There’s a reasonably steep drop from the margins to the deeper water and that’s a positive natural feature.
There were a couple of diving coots in the area and just thirty minutes in, one of them picked up a bait and started to swim off with it.
Fortunately, the hook wasn’t connected and the bird just looked shocked as the small dead fish was snatched from its beak.
I’ve had numerous incidents over the years where coots have picked up other baits, such as corn and boilies, but the first time one has taken something when I’ve been piking.