The 2nd sign of summer

With the season drawing to a close I took the short walk to the local pond where I first began my fishing journey 18 years ago.

With only two weeks of the season to go and the cold winter relenting I had my sights on the Angler's 1st sign of approaching summer...the Tench.

However as I set up on the pond a cold easterly wind blew in my face and I instantly  knew that the green Tinca's would spend the day slumbering away from my rod. 

Undeterred by the cold wind, I worked my way through waves of two inch long killer Roach who pulled my float violently under. I noticed from time to time that my float behaved a little differently than normal. It would move slowly sideways against the wind. After the 4th time this happened I struck half expecting another insane two inch tiddler. Instead the float stayed under and something on the end of the line decided to run away from the bank

After a few hairy moments avoiding the reeds a golden shape wallowed on the surface. An old friend from a distant childhood summer had made a reappearance and  glistened in my net, the Crucian Carp. The 2nd sign of an Angling summer.