West Hythe – Military Canal
Headed down to West Hythe for a practise on the Military Canal ahead of the match against Cinque Ports, and Ryan had a good day on the bream & tench. A couple already fishing near the bridge, so went up to peg 8 with some nice looking reeds, just before it widens out to “Cyanide Alley”.
With just enough room to ship the pole back, it was 11m to the front of the reeds on the far bank. Feeding 3 cups of groundbait with hemp and micro pellets out on the long line, he also fed a line in the middle, with the same. He decided to fish the middle line first, and was soon catching roach on single maggot.
The bites dried up after about 40 minutes, as a pike appeared, and spooked the swim. So out he went on the long line to the edge of the reeds, again using a single red maggot, and picking up some very small roach.
After about 20 mins (din’t see it myself, as I was pouring a coffee) the elastic pulled out, and the fish shot in to the reeds. Definite signs of being a tench, and by the movement of the reeds, a really good sized one. Unfortunately it was well and truly stuck in there, with the hooklink eventually snapping.
Out again, and after a while the float dipped, seemingly just stuck on the bottom, but then it slowly started to move. Certainly not a tench this time, and more likely a bream. As he gently shipped back, only being on light elastic (4-6), the first bream was in the net.
The pike were all round the swim now, with small roach jumping all over the place, and all of a sudden the float went under, followed by some splashing in the reeds. Probably another nice tench, but again the same result as the the first one. So on to an 8-10 elastic which hopefully would stop them getting in the reeds next time.
Changing over to 4/6mm expanders, he hooked another bream, followed by some small roach. Then, oh no not again, as the float headed towards the reeds, but this time he was able to stop it going right in there, and managing to steer the fish out in to the open. A nice tench around 3lb.
Then down came the rain, which made shipping in/out not much fun for him. The bites also slowed down, but he did eventually end up with another tench, and 8 bream.