose to fish a big chunk of meat while Rhys trotted while feeding maggots. Things were quiet under the tree so a bait change to worms was opted for, but still no leviathans emerged from their holes.

After a few hours Rhys had filled a bucket with perfect Perch sized Bleak and with little else happening we decided a change was in order. After feeding out spot encase we wanted to return later we put plan B into action. Plan B was to catch giant perch on livebaits. Previous weeks we had seen monstrous perch chasing our pike lures right up to the edge of the boat but none had been foolish enough to try for a bite. A week before I had tried a small white shad in one of these areas and after just a few casts a trio of giant perch chased the lure all the way to the side of the boat. I had to stop winding, at which point the leader of the gang rushed forward and grabbed the shad firmly in it's mouth. Of course I somehow fluffed the strike and was left shaking and cursing as the the three big fish melted back into the depths!

We planned to anchor in the "Perch area" and trickle chopped worm into the current and fish lobs and livebaits over the top. For the first hour nothing was forethcoming so we drifted a little lower down the swim. Immediately Rhys' live Bleak was nailed hard and after a spirited fight a 2.5lb perch was safely in the net. Another drift produced another bite for Rhys, this time the fish going to 23/4lb. A stop was in order to take a few snaps and same time to let the dog on to dry land for a few minutes.

We returned and decided to Anchor upstream of where we had had the previous bites. The next 30 minutes was the most outstanding fishing I have had the good fortune to experience in the UK. Every cast produced a perch of huge proportions. All fought incredibly hard and were in pristine condition. First chuck and I witnessed four or five big perch jostling to be the first to get hold of the bait. One got there eventually and as the float shot under i struck into solid resistance. It fought doggedly, staying deep and taking line regularly. Rhys was also had a fish on and stood fighting his with rod bent double, centrepin struggling to gain line.

For the next 30 minutes pretty much every cast produced a huge perch. If none was straight on to the bait a quick twitch encouraged them to chase the bait out from their hole and engulf the Bleak in front of our eyes. The action was so fast and furious that the net was almost conatantly in use meaning a fish would have wait until it could be netted. Hook holds were pretty light so care had to be taken when the fish was brought to the net.

We ended up with a total of 15 huge perch with 5 more managing to throw the hooks before reaching the net. Total weight was 51 lb, The 4 biggest fish weighed in at 4lb 9oz, 4lb 8oz, 4lb 8oz and 4lb 4oz. 9 others were 3lb+ averaging high in threes. The two smallest were the first two we caught and weight 2.5lb and 2 3/4lb.

A three pound pike signalled the end of the action. We headed back quite dumbstruck at what had just happened. So many big stripeys was utterly amazing. Up until this catch I had managed two three pounders and could only dream about ever seeing so many in one place..let alone actually nailing my bait in front of my eyes. Very special fishing indeed!

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Thames pike and co.

A truly spectacular pike lured from the River Thames. Just another half a pound and Rhys would have had his "20"! This fish was thin and will surely put on 4-5lbs later in the season. Hooked at a confluence, in a text book ambush point, the pike chased the large lure across the river in the crystal clear water before engulfing it close to the side of the boat. Needless to say the fisherman in question nearly suffered from a heart attack!



Beautiful sunset over Frensham Great pond. with the traps set hopes were high for one of the lakes much sort after carp!



A superbly brightly coloured Broads pike caught by flicking lures.


2nd time lucky! I watched this fish shadow my jitterbug from down below before it turned and made off back to it's weedly hideout. However, the spluttering pop of the surface lure couldn't be left alone and on the next cast the fish hit it hard with a flurry of white water!


A selection of likely looking candidates for a Pike's lunch.


Although rather sweet and fluffy the bain of my life while fishing for carp at Frensham Great Pond. These seven cygnets seemed to have a sixth sense whether i was by the water or not. At least my prebait didn't go to waste!


A fine specimen that decided to give me an early alarm call at around 2.00am. A dead mackeral did the buisness and a superb fight ensued; surely one of the hardest fighting pike i've had the good fortune to land in a while. The hardest part was coaxing Rhys from within his tent at this early hour to snap a shot of this fine fish!


A small one caught soon after I had lost the monster of the trip!


It was 6.00am, June 16 and our first session on the broads. A chug bug crawls across a large bend of the wide river, occasionally emitting a splash; a swirl behing it and Rhys raises the alarm. I turn to see a bow wave and a large lunge directed at the little lure: nothing connects and Rhys keeps his nerve and continues to wind the little black and red bug towards the boat! Third attack, the rod bends, the drag screams and the season is declared open. Of course we can't stop grinning like a pair of idiots!


A worm munching weir pool Perch


Ready to trick a wily a carp?


A storm approaches as I nail by halfdome securely into place





A Fine frensham Tinca

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A welcome from the Baboons and more importantly a couple of Catfish!

As we came over the brow of the hill at least forty Chacma baboons scattered from the dirt road and disappeared amongst the thick bush that cloaks the side of the mountain.  Over the next month we would definitely see and hear a lot more from this troop and, possibly, from their rivals that roam around the area.  It felt great to be back on the farm in South Africa - the sun was out and, thanks to recent rainfall, everything seemed quite content .

The leftovers of a Leopard's lunch

With over forty five square kilometres to get reaquainted with, a busy month lay ahead.  After a deep sleep, thanks to an exhausting trip from the U.K., I rose early and took a walk from the house down towards the northern end of the farm.  A couple of light grey mountain reed buck skipped from their early morning drink and vanished into the twisted acacia bush just below the house.  Small black faces of a group of sleepy vervet monkeys turned in my direction as I passed, but an alarm call wasn't due after the long, sleepless night that they had just experienced.  To be a delicacy in the eyes of the leopard and caracal leaves little time for dreaming under the stars.

Near the next waterhole a herd of impala stirred as I approached.  Many individuals in the herd simply continued to lie on the short, dew-soaked grass, not frightened by me.  With the shooting season so long behind them and the early time of day, their laid-back behaviour could well be understood.  Maybe, like the vervet monkeys, they had experienced a shortage of sleep during the long night.

A morning puff adder

Around the next corner, and surprisingly for the time of day, I encountered the first snake of the trip.  With the hot sun a couple of hours away from hitting its spot, a large, female puff adder lay stretched out on the gravel.  I was in luck as this usually superbly camouflaged snake was coloured a little differently to it's surroundings, letting me catch sight of it  just before my foot landed on its back.  Whether I would have been bitten is open to debate, but my guess is that I would have been faster than the early morning adder.  With a little persuasion the snake reluctantly moved out of the road and into some cover.

A Puff Adder is highly camouflaged when amongst the leaves, but luckily not so when out on the gravel

Only birds and insects kept me company for the remainder of the morning, although the brown hyeana had trodden the same route on his nightly round not that long before my own walk.  Very distinct from other spoor, the front foot is almost twice as large as the rear pads.

A little further down the road a colony of large, shiny, black ants was heading home after their nightly raid on a neighbouring ant nest.  The last of the light brown, oblong pupae of a species smaller than themselves were being hustled back to the nest before the first rays of the sun struck the red earth.  A narrow pathway, an inch wide and worn clean by the passage of thousands of tiny feet, snaked off through the bushes back to the raiders' nest.



Ant raiders on their way home after a night's work

The next day, a movement in the corner of my eye turned out to be a young python that had taken up residence near a water reservoir.  It had been seen before, basking in the branches of a tree overhanging the water. and the rich pickings of abundant frogs and lizards had  obviously been enough to persuade it to stay put.  As I bent down the snake kindly posed or, rather, prepared to strike, by arranging its body to obtain maximum reach.  A decent photo required me to get quite close and personal with the little snake and, thankfully, the camera took the brunt of its strikes!

The fiesty young African rock python that was determined to attach itself to my face

Apart from the usual procession of small, winged visitors to my room during the night, a bat arrived and, after completing a few laps, decided to take an early evening rest.  Although the majority of people would find this sort of visitor particularly disconcerting, it does have a couple of important benefits.  First of all, it makes short work of any irritating mosquitos and, secondly, while it's carrying out this kind service, it gently fans anyone struggling with the intense, summer heat.



A night visitor to my room



A southern view of the farm

Not a week had passed when I checked out a cave to see if the resident porcupines were at home.  A few quills lay around the cavern's low slung entrance revealing who might be in residence, but, without a torch, nothing was visible and a return trip would be needed.  Before I left, I noted that a strange noise could be heard, originating from deep within the pitch black darkness.  I couldn't quite figure it out so I clicked a couple of pictures hoping that the flash burst might reveal what was causing this bizarre sound.  It wasn't until later that I actually looked at the photos and noticed about 200 bats hanging from the roof of the cave - the noise had simply been the gentle flapping of wings!

The cave with the bats at the back and wasps hanging near the front waiting for me to arrive.

Intent on getting some decent shots of the bats, I returned the next day.  To get into the cave I'd need to slide on my stomach through the entrance, which is no more than two feet high.  Once inside, where more room is available, it would be possible to set up the tripod to photograph the bats.

The roof of the cave is a perfect nesting site for the wasps known locally as perdebye, so I checked if any were about before I started to manoeuvre inside.  Having hardly got to the ground, I felt something hit the side of my head, followed by instantly intense pain.  Previous experience had given me some lessons about these particular wasps and I knew that an extra-quick exit would be the only thing to save me.  Once they've been disturbed and have decided to attack, it's only only a fast and long run by the target that throws them off the trail.

A different nest, but same species of wasp, starting to get agitated by my presence

I flew out of the cave like a rocket, whilst slapping the side of my head to try and dislodge the wasp that was repeadedly stinging my ear.  In the excitement my camera flew from my other hand and proceeded to bounce down the side of the mountain from rock to rock.  My head throbbed as if I'd just been branded with a red hot poker.  Amazing pain which slowly subsided as I rubbed my quickly-swelling ear.  Gingerly I crept back up to collect my tripod before taking my leave.  The wasps had now settled down and, luckily for them, my camera was trashed.  Had it been working, they would have definitely come to a premature end.  Looking at the photos that I had taken the day before, the wasps can quite clearly be seen hanging from the roof - how I missed them, I will never know.

A fine Kudu Bull

Resident Klipspringer

Bush locust picking its way through moth larvae turrets on old Kudu horn

Zinia peruviana flower and dolomite stone

Sharptooth Catfish
 

Crocodile River

Flapnecked Chameleon

Bush Locust

Leopard Tortoise

Giant centipede hunting cave spiders

Mountain Reedbuck and Kudu

Kitchen lizard

Tree Agama

Scarab beetle

Joker

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