How did you get on?

[tigger]

I got over to the river today hoping for a few barbel on the float but only one showed up. I had a trout in my first swim then naff-all after that so I moved down stream to a nice looking glide but again there was no sign of any barbel and it only produced a couple of dace. I decided to mave swims again and finally hooked something solid. It was a wierd fight as the fish held station mid river and wouldn't budge. I began to wonder if it was foul hooked. Eventually after several minuites of steady pressue it slowly moved upstream but seemed to be glued to the bottom. When I got the fish in the landing net I was surprised to see it wasn't that big. As it felt so solid and made such powerfull controled runs I thought it was gonn'a be something quite large. Anyhow I weighed it as it was the only barbel I caught and it was bang on 9lb...the hardest fighting 9lb barbel i've ever caught that's for sure !

 

[greenie62]

.... It was a wierd fight as the fish held station mid river and wouldn't budge. .... When I got the fish in the landing net I was surprised to see it wasn't that big. As it felt so solid and made such powerfull controled runs I thought it was gonn'a be something quite large.....

Hi Tigger,
Any thoughts on why the weird fight?
I've noticed that quite a few Barbel on the Ribble seem to have unusually large fins - don't know whether it's a local genetic trait - particularly tails - d'ya reckon that has any effect on the fighting capabilities?
Tight Lines!

 

[tigger]

Hi Tigger,
Any thoughts on why the weird fight?
I've noticed that quite a few Barbel on the Ribble seem to have unusually large fins - don't know whether it's a local genetic trait - particularly tails - d'ya reckon that has any effect on the fighting capabilities?
Tight Lines!

I don't know about the ribble fish, I very rarely fish there.
That fish was from a Cheshire river .

 

[greenie62]

I don't know about the ribble fish, I very rarely fish there.
That fish was from a Cheshire river .

It's spreading! mg:

 

[barbelboi]

I had to look twice to check who posted 2060 - all the pics are the right way around................

 

[peter crabtree]

3 hours down the river this afternoon, fished a wide shallow swim 100yds down from a weir. A small stream enters just upstream too.



Red maggot on the stick and constant feeding fairly close in got me some nice roach and dace. A few perch and gudgeon too..

 

[neil1970]

My daughter's first pike.

Lure hit at the last moment - and she nearly jumped out of her skin, but kept her cool

 

[tincatim]

A few perch and gudgeon too..

Spotted it! Is there a prize for the spot the gudgeon competition?

 

[peter crabtree]

Had about 6 Tim, there's a bigger one there albeit only showing its huge girth from above?

 

[S-Kippy]

That's a whole winter of zander baits for me there. I'd get 2 sessions out of each gudgin.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Met up with Fruitowl on the Severn this afternoon. I had a plan, following on from The Artists recent successes I was planning a pellet attack in the hope of a first Barbel of this season. (Note to self......never go fishing without a plan B) After a fruitless couple of hours, I had resorted to trotting punched bread down stream of my hair rigged pellet and it wasn't working! Stephen decided he was moving up river, I decided another hour and I was off to the pub, but he left me his remaining maggots, feeder taken out, stick float restored. End result, six Perch, two around the pound mark and one that broke a 1.5lb hooklength. About twenty odd "usual suspects" chublets to about 8", very small Dace, a couple of Bleak and a solitary Minnow.

Lesson learned, for a couple of quid, ALWAYS TAKE MAGGOTS

 

[fruitowl]

After meeting Ian at Arley tried 2 feeder rods nothing did the unthinkable for me and got the 14 ft float roat and trotted maggots float went under and I landed a gudgeon followed by a second one which put up a good fight but sadly was no match for a 14ft power rod with 8lb main and 3lb hook link.
Decided enough was enough gave Ian remainder of my maggots and went to Eardington stretch missed 2 drop back bites then landed this 5lb barbel

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45 minutes later had this cracking perch

[/URL]weighed in at 3lbs that smashed my pb to smitherines. taken on a 20mm halibut pellet
Lost 2 feeders went to retackle then got whiffs of cannabis and decided enough was enough don't like the smell of the stuff so packed up and went home a happy chappy. :w

 

[binka]

45 minutes later had this cracking perch http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm103/fruitowl/SAM_0710_zps5t8aktik.jpg weighed in at 3lbs

That's a cracking perch fella, a man after my own heart!

Keep 'em coming, my weekday fishing's off the menu for at least the next couple of weeks due to exceptional work circumstances so I need the morale boost!

 

[sam vimes]

Another short session on the river this evening. I only went because I was bored and had just over half a pint of old maggots to use up. I usually feed a little before a line is wet. As I was doing so a dirty great barbel wafted into the swim (it's only a couple of feet deep) and stayed where the maggots were touching bottom. It stayed for a while showing no inclination to feed until it decided that something was amiss and it sauntered off downstream. Sadly, it didn't come back.

Knocked out a couple of decent trout in short order, but even these daft sods are wising up after being caught repeatedly. They are now coming right up to where the feed enters the water, or dropping right down the swim and only taking static baits. I also saw the first eel for many a year. It mooched around the margins for a while and slithered between some rocks at my feet. Interesting what you see when the water is low and clear.

Ended the day with four trout, one grayling and more dace than I could be bothered to count. At a guess, fifty plus.

 

[no-one in particular]

Roach and more roach yesterday. Couldn't make the commercial as intended as short of time yesterday so it was back to the canal I fished last week but, a different spot, narrower, deeper and less weed.
Well it was a smorgasbord day. Took the lot; blackcurrants, white currents, strawberries, raspberries, some banana flavoured popcorn, yeast sprinkled maggots, some sweetcorn I had left over from last week soaked in some red food dye and hemp. A tin of hemp for £2.95 and £1.50 for half a pint of maggots. Last time I bought these items it was a florin and two groats, where did it all go wrong! No bread, was this a mistake I said to myself as I set off.

Threw some hemp in and tried the fruit first. One good missed take on a white currant and a black current on a 14 hook, that was it. Popcorn useless, it just went soft and came of the hook although the fish seemed to like it
Yeasty maggots - could have caught roach all day on them, about 30+ with a two or three fair ones. One big solid fish felt for a second and then the hook slipped, maybe a big big roach or something else; probably something else.

However, typically, my bit of grub which was some almond flavored pastries which I squeezed around the hook attracted a lot of attention but no fish. Just couldn't hook one on it. I guess these fish are not health food fanatics, a nice bit of fruit, what do they want, cream on it!.
PS-never got round to the sweetcorn
.
Interesting afternoon, very pleasant pulling out roach on the quill, wildlife very abundant, kingfisher, a little group of young pied wagtails provided a bit of entertainment and the countryside at its best with all the wild flowers out however, still in need of a bit of big fish therapy.

 

[greenie62]

...Well it was a smorgasbord day. Took the lot; blackcurrants, white currents, strawberries, raspberries, some banana flavoured popcorn, yeast sprinkled maggots, some sweetcorn I had left over from last week soaked in some red food dye and hemp...

Enough of your lunch, Mark - what did you take for the fish?

Keep up posting the bait experiments! - My blackcurrants look to be nicely ready - might try them later on the basis of your write-up!
Tight Lines!

 

[no-one in particular]

Enough of your lunch, Mark - what did you take for the fish?

Keep up posting the bait experiments! - My blackcurrants look to be nicely ready - might try them later on the basis of your write-up!
Tight Lines!

Lunch Greenie! all I had was baked beans without the toast, all that was left in the larder. Pesky fish
Re blackcurrants, mine were still a bit under ripe, probably need a bit longer, same with the white ones; a bit sharp still on the tongue.. I did try them on and off through the afternoon but, apart from that one pull nothing. However, a nice bait to use, go on the hook nicely; I thought the fish might think them a large hemp. I think worth trying despite my lack on them, a bit riper and a bit more perseverance etc. Plentiful on the bushes now so, a good cheap bait on hand. I did have a couple of tugs on a half lump of strawberry as well, nothing on bits of raspberry. Give your blackcurrants a go sometime, different water etc, who knows, worth a try.
Tight lines.

 

[Tee-Cee]

Some cracking posts with fresh ideas..............although I have to say the missed baked beans AND bread something of a mistake.................( smilie here )

I think I may just have time to try some of the wife's garden blackcurrants before they go for jam or crumble...although come to think of it, she does freeze a fair amount. Probably go squashy though..

 

[tincatim]

Fruitowl - that's a stunning perch, well done you :thumbs::thumbs:



Been for another crack at the Dearne today. Same swims as last week but no barbel this time, to be honest I never expected to repeat last weeks success but we can always hope. It's that expectation of not knowing what will happen that keeps us going back after all!

Although whisker-less I still had a good session, two bream the biggest of which was 4lb (and absolutely covered in tubercles!). A chub of around 3lb and then the best fish was a 4lb chub that took my legered pellet on the drop and took off like a rocket. I weighed it but didn't photograph it as two anglers were stood watching me as I caught it and I couldn't be bothered messing about.

I had a mink in one of my swims which may have disturbed the fishing, it was swimming about the river leaving trails of bubbles where it went. I hope it had as much luck as me with the barbel.

 

[The Runner]

Finally back on line after a week of computer problems so will start with last Sunday's effort. Saw Peter C in the shop on the Saturday and he said that he wold look forward to my tale of triumph. Well, not exactly...
Club match on our lake at Wraysbury, drew peg 38 on the shallow bank and happy with that as its a very consistent swim , no need for a silly chuck and not too much weed in front of you(although there is to the side- see later...)
Set up method feeder, cage feeder and waggler and started off with method about 30 yards out to the buoy. Hour gone, Don opposite me had a couple of carp and Andrew on my right had a tench and a few roach on waggler. No sign for me but its often a slow start here. Three hours gone, not so much as a liner for me but all but two of us had caught. Put longer hooklength on cage feeder rig with three maggots and the tip finally went round. Thought it was a big bream at first but then it started kicking up a fuss and kited right off to my left which meant I had to get it back over and through about 20 yards of solid pondweed. A couple of big swirls as it came over the first of the weed, didn't get a clear sight but reckoned on a carp of double figures or so. Big lump of weed attached to the feeder by the time I got it on top again about 2 yards from the net And it wasn't a carp, it was a BIG tench. And I mean big... .And then it kicked again, weight of weed on the feeder meant the rod didn't absorb it and the hook bounced out. Swearwords....
Wouldn't like to say how big, but I've had two of 9lb from the lake and a 9-4 from Farlows and it certainly looked bigger than that. Theres been two 10s from the lake that I know of this season and a 12 a few years ago, so....
Ended up saving my blank with two roach for 10oz and next to last.40 lb won it, then a 33, 31 and a couple of big 20s
Royal Berkshire tomorrow..