An interesting thing today....

....that I thought it would be worth sharing....

I know a small lake that I walk round quite a lot…its got quite a few smallish pretty Carp in it with one or bigger ones too. Its very shallow, no deeper than 1 meter anywhere and generally a lot less and has a very silty bottom that the Carp love to dig and bubble around in. Being in a park its got lots of ducks and other birdlife everywhere too and it’s a great little place to watch the fish and see how they react to different things.

Anyway there is a little bridge that crosses over quite a big section of the lake but since I have been going there which is probably 5 years now its always been closed for repair. This has meant that all my fish observation has been at ground level as there is not much else that you can climb.

Anyway being a nice evening I took a trip down there and wonder of wonders saw the bridge was finally opened. I was like a salivating school boy as I trotted onto the bridge (sad I know) which being some 10meters or so above the water offered an almost perfect “aquariums” eye view of the lake from above.

It was perfect. Immediately I could see Carp digging around in the silt and I watched one good fish bulldozer its way in long lines up and down, I noted the patterns of bubbles he made as he went…two distinct lines coming up in a V on either side of his flanks and bursting to the top as he buried his head in the silt and the vortex his tail made in the shallow water at the surface….classic signs that at ground level I had come to know very well…I really was transfixed watching them. It was at that point I noticed that a large duck was paddling across the surface on collision course with the Carp. This was going to be interesting as there was not enough depth for the duck to be able to pass over the fish without touching it. As the duck neared the Carp it was still paddling in a nice line at a consistent speed..the moment it got to within about 2 foot of the Carp it suddenly started to sort of “back peddle” …hard to describe but like a boat slamming its motor in reverse as it sees an iceberg. It then carefully veered round the fish and continued on its course. I watched 2 or 3 other ducks do exactly the same thing, each one back peddling as it got to within about a foot of the Carp. I had watched ducks do this at ground level and suspected it may be fish but being so shallow I thought it could also be any number of things on the bottom of the lake so this was the first time I got to see it for “real” if you see what I mean. In each case the Carp seemed totally oblivious to the ducks presence and just continued on their merry digging way.

Anyway the reason I am telling you this is because it reminded me once again of the value of a high vantage point, it really does open up a whole new world once you get above a water and I learnt more in 1 hour than I have in months of walking round at ground level. (ok, yes, be safe don’t climb a tree in Wellingtons etc etc).
The back peddling ducks have also added another little snippet to my location tool kit and I look forward to using that little edge very soon on those Carp…there will be no escaping me now!

A very interesting post , I`ve never seen this myself , but there again I don`t fish waters this shallow , but it is akin to ducks , swans ect swimming into your swim and backing off when they see your line ,regardless if it is 15or3 lb b.s.
Now where can I find a nice shallow lake with 3 ft of water ?

Great post, Philip.
Watching fish and learning from them is so valuable, and so few of us have much chance to do it - the average fishing spot being muddy and deep - that it really is helpful when someone writes up their observations. It doubtless helps them remember it better, too, so there's an incentive for anyone else who's had a good spotting session to share the goodies...
Thanks for a great piece!

Nice post Phillip ...I was almost there with you
Ducks and Coots sometimes "jump" for want of a better description when a large fish spooks them in murky water ,as you point out all worthy of note from a watercraft point of veiw.

Makes sense. A big fish has to present some kind of danger to the birds (pike and ducklings etc) so they should attempt to avoid them if they feel threatened.
I used to fish a lake in Kent where carp would chase off the bird-life from eating floating bread. It was Theirs!

in the same way, on some lakes the birdlife follows the carp around, picking up bits of uprooted weed and bait as the fish feed.....

Its true we can learn a great deal from the wildlife around the lake….why did that coot startle from the reeds for no reason? …why have the Tufties stop diving on my baits ? … Some of you may laugh but in spring and early summer if the birds are quiet in the morning when they should be singing I generally except a quiet days fishing ahead as well….things are linked, the longer you spend at the waterside the more you begin to notice little connections.

Great post.......picking up signs from all wildlife is a skill
a)most of us either never had or all too soon forget

b) one to redevelop.

Philip said:

why have the Tufties stop diving on my baits ?

Click to expand...

Cos they've eaten them all?????

On a slighlty less frivolous point...as the migration season starts...the local reservoirs (Edgeley ..Stockport) used to hold a small population of Tufties every winter..never too many to be a problem and always a pleasure to see. However over the last few years this wintering population has declined to the odd pair or single bird. The only obvious cause I can think off is that the opening of the "public" reservoir has resulted in a significant increase in the Canada geese flock and these have "driven off" the Tufties. Any thoughts?