Observation saves a blank!

[TrentFisher]

A spur of the moment adventure on Saturday saw me on flooded river Trent(like all of you I expect wherever you were dangling a worm)

I found some slack water and knew the bottom would be OK close in and a little further out on the edge of a crease.

I some bread,paste,meat and Pellets and this particular has been know to hold a chub or two in these conditions and maybe bream seeking some slack water.

I used a bait dropper to get some freebies in place close to some over hanging branches down stream and let it settle.
It was on going to be a short session 3-31/2 hours I had an Avon rod set up with a trusty Mitchell 300,simple ledger rig and feeling for any bites....

The first hour passed with no activity.
It was then I noticed a trail of bubbles just to my left about a rod length out. They appeared a few minutes later directly in front of me.
Interesting...
I then saw a fish boil on the surface and a short time later the bubbles came back.
During this time a had pinched a few pieces of bread and dripped fed them along the path of the bubble trail I had seen.
I slowly and quietly reeled in and nipped off the shot and replaced this with a small piece of moulded plasticine on the line.
Baited the hook with breadflake and gently flicked the bait in to the hot spot and waited.
I watched the slack line on the surface waiting for it to tighten.
The wait was short and swift when it came the line zipped into a straight line and the rod tip pulled round as I struck
The strike was met with fresh air.
The chance had been missed.
I has there reliving what had just happened and trying to make sense of it and wondering if that was the chance of the day?
I spent another twenty minutes fishing the overhanging branch area of the swim but no activity.
I fed some more pinched pieces of flake to see if the bubbles would return.
No Bubbles but again a good size fish boiling the surface.
I will try again...nothing to loose.
My eyes now fixed on the slack line, trance like.
Having that feeling we anglers have that something is about to happen.
What lies in this 6 feet of water directly in front of me?
Will it find my offering and accept it?
Will I make contact if it does?
with that last thought the line tightens for the second time.
This time a solid resistance is felt down the Avon as a curve is formed and the fish is felt.
Straight away I know the culprit .
That sideways body movement in the slack water and eventually a bronzed body appears on the surface and makes it way to the waiting net.
A Trent bream of around 5 pounds makes an appearance and saves a blank.

Until next time.
Nige.

[Crucian]

Nice report and a good result

[Dave F]

Patience is a virtue!

[Tengisgol]

Bubbles like you describe sometimes indicates an otter!

[John Milford]

Good angling there, Nige.

It pays to . . . . .

[Catfish.017]

Well done Nige, nice to see you posting again.

[EricW]

Splendid result Nigel, and an equally splendid read.

[Martin James]

Well done Nigel, most would have looked then returned home, you used your water craft and won the day.

[Phil Arnott]

There's a great deal of pleasure to be obtained by catching fish in adverse conditions and just one fish can be enough reward.