Dawn on the Opening Day (see Things we Like) of the season. You’ve put up a rod, thrown in a handful of enticement, and the light is creeping. As you ponder a dozen or so metaphors and a liberal sprinkle of hyperbole, you notice bubbles kissing the surface beside the lilies (see Things we Like). A tench (see Fish we Like) has found your bait and is settling in to feed…
Bubbles are amazing. They reassure, they tantalise, they infuriate – but ultimately they speak to an angler in a language we understand. Each fish creates its own type of bubble. A carp will send up great clouds of all sizes, while a roach produces one at a time – though it is deceptively large. Tench and crucian bubbles are smaller and similar, though the tench will persist for longer, whereas a bream’s bubble never seems to burst.
The very first article in the very first Waterlog is a piece by Richard Walker about bubbles. If you haven’t read it, then do try – we won’t spoil it by saying anything more about it.