Prawns, they're the future! (Lyne Lake)

I had another go at Lyne today, it was one of the warmest days of the year so far and the plan was to to fish from mid afternoon until dark in the hope that the Perch might show in the last few hours as the light faded.....they didn't!

The approach was much the same as before, two rods (one ledger one float), worm/maggot cocktail and prawn hook baits fished over a bed of seed compost and chopped prawn groundbait. The only changes I made were to scale down the hook sizes to a 12 on the float, a 10 on the ledger and fish a straight lead as opposed to a feeder on the ledger rod and fished less than a rod length out in a swim on the opposite bank to which I fished before.

Unlike my previous visit the bites were few and far between, the first coming to the prawn baited float rod after over three hours, I played whatever its was (and it wasn't huge) for just a few seconds before it managed to shed the hook. Ten minutes later saw an exact repeat, same rod, same bait and same outcome.

It was after 6pm and with the light fading noticeably that the ledger rod sprang into life, a few moments later I was guiding a skimmer Bream that went 1lb 9oz into the net, another species that had succumbed to a prawn.

1lb 9oz

An hour and a half later the float lifted slightly before slowly disappearing and I struck into something a lot bigger that made a couple of brief lunges for safety before rolling over and giving up, a typical Bream bite followed by a typical Bream fight. The last time I'd landed one of this size was from a Kennet weir pool back in the 80's and while this one was considerably paler than it's lovely bronze coloured river cousins it was a good fish nonetheless.

Onto the scales and around they went....5lb 8oz

That'll do, another target achieved!

5lb 8oz

I fished on for an another hour or so until I could barely see my float in the dark but that was it as far as fish were concerned and I headed home, wondering where my elusive big Perch will eventually be caught from? 

And if there's anything that won't fall for a prawn?!