mikench
Well-known member
Great post mon ami and well done. Throw in great surroundings and I’m very envious.
. it’s time I returned to France.
. it’s time I returned to France.
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
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Steve Arnold
Well-known member
Great post mon ami and well done. Throw in great surroundings and I’m very envious.
I hope a few more UK anglers will be tempted here after reading my posts. Out of the main french holiday season the stretch from Cahors to Cajarc has very little fishing pressure. Even during the holiday season I have plenty of water to myself, the river cruisers can be a bit of a nuisance though!
But there are some stretches they cannot reach.....
Most of my fishing trips on the Lot I will not see another angler over about 20 miles of river!
Unlike most carp anglers (I do not count myself as one of them!) I do not keep many secrets to myself. If anyone is planning a visit I will tip them about a few places to get started, I just ask them to return the favour if they find some swims I have missed!
Let's go Sunday afternoon, a friend said, but we were stumped for where to get a few bites. We settled on a stretch of the Derbyshire Derwent where a few grayling are possible and as he lives en route I picked him up. Nice to combine fishing with a bit of a catch-up. He set off to roam about - the better option as you can quickly fish a swim out - but I was happy to settle into a real Sunday afternoon swim with all mod cons: steps down, a wooden platform and a pleasant view. The bridge is on a z bend not far from Matlock, and all afternoon Japanese four's howled and Italian or American V twins thundered to and from that Sunday biker Mecca. I don't mind a bit of noise - if it's the right kind.
I started off on a stick float. The depth and pace were ideal and I caught a few little grayling and a few chunkier trout
It was turning into hard work though. The stick float line was all through dappled reflections. I'm still waiting for some glasses to a much-needed new prescription, and even with a domed tip float and a bit showing it was now you see it, now you don't. When I managed to snag the overhead trees, I put the float rod away and set up first with a light link leger down the near side, and later with a titchy little feeder full of minced worm with a worm on the hook and cast that to the far side
That tickled the appetite of a few slightly bigger spotties
It was exactly the right place to be on a chilly but still winter afternoon, and then back to watch the recorded football. The loss of coarse fish in the lower Derwent was tragic, but the middle river is a treat.
I started off on a stick float. The depth and pace were ideal and I caught a few little grayling and a few chunkier trout
It was turning into hard work though. The stick float line was all through dappled reflections. I'm still waiting for some glasses to a much-needed new prescription, and even with a domed tip float and a bit showing it was now you see it, now you don't. When I managed to snag the overhead trees, I put the float rod away and set up first with a light link leger down the near side, and later with a titchy little feeder full of minced worm with a worm on the hook and cast that to the far side
That tickled the appetite of a few slightly bigger spotties
It was exactly the right place to be on a chilly but still winter afternoon, and then back to watch the recorded football. The loss of coarse fish in the lower Derwent was tragic, but the middle river is a treat.
jon atkinson
Well-known member
Had intended to explore the Alt a bit but I was time restricted today so decided to stay within the familiar confines of the cut which was actually pretty hard going. Fortunately, a jack of perhaps 3lb obliged at last knockings on a new (to me) stretch not far from maghull station. Having tried a variety of lures throughout the session it was old faithfull (Shakey big 'S') that did the business!
Steve King
Well-known member
Today was the second of my post op fishing trips and again I kept it local and somewhere where I could park close to the swim. I went to Alcott Farm near Alvechurch and fished the main pool.
I fished a straight lead with a worm close by the island and had three carp in quick succession, but the largest was only about 3lb or so! I set up a waggler rod and tried the margins. After a bit of experimenting I found a shoal of roach about a foot off the bottom and they were in great condition and went up to a pound or so.
It got colder and the bites dried up!
I’m hoping to get a river session in before the end of the season!
I fished a straight lead with a worm close by the island and had three carp in quick succession, but the largest was only about 3lb or so! I set up a waggler rod and tried the margins. After a bit of experimenting I found a shoal of roach about a foot off the bottom and they were in great condition and went up to a pound or so.
It got colder and the bites dried up!
I’m hoping to get a river session in before the end of the season!
A pleasant day on the river deadbaiting. The sun came out, the kingfisher,heron, egret didnt take any notice of the jets taking off and landing which in itself is entertaining. Neither did the pike. I managed 2 jacks and a low double. No other anglers in miles of river as I drove home.
names with meaning boy
names with meaning boySpent a day on a rock hard weir on the River Lea last week. Given the conditions I wouldn't normally have bothered but a swim was booked days before when the conditions were more promising. It fell to minus 7 the night before upon arrival a mist had desended on the river it was one of those mornings when it took ages to warm up. It warmed up in the afternoon and it became bright and sunny. Chub were the obvious target small maggot feeder and single maggot was the opening gambit switching to cheese paste at dusk. My mood wasn't helped by my mate on the small stream texting me everything he caught the texts stopped when using cricket parlance I called him a flat track bully. I blanked but will be back
Pete Shears
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Cold,thick fog and a light ground frost faced me as I trudged across the fields on the upper Soar this morning.
Settled in a favourite swim and started off with trotted flake feeding liquidised bread sparingly - not a touch. A family of swans, 2 adults and 4 fully grown cygnets, then ploughed through my swim expecting to be force fed bread - twice. Trying trotted worm fared no better. Eventually legered worm tempted a brown trout of 10oz - think it was the same one I caught two weeks ago.
A kingfisher flashed by heading downstream, first I have seen this winter, and an egret kept moving to different areas of the river.
Level very low and clear - did better when it was two feet higher and muddy brown.
Settled in a favourite swim and started off with trotted flake feeding liquidised bread sparingly - not a touch. A family of swans, 2 adults and 4 fully grown cygnets, then ploughed through my swim expecting to be force fed bread - twice. Trying trotted worm fared no better. Eventually legered worm tempted a brown trout of 10oz - think it was the same one I caught two weeks ago.
A kingfisher flashed by heading downstream, first I have seen this winter, and an egret kept moving to different areas of the river.
Level very low and clear - did better when it was two feet higher and muddy brown.
Pete Shears
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A successful piking trip to the big reservoir this morning - sardine tempted this pike at 15lb 6oz - no blank !
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wetthrough
Well-known member
After our (@mikench) blank the other day decided to go to another venue we've both fished a fair few times. A smallish club water which can suffer from very low water. Not at the moment as you would imagine. A club water which can usually be relied on to catch something. Mike had to cry off as he's going to Dubai later in the month and is still suffering from the lurgy. Arrived around 7:30 ish. Quite cold and as it transpired a bit of a cold breeze albeit coming to my back. I was glad I had the hand warmers with me. Didn't stop using them til around midday. Just loose feeding hemp and maggots, couldn't get any caster. Picking small Roach up through the day, biggest around 4oz (to corn, the only one) but mostly 2:3oz. Couldn't tempt anything else. Tried all the usual stuff including pellets which usually work well on the venue as can corn and meat at times but not yesterday. The forecasted rain arrived 45min early but wasn't heavy and didn't last long. At least I didn't blank (20 altogether) and on the bright side I don't have to dry my nets
mikench
Well-known member
Did you have any company Gordon? Glad you caught.
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
Went yesterday on our clubs small river,well away from the out and out flyers,the river was gin clear,with a thick -3° of frost on arrival,it felt bitter until 9ish,anyway,unusually for me I started on a blocked feeder and maggot and at around 11am I had amassed 5 decent chub,but no bites were upcoming and no fish were to be seen,obviously the bright sunshine had done the trick,then all of a sudden several nice roach appeared in the little slack in front of me,grazing,along with a couple of nosey chub,now though I normally feed in this slack I had put nothing there,so why they were there when 8m away there were maggots and hemp being fed I don't know,anyway I put several droppers down there and after a while they returned,I set a float up and had a chub and a 12oz roach quite quickly,then spook,nothing anywhere until around 2.30pm when the angle of the sun dipped a little,a barbel appeared,I had it,8lbs 9ozs,then spooked again for half an hour before bedlam arrived,I ended with 5 barbel two over 8lbs,11 chub,biggest 5lb 1oz and 4 roach 3 peas in the pod around 12ozs and one that was around the pound,a lovely days fishing,roll on the next one,lol...
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wetthrough
Well-known member
Did you have any company Gordon? Glad you caught.
Just one other from about 10:30am to 1:30. Blanked as far as I could see.
flightliner
Well-known member
Upper Trent, again for a hoped for Zander. It was balticwhen I set off well before dawn with the hope of a particular swim thats given me a few zeds on previous visits.
On arrival at dawn I was dissappointed to see two cars in the place I wanted.
Mmmm, where now?
I decided on a lower section of the tidal but at the last second approaching a tee junction I decided to go where I'd fished last week,
Happy to get the swim I wanted my two rods, one that was rigged with a sunken float paternostered and the other a standard bottom set up baited with small dead roach were positioned up and downstream in the river that was on the ebb.
I had a small pike in the first hour, not big, maybe 6lb at best with a dropped run some 30 minutes later.
It was quite afterwards for 90 minutes or so until the indicator rose slowly so, bearing in mind it could be a zander I struck within a few seconds.
The fish was slow, powerful and ponderous and gave a really good account of itself but it slid into my net with no real problems.
On arrival at dawn I was dissappointed to see two cars in the place I wanted.
Mmmm, where now?
I decided on a lower section of the tidal but at the last second approaching a tee junction I decided to go where I'd fished last week,
Happy to get the swim I wanted my two rods, one that was rigged with a sunken float paternostered and the other a standard bottom set up baited with small dead roach were positioned up and downstream in the river that was on the ebb.
I had a small pike in the first hour, not big, maybe 6lb at best with a dropped run some 30 minutes later.
It was quite afterwards for 90 minutes or so until the indicator rose slowly so, bearing in mind it could be a zander I struck within a few seconds.
The fish was slow, powerful and ponderous and gave a really good account of itself but it slid into my net with no real problems.
flightliner
Well-known member
Oops, carry on from above lol---
It was a really chunky fish, and on the scales it weighed 11lb 5oz tbh I was a little surprised as I expected something more like 13lb or so but no matter.
That was it, nothing else, no zander put in a show but the weather was kind and I enjoyed my day out.
It was a really chunky fish, and on the scales it weighed 11lb 5oz tbh I was a little surprised as I expected something more like 13lb or so but no matter.
That was it, nothing else, no zander put in a show but the weather was kind and I enjoyed my day out.
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Heeding the forecast today of gales I forsook the river and went to a club water where I could tuck in out of the wind.
I had 3 pike on roach deads. Two jacks about 4lb and this one at 21lb 4ozs. First 20 of the year.
Sorry about the scowl. I forgot to smile.
I had 3 pike on roach deads. Two jacks about 4lb and this one at 21lb 4ozs. First 20 of the year.
Sorry about the scowl. I forgot to smile.
Ray Roberts
Well-known member
I went lure fishing today with my old fishing buddy Richard. The first lake we fished looked the part but not a sniff of a fish.
We moved on to a nice looking stretch of the Medway that runs parallel to the lake, but despite our best efforts we blanked there too.
We fished back around the lake but the high winds had put a fair bit of tow on the water and it was colouring up quite badly. There is another lake nearby that is on the same day ticket, so we headed off to there.
This lake was far clearer and better sheltered from the wind. One take between 12 till 5, this resulted in a pike of just under 10lb and it looked a real old warrior. It was covered in healed scars from some long past encounters.
If I hadn’t offered to take my pal I would have cried off, as I’ve had a rotten cold for the last few days. It was nice to get out, even if the rewards didn’t quite match the effort we put in.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
We moved on to a nice looking stretch of the Medway that runs parallel to the lake, but despite our best efforts we blanked there too.
We fished back around the lake but the high winds had put a fair bit of tow on the water and it was colouring up quite badly. There is another lake nearby that is on the same day ticket, so we headed off to there.
This lake was far clearer and better sheltered from the wind. One take between 12 till 5, this resulted in a pike of just under 10lb and it looked a real old warrior. It was covered in healed scars from some long past encounters.
If I hadn’t offered to take my pal I would have cried off, as I’ve had a rotten cold for the last few days. It was nice to get out, even if the rewards didn’t quite match the effort we put in.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
Heeding the forecast today of gales I forsook the river and went to a club water where I could tuck in out of the wind.
I had 3 pike on roach deads. Two jacks about 4lb and this one at 21lb 4ozs. First 20 of the year.
Sorry about the scowl. I forgot to smile.
That's a proper goodun...well done...
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
Been today,fished a swim that used to be the best barbel swim on the stretch 25 years ago now not even close,I haven't fished it since last season,it seemed like a nursery today 25 small roach 3 reasonable ones,2 nice dace,God knows how many chublets between 4ozs and a pound,2 baby barbel 6-8ozs and three around 5-6lbs....oh a crucial omission,at least 25 gudgeon,a fish I haven't caught many of this year and are a welcome addition...
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The Runner
Well-known member
Tried somewhere new today, back on the mainland at Balmacara out on the headland at the East side of the bay.
Walk in to start with involved picking a way across a small salt marsh, currently far more marsh than salt and then picked up a faint but very boggy path out to the point. Rocks sloping off steeply into very deep water with a lot of kelp visible close in ( got there about a hour before low tide) . Set up big rod with the usual mackerel strip on a 1/0, 170 gm grip lead , gave it a bit of an overhead thump and it took a long time to hit bottom. Sat back and waited, no immediate signs so also set up lure rod with an 18gm Dennett SuperSprat, the go-to lure for places where it looks like you might lose a few as they’re cheap as chips, and they work..
Two hours in, not a sign on anything so just admired the view…Skye Bridge just visible on the far right, first pic…
Tide started running very hard, lead not holding and while bottom seemed relatively clean, was getting pulled round and line was dragged against a sharp drop off just past the weed so issues both with the mainline getting frayed and getting the rig back over the drop off. After four lost leads , two on snags well out and two on the ledge, decided to move back a bit round to the side of the point where the tide wasn’t as strong.
A good bit shallower and a lot of loose weed but after half an hour the tip banged twice- missed it .Next cast , same again, sure something had hooked itself but no, missed again. And that was it on the big rod, not another sign. Lost a small pollack as I lifted it , only about twice the size of the lure, from my only take on the lure rod, so my first blank in a while.
Definitely will give the place another go , at the very least it’s got all the makings of a good pollack mark when they return from spawning in May, ; depth, tiderun and kelp. Try it on a smaller tide as well…
Walk in to start with involved picking a way across a small salt marsh, currently far more marsh than salt and then picked up a faint but very boggy path out to the point. Rocks sloping off steeply into very deep water with a lot of kelp visible close in ( got there about a hour before low tide) . Set up big rod with the usual mackerel strip on a 1/0, 170 gm grip lead , gave it a bit of an overhead thump and it took a long time to hit bottom. Sat back and waited, no immediate signs so also set up lure rod with an 18gm Dennett SuperSprat, the go-to lure for places where it looks like you might lose a few as they’re cheap as chips, and they work..
Two hours in, not a sign on anything so just admired the view…Skye Bridge just visible on the far right, first pic…
Tide started running very hard, lead not holding and while bottom seemed relatively clean, was getting pulled round and line was dragged against a sharp drop off just past the weed so issues both with the mainline getting frayed and getting the rig back over the drop off. After four lost leads , two on snags well out and two on the ledge, decided to move back a bit round to the side of the point where the tide wasn’t as strong.
A good bit shallower and a lot of loose weed but after half an hour the tip banged twice- missed it .Next cast , same again, sure something had hooked itself but no, missed again. And that was it on the big rod, not another sign. Lost a small pollack as I lifted it , only about twice the size of the lure, from my only take on the lure rod, so my first blank in a while.
Definitely will give the place another go , at the very least it’s got all the makings of a good pollack mark when they return from spawning in May, ; depth, tiderun and kelp. Try it on a smaller tide as well…
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