Local trip

I took a trip out on the mountain bike last weekend. Started local on the Mersey, caught a few nice perch and another chub. Good start.

I then decided to head off to try the lures on some new venues. On the way I had to cross the Ship Canal locks. I've seen some decent perch hanging around in the lock, but today, something bigger had arrived...

Safely over the locks, I headed for a small local stillwater. The water is quite clear and it's known to have some pike present. I tried a few different soft lures here, with both jigheads and the split shot rig.

I fished all round the pond, but it didnt produce a single take. In one swim, a small jackpike sat motionless right under the rod tip. I stripped and jigged lures right in front of his nose, but he was either full up, asleep, or just plain stupid. Either way, he was having none of it.
 

Next stop was the local canal, to visit a few old haunts. I grew up fishing on the canal, and so was full of expectation, knowing that it holds plenty of perch and pike.

I dropped in on about a dozen spots along nearly 2 miles of canal, but despite my initial confidence, I couldnt draw a single take, not even a pluck. A bit of a frustrating end to the day, but I guess that's fishing!