In A Fridge With Occam's Razor.

With my entry for wildlife photographer of the year submitted and the subsequent award in the bag, rather than just sitting back and awaiting the accolades I decided upon a speculative perch session at Bramcote Waters, controlled by Wykin Fishing Club.

I am a new member of the club joining earlier this year and have only fished this largest pool a couple of times in the warmer months. It is a truly mixed and established fishery with abundant moderately sized carp along with some bream, roach, barbel, perch, tench and crucians. The club's main set of pools are distributed across a golf course. 

I've caught perch to about a pound here on those previous visits but what really piqued my interest for this trip was what I saw the day I first visited to collect my club book - perch repeatedly hitting fry in a far bay. That explosive memory is still clear in my mind and given these lakes have been around for a while it got me wondering if any larger perch lived here?

        

T'was a misty morning when we rose for our days and it was set to stay that way. Did you know the only meteorological difference between mist and fog is the visibility that each affords? Less than 1km: that'll be your fog. More than 1km: what you got there is your mist. 

To the pools I trotted.

When I first saw what looks like the upturned pig shelters strung out along the bank my initial thought was, "What a considerate club, putting windbreaks in for the anglers to keep us all cosy". I was soon set straight. Apparently the not-so-pro golfers tendency to slice off the tee meant these constructions were life-support systems rather than luxurious adornments. Subsequently borne out by the frequent thwack of ball against tree trunk, I've yet to hear the metallic chime of high velocity missile on metal but am guessing it would scare the shit out of any occupant!

The pool was still and the air heavy. The whole day had the feel of being inside a fridge.   

Fishing two float rods to the same area in about 5 foot of water I fed lightly with smatterings of chopped worm and prawn and an occasional dribble of maggot. The maggots were intended to draw silvers into the swim which in turn I hoped would draw stripes. 

  

This short video managed to catch the only carp roll of the morning I saw (in the distance off the overhanging tree). I was hoping to avoid the carp on the fishing front.

My short morning session passed without incident or interruption though despite me having confidence in my methods.

Which got me thinking...

• Were there no fish in the swim?
• Were there no fish which could take a big bait in the swim?
• Were there no big perch in the lake?
• None of the above but nothing was in a feeding mood?

Without more information it became impossible for me to pick the most likely as the little info I'd gathered during the course of the morning amounted to nowt.

For the last fifteen minutes I threaded double maggot onto the garishly sized hook and as soon as the float had settled I caught a roach, followed by a second and then quickly a third, in successive casts. There were fish in the swim and if the roach were feeding I'd expect the perch to be too.

So now I'm left with;

• There were no fish which could take a big bait in the swim.
• There were there no big perch in the lake.

My simplistic distillation of Occam's Razor is that assumptions introduce the possibility for error. My biggest assumption is that there are big perch in this pool in the first place. Time will tell I guess!

Happy Christmas.