...the...gold bar is the prize.....

This little fish is a Crucian Carp, frequently referred to on angling programmes as a "little bar of gold". I think they're my favourites fish, bronze/gold body, red fins, tough little fighters, shy little biters.

Tonight was the first night of Junior coaching. As the newest qualified coach I got to look after one of the assistants. The young lad in the picture had never been fishing before, so Paige (yes, girls do go fishing!) showed him how to set up a pole, attach a rig, plumb the depth and bait the hook and I watched to make sure every thing was done correctly. Paige picked a nice peg at the corner of the pond with a bush on the left but after 10 minutes without I bite I stepped in with a piece of advice to fish nearer the bush. Instantly the bites came, he missed a couple and I was just explaining how to "hit" a bite when the float vanished. It was easy for him to lift the pole and the fish was on, a nice Crucian. Safely landed, we demonstrated how to get the hook out without harming the fish, and how to return the fish to the water.

I began to talk about the types of bites and what to look out for , the lift bite when the float rises up, the take under when the float sinks.....and then I noticed the float rock left and then straighten......calmly I explained that Crucian bites are sometimes so shy that the float barely moves and the fish has just sucked in the bait and is sitting with it in it's mouth. Then I told young Ben here to lift the pole....imagine his surprise as he did so to find the pole bending and then a pull back.......this little fella had just done exactly what I had described, that's why the float twitched ever so slightly. That was it, from then on I was the oracle, even Paige and the other two assistants were impressed.....the only trouble is now I have to keep this up every week.


On another sporting front, I got home in time to watch my beloved United beat Schalke 04 in the first leg of the European Champions League semi-final. 2-0....so that's virtually it.... second leg next week and then bring on Barcelona or Real Madrid for the final!!!! By which time we should have won the league here as well! Not bad for a team who "are not as good as they used to be" and "haven't played well all season".

Das vidanya moy padruga.