The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Silfield wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 5:46 pm Time to give it another try I think but this time during daylight hours! Or i could take the wife as she is a match for any ghostly entity.

Just a heads up that, very sadly, I am told that cormorants have wreaked almost total havoc on the rudd population. Having said that, in that weed, you never know - nature sometimes finds a way! I wish you luck.

Santiago wrote: ↑Tue Feb 05, 2019 3:20 pm It's a great fishery! Many years ago I caught a 41/2lb rudd there. Before it came to the net I thought it was a nice bream

What a great fish Trevor, it comes as little surprise to me after what I saw that day. Indeed, a friend who spent a few weeks there camping beside the pool once caught a rudd that he believed to be closer to four than three.

Whilst you can never say never, I'm not aware of any bream though...

I had to go and pick up some waders from Sheringham last weekend and popped by Felbrigg on the way back to stretch the dogs legs-it looks like the lake is still open and there was evidence that people had been fishing recently (picked up nearly a full carrier bags worth of rubbish, some of which was fishing related! )
Saw a few rises way out in the lake so something is managing to hide from the dreaded Bête Noir.

My first post, this - I joined up in part to reply to yours. I've known and fished Felbrigg for many, many years, and would like to share a couple of experiences of my own. Now at the time you describe, I'm fairly sure night fishing was not permitted - but far be it from me to pass judgement. I've fished nights there with permission - no troubles at all. However, the first night I ever fished there, around 1986, I had no such consent, and well into the hours of darkness, something pushed very hard into the back of the bivvy. At the time I thought it was some nocturnal animal, but what animal (other than the Felbrigg bull) is going to do that? I now think there was a different explanation.
Ten years later, and another instance of rule bending, which might have involved an inflatable boat. We had got away with it for a couple of hours, at which point I suggested we quit while we were ahead, before adding "Look, there's someone on the wall right now." We made our hasty exit, and once back at the car, my accomplice told me that he had seen nobody - and this was from twenty yards away, on the open dam wall, and it wasn't dark. I, on the other hand, had seen a figure with what looked like a Barbour with the hood done up tight. On a hot July evening? Only later did that part strike me as strange. I was later told of somebody else having seen the same thing.
So for me at least, your story reinforces what I've experienced, and possibly vice versa. Thank you for sharing your tale.

I've turned pale at the thought of that 4.5lb rudd

Knowing you both, I can almost guarantee that Silfield and our NorfolkTinca have crossed paths!

That's intriguing Phil, spill the beans!