Enjoying the sun.

I popped to Eliburn Reservoir yesterday for a few hours to relax in the sunshine armed with a bottle of factor 30 and an ultra light rod. I didn't arrive until about noon and the venue was very busy meaning my choice of peg was limited to the only available one left! Rather than use maggots I thought I'd try some bread as bait for a change. The fishing was pretty slow with a large number of the resident fish choosing not to feed and to enjoy the sun instead. Who can blame them! I managed nine roach and a single roach/bream hybrid.

A typical Eliburn roach in very nice condition.

The roach's trademark fiery orange eye in close up.

The biggest roach/bream hybrid I've caught so far. Its shape had me thinking it was my first bream when it first came into view. Alas closer inspection once netted revealed the truth.

Obviously the bream in the venue must be massively outnumbered by roach and the two species must be spawning at the same time resulting in quite a few of these hybrids and not many bream. I think I may have to find an alternative venue that doesn't have so many roach if I want a better chance of catching my first bream.

Whilst packing up and cleaning some of my tackle down at the waters edge I spotted a solitary and rather colourful male stickleback in the margins but luckily for him I didn't have any of my #26 hooks with me! Anyway it was another short but very pleasant session and I didn't get painfully sun burnt which is always a bonus. Some more nice weather is forecast during the week so I may head out during it to top up my t-shirt tan, try and catch a new species and perhaps even one of my "Most Wanted" targets.

Tight lines, Scott.