peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Comfy innnit Pete…
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
Sure is
.Something must have switched on again on FM as you dont come up as "ignored".
no-one in particular
Well-known member
I am not well with heavy cold so just some fresh air and exercise yesterday but the canal looks good, up a bit and some colour; wish I had taken my rod with me now, fancy some late Rudd fishing. Just a picture and a shot of a kestrel. not much I know but it helps to put something of interest up now and then while I am a bit curtailed and miserable. Those dogs legs were where the English were going to place cannons and blow Napoleon's army out of the water, that makes it a bit more interesting.
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Another afternoon on the river, but with all the last rain run off, and the colour dropping out, I went with low expectations which proved justified. You can't complain, though, can you, about an afternoon with a bit of warm sunshine at then end of October. With nothing much happening, I had time to watch the egrets on the far bank (it's a big river, so they feature as a small white blob), note the V's of geese crossing the sky, and feed bits and pieces to a robin and a mouse. I don't know what wrens eat (Insectivores, I imagine) but I'm always pleased to see them flitting around, and I was obviously sat in one's territory.
I tried a couple of swims without a bite, realised it was one of those days and got comfortable in a nice flat suntrap of a swim. Fishing light - 3 swan on a short link, feeding odd bits of fishmeal groundbait with chopped meat and hemp - over a big eddy into the edge of the flow, I got two bites. Same as yesterday, now I think of it. The first was this barbel
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The second was a smaller barbel of 4 lbs or so. Small enough to unhook in the net, I did so, and pushed the net back out to let it recover as per normal. When I turned the net over to let it go, however, the poor thing turned out have its dorsal snagged in the mesh. I had to net it again, and when I brought the net in, I couldn't separate it from the net without damaging its dorsal ( anyone who ever put small carp in an old style keepnet will know about this) so I cut the net and off it swam.
By now, the sun's going down and I didn't want to end up in some farce where a netted fish swam out of the hole etc, so I wrapped up. The net was due for replacement. A Drennan Specialist, I'd had it for 15years and landed no end of fish in it. I'll buy the same again.
I tried a couple of swims without a bite, realised it was one of those days and got comfortable in a nice flat suntrap of a swim. Fishing light - 3 swan on a short link, feeding odd bits of fishmeal groundbait with chopped meat and hemp - over a big eddy into the edge of the flow, I got two bites. Same as yesterday, now I think of it. The first was this barbel
The second was a smaller barbel of 4 lbs or so. Small enough to unhook in the net, I did so, and pushed the net back out to let it recover as per normal. When I turned the net over to let it go, however, the poor thing turned out have its dorsal snagged in the mesh. I had to net it again, and when I brought the net in, I couldn't separate it from the net without damaging its dorsal ( anyone who ever put small carp in an old style keepnet will know about this) so I cut the net and off it swam.
By now, the sun's going down and I didn't want to end up in some farce where a netted fish swam out of the hole etc, so I wrapped up. The net was due for replacement. A Drennan Specialist, I'd had it for 15years and landed no end of fish in it. I'll buy the same again.
rayner
Well-known member
Set off to fish Kiveton again, a crash on the rail bridge in Kiveton forced me to change venues. I ended up at Aston Springs KJS, the only reason we stopped was it was on my way home. A snap decision to fish after the diversion. Fishing off the dam wall at the car park end peg 24.
Groundbait feeder with deads and pinkies. Caught plenty of fish mostly hand size skimmers, plus one solitary carp. It beats me how the small fish can throw a 16s hook.
At least the bit of sun warmed it up until it rained when a bit of a cold breeze got up.
Groundbait feeder with deads and pinkies. Caught plenty of fish mostly hand size skimmers, plus one solitary carp. It beats me how the small fish can throw a 16s hook.
At least the bit of sun warmed it up until it rained when a bit of a cold breeze got up.
mikench
Well-known member
Gordon and I met up at a venue which fell out of favour for a while but is now in our good books again. It was murky and very windy and neither of us had any great expectations particularly as it started to rain. Gordon however exceeded his with at least twenty five assorted roach and perch. I struggled however with a lost carp on the feeder and just one skimmer. I had about half a dozen small roach on the float rid but that was it. It was cold and very windy but enjoyable none the less. In naive anticipation of a clonker I set up a specialist rod and an Ultegra reel. That skimmer didn't have a chance. Cheers Gordon and let's hope next time is an improvement.
Well today the family went to Poole Harbour for a bit of jig a jig with artificial worm,we had quite a few wrasse,mainly ballans,but several corkwings,along with gobies. Tonight on the Stour I had a last cast bream around two and a half pounds,the night before I had another bream around four pounds...
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A bad day's fishing is better than a good day at work - isn't that, or something like that, the tshirt slogan? I disagree. I've enjoyed lots of days at work more than this afternoon's fishing. Back at the new woodland lake, the trees were thrashing in the wind, but I decided to fish the bank this warm south west wind was hitting. But the problems started straight away. With just a thin skin of earth and grass over rock, it took 10 mins to find where a couple of banksticks would go in. Plumbing up the nearside, I found the bottom was as rocky as the bank. Vaguely sorted, with one bait legered on the downslope of the island and one on the flat float down the side, I gritted my teeth while the wind made my eyes water. An hour of this with no bites was enough, so I went for a chat with the carp angler 50 yards down the same bank. Comfortably bivvied up - he was reading a book when I approached - in the lee of the island, I envied him his tent. He was sporting a certain look - shaved head and long beard - that seems to correlate with Studious Carper ( I've met two guys like this this season) and he told me a few things worth knowing about the water. He had one rod down the side, and I liked his attention to detail; when he crept down to feed the inside swim, he put his woolly hat on to stop the dazzle. Stealth indeed.
I carted my gear over to the far side. I'd had enough of the wind. The bomb rod went across the corner swim under the trees, and the float down the nearside. One bite in two hours. At least it christened the new rod I bought yesterday - a 12' 1.75 Torrix, to match the one I had already
It was all downhill after that. No more bites. The wind moving anything not nailed down. I had a braid hooklength on the bomb rod. I appreciate its benefits, but I hate using it. I had anti-tangle rubbers above and below the inline lead. So the braid tied a knot in itself in the middle of the 10" hooklength. How do you get an overhand knot out of braid? It's not like pushing string, it is exactly that.
I decided to take down the lead rod. As I did so, out of habit I undid the screw cap opposite the handle to let me fold it down to pout away. I'd forgotten that on this model - Stradic Ci4 4000 RA - unlike every other Shimano reel I've owned, that screw cap is a dummy blanking off the end opposite the new screw-in type handle. A couple of turns, and it's off and lost. I crawled around on my hands and knees, but no sign. I wonder what the price will be for the replacement dummy screw cap? I'm guessing it won't be cheap and will take some googling to locate.
So now the wind is still howling, I've got two defunct braid hooklengths, I've had one bite in 4 hours, and I'm losing parts of reels. I'm off home before it gets any worse.
I carted my gear over to the far side. I'd had enough of the wind. The bomb rod went across the corner swim under the trees, and the float down the nearside. One bite in two hours. At least it christened the new rod I bought yesterday - a 12' 1.75 Torrix, to match the one I had already
It was all downhill after that. No more bites. The wind moving anything not nailed down. I had a braid hooklength on the bomb rod. I appreciate its benefits, but I hate using it. I had anti-tangle rubbers above and below the inline lead. So the braid tied a knot in itself in the middle of the 10" hooklength. How do you get an overhand knot out of braid? It's not like pushing string, it is exactly that.
I decided to take down the lead rod. As I did so, out of habit I undid the screw cap opposite the handle to let me fold it down to pout away. I'd forgotten that on this model - Stradic Ci4 4000 RA - unlike every other Shimano reel I've owned, that screw cap is a dummy blanking off the end opposite the new screw-in type handle. A couple of turns, and it's off and lost. I crawled around on my hands and knees, but no sign. I wonder what the price will be for the replacement dummy screw cap? I'm guessing it won't be cheap and will take some googling to locate.
So now the wind is still howling, I've got two defunct braid hooklengths, I've had one bite in 4 hours, and I'm losing parts of reels. I'm off home before it gets any worse.
terry m
Well-known member
Spent 3 1/2 hours on a large pit this afternoon sat behind dead bait rods. 6 runs yielded 5 pike to 16 3/4 lb. Extremely enjoyable, I may even return tomorrow !
The roach are back in town. The roach are back in town.(Apologies to Thin Lizzie)
After disappearing for 3 or 4 years from a club fishery curtesy of cormorants which themselves have mysteriously disappeared the roach have bounced back.
I thought I would give it a try and have had a good enjoyable mag and wag day with pristine roach and a few little perch. Only one carp gate crashed.
After disappearing for 3 or 4 years from a club fishery curtesy of cormorants which themselves have mysteriously disappeared the roach have bounced back.
I thought I would give it a try and have had a good enjoyable mag and wag day with pristine roach and a few little perch. Only one carp gate crashed.
flightliner
Well-known member
I had a change of tack on the tidal Trent yesterday. So many Bream in recant visits had me leaning towards a hemp over maggot day for some roach.
The forecast was'nt good with a sou' westerly that put my first choice swim on the back burner but around a bend I found one that might just be fishable with the wind downstream instead of in my face.
But, despite a ninety minute session with no bites I felt I had little choice to move upstream to the area where I had had Bream in recant visits.
Fortunately I had taken a bag of groundbait and my feeder rod was in the holdall ready to be used.
The swim has a snag, maybe rocks I reckon that on some stretches of the river can litter the riverbed, theyre often remarked on by many as being the same along its entire length but my experience over the years (god, is it that long ago when my dad took me and my brother for the first time as young lads?) tells me otherwise.
Finally, set up and ready I had a few casts to lay some bait as an enticementfor to any fish presant.
Second cast and a good bite saw me lose what I thought was a Bream but subsequent recasts saw some good river Bream come to the waters edge to be unhooked and realeased.
At one time I heard a buzzard call and looking skywards there were not one but seven, my previous "most" was five, later an Egret flew upstream on the far bank where its whiteness was highlighted by the line of trees that put the water in deep shade and all the while pheasants were criss crossing the river for most of my time there.
My catch kept on increasing, not just Bream but some rather chunky perch kept me busy with my three red maggot hookbait, I kept trying breadflake, a bait not generally used on the Trent but I was hoping one of the big roach would try it but other than a missed bite and one Bream it didnt proove its worth unlike the tiny river river Idle some eight miles away where roach, chub and Barbel take it much more readily.
It began to get dark so with a score of twenty one Bream and numerous perch I called it a day, I was bushed with all the effort of using two swims, the loading/unloading/ negotiating steep banks and the driving to and fro.
Thats it, time for a change, no more Bream (or piks of them).
Maybe a few pike or zander now and then in between the odd chub and Greyling trip.
Here's a perch from yesterday!
The forecast was'nt good with a sou' westerly that put my first choice swim on the back burner but around a bend I found one that might just be fishable with the wind downstream instead of in my face.
But, despite a ninety minute session with no bites I felt I had little choice to move upstream to the area where I had had Bream in recant visits.
Fortunately I had taken a bag of groundbait and my feeder rod was in the holdall ready to be used.
The swim has a snag, maybe rocks I reckon that on some stretches of the river can litter the riverbed, theyre often remarked on by many as being the same along its entire length but my experience over the years (god, is it that long ago when my dad took me and my brother for the first time as young lads?) tells me otherwise.
Finally, set up and ready I had a few casts to lay some bait as an enticementfor to any fish presant.
Second cast and a good bite saw me lose what I thought was a Bream but subsequent recasts saw some good river Bream come to the waters edge to be unhooked and realeased.
At one time I heard a buzzard call and looking skywards there were not one but seven, my previous "most" was five, later an Egret flew upstream on the far bank where its whiteness was highlighted by the line of trees that put the water in deep shade and all the while pheasants were criss crossing the river for most of my time there.
My catch kept on increasing, not just Bream but some rather chunky perch kept me busy with my three red maggot hookbait, I kept trying breadflake, a bait not generally used on the Trent but I was hoping one of the big roach would try it but other than a missed bite and one Bream it didnt proove its worth unlike the tiny river river Idle some eight miles away where roach, chub and Barbel take it much more readily.
It began to get dark so with a score of twenty one Bream and numerous perch I called it a day, I was bushed with all the effort of using two swims, the loading/unloading/ negotiating steep banks and the driving to and fro.
Thats it, time for a change, no more Bream (or piks of them).
Maybe a few pike or zander now and then in between the odd chub and Greyling trip.
Here's a perch from yesterday!
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Great stuff, Mick. I was out today, and I certainly wasn't worn out catching fish.
tommos16
Well-known member
A seriously great day last week. Up at 5am for a two and a half hour drive to Upton upon Severn after my first Zander.
The plan was to fish small roach on single trebles, one in the main flow in any deeper holes we could find (which took 6oz to hold despite the levels being quite nice) and one in the margins. The second part of the plan was if no bites came, move every half hour without fail. If a bite came, the clocks reset.
Fished from 8am until 10pm for one Zander between us, in countless swims, but thankfully it was my first and an absolute belter to me. “Only” 4lb 4oz but may as well be 40lb to me haha.
Worth being up nearly 24hrs for by the time I got home, and well worth the 23,000 steps which I am feeling today.
A happier angler you will not see!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The plan was to fish small roach on single trebles, one in the main flow in any deeper holes we could find (which took 6oz to hold despite the levels being quite nice) and one in the margins. The second part of the plan was if no bites came, move every half hour without fail. If a bite came, the clocks reset.
Fished from 8am until 10pm for one Zander between us, in countless swims, but thankfully it was my first and an absolute belter to me. “Only” 4lb 4oz but may as well be 40lb to me haha.
Worth being up nearly 24hrs for by the time I got home, and well worth the 23,000 steps which I am feeling today.
A happier angler you will not see!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
flightliner
Well-known member
Great day tommos,A seriously great day last week. Up at 5am for a two and a half hour drive to Upton upon Severn after my first Zander.
The plan was to fish small roach on single trebles, one in the main flow in any deeper holes we could find (which took 6oz to hold despite the levels being quite nice) and one in the margins. The second part of the plan was if no bites came, move every half hour without fail. If a bite came, the clocks reset.
Fished from 8am until 10pm for one Zander between us, in countless swims, but thankfully it was my first and an absolute belter to me. “Only” 4lb 4oz but may as well be 40lb to me haha.
Worth being up nearly 24hrs for by the time I got home, and well worth the 23,000 steps which I am feeling today.
A happier angler you will not see!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've awarded you the smile of the week! ?
tommos16
Well-known member
Great day tommos,
I've awarded you the smile of the week!
And just like that, my week has got even better!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It was a horrible drizzly day but the opportunity arose for an hour down the river so I jumped at it. There had been an influx of rain with a fair amount of leaves coming down so I had to judge my casts carefully between the floating rafts to be sure the hook was clear.
Interestingly I had not baited it the day before which I thought was probably a good thing as it gave a chance for the swim to be really cleared out leaving my hookbait in hopefully splendid isolation for any fish moving in looking for food. That proved to be the case and after 15mins or so I had a good firm pull. Sometimes they keep you guessing what they are but within a couple of seconds of hooking this one I had no doubt it was a big Roach. The tell tale thump thump, was too rapid for a Bream and the fact it held deep meant I knew it was a good one. It kited to the right so I eased it back & it rose up in the water to flash a big silver flank and red fins followed by a nerve jangling slide towards the net praying for the hook to hold which thankfully it did. Turns out I needn’t have worried as the fish had absolutely wolfed it right back, a sure sign of confident feeding. On the scales it went 2lb 1oz, my second ‘’2’’ in the last couple of weeks with some good backup fish as well.
2lb 1oz. Happy days
Touch ledgering with 1 rod, I keep the tactics pretty simple, the real effort is locating the fish in all that water...
Interestingly I had not baited it the day before which I thought was probably a good thing as it gave a chance for the swim to be really cleared out leaving my hookbait in hopefully splendid isolation for any fish moving in looking for food. That proved to be the case and after 15mins or so I had a good firm pull. Sometimes they keep you guessing what they are but within a couple of seconds of hooking this one I had no doubt it was a big Roach. The tell tale thump thump, was too rapid for a Bream and the fact it held deep meant I knew it was a good one. It kited to the right so I eased it back & it rose up in the water to flash a big silver flank and red fins followed by a nerve jangling slide towards the net praying for the hook to hold which thankfully it did. Turns out I needn’t have worried as the fish had absolutely wolfed it right back, a sure sign of confident feeding. On the scales it went 2lb 1oz, my second ‘’2’’ in the last couple of weeks with some good backup fish as well.
2lb 1oz. Happy days
Touch ledgering with 1 rod, I keep the tactics pretty simple, the real effort is locating the fish in all that water...
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mikench
Well-known member
Lovely fish Philip. Do you take a tripod with you to take the pic?
Thanks Mike. Either an adapter that screws into a bankstick or if I am not using a rod rest a tiny tripod with bendy legs that you can either prop up on something like your seat or twist & hook round a branch to get the right height.
Coupled with an adapter to hold a phone your covered for any situation…Camera or Phone, night or day & it weighs ounces.
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I got that adapter off the end of a selfie stick Alan however the are lots of different ones widly available on line..one example here; Link
However as most are made to fit the thread of a tripod rather than a bankstick I couple mine with one of these ; Link
With that I can attach any mobile phone holder for a tripod (or any camera with tripod screw) to a standard bankstick.
There are also some companies now making adapters specifically for attaching phones to banksticks like this one ; Link
However I am not a fan of the spring loaded mechanism for holding the phone, the screw down clamp sort are more secure imo.
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