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Spawning Looks To Be Over!!

Posted: 24th Jun 2013

Well it looks like the spawning is finished, and if not the majority is over now. After the frolics last Sunday the rest of the week was very quiet, as if all the fish had melted away into the depths with very little to be seen. I have seen this pattern time and time again, when after the spawning has finished there is a slience when the fish are almost catching their breath like a mother giving birth I guess. After this lull the feeding starts again, with a big hit around the corner for a group that time their week just right!!! The 2 lads last week would not mind me saying that they were quite happy to relax and enjoy their holiday with sightseeing on a couple of days, combined with BBQs and a bottle of wine most evenings while the fish did not feed!!!! I have to admit it's the first time an angler has moved swims in less than 12 hours because the frogs were keeping Dave awake in Peg 5!!!!I had to try and not laugh because it's like a jungle down there!!! Dave only managed to winkle out one of the stockies but I had the feeling the fish just stayed out of the way with only 2 anglers on the lake giving them enough space to rest-up.

On the contrary, the new group of 4 anglers arrived on Saturday putting a mid 20 in the net the first night and Tom in 5 losing 2 fish with hook-pulls, but it looks like the change is coming. Sunday night saw another 4 fish on the bank to just under 37lb, so if the lads can build their swims this week a few more fish will grace the bank. Nearly all the fish are flat as a pancake after the spawning, so it will be great to see them pile the weight back-on and hopefully some big fish coming out around late Summer/Autumn.

I have attached a picture of the back-bay on the big lake which is at last starting to dry-out after 3 months of filling & draining with the heavy rain fall. I have a JCB in tommorrow to clear all the trees that have be feld ready for the digger work!!! WAYHEY at last!!. I will keep you informed of the progress over the next 2 months.

On the wildlife front there seems to be more Hoopoes around this season than I remember, which is always a pleasure to see, with that explosive take off displaying their barred plummage. I had a look at the Wagtails nest this morning expecting to see the Cuckoo chick sat there with the rest of the family missing, but to my suprise the 4 Wagtail eggs are still present and the Cuckoo egg is missing!!! All I can think is the adult Wagtail could distinguish between its own clutch & the Cuckoo egg, resulting in her ejecting it from the nest. I have never heard of this before and is an unusual encounter.

Back Soon with more fishy news.

Team Sanctuary