How did you get on?

[Alan Whitty]

Do most of the fish come close to the near bank tree snags Steve ,I seem to remember seeing a video somewhere where it showed loads of barbel,carp and catfish tucked up in the gnarled up trees...

 

[@Clive]

I think Steve's nuisance fish are bream. I fished there a few years ago and was plagued by them. They pick up a bait that is too big for them and play around with it until they foul hook themselves. I went back to the camping-car and got a lighter rod then fished for them with sweetcorn. There was no point continuing with the heavy carbel approach.

They run to over 7lb and put up a scrap on suitable tackle.

 

[Steve Arnold]

Do most of the fish come close to the near bank tree snags Steve ,I seem to remember seeing a video somewhere where it showed loads of barbel,carp and catfish tucked up in the gnarled up trees...

Hi Alan, there are absolutely hundreds of miles of "gnarled up trees" on the Lot! Every little shoal of fish will have its home, I am sure. But most of the bankside is unapproachable unless you want to spend a great deal of time with a machete and machinery! I am 71 this June so I avoid heavy swim clearances!

So I settle on open swims where I can use my casting ability to reach likely fish holding spots. Often these are beaches on the inside of bends and I have to cast the width of the river to get my bait to them, hence my liking for a 13' rod of about 2.75lb tc. The river generally varies in width from 60 metres to about 100 metres. At the very least I like to put my bait midstream and catch the flow, usually the strongest flow is under the far bank. Far bank access is restricted and steep, often cliffs!

Always have a 10' rod handy for under the trees though.

When there is little boat traffic (most of the year apart from high summer) I also fish slipways and landing stages, I am always prepared to clear my tackle as boats have (obvious!) priority.

On the occasions I can fish the bank where the main flow hits I do use lighter rods and weights as frequently you need the bait to swing under the trees.

But I seem to have worked out a strategy for the barbel and carp that works often enough. Both species do like the middle section of the river as their highway. The barbel are often in the hardest flow and the carp only a little off it, they are very fit fish here! So I know a couple of swims where they are regular travellers and I now know a few places where they will lie in specific river conditions.

After five + years fishing this stretch between Cahors and Capdenac (and beyond even) I have learnt a lot about the Lot. It's all coming together quite well!

Wonderful river Lot....

 

[mikench]

Wonderful indeed.


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[Steve Arnold]

I think Steve's nuisance fish are bream. I fished there a few years ago and was plagued by them. They pick up a bait that is too big for them and play around with it until they foul hook themselves. I went back to the camping-car and got a lighter rod then fished for them with sweetcorn. There was no point continuing with the heavy carbel approach.

They run to over 7lb and put up a scrap on suitable tackle.

You are probably right about the bream Clive. The beggars take a boilie into their mouths and will not (or cannot!) let go!

But I thought I had that option covered as my second rod was a 10' quiver tip that will cast a 2 ozs weight a good distance. I alternated between 10 mm boilies and maggots on that rod, but not a bite. I think that rod was casting about 10 yds short of the other rods bait, just missing the edge of the current. Nothing seemed to be feeding closer in.

Bream are frisky at this time of year, getting into spawning mode just now I guess.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Been today on a club lake after crucians,never saw one,had eight decent bream seven of them between 4-6lb,one around 2lb 8ozs,one skimmer and two smallish tench,biggest a little under 2lbs,all on a top two and 4mm expander,feeding micros....

 

[@Clive]

For some reason I haven't been able to post. Seems to be sorted now.

Yesterday I went back to the Charente, same pound, but different swims from last week. I wanted to trot for roach and the forecast was for a gentle breeze over my left shoulder - perfect! The reality was cold, blustery in my face wind. Tried an hour in each of two swims using sweetcorn and pigeon peas without a bite.

I chucked a cage feeder out on a second rod while I had lunch. Nothing touched the bait. I drove down to a normally reliable swim a couple of kilometres downstream and float / ledgered for two hours without a bite.

 

[S-Kippy]

I went fishing today for the 1st time since last summer thanks to a spell in hospital with pneumonia and some pretty shoite weather. TBH it’s taken me a good 5-6 months to get over the pneumonia so fishing really hasnt been an option. Today it was a spot of trite fishing as a call to Farmoor said it was fishing well. Trouble was it was flat calm and covered in that scummy floating algae you get in the spring.
I kept moving trying to find some ripple and a clear spot and managed to snaffle a trite or two along the way. I finished about 2pm having had 10 trite ( 9 rainbows and a beautifully marked brown) which was a pretty good return on a difficult day. Buzzers and Daiwl Bach always work there and did today though I did snaffle one on a bloodworm pattern.
Good to be out again but the real test will be lugging a barrowload of coarse gear around not ambling up the bank with a girly trite bag.

 

[S-Kippy]

First time (yesterday ) I’ve had occasion to post on this thread for nearly a year. This was Simon’s thread and as he is no longer with us I couldn’t help but spare a moment to take time to read some of his old posts. We fished together many times and there are places I can’t even drive past ( let alone fish) without thinking of him.

Good lad….wherever he is now he’ll be bagging up on the silvers.

 

[Alan Whitty]

I can relate to that,I have similar thoughts of people that were good mates that have past....

 

[seth49]

Back out again today, last week was a washout, plus I couldn’t have gone as my gout flared up again, and I had to get about on my hands and knees for two days it was that painful,
Just fished my pole today top kit plus two, maggots over groundbait with the additive as usual, not a bad day had two carp around 5lbs, one a ghostie, four tench, 1Fi, and 25 assorted roach,skimmers, and Ide.

So an enjoyable day especially with an east wind blowing as well, and bright sunshine most of the day,so not the best conditions, also saw my first two swallows this year, plus two buzzards, and curlews.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Been back trying for crucians today and....hoorah,success,fifteen crucians between 12ozs and a pound and a half,plus a dozen or so skimmers...the fish below was the first and smallest of the day, I love crucians,their beauty,the way they dip the float countless times before they actually take it,but I suppose I could have fished the method feeder,lol,fishing is about pleasure and enjoying doing it,not dragging as many fish out as you can,at least it is for me at my age....

 

[seth49]

Went with mick to our other fishery, I was after tench and mick was after the carp, fished my pole at top kit plus 3 sections, over groundbait and chopped worm, tried maggots or half a dendrobena worm section was best, had a decent day considering the gusty east wind, I had 8 tench plus I lost two in a snag, after losing the second one I managed to pull the snag out which was a sunken branch, took some pulling out but I did manage it with a bit of help from mick.

Had quite a selection of other fish as well, small stockie carp, F1s, perch, Rudd, and roach plus a few skimmers 26 in total, so another good day enjoyed it, best tench about a pound and a half, just spoilt a bit with the cold wind, the additive is still working its magic.

 

[Steve Arnold]

The River of Dreams always beckons and the river runs through my mind constantly. Sally and I made our first short holiday of the year in Hebbie, our camper car, to Livinhac le Haut for just two nights. About 90 minutes drive and on the banks of the river Lot.

We did not book the campsite as it's early season and their website said "open all year" - in french of course! Of course, being France, when we arrived the barrier was wired shut! Fortunately there is another campsite across the river about 2k away and it was open.

After settling in at the campsite we took a walk to the boulangerie to buy bread and have a coffee and croissant. When we returned to the campsite I obviously wanted to get a bait in the river, Sally understands and is happy to sit in the sun with her book.

So it's about 4 pm before I start fishing and the river is belting through. The barrage at Entragues had let water out about 11am and this was it now reaching Livinhac. I had spied a nice eddy where the top of a canal section joins the river, so a double 10mm boilie bait was dropped in. A few small bites and eventually a nice bream is hooked.......

Quite a slender bream but it went 6 lb 11 ozs, about my biggest from the Lot. Now I felt unlikely to beat that and I wanted a barbel or carp, so on with another trace, size 5 hook and a 24mm boilie.

Sally called me back for dinner and I brought my line in. It must have been an hour before I returned to my fishing.

By now the flow was easing so I attached a 3 oz weight and a PVA mesh parcel of pellets and broken boilies. That was cast slightly downstream but about 60 yds out mid-stream. Within minutes plenty of small plucks and rattles, then the rod tip banged down. This fish fought well but when I spotted it's deep body I felt certain it was another bream......

But it was a scale perfect and very deep bodied chub of 4 lb 7 ozs. Pretty chuffed with that! I fished into darkness with only a few more small bites. Went to bed thinking "where are the barbel and carp?" but slept well!

Next day I would not fish until my friend Alistair arrived in the afternoon, so we went for a walk along the river.....

Alistair finally arrives so we set up to fish the same swim. The river has a little flow so I put my 20mm boilie midstream again, Alistair fishes a smaller bait closer in.

I have a few bites that do not develop. Sally calls us back for an early dinner, so we reel in again. We are fishing about 50 yds from the van and I will not leave baits fishing on bite alarms at that distance.

After a chicken dinner followed by Magnum choc-ices I just want to fish. Alistair, of course, wants his cup of tea!

So I chuck my bait out and put it in the rest, baitrunner on. About 10 minutes pass and two gentle knocks on the rod tip - followed by a strong pull as I pick up the rod. FISH ON! ... followed by the fish running 70 yds downriver and in towards a nearside island. I had planned for this as there is a channel buoy there, so I eased the pressure on the fish. Would the carp do the decent thing and head back out into the river?

Yes it did! This time I could ease it back into open water between the channel marker buoys. This carp had plenty of fight left in it but after several more powerful but short runs it was ready to net. Alistair and my wife arrived after finishing their tea, so at least I had help landing an obviously big carp. At the second attempt it was in the net, now I just had to get it on the bank.

The flood meadow is about 8' above the river surface, there are three "steps" about 18" high that I can get down to close the gap for lifting. I am 71 soon, but I was "pumped" and got down, shortened the net handle and lifted, then managed the steps back up with the fish. Poor old net frame will never be the same again!

A great carp of over 35 lbs, I cropped the photo as my face would show I am about ready to suffer cardiac arrest!

I can highly recommend Camping de Roquelongue

 

[mikench]

Love your Post Steve and the photos. I’ll be back next week. I won’t tell Er indoors about your camper or she will want one. We have a tent though.

 

[@Clive]

Blanked today. Couldn't get the right bait as the supermarket has stopped doing the small fresh shrimps that I did well on last year. I tried all the seafood cocktail options without success.

Last year I was broken four times, twice by one or possibly two barbel. The other times were large mullet. Today there was the estimated 8lb barbel in the swim along with a common carp of around the same size. They showed disdain at the squid, prawns, mussles and octopus I offered them. Later I saw four more fish including carp of around 5lb and another larger barbel. They and a hundred or so mullet up to around 4lb never stopped feeding. I dragged in some weed to see if there were snails or shrimps in but no. They wouldn't take weed either even though they appeared to be feeding on it.

After a couple of hours I turned around and fished upstream where carp and barbel could be seen browsing in the weed beds. Casting with a centrepin I was around five yards short of the active zone. In the end I put a small ledger on and managed an estimated 40 yds right into where the fish were showing. Nothing took the bait though. Towards the end I noticed some tench dorsals breaking the surface along with the carp and barbel fins that I had seen. That is a first.

I hope to get another chance at them before we leave. This is the downstream part; a bit like a trout river, split atround an island. Not as much water as usual though. The near side is slower and deeper. The far side is a rocky tumbling stream. Both are full of mullet.

And the upstream part is slow and silty.

 

[Ray Roberts]

I went fishing today at TopCat fishery on Koh Samui with my two youngest sons and two young Thai lads. We had over forty fish between us. I had several decent Siamese Carp to over sixty pounds, a red-tailed catfish and the last fish of the evening was a Mekong catfish that went like a train. We had a brilliant day’s fishing.

Josh was having his picture taken when the carp flipped and slapped him around the face with it’s tail.


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[mikench]

You are off your trolley Ray. I would only get wet for Darryl Hannah.

 

[riverman]

went to westerly lake at wheldrake nr york yesterday and was targeting carp on mussel.according to the fella in the next peg the resident bin lids love em also.thats all good and well but if the roach move in thats a different story.still i'm not complaining as 20+ roach and some of them over a pound kept me busy. switched to prawn and 3 tench but nothing over a pound and 3 perch,1 of them about 1.5lb were tempted.lovely lake this and no longer match fished.my mates 1st visit and he tempted 2 carp on strawberry boilie both around the 6lb mark as well as a mixed bag of silvers on the pole with maggots.no carp for me but there are some cracking roach in there and well worth catching.

 

[Ray Roberts]

You are off your trolley Ray. I would only get wet for Darryl Hannah.

But would Darryl Hannah get wet for you Mike?


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