First trip out in about 6 years!

Finally, my new rod and lures turned up on Thursday and i was eager to get my line wet this weekend, but with a new baby and a seven year old, plus the once a month trip to church (don't get me started, not at all religious, but the missus has had her heart set on this church since childhood, and we're out of the 'catchment zone', which means i must now go church for 18 months ), my free time's short and annoyingly sparse. I decided if i could, i'd get out just to check my new set-up again, get a fishing and try not to loose any of my new stuff, with catching a fish decidedly secondary.
Luckily, this Sunday wasn't church time, so off i went at the crack of dawn for a couple of hours on the Bridgewater. Now, i probably should of done a bit of research on the web, or even hit up an old favourite like Kelloggs, but i only had a couple of hours so decided on the closest place possible, which was the moorings near Worsley. i'd seen a couple of pike come out here whilst walking the dog, so i know they're there, and i decided to start here, have a walk up the canal for a mile or so, and turn back and cover the same ground again, finishing with a good stint round the moorings. I whipped my gear out of the car, put on my shiny new trace and took a good 5 minutes deciding which sparkling new lure i was going to start with. I decided on a good old Shakespeare Big S, and set about down to the bank. It was now decision time, do i go left, where the water's an orange colour due to the tin mines, and has zero visability, or right, where i'd never been before, but the waters clearer. I chose right, and set off, looking for anything pikey looking.
I'd probably got 200 yards and regretted my decision. The water was gin clear and completely devoid of any sign of life. Now, i could and should have turned back there and then and in my pig headedness, carried on, imagining that around every turn, the canal would open up into an oasis of weedbeds, overhanging trees, and pike jumping out into my arms. I got about a mile and a half without seeing ANYTHING. I mean no roach, perch, ducks or rats, and with my polarised glasses on i could see the bottom right the way across. I wandered back, had half an hour on the moorings without so much of a tap (i did see a schoal of 4 sticklebacks) and packed up happy i'd met my target of catching no fish and using my new kit... Yeah right, i was pissed right off, with myself more than anything for choosing a stretch of canal no-one bothers fishing when there was better waters 10 minutes further down the road.
I got home and stewed on this for a couple of hours until the missus informed me her and the kids were off to a baby shower which left me with a few hours free and off i went to somewhere i knew had some fish in it. Now this water is regularly fished, but no one has owned the rights to it for probably 20 years, so excuse me for not divulging the name online as i'm not entirely sure where i stand on fishing it, its just known locally as a free to fish pond. And there's tales of some right lumps in it. There's only about 6 pegs on there, and three were taken, so i picked one of the free ones and cast in, again with my trusty Big S.
3rd cast and bang, i got a take. It surfaced and was a jack of about 3 pounds, but it shook the hooks as i was getting the net ready. Well, at least i'd seen life. I went to the other end of the pond where the other 2 pegs were, and had a few casts. The water is very deep at this end, and i don't think i was getting down deep enough with the lures i have at the minute, and the spoons i've ordered hadn't turned up yet, so gave up after half an hour or so and tried again at the first peg where i'd had the take.
3rd cast and bang, i'm in a tree. That tree loves those Big S's more than pike do it seems, and playing it for about 10 minutes, it snapped me and kept the lure and my only trace.
So in summary, I completed the first part of my goal, as i got to try my new gear out, failed miserably at not loosing any of my gear, and its a good job catching a fish was secondary as i caught feck all.
Looking forward to the next trip all ready though....