How did you get on?

[Aknib]

Not so much how did you get on as how do you intend to get on.

Not sure if anyone recalls my small stream adventure back in the Winter but i'd made a few enquiries as to the current state of the river and was told it was unfishable at this time of the year...

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And so came my reward, not in the form of Mr Chub but...

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That pretty much confirmed my suspicions, however...

The missus and I happened to be passing recently when I suggested we stop and have a bit of a walk and to my surprise it looked sublime with shallow riffles, deeper glides and enticing bends which appeared weed free and with the water holding nice colour.

I'm now thinking that 'unfishable' was determined by the heavily overgrown access.

Either way i'm quite excited about it, i've got four days off work (my first run of more than one consecutive day since the beginning of July) and I fully intend on giving it a bash.

I'm assembling the pound and a half bottoms, size twenty hooks and tiny floats and I'll keep you posted...

 

[Kevin aka Aethelbald]

Changed my tactics this season to aim for bigger fish - chub and barbel - and so far so good. Top from the Avon near Pershore earlier this week, and bottom, my first barbel (only small, but boy was I excited!!!) a few weeks ago, from the same swim.

 

[flightliner]

Another TTT (tidal trent trip) yesterday but with a slight differance, the recant cold nights had me making a change of baits from hemp n tares to hemp n casters.
I arrived at the river at eight forty five and made my way to my chosen peg to set my gear up, thinking the fish could be deeper I bulked up my shot with a couple of droppers below as telltales and I was away.
Feedinghemp n caster I tried tare first but a half hour in with no bites I went onto caster, inside three trots down I had my first roach of about five ounce or so.
Feeding regularly I began having more bites but but they were tiny little blips of the float ( john dean) that I put down to Bleak, that proved right as my next fish was one.
But the roach kept nosing in for the odd appearance and I remember it was twenty to eleven when I was swinging in my fifth.
For a short time things were equal with both fish but placing my bulk shot nearer to my hook and re-spacing the droppers the bleak dissappeared, not altogether but with only the odd one afterwards.
The tide was running out to sea the whole time I was fishing giving me cause to alter my depth on the rig constantly along with my shot, at one point the wind that was coming downstream(it was forecast a northerly on the morning news) giving me reason to place a number eight shot above my float by some eight or so inches.
By this time (three pm) I was on my twenty seventh roach that included one solitary chub of maybe ten or eleven ounces I was playing in a small roach but not one but two pike made a lunge at it, tho both failed and I landed it so twenty eight roach and a chub plus eight or nine bleak.
Just before the attack by pike I struck at a bite that began like a roach but then felt heavier, I thought my line or fish had got round a rock but on reflection it could well have been another pike.
I tried for another hour afterwards but never had another bite, so, having more than doubled my previous catch I packed away my gear and headed back home.
Sorry but no photos, club rules dont allow keepnets.

 

[Kevin aka Aethelbald]

Sorry but no photos, club rules dont allow keepnets.

I'm all for banning keep nets, other than for matches. Nothing worse than seeing a photo of half a dozen good sized fish - all it does is make me think about how long they might have spent in a keep net... 'recovering' is the likely argument. Just my opinion of course - some might criticise me for not always using an unhooking mat.
.

 

[Alan Whitty]

I been today on the club lake where I caught decent cru's(???) earlier in the year, well today I had 8, a proper goldfish, 10 skimmers to 1lb 8ozs, a perch of 12ozs, a small roach and two carp around 3lbs, here are some pictures.... top 2lbs 4ozs, middle 2lbs 2ozs and goldie 2lb 6ozs...

 

[wetthrough]

A bit of a catch up since last rather lack lustre session. Wasn't planning a session but I had to take my young guest for a stop over in Partington for 10am. At Partington I'm half way to Dunham fisheries and I had bait left over, not need for GB, not allowed. Another lack lustre session I'm afraid. One skimmer one small Rudd and a small Perch fishing til around 3.30. Not my finest day. I wasn't on my own struggling by all accounts. According to the owner the only people catching were fishing bread and Murphys law being what it is I didn't have any. I'd run out in the freezer. Could have got some first thing as it frequently does OK at Dunham but couldn't be bothered, trusting to luck which turned out to be in short supply!

A week last Wednesday fished Lymm Dam. Started fishing 16s to 3.3lb hooklength with a 2g Visiwag (2mm bristle) at around 12M in about 8/9ft, three balls of GB in. The day wasn't hectic just catching on and off through the day. Had to switch to a 3mm bristle later on there was a little bit of a chop on the water. Ended up with two skimmers around the 8oz mark, one Perch not quite tiddler accidentally to sweetcorn dangling in front of the peg and 37 Roach, biggest around 5oz. Got to 39 altogether around 2.30pm. The last one (couldn't leave it at 39) was a struggle and had to put a maggot on the hook to pull in a tiddler, most others caught on sweetcorn around 4.15.

Back to the Dam Friday.
Uploading a short pan but not sure if it's going to work. Acquired a camcorder (Panasonic VX870) so wanted to give it a try. Hmm, seems I can't upload video files. Uploaded to YouTube unlisted.

Reduced the size on the PC as the files are huge off the cam (all new to me). I was interested to see how the 24* zoom performed. I'll upload a 24* zoom on the float in pictures. Generally slower than the previous session and less productive. Ended up with one skimmer one small Perch and 18 Roach, again biggest around 5oz. Couple of Kingfisher fly pasts and regular visits from Cormorant and Grebe which can't help the fishing.

 

[mikench]

The vid worked once I paused the vpn. Water level looked high Gordon. I’m willing to give the Dam a try next time if you want.

 

[riverman]

just got back from todays outing.went to the oaklands fishery at gowdall.(in between selby and doncaster).fished the carp lake peg 18.ended up with 6 carp up to 5lb and a mixed bag of roach perch skimmers and f1;s.when the heavens opened boy did they open and we had a right downpour.it abated for 30 mins or so and then another heavy downpour.was going to fish the horseshoe lake but there was a match on it.but never mind still had over 30 out so not too disappointed.back on the river swale next week so hoping the resident chub and barbel are coming out to play.

 

[Aknib]

I'm all for banning keep nets, other than for matches. Nothing worse than seeing a photo of half a dozen good sized fish - all it does is make me think about how long they might have spent in a keep net... 'recovering' is the likely argument. Just my opinion of course - some might criticise me for not always using an unhooking mat.
.

I would tend to agree in the circumstances you have written.

However I and I know others take pleasure in admiring a large catch of hard worked for silvers and I could post endless pictures to my own effect, all returned none the worse for the wear but I draw the limit at five hours retention regardless of the length of my session.

There is an anecdote buried deep within FM under my former username where I witnessed the over retention, in time terms, of fish from two anglers who had undergone a productive night session and at around midday, when they decided to go to the pub, I used the footbridge over the river to go around, release the fish and cut the bottom ring of their keepnet off.

Took a bit of nerve to play the innocent and claim i'd seen nothing from my swim on their far bank but I got away with it.

I struggle to remember the last time I used a keepnet, i'm talking years but I wouldn't discourage their sensible use.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Anglers having too many fish in a keepnet, or having them in the net too long is poor, but not as poor as anglers having fish out of the water taking absolute ages unhooking, weighing and photographing, no matter whether its summer or winter, I hate having fish out of water too long, so I tend to put them back into the water in the net to get their breath back, I have the kit to set my mobile up for a catch photo, I've never once used it, it simply doesn't matter as much to me as getting the fish back safe, I've seen guys having fish out of water for an extremely long time, there is no excuse for it imho...

 

[riverman]

Anglers having too many fish in a keepnet, or having them in the net too long is poor, but not as poor as anglers having fish out of the water taking absolute ages unhooking, weighing and photographing, no matter whether its summer or winter, I hate having fish out of water too long, so I tend to put them back into the water in the net to get their breath back, I have the kit to set my mobile up for a catch photo, I've never once used it, it simply doesn't matter as much to me as getting the fish back safe, I've seen guys having fish out of water for an extremely long time, there is no excuse for it imho...

i make sure weigh sling scales and unhooking mat are all laid out and ready in the event i catch a fish that i think is worth taking a photo of.that way the fish is returned to the water as soon as.i see far too many anglers faffing about searching for scales mats etc and keeping the fish out of the water far too long.

 

[Aknib]

Well I managed it but only just, travelling across town this morning to the tiny river I fished back in February and a voice in my head suddenly screamed...

MAGGOTS!

Yup, i'd left 'em in the fridge and had to double back.

When I eventually reached the river it was a beautiful, dewy September morning with not a breath of wind and the damp dripping from the trees all around me. When a Kingfisher darted upriver, skimming the water barely ten feet in front of me with the dappled sunlight highlighting the brilliant blue of its back, everything actually felt sane in my world for the first time since who knows when...

I was hoping there would be more colour and water following a few hours of decent rainfall yesterday afternoon but as I swung onto the riverside footpath I could see I was out of luck, I could make out every pebble on the riverbed and it was low too.

To that effect I headed straight downstream to where i'd had an enjoyable day back in February, knowing that there was cover around that area and flicking out a tiny insert waggler, dotted down to a size 20 hook and single maggot, I eased it very slowly along the (not so) far bank.

I was pleasantly surprised to be into bites as soon as a few loose offerings had gone in and even more pleasantly surprised when I managed to get into a shoal of these, maybe a dozen and a half to two dozen in their varying sizes...

Chuffed to bits with that, it's the best Gudgeon fishing i've enjoyed in ages and they had somehow managed to evade me on my earlier visit.

Also managed a handful of small Roach and a couple of sizeable bonkers Brownies before returning home very satisfied just before midday, satisfied not only with the morning's fishing but also that I have a decent little Gudgeon river practically on my doorstep.

 

[Kevin aka Aethelbald]

I'm always delighted to catch gudgeon, the Avon is teeming with them, which I take as a good sign. I caught my first bullhead (MIller's Thumb) a few months ago, also from the Avon... someone had to tell me what it was. It saved me from a blank, so apart from the novelty, I was extremely grateful for small mercies.
.

 

[mikench]

Delightful little fish.

 

[riverman]

Well I managed it but only just, travelling across town this morning to the tiny river I fished back in February and a voice in my head suddenly screamed...

MAGGOTS!

Yup, i'd left 'em in the fridge and had to double back.

When I eventually reached the river it was a beautiful, dewy September morning with not a breath of wind and the damp dripping from the trees all around me. When a Kingfisher darted upriver, skimming the water barely ten feet in front of me with the dappled sunlight highlighting the brilliant blue of its back, everything actually felt sane in my world for the first time since who knows when...

View attachment 31558

I was hoping there would be more colour and water following a few hours of decent rainfall yesterday afternoon but as I swung onto the riverside footpath I could see I was out of luck, I could make out every pebble on the riverbed and it was low too.

To that effect I headed straight downstream to where i'd had an enjoyable day back in February, knowing that there was cover around that area and flicking out a tiny insert waggler, dotted down to a size 20 hook and single maggot, I eased it very slowly along the (not so) far bank.

I was pleasantly surprised to be into bites as soon as a few loose offerings had gone in and even more pleasantly surprised when I managed to get into a shoal of these, maybe a dozen and a half to two dozen in their varying sizes...

View attachment 31559

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Chuffed to bits with that, it's the best Gudgeon fishing i've enjoyed in ages and they had somehow managed to evade me on my earlier visit.

Also managed a handful of small Roach and a couple of sizeable bonkers Brownies before returning home very satisfied just before midday, satisfied not only with the morning's fishing but also that I have a decent little Gudgeon river practically on my doorstep.

i used to go gudgeon bashing with my mate back in the 80's on the leeds /liverpool canal at rodley.that stretch was littered with them.size 20 hook 3lb line puddle chucker float and single maggot on the hook.every time i catch the odd one here and there i often think back to my outings on that stretch.

 

[nottskev]

Despite the hot sun and clear blue sky (I could have done with this weather on holiday last week) I decided to head off to the river after lunch. I couldn't understand why I had two packs of mussels in the freezer with September dates on - til I realised one must be from last September, but I couldn't tell which. I didn't fancy handling any ancient shellfish, so I detoured via Morrisons. Wearing the fishing clothes from last week, I'm surprised I wasn't asked to leave. The seafood is the furthest thing from the door. When I went to scan a few packs, the labels had got damp and disintegrated ...... the omens weren't good and I had a strong feeling this was going to be a fruitless effort.

At the river at 3pm the sun was beating down, the water low and clear, and all the swims I checked had anglers sunbathing. Before driving off to the next venue, I stopped to chat to an angler in one of my favourite swims. When I said I'd better get off in search of a swim, he said he'd be packing up soon, so I tackled up 20 yards away, and, true to his word, half an hour later he shouted "Bring your stuff down, pal".

So now it's 4pm, the sun is still beating down as it hasn't most of the summer, and it feels a bit futile to fish for barbel. From 4pm til 5.45 I don't get a bite, but then the barbel come out from wherever they've been, and crash out of the water here and there. I've bait-droppered in a pint of hemp and chopped meat in at the first sign of fish moving, and between 5.45 and 6.30, float fishing either mussel or punched meat on the hook, I get 5 bites.

Three are like this

And the last two like this

Each time I go out now, I wonder if it's the last time I'll be sitting in the sun in a tshirt this year.

 

[Alan Whitty]

What a beautiful coloured barbus the top photo shows, the sunlight makes all the difference...

 

[Steve Arnold]

It's been a busy week getting the house ready for the family visiting. Today I picked up a mini-bus hire as there will be too many passengers for my old Peugeot, I guess I will be on full time taxi driving this next week!

So I thought I would squeeze in three hours fishing this evening, I had a good feeling for my old favourite swim.

There was already a local fishing from a punt about 50 metres downstream, he was catching small roach and bleak during the evening.

I had taken my Daiwa Ninja 10' feeder rod as in this stretch the barbel can often be quite shy, particularly when there is little flow. Today the river was barely moving, but this is the narrowest part of this stretch and often the barbel will be here in these conditions as any flow is better than none for a barbel!

My first cast was a few yards too far and snagged in the rocks. I rebuilt my end rig and went for just a 20gr weight and 14mm boilie. No feeder, that extra gear puts the fish off in this swim. A dozen small boilies catapulted in was the only free offerings, I was sure that would be enough.

This next cast landed right and found the gravel. No more than 10 minutes later a couple of gentle tugs were followed by a screaming take. A lovely fight on the little rod and a 6.5 lb barbel was in the net.

There turned out to be a shoal of barbel in my swim, every cast got a take! During the three hour session I had 8 barbel between 4 and 7 pounds, had one cut-off and two slipped the hook as I tried to stop them reaching the rocks.

A relief to have a decent session before the purgatory of a family week, toddlers and tantrums!

 

[Ray Roberts]

My trip to the Trent is coming to an end. I’ve had a nice couple of days and nights. The guys I fish with said that they usually catch far more than we have on this trip. I haven’t set the world on fire, but I’ve had a few good fish. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so rather than staying an extra night as I had planned I will leave mid afternoon and get a pub lunch prior to driving back.

The first night I started with a rather scabby looking bream just over 6lb, then a pristine chub of 5lb2oz and then a nice barblel of 8lb6oz. Last night a had a barbel of 7lb2oz and a huge river bream that was not at all slimy and was unmarked of dead on 9lb. I’m giving it another few hours and then I’m heading home ways.

It’s a shame, but one of my mates said at the age of 76 he doesn’t think he will do anymore double, or longer night trips. All things considered, it being a new venue for me, low water levels and no idea what swims were the better one’s I thought I did okay. One of my companions had one small chub, another had one barbel and a bream and one blanked, while I ended up with five pretty decent fish. It’s too far, being a round trip taking over six hours and over 300 miles to be worth contemplating for any less than two nights really, but in the words of Arnie I will return.

the wildlife has been quite interesting, apart from the rats. I’ve just had a kingfisher go flashing past. I had an otter poke it’s head out directly in front of me, quite a few egrets on the far bank, a buzzard circling high over head and a squadron of cormorants flying along the path of the river that were to numerous to count but I would estimate around fifty or so.

 

[Ray Roberts]

Duplicate post.