How did you get on?

[Pete Shears]

Probably the last river trip of the season to the upper Soar this morning to find the level right at the top in most places and large pools of water in the low lying fields but they served to wash mud off the wellies.
Tried a near bank back eddy using crust on the hook and liquidised bread in the feeder to start with changing to worms but still no interest from anything ,not even crayfish. Moved downstream to a cattle drink hoping fish were sheltering from the main flow but soon moved upstream casting across to a back eddy off the far bank.
Three bites on double dendros saw three chub landed at 1lb 4oz, 4lb 1oz and 1lb 9oz.

 

[Steve Arnold]

The last 36 hours we have had a great deal of rain, heavy and constant. I have been pretty well stuck in the house for several days, my wife pretty sick with a couple of bouts of of fever, headaches and choking coughs. Not Covid if you can believe the pharmacy tests, not flu if you can believe the doctor and his test! Anyway, she showed some slight improvement today so I was chased out fishing so I could fill my lungs with clean air!

The river is in full spate.....

So I set up where I knew there would be a deep slack under the bank, but it was still too turbulent. But fish were showing where I normally place my chair.......what could they possibly be?

My net is just a few feet from where these small fish were splashing. But on the rod I chucked out worms, then boilies, then back to worms, into about 8' of turbulent river a few yards out. I have caught chub and barbel there in similar conditions - but not today!

At least I did not totally blank! When i was packing up I lifted my net and there was this tiny but colourful fish, a species I had not seen in the flesh before......

... a Perche Solaire, an invasive species originally from North America, known there as a Pumkinseed fish.

Every trip down the river Lot another surprise, sometimes it's big ...... but even the sunny little surprises are welcome!

 

[Alan Whitty]

Went on an action reply of yesterday's effort,a trip to the river,car park rammed,on to club lake which I fished this time,5 skimmers,several roach,3 over 4ozs to 12ozs,three perch 2 about 8ozs,a common carp around 4lbs and around 15 gudgeon....single red maggot on a 22 hook,0.10mm hooklength.

 

[terry m]

It will be no surprise that yesterday was spent roaming the Avon with my pike gear. A biting wind made things challenging, but ended with three fish of 15lb, 8lb and 5lb. Nice way to wrap up the season. Now time for a few repairs on my pike gear before cleaning and putting away until October.

 

[Ray Roberts]

It will be no surprise that yesterday was spent roaming the Avon with my pike gear. A biting wind made things challenging, but ended with three fish of 15lb, 8lb and 5lb. Nice way to wrap up the season. Now time for a few repairs on my pike gear before cleaning and putting away until October.

You’ve had some cracking fish recently, well done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[flightliner]

Fished the idle yesterday for pike. I considered the Trent but a friend living near to it advised me to look elsewhere.
I did think of a small beck that runs into it that get full of Dace when its flooded but knew the road beside it would be under water so gave up and decided on the idle.
It was cold but I found a little flat ground beside a copse to give both comfort and shelter and set up my two rods baited with sardine and small roach and positioned both, one up and one downstream of each other and settled down to await results— but the pike wer'nt playing ball and remained fishless.
Two things of note tho, one was experiencing a mini tornado where the wind suddenly raised its tempo and blew my unhooking matt and and coat over the floodbank.
The other was when driving there, I was listening to classic fm on the radio that was playing music from Phantom of the opera, I was going thro Gringly on the hill when the music was reaching a crescendo, at its height I turned a corner and was presented with the most stunning view of the lower trent valley bathed in the morning sunshine.
From my elevated position coupled with the fantastic view and the music I dont think I'll forget that moment in a hurry!

 

[Pete Shears]

Another piking trip to the local reservoir today. On the way suddenly there was a barn owl on my left flying just above the hedge ,it flew in front of my car and continued along the hedge on my right before looping over the hedgerow and over the fields, all this when it was light about 6.35am.
Whilst at the reservoir,every time I glanced skyward there were red kites in ones and twos and buzzards circling.
Managed to get one pike on a silver toby 2nd cast at 6lb 9oz and much later another at 12lb 7oz on herring tail.
Packed up just after noon when it started to rain.

 

[maggot_dangler]

Well i had thought last year i was back for good but the old body obviously had other ideas spent Christmas laid up in hospital having a bucket full of stents fitted when the bottom end of the Aorta goes bang it make a mess as i found out .
Hopefully back for good this time

 

[Alan Whitty]

You take care...

 

[flightliner]

Well i had thought last year i was back for good but the old body obviously had other ideas spent Christmas laid up in hospital having a bucket full of stents fitted when the bottom end of the Aorta goes bang it make a mess as i found out .
Hopefully back for good this time

Let me second that Maggot Dangler

 

[@Clive]

Strange day I had. For a start the Charente was powering through and muddy brown. That will teach me to check the river line website. I had planned to fish near to where I was last week, a tributary of the main river. It isn't exactly a tributary in that the water leaves the main river rather than flows into it. The water flows out and gradually seeps away over a length of a few kilometers, but for the first kilometer or so it is effectively a small river and even has its own name. Anyway, it was flood water so I found an eddy and set up there.

I had a sliding float with maggot bait on a cane Avon rod in front of me and a groundbait feeder on a quiver rod with sweetcorn out to the right near some submerged trees. Nothing doing so I swapped the float rod to 6mm pellets and put half a lob worm on the ledger rod. Eventually I put the float rod away and concentrated on the ledger rod as the worm kept getting shredded. It had been raining on and off, but by 2pm started getting heavier. I put 4 maggots on the size 12 and chucked the feeder out towards the trees while I put the float rod in its case and took it back to the car.

When I got back about 30 seconds later I wound the feeder rod in to change to a maggot feeder. There was a small roach hanging off the hook. I swapped feeders and re-cast thenstarted putting things under cover or in the seat box. When I wound that in a bleak was hanging of the size 12 hook! Notbeing behind the door I put an 18 to 2lb line on and fished single maggot. Bingo! A bite I could hit and a nice roach of around 8oz came in. Then no bite on the next cast, but this had attached itself

Next cast.....

Then they got my number and all I got were vibrations on the tip and a sucked maggot or no maggot at all.

In the end heavy rain saved me from further embarassment.

 

[@Clive]

I fished the River Vienne today in a place that is linked to significant events in English history. 824 years ago next month a youth let loose a speculative shot with a crossbow from the tower of a fortified manor house. He was part of a hastily formed local militia tasked with guarding some gold treasure trove discovered nearby. Two men approached the manor house and began to case the joint in order to find the best way to get in and nick the gold. The crossbow bolt hit one of them in the shoulder and he died four days later from his wound. He was called Richard and otherwise known as Couer de Lion, The Butcher of Acre, King of England, Duke of Acquitaine and Normandy and Liberator of Cyprus. That fatal shot resulted in bad King John, the Baron's Revolt, Magna Carter, Robin Hood and Tony Bliar. I haven't firmed up that last one, but it seems to fit.

Richard's body was carried from Chalus down to the Vienne at Aixe where it was put on a barge and floated down to Fontevraud Abbey at the confluence of the Loire where he was buried next to his Father William II.

Why am I telling you this? Because in over four hours fishing at Aixe sur Vienne I didn't have a bite let alone a fish. And this despite my honouring the old rogue by fishing part of the time with an ABU Suveran feeder rod. Suveran is Swedish for Sovereign.

The highlight of the day was when an old French chap came to have a chat and he recognised me from a French fishing forum. I got to know some new places to fish and he wanted to know how to fish for barbel. I got the barbel feeder rod out of the holdall and gave him a run through the rig.

The last thing that he told me was that the river here fished best in the morning. I had arrived at 11:45

 

[Steve Arnold]

I fished the River Vienne today in a place that is linked to significant events in English history. 824 years ago next month a youth let loose a speculative shot with a crossbow from the tower of a fortified manor house. He was part of a hastily formed local militia tasked with guarding some gold treasure trove discovered nearby. Two men approached the manor house and began to case the joint in order to find the best way to get in and nick the gold. The crossbow bolt hit one of them in the shoulder and he died four days later from his wound. He was called Richard and otherwise known as Couer de Lion, The Butcher of Acre, King of England, Duke of Acquitaine and Normandy and Liberator of Cyprus. That fatal shot resulted in bad King John, the Baron's Revolt, Magna Carter, Robin Hood and Tony Bliar. I haven't firmed up that last one, but it seems to fit.

Richard's body was carried from Chalus down to the Vienne at Aixe where it was put on a barge and floated down to Fontevraud Abbey at the confluence of the Loire where he was buried next to his Father William II.

Why am I telling you this? Because in over four hours fishing at Aixe sur Vienne I didn't have a bite let alone a fish. And this despite my honouring the old rogue by fishing part of the time with an ABU Suveran feeder rod. Suveran is Swedish for Sovereign.

The highlight of the day was when an old French chap came to have a chat and he recognised me from a French fishing forum. I got to know some new places to fish and he wanted to know how to fish for barbel. I got the barbel feeder rod out of the holdall and gave him a run through the rig.

The last thing that he told me was that the river here fished best in the morning. I had arrived at 11:45

A nicely tied up bit of history Clive! Brought a bit of history into your impossible days fishing, lightened my mood after a similar afternoon on the Lot But I did catch one 4lb bream and missed another bite!

The Lot is high but the colour is clearing, I feel the fish should be feeding but maybe the varying weather and air pressures is putting them off the feed?

At least today I checked out a slipway for summer use. What is left of the landing stage has deep water (I estimate 15') a few yards out, then it shallows a little about 30 yds out.

The slipway gives access to what might be an interesting stretch above Frontenac. There looks to be a useful picnic area next to the slipway, so I may be able to get the missus interested in a trip when the river is at summer flows.

I cut the breams head in half......

Holding my phone over the river and not bothered to take another shot!

 

[@Clive]

Looks like you got the same weather as me Steve. 18C and occassional cloud. Fishing in shirt sleeves is so welcome after the last two months. Hopefully the barbel and carp will start showing soon. Its a bit slow at the moment with roach and perch still spawning. I was hoping for chub and small barbel today and tried a new area, but nothing doing.

There is quiteca bit of history down your way too. Knights Templars stronghold at St Eulalie le Cernon and in other bastide towns along the silver mining route.

 

[John Aston]

Ah Fontevraud ..we visited there on one of our gite holidays in the Loire in the late 80s . Loved it - but I loved the look of the Vienne even more... .

 

[@Clive]

Ah Fontevraud ..we visited there on one of our gite holidays in the Loire in the late 80s . Loved it - but I loved the look of the Vienne even more... .

I think that the middle part of the Vienne and valley would be more to your liking. And the Charente between Mansle and Cognac certainly would be.

 

[seth49]

Back on usual fishery yesterday, just me and mick to start with, then three more arrived later, had a steady day catching F1 s,roach, skimmers, 1 perch, and two nice crucians which was nice so early in the year, had a total of 31 fish, which was more than the others were catching.
I was using Peterjg groundbait additive he had posted on here, and first result seems good, will certainly use again.

the weather wasn’t brilliant lots of showers, and windy which limited swim choice a bit, but it turned out ok.

was nice too hear the curlews which had returned to their nesting grounds, always think spring has arrived when I hear them, plenty of daffodils in flower, and the bushes are coming into leaf also, so first day out and I enjoyed it.

 

[peterjg]

Seth49, well done with your catch, pleased the flavour idea works for you. I'm still using it and yes, it does work. In only my last two trips I've managed (using big lumps of flavoured flake) one crucian, three tench, twenty carp but only three roach. However; the bait was deliberately big to stop the small roach taking the bait.

 

[seth49]

Yes I’m pleased with your flavouring, it worked well for me on Tuesday, next time I go I’m going to favour some expander pellets with it, and see how they do. As they work well where I fish.

 

[Alan Whitty]

I'm not poo-hooing your flavours or any others(ive used several myself to some success),but this is how flavours gather confidence,an angler tries them has a good day,goes again,has another good day,however,lots of things bring fish on the feed,almost too many to catalogue,so do we fish with another angler,start catching with our flavour for a while,whilst hopefully your friend isn't doing so well,then swap swims and see if your bait turns his swim on,or whether he slows up in your swim,over several sessions some sort of pattern should emerge,however,confidence is everything and if you are happy to use any flavouring it normally wouldn't do any harm unless it is too powerful or concentrated...