Berkel Borculo - 03.06.2015
This week I went up to stay with Roger in Südlohn for a couple of days. This would be my first time fishing since I ripped the tendons in my leg back in February - at last I can go fishing again!
I met Roger in Borculo and we would be fishing the small River Berkel today. The water here is about 3 m deep and there is a little flow from right to left - but not much.
The weather was good and we were expecting to catch a few Roach with the chance of the odd Bream or Tench.
This was the first chance I have had to go fishing with some of my new gear. I used my new Preston Innovations Absolute 11 XS pole and Absolute 14' float rod.
I set up a 3AAA Drennan Insert waggler with just five No. 8s and one No. 10 down the line.
I bulked three of the No. 8s together and had the rest equally spaced out as droppers.
I used 3 lb Maxima as my reel line and had a 30 cm length of 0.10 mm Preston Reflo Power for my hooklength. Hook was a size 18 Kamasan B520. I can use a smaller diameter hooklength or smaller hook if bites are not forthcoming.
I connect the lines using a simple loop-to-loop system. There is no need to use a swivel when you are fishing a single maggot or caster.
The rod was amazing! I will be ordering another one now I know it's the perfect tool for the job - from simple waggler fishing to big sliders - it will cope with the lot.
The Shimano Aero 4000FA Match was also a dream to use - so smooth. I will be buying another one of these too!
I set up two top 4s for the pole. One to fish hard on the bottom and one to fish more on the drop. I used a 0.75 g Drennan G-Tip 2 and a 0.75 g Drennan Carbo float.
At first I had a lot of problems with weed on the surface - it was difficult to get through it without getting something on the hook. I was also experiencing some discomfort with my right leg so had to stand up or go for a short walk now and again.
Roger started to catch fish straight away and was having fun on the pole. The fun was cut short for a few minutes while he dealt with a predator.
Roger seems to get pestered by Pike on a regular basis.
It was at least an hour before I could cast without getting rubbish on the line. Then I started to catch a few fish - mainly on the waggler.
Roger was soon into a bigger fish and managed to land a nice Tench.
Roger had about 2.4 kg of Roach and the Tench went to 1.4 kg.
It was an enjoyable days fishing and I will certainly be back to Borculo again this year to try for a big net of waggler Roach.
I managed to put together 1.6 kg of small Roach and Perch. I should have done much better and was not pleased with how I fished. Lots of things to improve on for the next trip.
In the winter when the water flows a bit, it might be a great stick float venue. Roll on winter!
Tight Lines.
Steve Holliday
