The Black Pool

This pool is one of the DRAC waters that gets rarely fished these days. I have fished it in the past but it was about 20 years ago. After some debate on the DRAC forum I had arranged to meet Chris yesterday morning to give it a go. I was feeling a little delicate after a few glasses Hardys Bin 53 to wash down some bubbly at a party to see some good friends of ours off to Oz. Chris was clearly more spritely than me and was eyeing up the swims as I arrived. He had already found a bulk spool of approximately 25lbs bs line to add credence to the rumours that the pool has been fished somewhat unconventionally by residents of the Ukraine Centre from whom DRAC rent the fishing.
The pool was also heavily weeded with a healthy growth of pond lilys. We struggled to find a couple of swims that were fishable and I would suggest any other prospective anglers took a weed rake. We ended up with Chris and I fishing at opposite ends of the pool in our chosen swims.
Maggots were my chosen bait as I often use on a relatively unknown water as a good prospective offerinf for most species. The pool was a lot deeper than I remember it dropped off pretty quickly to about 9' two rods out.
Bites soon came and I caught plenty of small rudd, perch, chub and the odd roach. I was joined by Derrick after a while who had wandered down to see how we were going on. That was a sign of course for the bites to dry up but we did notice some flashes below the water which could have been a predator at work.
Mt best rudd that was all of 4oz at best fell to bread after bites had all but disappeared on maggot. Chris pesevered with some bite to tempt a better stamp of fish and also fished a little longer. His dedication payed off with a nice bream after I had left. He has a picture of this and here is a link..

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/SquireDave/25072010101.jpg

Derrick and I put the world to rights on our common interests of the great fishing available on the DRAC ticket, canoeists, and the demise of the DAA. Black Pool has a lot of potential but as all waters will require some time putting in before it reveals all of it's secrets.