Good Evening.
Well I survived the brunt of the battering winds and woke up this morning and felt relieved to see a flat calm lake. It wasn’t quite a mass destruction all around me as I put whatever I could into my bivvies to stop them being blown away. Big lakes come with these kinds of issues and I suppose out of all the forces of nature we are faced with the wind can probably be the most damaging in some ways. The rain is a nuisance because it gets you wet and can cause flooding, the snow can be very cold and can also trap you in your location for a few days, but the wind can be quite unpredictable and a killer, and yesterday’s gusts were a real demonstration of how nature can suddenly turn on you. Weather is my friend and also my enemy and it is one of those elements I have learnt to deal with.
The wind starts to pick up yesterday morning.
Just like the seaside!
The aftermath of yesterday's winds.
My rods were all wiped out to put it bluntly! Each line was the same and every metre or so was a small knot made up of fine strands of weed clinging together, caused from the moving water. Reeling in was impossible and took about thirty minutes for each rod. One line had to be cut and hand lined in, because it was just a waste of time attempting to reel, and two of the others had twisted together for about one hundred yards. This morning was fun! As you can probably imagine I was in no mood for fishing immediately after sorting that lot out. In fact as my move is imminent tomorrow I have not even bothered putting the rods back out as I am now faced with the enviable task of moving my camp 200 yards to my right which will involve several boat trips.
I do now have one other issue and this is my dog Charley. Over the last week I have noticed a swelling on the right hand side of her neck and I need to keep an eye on this. Charley is getting on and although she is very happy in herself, she has a few lipomas which are benign tumors usually composing of fatty cells. I had them all checked and tested out before I left the UK and the vet was not worried about them at all, as they all came back clear and I was told to keep an eye on them. Well it seems one might have grown a little, so I will monitor it for a week or so to see what develops. Before anyone panics, Flash had a similar ’thing’ under his skin on his back at the WCC, and that disappeared after a couple of weeks. Rushing to the vet is not always the answer. I have a sister who is a vet and I am sure she would say the same thing to me – keep an eye on it! I guess my concern is the fact I fish on my own most of the time and I can’t just nip to the vets unless someone looks after my equipment, otherwise I might return and find everything gone!! My only real concern these days is my dogs and their health and the only thing that will stop my trip in its tracks would be if there was a serious problem with one of them and I had to return to the UK. Fingers crossed Charley will be okay.
The rope I used to keep my overwrap secure.
This is not a plug...but my Trakker bivvies stood up to the wind much better. The elastic peg system works very well, acting as a buffer!
The plan tomorrow then is to move. I will be up early and will start the process of moving a bivvy and its equipment, one at a time, in the boat to my new swim. Fortunately, my friend who is currently fishing there, makes very good Italian coffee, so I should have the energy to get the job done in one day! Then I will have to go the supermarket for more food supplies, secure my van and trailer, and then get down to the start of the next session. The blog could do with an Italian carp on its pages preferably in my hands and I am sure one is not too far away!I will be back soon with some positive news hopefully!!
Cheers
Jake and the dogs!
