How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
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no-one in particular
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Weather, 9 degrees, no wind and a bit of sun tempted me out after a couple of months off. River was flooded but no flow, it is semi tidal here and it was high tide at 1pm so it backs up and slows right down, I deliberately chose these times. Two bites in two hours, the first one a nice chub of about 3lb on some mild cheddar moulded around a 10 hook. Its tricky here stopping them diving into the reeds but my rod is nice and soft so handles a bit of strong playing. After that tried some small pieces of bread for a roach, had one twang of the tip but there and gone straight away, never mind. Nice to be out, If your wondering where my gear is the council have provided a nice fishing station, I might write to them and apply for them to move it nearer the river. This is my banker swim, never blanked here, funny fish on the other side around that bend and hardly get anything.
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Back up to the Derwent which had been up a metre and (mostly) back down in a few days, and looked good. It would have looked better if it had stopped raining. I drove up in the rain, back in the rain, set up and packed up in the rain and fished under an umbrella. I'd spotted another potential swim last time, and I took secateurs and a pruning saw for a bit of gardening, but left that for a dry day.
Last time up there I left a rod rest in the bank, and the options, when I went to the ts to replace it, were pitiful creations with multiple snap-together plastic bits. So I came out with this. Its ears flex independently in any direction. It adds a 21st century dimension to my otherwise 20th century gear
With 12' of water pushing through, I went with the antique Billy Lane balsa slider with a 4.5g olivette. The grayling usually need light feed, so I started trickling maggots in a few at a time. After an hour I only had this to show
I won't be fishing again this week, so I had no reason to eke out my bait, and I swapped feeding a pinch a cast to a pouch a cast hoping to attract the graylings' greedy cousins. That did the trick, and led to a little flurry where I caught half a dozen trout in as many casts
After that, I couldn't get a bite no matter where or how I ran the bait through, so I waited for a spell of lighter rain and wrapped up.
Last time up there I left a rod rest in the bank, and the options, when I went to the ts to replace it, were pitiful creations with multiple snap-together plastic bits. So I came out with this. Its ears flex independently in any direction. It adds a 21st century dimension to my otherwise 20th century gear
With 12' of water pushing through, I went with the antique Billy Lane balsa slider with a 4.5g olivette. The grayling usually need light feed, so I started trickling maggots in a few at a time. After an hour I only had this to show
I won't be fishing again this week, so I had no reason to eke out my bait, and I swapped feeding a pinch a cast to a pouch a cast hoping to attract the graylings' greedy cousins. That did the trick, and led to a little flurry where I caught half a dozen trout in as many casts
After that, I couldn't get a bite no matter where or how I ran the bait through, so I waited for a spell of lighter rain and wrapped up.
@Clive
Well-known member
A day on the Charente for me. I stopped off for food and bait and was fishing for 11am. The river is a foot up and coloured. I couldn't get into my intended swim as it was flooded so set up my gear in the next place upstream. A bit of topiary was required to get enough headroom for my 11ft 8inch Suvaren quiver rod.
I put two balls of groundbait in followed by a 35g maggot feeder and worm bait. After three missed bites I switched to a smaller hook and double red maggots. First fish was a chub with a gob full of ground bait. This surprised me as 45 minutes had passed since adding the bait. The river here has a variable current. You can see the seam moving across the river to and fro. One minute the rod is straight, then the noise from the weir rises and the seam gets nearer and nearer, then the rod hoops over. A few minutes later the noise subsides, the seam retreats and the rod resumes straightness.
When the flow is at full whack bites were like you get with cod when beachcasting. In calmer conditions the bites were just the normal rattling tip.
A series of bream followed by a bleak came to maggot baits. No roach today. I think they will be fornication elsewhere. I finished about 3:30 after losing the hooklink to a branch. 8 bream, 1 chub and 1 bleak.
I put two balls of groundbait in followed by a 35g maggot feeder and worm bait. After three missed bites I switched to a smaller hook and double red maggots. First fish was a chub with a gob full of ground bait. This surprised me as 45 minutes had passed since adding the bait. The river here has a variable current. You can see the seam moving across the river to and fro. One minute the rod is straight, then the noise from the weir rises and the seam gets nearer and nearer, then the rod hoops over. A few minutes later the noise subsides, the seam retreats and the rod resumes straightness.
When the flow is at full whack bites were like you get with cod when beachcasting. In calmer conditions the bites were just the normal rattling tip.
A series of bream followed by a bleak came to maggot baits. No roach today. I think they will be fornication elsewhere. I finished about 3:30 after losing the hooklink to a branch. 8 bream, 1 chub and 1 bleak.
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@Clive
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Duplicate
Pete Shears
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Managed to get out on the Wreake this morning before the next monsoon and had six chub between 1lb 12oz & 3lb 4oz on legered crust.
The bites fizzled out about 9.30am and then it started to rain . . . . . .
The bites fizzled out about 9.30am and then it started to rain . . . . . .
I returned to the small stream last week. Once again I was targeting roach. Although it was a mild say the wind was strong gusting 35mph in the afternoon. The wind was coming from the SW which meant it was blowing into the bank I was fishing. It was certainly not a day for trotting and used my converted fly blank and small feeder. I bait dropped maggots and hemp but mindful of not over doing it as I didn't want to attract the barbel. At times it was difficult to watch the tip due to the wind but the bites I experienced were very decisive. I finished up with several roach around the 1lb mark a few chub around 2lb and a couple of barbel around 3lb.
I didn't expect to be fishing again this week, but my Buxton friend told me she's down with some flu'ey business, so that trip was off and I didn't want to waste the mild weather. Where to go, though? I've seen enough roach for a bit, and anyway I could only scrape together a bit of bait. I had about 1/4 pint of maggots, some 4mm expanders, some micros. I hadn't been to the woodland ponds on Lord Byron's old estate for a couple of years, so I plumped for fishing for bream there. I found a quarter bag of Sensas River Black - the water can go clear there - and mixed that as slop with a big dollop of out of date drinking chocolate and a big dash of Robin Red powder. Tbh, it looked and smelled good enough for What Are You Eating Tonight.
The pond showed no sign of having been fished since I was last there. Perfect,
I hadn't fished the pole since last May, so I took just that. I'm a bit casual with rigs - no need to label them, I'll remember. That's ok when you use them all the time, but looking in my box, I had no idea what was what, so I rigged up with a little home-made dibber, .10 line and an 18 hook. The bodies come waterproofed, so there's one job I don't need to do, and they just need a blob of paint on the tip, a side eye and a carbon stem. They're easy on the eye, even dotted right down.
A brisk stream runs in and out along the far bank. This results in the whole body of water revolving steadily clockwise around the island, and the domed float is ideal for dragging a bit of line and tiny shot on the bottom. I fed two swims, one with slop and maggots, the other with micro's and expanders. You can wait ages for a bite on here, so I was pleasantly surprised to get a bite inside 10 minutes
The afternoon was so warm, I didn't need a jacket, and the forecast rain never arrived. Fishing softly-softly got regular bites
It all worked out nicely for an off-the-cuff session. And you know it's your lucky day when you hook one of these and it doesn't trash your canal gear.
The pond showed no sign of having been fished since I was last there. Perfect,
I hadn't fished the pole since last May, so I took just that. I'm a bit casual with rigs - no need to label them, I'll remember. That's ok when you use them all the time, but looking in my box, I had no idea what was what, so I rigged up with a little home-made dibber, .10 line and an 18 hook. The bodies come waterproofed, so there's one job I don't need to do, and they just need a blob of paint on the tip, a side eye and a carbon stem. They're easy on the eye, even dotted right down.
A brisk stream runs in and out along the far bank. This results in the whole body of water revolving steadily clockwise around the island, and the domed float is ideal for dragging a bit of line and tiny shot on the bottom. I fed two swims, one with slop and maggots, the other with micro's and expanders. You can wait ages for a bite on here, so I was pleasantly surprised to get a bite inside 10 minutes
The afternoon was so warm, I didn't need a jacket, and the forecast rain never arrived. Fishing softly-softly got regular bites
It all worked out nicely for an off-the-cuff session. And you know it's your lucky day when you hook one of these and it doesn't trash your canal gear.
Woofy Chivers
Well-known member
Spent a couple hrs on farm pond again today as conditions were perfect compared to last time I went up, 14 deg today and overcast. It was a bite a chuck and I must of had 30 + in the 2 hrs. Used my usual worm and sweetcorn cocktail for bait and light tackle. Great sport !
Felt like spring as it was so mild with no biting wind like last time I fished it. Frogs and toads were croaking away and doing what they do this time of year !
Saw something that I’d never seen before today. A barn owl hunting across the meadow at 3 pm. I’ve watched them many times at dusk but never in broad daylight. Must of been hungry, like the carp !
I had a common of about 3 lb but the rest were 4 - 8 oz. No goldfish today though. Can’t get over how plump some of them were. Would it be spawn or is it to early ?
Felt like spring as it was so mild with no biting wind like last time I fished it. Frogs and toads were croaking away and doing what they do this time of year !
Saw something that I’d never seen before today. A barn owl hunting across the meadow at 3 pm. I’ve watched them many times at dusk but never in broad daylight. Must of been hungry, like the carp !
I had a common of about 3 lb but the rest were 4 - 8 oz. No goldfish today though. Can’t get over how plump some of them were. Would it be spawn or is it to early ?
Woofy Chivers
Well-known member
Couple of the carp that I caught today
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ian g
Well-known member
After a couple of chores at home I arrived here at 11 o'clock , the river was up with some colour in it but not to bad looking . I had my tip rod already assembled so put that out while I sorted my float rod . Ten minutes and the tip bounces and I have a perch around a pound , back in and another bite . This time a roach around 8 oz . Out with the float rod , 17ft to fish in around 14ft of water , bit of a wait and the float dips , another perch about the same size . The flow in this spot was a bit tricky so I had a move to another likely area. Same set up , the float working better in an easier slack ,. I waited a while for a bite and eventually managed a bite on the tip , hard fighting fish , wasn't a perch , a bloody eel around 1 1/2lb . First eel I've caught in Feb as far as I can remember. I swapped the float rod about and fitted a slider and float legered a worm , soon had a bite ,which felt a decent fish , bit peed off when it slipped the hook. Back in and another bite almost straight away this was a big fish which headed straight for the willows on the pin I help hard but the hook link gave out . Things were a lot slower than but it was a great day to be on the bank , the weather was really mild and the rain held off mostly , I managed another bite on the float , a bream around 5 lb , unlike most Severn bream this came in like a wet bag fun when I released it it just hung in the water like it was dead before drifting away . Around 4 o'clock I decided to go back to the first swim to fish into dark . I swapped the rods around and fish the tip rod to the downstream willows and the float close in . I soon had a bite on the tip another perch around 1 1/2 lb , followed by another smaller perch on the float . As the light faded I ditched the float rod , glad I did as I hooked decent fish on the tip , pretty obvious what that this was a strong heavy fish which took a bit of getting in , glad I'd checked the clutch . A nice barbel 10 lb 8oz . Not sure were all the perch have gone but still a few about . Really enjoyed a bit of a chilled out varied session
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
I ventured forth to a Herts club lake a few on here have fished, waggler fishing maggot, single maggot on a 20 hook, first cast I hooked a carp which broke me on an anti-cormorant rope, not sure how, but.... second cast an approx 1lb 4oz tench, third cast a pristine 2lb bream, fourth cast a 3lb plus tench, fifth cast a 2lb 8oz bream, then it slowed a bit, I ended up with the two tench, six bream 2-3lb, six skimmers to over a pound, a fair few small roach and perch but finishing with a perch around 1lb 8oz, very pleasant watching the float go under...
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ian g
Well-known member
Back on the same stretch arrived at around 10.30 , one car in the layby . I looked at the river which was coloured and rising . I met the other guy coming off , a barbel angler who had not had a touch . I got to the spot and set up a couple of tip rods , plenty of silvers showing gave me encouragement but the colour didn't Fished a maggot feeder and lob worm upstream and just a lobworm downstream . Slow start and an hour and a half before I had a bite which I missed . I had a move and swapped a tip rod for a float rod . The river was coming up and the slack was disappearing now and again as the current swept through the swim , not a long wait for another bite , which I missed again , very shoddy . I then managed to connect with a fish , a bream around 6lb followed shortly after by an eel . Nothing else to report fish wise . Pleasant day to be out , very mild with just a bit of rain , saw my first bee of the year buzzing around.
Had a lovely bit of fishing on a tiny woodland river this afternoon, thanks to Aknib's pioneering. I didn't know if it would be best to go with a miniature leger or a miniature float approach, so I took both. The last time I put a tip protector thing on a fine quiver, it snagged a rough seam inside and broke. So I took no chances with the spliced tip on my brook float rod and the 1/2 oz quiver on my home-made tip rod
The wind was gusting horribly, so I walked on past some lovely but wind-blown swims and was rewarded with some sheltered and relatively deep ones.
Fishing maggot under a 3 no 6 stick float I had bites all afternoon from 20-odd roach, a chublet and a couple of trout
So, thanks for the steer, Steve. Since you're building yourself a gudgeon rod, I know you'll be pleased to hear they're in here too
The wind was gusting horribly, so I walked on past some lovely but wind-blown swims and was rewarded with some sheltered and relatively deep ones.
Fishing maggot under a 3 no 6 stick float I had bites all afternoon from 20-odd roach, a chublet and a couple of trout
So, thanks for the steer, Steve. Since you're building yourself a gudgeon rod, I know you'll be pleased to hear they're in here too
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
Nice goby...
ian g
Well-known member
Looks great fun Kev
Steve Arnold
Well-known member
Back on the river Lot today, water temperature now a healthy 9.5c.
First barbel about 4 lbs after just 10 minutes, second about 5 minutes after. Then Alistair had a couple about 5 lbs, thank goodness as he has had a long run of blanks.
I had a couple more barbel similar size and thought we were in for a record session, suddenly the swim died! The current had picked up a bit and perhaps they had moved to a better lie. That was it!
I had three fish on pop-ups, one on a small boilie and chenille ball soaked in gunk. For this session I had made up a few different end rigs and cannot say if they made any difference. Basically if the barbel were there and feeding they would have it.....and when they were gone that was it!
Anyway, a pleasant few hours fishing on a mild afternoon. Really glad Alistair broke his run of ducks!
First barbel about 4 lbs after just 10 minutes, second about 5 minutes after. Then Alistair had a couple about 5 lbs, thank goodness as he has had a long run of blanks.
I had a couple more barbel similar size and thought we were in for a record session, suddenly the swim died! The current had picked up a bit and perhaps they had moved to a better lie. That was it!
I had three fish on pop-ups, one on a small boilie and chenille ball soaked in gunk. For this session I had made up a few different end rigs and cannot say if they made any difference. Basically if the barbel were there and feeding they would have it.....and when they were gone that was it!
Anyway, a pleasant few hours fishing on a mild afternoon. Really glad Alistair broke his run of ducks!
mikench
Well-known member
Those Nufish rod rests work well I find Kev and are very adaptable .
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Aknib
Well-known member
Really chuffed you had an enjoyable session Kev and the confirmation of Chub presence is a bonus.
What is it about this area and black spot though?
It appears that the Chub is affected by it too albeit to a lesser extent and i've never seen it on a Chub, you'll already know the Field Mill Roach are renowned for it but, as i've said before, I don't think it's an issue unless it starts to eat at the gill plates. I wonder if it's just a characteristic of these places that have largely been left to their own devices on tiny natural waterways?
As in your picture I thought the Roach were lovely and deep bodied.
A great session, i'll be going back for sure.
@Clive
Well-known member
My planned day on the Vienne was hastily changed after the River App showed that the large hydro dam was periodically letting a lot of water out. Instead I headed for the Charente. I bought half a litre of red maggots and some lobworms as I had forgotten to bring my own. When I got to the river I discovered that 1 of the lobs was long dead, 7 were recently deceased and the two survivors were in a very sorry state.
I put in two hand fulls of maggots then set up my Alcock's Wizard with a sliding 6g float set at 10 foot, a 4g olivetti set low, AAA and BB to trim it and trotted treble maggots on a 12 to 4lb bottom. The swim is only about 8 yards long so five or six trots down didn't take long. Then I layed on after adding depth and moving the shot. That didn't work as the float kept wandering so I slipped a Catherine lead on and float ledgered. Usually that is the best method here. After 90 minutes I packed the rod away and drove a mile or so upstream.
Second swim wasn't too far from where I fished last week. I had no sooner set the Suvaren quiver rod up when the unforecasted rain started. No brolly and my rain coat was 200 yards away so I got wet. Started with treble maggots on a 14 to 4lb bottom using a cage feeder with maggots and groundbait. The swim is about 14 foot deep three of four rod lengths out and the flow is variable. I started catching roach of around 6 or 7 ounces. Usually there are bream about so I stuck with the same hook size. On one cast I hadn't had a bite in the first 2 minutes so bounced the feeder which sometimes incites a bite. Thee was a fish already attached. It took around 50 to 60 yards of line in an unstoppable fast walking pace surge. I could feel the thump, thump, thump of its tail hitting the line. I piled on the drag and the hook pulled out.
A few more roach came so I swappped to an 18 to 2lb bottom and of course immediately started catching bream of around 2lb. They fight well here too. Then I had a very strange bite followed by an even stranger fight that I was winning until the hook pulled out. One of the two maggots had been flattened and shredded. On the way home I decided that given the location, time of year and the other factors it was probably an eel.
Other than that I also had two tiny bleak.
I put in two hand fulls of maggots then set up my Alcock's Wizard with a sliding 6g float set at 10 foot, a 4g olivetti set low, AAA and BB to trim it and trotted treble maggots on a 12 to 4lb bottom. The swim is only about 8 yards long so five or six trots down didn't take long. Then I layed on after adding depth and moving the shot. That didn't work as the float kept wandering so I slipped a Catherine lead on and float ledgered. Usually that is the best method here. After 90 minutes I packed the rod away and drove a mile or so upstream.
Second swim wasn't too far from where I fished last week. I had no sooner set the Suvaren quiver rod up when the unforecasted rain started. No brolly and my rain coat was 200 yards away so I got wet. Started with treble maggots on a 14 to 4lb bottom using a cage feeder with maggots and groundbait. The swim is about 14 foot deep three of four rod lengths out and the flow is variable. I started catching roach of around 6 or 7 ounces. Usually there are bream about so I stuck with the same hook size. On one cast I hadn't had a bite in the first 2 minutes so bounced the feeder which sometimes incites a bite. Thee was a fish already attached. It took around 50 to 60 yards of line in an unstoppable fast walking pace surge. I could feel the thump, thump, thump of its tail hitting the line. I piled on the drag and the hook pulled out.
A few more roach came so I swappped to an 18 to 2lb bottom and of course immediately started catching bream of around 2lb. They fight well here too. Then I had a very strange bite followed by an even stranger fight that I was winning until the hook pulled out. One of the two maggots had been flattened and shredded. On the way home I decided that given the location, time of year and the other factors it was probably an eel.
Other than that I also had two tiny bleak.