How did you get on?

[nottskev]

I can't remember posting one blank on here, never mind two. Naturally it's all down to unseasonal weather, covid, and the wrong kind of leaves on the track. First I wasted, sorry devoted one of these beautiful evenings to the mysterious secluded, challenging (ie fishless) pit just down the road. I'd done the homework plumbing the deep margins a few days earlier, and tried two swims in an area where, so legend had it, a tench was caught. Fishing left and right on the 6' shelves in two swims with corn over a bit of corn and pellet feed, bread over a bit of liquidised bread, and maggot over dead maggots produced one bite - a little perch - and I count that as a blank. What started off as an attractively scummy corner of the pool accumulated more and more willow fluff as the evening wore on.

This evening I tried for carp at the shallow, lily-covered end of a large pool on the same ticket as the disused canal I've bought into lately, and adjacent to it. With no-one else there (I think they knew something I didn't) I was free to pick a beauty of a swim: lilies 15m out and rush beds left and right.

I fished on top next to the lilies, feeding bits of bread and floating pellets, on the bottom tight up to them, and in the margins left and right, with bread, corn and various pellet-type baits without getting a bite. The only things that took the baits catapulted in amongst the lilies were the ducks. I asked a bloke fishing along from me if it was always like this. He said he usually catches a lot of carp, but just now it's right off. Fair enough. But I regretted fishing for unsettled big fish when I could have had some sport elsewhere.

On the brighter side, I followed up a mate's suggestion to check out yet another disused canal a few miles away. I had a walk along it, and the controlling club have it looking beautiful, with platform pegs low to the water and bags for litter and rubbish in the hedge every 50 yards or so. It looks lush in the way that only disused canals can, and, with 56 pegs, there were fish showing all along.

By my reckoning, I've got three "live" canals and 4 disused ones within a 20 minute drive. And 5 rivers within 30 minutes. Two blanks, but I'm looking on the bright side of life.

 

[Steve King]

Certainly looks promising to me!

 

[103841]

Woke up early with the sunshine blazing through the blinds, couldn't get back to sleep so headed down to the beach for a quick hours session before the hordes of DFL's invaded Whitstable.

Already getting busy by 9am but managed to find a few bays between the groynes free of swimmers.

All I caught were some rays, rays of the UV variety.?. Stopped off at a friends beach hut on the way back for a welcome bacon buttie and mug of builders tea, always taste better by the seaside.

Still plenty of May weed about but improving, another trip tomorrow, should be quieter.

 

[no-one in particular]

Certainly looks promising to me!

bb

Woke up early with the sunshine blazing through the blinds, couldn't get back to sleep so headed down to the beach for a quick hours session before the hordes of DFL's invaded Whitstable.

Already getting busy by 9am but managed to find a few bays between the groynes free of swimmers.

All I caught were some rays, rays of the UV variety.?. Stopped off at a friends beach hut on the way back for a welcome bacon buttie and mug of builders tea, always taste better by the seaside.

Still plenty of May weed about but improving, another trip tomorrow, should be quieter.

View attachment 15333

Shame, looks ideal for a bit of lure fishing. Not much being caught around here either, spider crabs are spoiling it a bit and I expect "may-water" is starting to up although I cannot smell it yet. I noticed the winds have gone back to S or W, they were the dreaded easterly for a while so at least that will not be putting it off, keep trying you just hit it good on the day and no real way of knowing unless your there. But I am thinking of a trip to my local park lake this afternoon or tomorrow, maybe give the sea a miss for a week or two; I cant catch a thing out of it lately, something is giving me the jinx.

 

[no-one in particular]

So, a bit of lake fishing down the local park for a change, don't often fish here because of the rats but did not see one today, I saw no fish either. I tried some bran bread and apricot jam flavored sweetcorn that had been in the fridge for weeks from the last time. I float fished in the margins to about two rod lengths out. Then I changed to a dead weight contraption I made once, a big bit of cork with enough split shot attached to make it just sink, to this I put on a fairly big bit of crust squeezed airless and cast out and let it drift about. Not a touch, in the end I just let it hang right under the rod tip in the margin. Not a touch on the sweetcorn either. I must have the hex on me, convinced of it, not seen a fish for months. Plenty in here, I was mainly thinking of tench, had some good ones in the past. Greenheart rod, lockdown floats, 14 and 12 hooks for those that might want to know, well; you never know. Rod was a lockdown project, still have not caught a fish on it, only second time it has been used but I like it.
Plenty of other life, birds, dragonflies, midges myriad over the water in swarms, thought I might se something try and snatch a few but no. There was some very colorful bird flying through them every now and then but I couldn't pin down what it was, yellow about finch size; might have ben a wagtail. Spotted some carp lazing about on the other side of the lake on the way home but did not look like they were feeding or anything and I was not after them. Ruck seat is working out well, not uncomfortable and carries all my gear and bait.
After looking at this picture it made me realize that it looks like algae e in the water, maybe this is why it was so dead.

 

[markcw]

I can't remember posting one blank on here, never mind two. Naturally it's all down to unseasonal weather, covid, and the wrong kind of leaves on the track. First I wasted, sorry devoted one of these beautiful evenings to the mysterious secluded, challenging (ie fishless) pit just down the road. I'd done the homework plumbing the deep margins a few days earlier, and tried two swims in an area where, so legend had it, a tench was caught. Fishing left and right on the 6' shelves in two swims with corn over a bit of corn and pellet feed, bread over a bit of liquidised bread, and maggot over dead maggots produced one bite - a little perch - and I count that as a blank. What started off as an attractively scummy corner of the pool accumulated more and more willow fluff as the evening wore on.

View attachment 15324

This evening I tried for carp at the shallow, lily-covered end of a large pool on the same ticket as the disused canal I've bought into lately, and adjacent to it. With no-one else there (I think they knew something I didn't) I was free to pick a beauty of a swim: lilies 15m out and rush beds left and right.

View attachment 15325

I fished on top next to the lilies, feeding bits of bread and floating pellets, on the bottom tight up to them, and in the margins left and right, with bread, corn and various pellet-type baits without getting a bite. The only things that took the baits catapulted in amongst the lilies were the ducks. I asked a bloke fishing along from me if it was always like this. He said he usually catches a lot of carp, but just now it's right off. Fair enough. But I regretted fishing for unsettled big fish when I could have had some sport elsewhere.

On the brighter side, I followed up a mate's suggestion to check out yet another disused canal a few miles away. I had a walk along it, and the controlling club have it looking beautiful, with platform pegs low to the water and bags for litter and rubbish in the hedge every 50 yards or so. It looks lush in the way that only disused canals can, and, with 56 pegs, there were fish showing all along.

View attachment 15326

View attachment 15327

By my reckoning, I've got three "live" canals and 4 disused ones within a 20 minute drive. And 5 rivers within 30 minutes. Two blanks, but I'm looking on the bright side of life.

That canal looks great Kev, I like the idea of the platforms, gives an extra few yards to ship a pole back. Also the litter bags are a good idea.

 

[nottskev]

That canal looks great Kev, I like the idea of the platforms, gives an extra few yards to ship a pole back. Also the litter bags are a good idea.

I didn't twig for a minute - I thought, who left that bag in the hedge? Then I realised they were every so often. They look like Derbyshire authority recycling bags, and the towpath for 50-odd pegs was spotless. The platform in my pic is one of the disabled, boxed-in type. Most are simple flat platforms 1m square at just above water level. It's clearly the club's pride and joy, and is another £25 a year ticket. The carp in it were spawning and I began counting how many I'd seen as I walked along, but soon gave up. There are chub, bream and tench, too.

 

[mikench]

Looks superb Kev; i’m envious.


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[jon atkinson]

Back on our new water Sunday lunchtime with a view to fishing 'til about 4:30 then ambling over to the far more established (& moody) Stork pond. It was a lot breezier than the forecast had led me to believe which made keeping out of the weed when casting rather more tricky. There was a substantial gaggle of Canadians at the far end and there must have been 30+ goslings which is lovely to see but lots of geese = lots of goose sh!t - it was everywhere!

The fishing was a slower than on previous visits possibly because I started on corn which as ever took a little while to get going. First fish was a small but imaculate common which was transferred over to the Stork as the club is looking at this being a silvers / Crucian / Tench water (which suits me just fine!). I had a couple of small Crucian then a Tench perhaps 1.75lb, then it went quiet so I switched to maggot which led to a succession of 4 - 6oz Crucian & baby carp.

Wandered over to see how another member was getting on / stretch my legs for 5 minutes. Gave it another 1/2 hour on maggot for a few more Crucian & a couple of half decent Roach then I wandered over to the rather more 'mature' / picturesque peg 8 on Stork.

Stayed on Maggot for a fair few small Roach, Rudd & Perch plus one bonus Roach at bang on 1lb. Packed up at about 18:45 & had a quick wander to see who else was about before heading home - nice day to be out & about...

 

[peter crabtree]

Today saw my second visit to the town pit since I landed my first tench of the year. The pegs I fancied were unfishable due to the willow fluff and hawthorn petals. I walked all the way round to the other side of the pit to find a ripple on the water and no fluff.
Sat all afternoon without a bite. Carp were cruising the surface without a care in the world, the tench and bream remained elusive.

A pair of swans and 6 cygnets were cruising around looking elegant and serene in the warm sunshine. Buzzards, kites, herons and black headed gulls provided an airborne display.
The swans nest was just a couple of yards to my right and at one point the mother and young took a break on it.

 

[nottskev]

It was the afternoon slot or nothing for me today, so after two blanks after bigger fish, I went to the old canal, where a few bites are a given. The day was humid, still and warm, with the feeling it could turn into a downpour and a thunderstorm

You can see the nice head of scum (that's a quote from Fungus The Bogeyman) where the canal narrows towards a lock/sluice, and I set up there, amongst the willow fluff and the fallen blossom. I set up and fed the way I did last time: one ultra-light rig shallow/maggot for the ide and perch; one on the bottom, heavier, cupping in groundbait, caster and corn for the F1's, carp, bream and tench. It was a lovely day to sit out in a tshirt, but I've often noticed these pre-thunder conditions put the bigger fish off the feed.

The first few maggots catapulted in 10m out saw the water boiling with ide.

I though I had all the ide in the area jostling for maggots in the top foot. But when I tried corn on the heavy rig on the bottom several metres away, I came up with ide again. The canal seemed full of ide from top to bottom. I fed the groundbait swim again, squeezing it tight so as to give off no ide-attracting morsels. After a few more ide shallow, I tried again and caught a couple of malnourished skimmers.

I resumed catching ide on the drop. In the middle of February, a bite a chuck would be a dream. In June, small fish are a nuisance, so I went back to the car and got a little method feeder set-up I'd been inspired to put together after being smashed twice on the pole in this canal section. I didn't want a short quiver tip rod - wouldn't last 5 mins in the back of my car - so I bought an 8' lure rod. The tip is fine enough, but not fragile like a quiver, and the action is pretty good on a 5/6lb line.

This went out to the edge of the lilies I'd been feeding with corn, with some soaked micros on and one of these weird baits on the hook. Look at a commercial angler's bait tray these days and it looks like a sweet shop penny tray ( wafters washters. gobstoppers, cola bottles, foam bananas etc). Would this avoid the ide? What do you think?

I gave up, and went back to fishing shallow. I could feel it in the air that the big fish weren't going to show, but at least I avoided a third blank

 

[mikench]

Wow Kev; talk about filling yer boots.


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[108831]

Grrrrrrrrrrrr,I got up at 4.40am,got everything ready loaded the car and set off to the canal( a stretch South of Leighton Buzzard that I haven't fished for more than twenty years),arriving at 5.30am only to find no car parking available,due to people living on barges,I drove North of the town to find all the stretches I wanted to fish similarly packed,Luton angling club control eleven miles of canal,so apart from parking in tescos car park,little access is available,my diminishing interest at present got a big boost driving around Bedfordshire before unloading my car at 7.20am and putting the car back into the garage,bliss....

 

[john step]

Grrrrrrrrrrrr,I got up at 4.40am,got everything ready loaded the car and set off to the canal( a stretch South of Leighton Buzzard that I haven't fished for more than twenty years),arriving at 5.30am only to find no car parking available,due to people living on barges,I drove North of the town to find all the stretches I wanted to fish similarly packed,Luton angling club control eleven miles of canal,so apart from parking in tescos car park,little access is available,my diminishing interest at present got a big boost driving around Bedfordshire before unloading my car at 7.20am and putting the car back into the garage,bliss....

Thats a bit of a conundrum nowadays I think. More people, busier stretches. I know many of the locations you, PC, Rob W and Keith M write about but my memories are of less crowded times.
I luckily moved further North some years ago. I travel further to fish, shop and everything. Distances I would have baulked at back then but the time taken not really much more.
The fishing can be pretty good it just requires a bit of research.
Luckily I can visit some fisheries where if I am unlucky there will be a couple of other bods fishing. They will be people I probably Know.
For those of working age the downside is the suppressed wages.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

My friend Matt in France with his latest 206lbs Catfish at 2.37m long. That is his 3rd Silure over 200lbs this year.

 

[108831]

Lot of fillets on there...

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Lot of fillets on there...

Matt is a chef so if anyone know how to make good use of one, he does

 

[108831]

I know Peter,I remember chatting to him either here,or on TAA...

 

[mikench]

I set forth to meet Gordon this morning early doors knowing that I would have to rake my swim. Inspired by Jack Hargreaves I took a horse.

Only kidding about the horse. My coûld that creature fart.i arrived before Gordon so spent half and hour taking out blanket weed which spoils this beautiful shallow lake in summer. You could rake all , day and barely make an impression. Gordon arrived but decided out of deference to me he wouldn't bother. Guess who caught about a dozen small perch roach and hybrids and who blanked. I missed three positive bites through snap offs and one through a hook pull and that was that for me. Nothing all day but weed. It's a lovely spot and the sun shone and we watched the birds and the aeroplanes from Manchester Airport. A super day Gordon shame about the fishing and I was so positive at the outset.

 

[103841]

With a lunchtime high tide I didn't fancy my chances with the beachgoers in Whitstable so headed for Westgate On Sea where with no beach the problems don't exist.

Margate in the background.

The water clarity was clear and there was little weed in evidence, should be spot on for a few bass, but this is fishing. Went through a number of lures trying to get a take.

After many chucks finally found a lure that caught their attention. Managed three schoolies and lost a decent one.?

I had a bit of company and they hadn't had any success by the time I departed.

The majority of my lures have single hooks but I do have a few trebles when the going is tough, they are all barbless, given their small size these bass put up a good scrap and I was surprised to have landed one with just one of the three hooks under its chin, foulhooked?

A flypast by a Spitfire made for a perfect couple of hours.

Made a small detour on the way home and dropped into a tackle shop in Ramsgate to pick up some ragworm for another session tomorrow back at Samphire Hoe, this sea fishing malarkey can be an expensive business!