Bleak

strange thing to admit but i love the bleak.i have fished many matches on the river severn over the years and as anyone who fishes matches on the severn will tell you the fishing can get very hard at times.i always start on the stick/waggler float for twenty minutes or so and if the chub etc are not having it i will switch to the feeder.while the feeder is out i will start feeding maggots/squats spraying them over the surface of the water.9 times out of ten there will be huge shoals of bleak intercepting the bait with no chance of it ever reaching the river bed.if after a couple of casts with the feeder with out catching i will switch to a small waggler setting the depth to about 6 inches a 22/24 hook a single maggot/squat and cast to the area that i have been spraying maggots.i would expect an instant take.bleak fishing is all about speed and a good rhythm.feed/cast/strike and repeat over and over again.i tend to count the fish i catch and as a rule i will expect 30 fish to equal 1lb.sounds easy, it's not.not for a big weight anyhow. it's damned hard work and takes a lot of concentration.i have twice weighed in a double weight bleak catch and thats a lot of fish.
well there you go my thoughts on the humble bleak.not everyones cup of tea but i love em.