How did you get on?

[jon atkinson]

My fishing of late has been limited to short windows of opportunity, so given 40 minutes each way to my club's ponds I haven't really fished them of late. I was afforded a slightly longer window yesterday, so headed over to the Wirral with one of our quieter, back ponds in mind. I had the place to myself, indeed there was nobody on any of the 4 waters past the second gate. Further to walk = less popular I guess, but that suits me just fine. The Back Hut is a 'temperamental', small, silty, weedy pool between 3.5 & 5' deep which is rumoured to hold some good Perch, Tench & Crucian, any of which I am always happy to catch.

Started with punched meat on the waggler which was hard going with only a Roach and a small Perch after 40 minutes, so I switched to bread which brought a lot more bites but exclusively from Roach between 1 & 4oz. I'd been feeding micros little & often throughout the session so with time running out, I tried a banded 8mm pellet which was snaffled just as the fat lady was clearing her throat. Only small, perhaps nudging 2lb but in great condition & beautifully coloured and it gave a really good fight for it's size and brought a smile to my face, before trudging back over the fields!

 

[Alan Whitty]

Well I don't like seeing lilies being allowed to run rampant, sadly they will have to be treated in the end and then it will look bare....

 

[Ray Roberts]

Well I don't like seeing lilies being allowed to run rampant, sadly they will have to be treated in the end and then it will look bare....

The lilies were planted into large concrete tubes which confine the roots, they are as they were meant to be which offers some cover from predators. It also partitions the lake, so you don’t ever have people on the opposite bank casting into or encroaching on your swim.


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[mikench]

Gordon and I returned to the same venue as last week namely our clubs 7 pool flagship fishery. We chose a different lake.

This was my peg with Gordon just beyond on the next one. It’s fair to say that after a relatively slow start we began to catch. I was on the feeder and Gordon the float. This was I think an F1 and just one of 17 carp I managed to catch. Many were obvious F1’s and commons but non more than 3 lb.

Gordon had some lovely roach around 8oz and around 4 small carp like the above. I also had 5 decent roach so a grand day out despite a couple of hours of incessant rain. It’s a lovely secluded place and I cannot comprehend why it has taken me 8 years to try it. We shall certainly go again and try another of the lakes. I really enjoyed the day Gordon and here’s to next week. France is on the back burner now for reasons you will understand until later next month. A great days fishing.

 

[seth49]

On the syndicate water with mick yesterday, last time we fished here I noticed a chap fishing a peg on the other side of the lodge, was catching well, so I suggested we try across there, and so we did, it was deeper there about five foot, instead of the three feet were we usually fished.

so started with usual tactics of chopped worm with half a worm for bait, which worked for a while till the little perch arrived, so changed to sweetcorn as hook bait feeding sweetcorn and soaked micros, this worked well, especially using corn skins on the hook, think the corn skins are sucked in a lot easier than full pieces of corn.

had a great days fishing, had 16 tench, 7 small carp, 6 F1s, 1 crucian, and 19 assorted roach and skimmers, did hook one of the larger carp which came of, and some of the tench were very lightly hooked, and I lost a few of these, so we both had plenty of fish, in good weather as well, back on these pegs again next time.

 

[Steve Arnold]

Sally and I are just back from a camping trip about 2 hours drive downriver, the river Lot has so much to offer the angler and is worth a visit just for its beauty. We went to a campsite near Fumel, here it's lush countryside and vineyards rather than the high cliffs bordering the river nearer our home. The river is much wider here due the building of a barrage which flooded the land outwards from the old river channel.

The river is deepest here at the campsite side, casting further than midstream found snags, possibly old buildings or walls flooded after the barrage was built. Seriously solid snags anyway!

I had one afternoons fishing, always trying for barbel or carp. After catapulting in some small boilies and mixed pellets I settled back for the wait. Two rods out, one under the bank downstream and the other about 20 metres out to catch what little flow there was.

The bank rod went off first after about two hours......

A nice little barbel of about 3 pounds. I had to put up with the swans, but they were not aggressive....

It was getting on into the evening before another take resulted in a barbel of about 5 pounds.......

The river had very little flow here due to the barrage, so I was pleased to get even these two fish. An excellent little campsite (Camping Les Catalpas) and a nice river frontage maintained well, a little drop to the water but they have a small platform one end and a slipway the other. Just the ticket for a short break!

 

[nottskev]

All the posts about perch made me think I should leave the barbel gear at home, so I set off to the river this afternoon with a light float rod, a couple of pints of maggots and some dendra's on their last legs. I picked a shaded swim and had a comfortable time on a sweltering afternoon. The idea was to trickle maggots in continuously and fish shallow with a light float, hoping the bait and all the little fish would draw the perch.

It worked ok, up to a point, and half a dozen perch of this size turned up amongst the little roach, dace, bleak and chublets.

But it proved easier to hook the big ones than to land them. One managed to snag me up. Another ploughed off on one of those bustling runs they make, stopped, but shed the hook as I started to coax it back. At this point, I called Steve for some advice on the finer points of perch fishing.

A bit of messing with hooks and hooklengths didn't stop the bumping and hook-pulls on the bigger ones. When one finally did stick, I thought for a minute I'd hooked the Big Perch Challenge Trophy winner, as something bent the old float rod into an unusual shape. But as time went on, I realised this could only be one thing

I set up again, as the hook was straightened and the line had taken a beating. Five minutes later, another of these big perch was steaming out to the middle of the river.

It's funny how these stay on and the perch come off. Or maybe it's the logical result of their different mouths. Anyway, that was enough, and I headed home to watch the recorded football.

 

[Crystal Bend]

Kamasan B711 & Gamakatsu Gama Black G-BL Barbless Hooks are good for penetrating the Perch's boney mouth.
You can pinch the barbs in on the B711s.

 

[Ray Roberts]

I’m fishing at Highley on the Seven. I’ve caught loads of fish but mostly small. The best was a chub of 4lb10oz. I’m giving it another hour and then adjourning to the pub.

I had the chub on pin and float.


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[nottskev]

I’m fishing at Highley on the Seven. I’ve caught loads of fish but mostly small. The best was a chub of 4lb10oz. I’m giving it another hour and then adjourning to the pub. View attachment 27909
View attachment 27910
View attachment 27911
I had the chub on pin and float.


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What a great place to spend a week. The Severn between Bridgnorth and Bewdley is lovely. I envy people who live in the area.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Apart from this week with the gang stationed there there, lock up your daughters(or anyone else), lol...beer stocks have dwindled already...

 

[flightliner]

Apart from this week with the gang stationed there there, lock up your daughters(or anyone else), lol...beer stocks have dwindled already...

Sounds like you've had a few yourself Alan
Had two or three strong italian beers myself last night!

 

[@Clive]

I've been doing a bit of poaching on Steve Arnold's patch

On Monday morning I cycled from the camp site to a swim I had spotted on a previous visit. By the time I got there and set up a 5 piece travel rod it was just after 10am. I put in some hemp and pellets and fished double 6mm pellets banded onto a loop hair. I missed three bites In the first three casts so extended the hook link. Next two casts I hooked and lost fish. A change to a barbed hook brought three small barbel before I snagged a rock and lost the whole end tackle. By the time I had rigged up again the sun was full on and after another small barbel I packed up just after 12 noon.

I rode back towards the camp site, over a bridge and settled into a swim that gave full shade all afternoon. It was what I call a bream hole. Little wife arrived with a sandwich and cold drink that was gratefully received.

More hemp and some sweetcorn were catapulted in upstream and to the far side of an overhanging bush. Bait was one pellet and one sweetcorn grain. I had a bite straight away and instead of the expected bream a 3lb barbel came to the net.

I put in more hemp and a few pellets then fished a banded piece of Frolick that had been soaked in Marmite. A sharp pull resulted in a missed bite then after a recast I got a 3 foot twitch and another barbel, this time around 5lb.

I had promised to be back for 4pm so that we could go out for dinner so after the second barbel I called it a day.

 

[mikench]

Gordon and I paid yet another visit to our clubs flagship complex of 7 waters . We have tried 3 and have maybe 2 to go as 2 are unlikely to tempt us unduly. Today was the turn of the specimen lake.

Fortunately the pegs we chose afforded shade most of the day which suited us. The water behind had around 20 fishing at 10.30 and just 2 by 2.00 pm. Gord9n was on the float and outdid me today without a doubt. He had 26 fish and maybe a couple more including I decent mirror around 8lb which I missed whilst chatting to the club secretary for 30 minutes. I stuck to the feeder as did all the others fishing and results were poor. I managed 5 skimmers, a hybrid, an ugly mirror of around 4-5 lb and this.

It was around 3lb and in great condition. I am always content when I catch a tench even if is just the one. It was an enjoyable day once again and very pleasant in dappled shade and a light breeze. Falling leaves, an undeniable sigh of autumn, were very obvious and littered the water. One of the groundsmen picked up loads which drifted to the corner near Gordon with a landing net but it was a losing battle. Thanks again for the bacon sarnie Gordon which was delicious. Did I not say the complex has a bait shop and a lovely café serving food all day. Spoilt or what.

 

[Steve Arnold]

I've been doing a bit of poaching on Steve Arnold's patch

On Monday morning I cycled from the camp site to a swim I had spotted on a previous visit. By the time I got there and set up a 5 piece travel rod it was just after 10am. I put in some hemp and pellets and fished double 6mm pellets banded onto a loop hair. I missed three bites In the first three casts so extended the hook link. Next two casts I hooked and lost fish. A change to a barbed hook brought three small barbel before I snagged a rock and lost the whole end tackle. By the time I had rigged up again the sun was full on and after another small barbel I packed up just after 12 noon.

I rode back towards the camp site, over a bridge and settled into a swim that gave full shade all afternoon. It was what I call a bream hole. Little wife arrived with a sandwich and cold drink that was gratefully received.

More hemp and some sweetcorn were catapulted in upstream and to the far side of an overhanging bush. Bait was one pellet and one sweetcorn grain. I had a bite straight away and instead of the expected bream a 3lb barbel came to the net.

I put in more hemp and a few pellets then fished a banded piece of Frolick that had been soaked in Marmite. A sharp pull resulted in a missed bite then after a recast I got a 3 foot twitch and another barbel, this time around 5lb.

I had promised to be back for 4pm so that we could go out for dinner so after the second barbel I called it a day.

View attachment 27915

View attachment 27914

Glad you got some fish Clive, there are plenty of barbel in the Lot and I will still have plenty of "uneducated" fish left to take my baits.

Finding the shade for yourself often means finding the fish as well in these heatwave conditions, that often is in deeper swims close to the bank - the "bream holes"!

 

[Ray Roberts]

It was baking yesterday in Highley. I went out late in the afternoon with a light spinning rod and some Curley tailed jelly lures. I managed three perch, which were only about a pound each and a very lively pike which put up a good scrap on light gear.

Bert the old chap (80) who owns and bailiffs the river near the Ship Inn and in who’s caravan we are staying passed out and had a nasty fall, whacking his head on the wall. He is made out of tough stuff and still collected everybody’s day ticket money. However the next morning he was poorly and was blue lighted to hospital. I’ve just seen him and he told me that he was kept waiting in the ambulance for seven hours and on a gurney for two days. What a bloody disgraceful way to treat an 80 year old man, or anyone for that matter. What is this country coming to, that we let the politicians damage our health service on the way that they have.


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[mikench]

I cannot think of a good word for any politician , regime or party national or local , as they are all incompetent and unfit for public office. It’s not just the Tories just look at Birmingham City Council. Grant Shapps Secretary of State for Defence, god help us. Enjoy the fishing Ray while you can.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Absolutely, they are all there for egotistical or monetary gain, allegedly.....

 

[nottskev]

Another beautiful day. It's great to be able to leave all the doors and windows open and when you get to the water choose a swim for shade instead of shelter. I spent the morning in a posh suburb of the city; it's like a little bit of Surrey transplanted to the Midlands and my bank have closed the branches nearer to me but maintain one there, and I came home with a hot roasted whole chicken from M&S which took care of lunch. I decided to resume fishing for perch as the last trip produced a few and I had plenty of bait left over. I set up with the same light float gear - a Shimano rod and reel with a combined age of nearly 60 years and a Drennan Wide Gape 14 on either Dave Harrel .18 line or a .16 hooklength. I remember a long discussion on here about spade end v eyed hooks which got a bit tetchy at times, and I can report that the Matchman hook-tyer knot has survived a few big gatecrashers over the last two sessions.

I did no good at all with the hunt for a good perch. This was the outstanding specimen today

But a couple of other species put a (worrying) bend in the 13' Diaflash Light

Along with some other barbel that didn't understand they should be looking for boilies down the middle of the river, not chasing maggots amongst the rocks in the margins.

 

[Ray Roberts]

I’m night fishing the Seven at Highly. So far this evening I have had a nice barbel of 7lb 6oz and four chub. Three over four pounds and a very long lean one, that if it was in as good condition as the others would have been a very large fish.

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