I'd messaged Peter a couple of times on YouTube and when he suggested we meet up at Enoggera Reservoir I jumped at the chance. Based on his videos, he's got a real handle on the place so fingers crossed he'd be able to put me onto some fish as so far, they'd been more than elusive... I'd suffered 4 blanks if you counted the experimental paddles in the borrowed inflatable kayak!

We met in the carpark at 6am, got on the water, headed up the reservoir to the 1st spot and got casting. Peter kindly let me have first dibs at all the 'hot spots' but try as we might and despite the areas looking prime for a bite we couldn't get a single hit... This continued for the next couple of hours with both of us meticulously working the water, hitting every patch of lily pads and likely looking hole but... nothing.

By this time we'd got to the furthest point from the launching spot and Peter had to head for work the time now being around 9am. I was trying the last of the suggested spots when my phone rang - it was Peter, he'd had a cast at a spot on the paddle back and'd hooked up to a fish! Glancing over my shoulder I could see him only a 5 minute paddle away so I set steam and headed on over, working on the basis that where there's one fish, there's probably more just waiting to have a snap at a lure.

So I began working the water in this new spot and after 20 minutes of diligently working up and down a likely looking margin I received my 1st take! It was pretty darn exciting, only a short fight with a few lunges and the fish was mine! I couldn't believe it, all those blanks and hours spent on the water had finally paid off and I had my first Australian Bass.

And of course, when you've caught one, you want one more right?! So I got to casting and within a couple of minutes I received an absolutely blistering take - the hit was like a freight train, the rod hooped over and I was being dragged into the lily pads!

I just couldn't stop this thing, it went straight into the pads and locked me up solid... Such a shame, I think if I'd been a little more experienced I would've managed to wrestle it away from cover but no joy. In the end, I had to pull for a break resulting in one lost lure and a lost fish.

So a bitter sweet ending to the session but its left me hungry for more. Now that I've got a better read on the water, which lures to use and what the best conditions are I feel like my chances have gone up somewhat - I'll be back!

What wasn't good was the sheer amount or discarded fishing tackle and rubbish on the banks...

I filled a plastic bag with cans, drinks bottles, snack wrappers, plastic bags, luncheon meat cans, sweetcorn cans, about 20 metres of line, weights, hooks, jig heads... It was pretty disgusting.

And then i came across a bloody great knife! just chucked in the undergrowth. WTF?!

I know the river is used by people other than anglers but most of what I picked up today could only have been left by so called fishermen.

Please, please, please tidy up behind yourselves! Otherwise, you don't deserve to fish, simple as that. It's spoiling what is otherwise a fantastic stretch of river!

Despite the cold it was incredibly busy so it was a good call arriving early. I wasn't counting but at least 10 pike anglers walked past me while I was fishing...

Despite the cold, it was a great few hours on the bank ;)

And the only one to grace the bank was the smallest pike I've ever caught... Possibly, the smallest pike in the Avon?!

All good fun though ;)

I lost more than I caught! But it was a great day, I learnt some new skills 'twitching' sprats and catching jack pike on a float rod and covered some new water that I've not fished before.

All in all, fantastic fishing!