Me and a float rod...

Last time out things got a little too complicated; rods and poles all over the place. I had got to the point where tackle was taking over and I was not enjoying my fishing.

It was back in April last year that I last had a session on the waggler, fishing Maze lake. It is definitely time to get some sanity back into my fishing. Shortly after that trip I had discovered method feeder fishing and got involved in fishing the friendly matches at Beaver. I have spent most of the past year feeder fishing and playing around with a spot of pole fishing to the total exclusion of the waggler. Time to strip back to the basics and get fishing again.

Vintage rod has great looks...

A while ago I had been talking with some guys on one of the fishing forums about the fact that I had very little experience with older fishing gear. All my tackle being new, relatively cheap kit. A very kind chap who goes by the name of DaveTheFish offered to pass on  some old rods for me to try. One of these is a very nice 12ft Milo, Deep Blue, Match rod. I have tried this rod before but that was a bit half hearted attempt at catching a perch. See THIS POST, just over half way down. My plan is to spend the day fishing with this rod and a waggler on Maze lake. Although I will take a few different hook-baits, I intend to use mainly maggots.

The intention is to use just one rod, but I will have a spare in the car just in case something goes wrong. Yes, I am taking the car, I have got all the relevant permissions required to carry maggots and smelly nets in Sue's car.

Keeping it simple means I only have to take minimal kit. Even so the list is reasonably long but I can't see how I can make it any less. The list is as follows: My chair, bait waiter, bait, table, unhooking mat, landing net and handle, rod(s), reel, bank stick, rod rest and my new small tackle bag (a bargain from Aldi) full of all the tackle I will need for the day. Let's hope I have not forgotten anything. Now the gear is sitting there, in the hall, ready to be packed into the car in the morning. I have to keep checking that I have got everything. Roll on tomorrow!

Ralph.