Running In, Please Pass

Not much fishing for me this month. Mrs Edwards is on holiday and I'm spending some time with her mostly but I did have a couple of opportunities to get out - and just for a change she came with me.

I've invested in a new outboard motor. The old 25hp Mariner two stroke was rather unwell and it was a choice between spending a lot of money to get it fixed and spending a lot more to replace it altogether. I've long lusted after a four stroke engine so I opted for the latter, trading in the Mariner and a small engine that I never use and buying a 20hp Tohatsu. Engine weight is quite important to me for a variety of reasons and that's why I've downsized slightly. Four stroke engines are heavier than two strokes and a 25hp four stroke would be quite a bit heavier than the old engine.

From time to time I take the outboard off and leave it behind because some of the places I fish will only allow an electric outboard. Manhandling engines is only going to get harder as I get older so a heavy engine would be a nuisance. The light engine is better for the transom when I'm towing too, so hopefully the boat will last a while longer.

The new engine had to be run in so I invited Mrs Edwards up to the big lake for a day's trolling. It was a nice enough day but after trolling for an hour or two it was clear that I was never going to run the engine in at that pace so we reeled the rods in and spent the day cruising around and looking at the sights. No fish were caught but then that wasn't really the object of the exercise. I was surprised to see several boats out - obviously pike fishing. This was midweek during the summer, not a time I would expect to see people out but there you go. The pressure the lake is under never relents nowadays and it's certainly showing in the catch returns.

Next time out she came along with me again. This was a different kind of trip as it was to a local river and with the engine run in now I was happy to spend the entire day trolling. I set Mrs Edwards up with a light spinning rod and attached a tiny crankbait, not much more than an inch long to it. The plan was that she would catch some perch and maybe some chub while I concentrated on the pike with larger lures. Well that was the plan!

Clare took the first fish of the day and it was a bit of a surprise as it was a flounder! She quickly followed that up with a perch and then it was my turn as I latched into a pike of six pounds or so. Shortly afterwards, as we trolled alongside a clump of bushes that hung into the river, Clare's rod pulled round hard. It was a pike of course and after a cracking fight on the light rod I netted the fish for her, a nice fish of nine pounds or so.

I followed with a couple more pike but none were as big as Clare's so she was top rod for the day!