How did you get on?

[nottskev]

I'd picked out some barbel gear last night, thinking that would be the plan, but I changed my mind over breakfast. With another mild, still day on the cards, I felt like a visit to the Derwent, the prettiest of all the rivers I fish. I knew I wouldn't be seeing many coarse fish, if any, but I'm happy to catch trout and grayling on the float.

The stretch is peculiarly deep with a stately pace and the last time this float came out - an Ultra balsa slider - was when I sat in the same swim in February.

I usually wait til the cold weather sets in before I fish here, and I paid a price for my impatience, getting pestered with minnows. Luckily I had plenty of maggots to feed them off, and fishing a couple of feet off the bottom with worm on the hook got bites from proper fish. The other problem I courted by an early visit was leaves, lots of them, as the river is in a steep wooded valley. Luckily, a kink in the river meant the flow took most of the leaves down the far side.

The fishing was a treat, with a couple of dozen little trout and grayling like these

And half a dozen decent sized trout - is there a more athletic, acrobatic fish, size for size, in our rivers? - of which these were the pick

 

[Aknib]

I occasionally wonder why I persevere with some waters and today I got a very good reminder.

I've fished this large, twenty acre plus gravel pit on and off for a number of years and i've enjoyed some spectacular Perch fishing, i've also had many biteless blanks which could probably be measured, in terms of time accumulated, in weeks rather than days.

To that effect I arrived just before dawn this morning, killing the headlights on the car well before I arrived at my particular spot whereafter I quietly unloaded the car and carefully tackled up what I could in the darkness before sitting back and taking stock of things. It's not the easiest of waters being generally gin clear and as daylight broke I could see that was in fact the case and I did notice I had a dense weedbed right beneath me. This encouraged me as, not only did it clear after around six feet out as the depth dropped, it also led to around ten feet of water a rod and a half length out which I reckoned would provide a good patrol route.

It's a couple of years since i've fished this pit and, whilst I set my stall out for anything that swims I did put a heavy emphasis on Perch with a 4lb mainline, 3.3 flourocarbon hooklink tied to a size 12 B911X below a 3BB homemade waggler from a collection I made specifically for this and other waters like it.

The atmosphere couldn't have been better...

A typically still autumnal morning with the gentle fall of every leaf on the trees behind me easily audible as they rattled through the branches enroute to the ground and there was quite a thick, still mist... I fancied it.

Chopped worm went in the groundbait and I had red maggots to constantly trickle in over the top and, having made the first cast, I balled in three decent size helpings along with a sprinkling of reds hand fed over the top. Bait was nipped worm and two red maggots cocktail.

Whilst I was, given the mild, murky conditions, expecting a bite or two I didn't think the first would come so quick given the baiting disturbance and a good inch and a half of black float tip, set high for worm fishing, slid slowly and definitely away until the last pimple of tip disappeared and I struck into what felt like a nice lump of angry, head shaking Perch. After a very respectable fight on the fish's behalf I slipped the net under a very pristine looking Perch which went 1lb 11oz and I was more than happy with that.

The second cast went one better and with an identical, almost slow motion sail away bite which became the benchmark for all of them throughout the day, I slipped the net under a great fish which went 2lb 10oz and after two casts I was delighted given what can be the case on this water.

By 9.15am I had netted five good Perch at:

1lb 11ozs
2lb 4ozs
2lb 5ozs
2lb 10ozs
3lb 3 ozs

All had a few things in common being bold in colour and pristine in condition and they were stout, solid, bull shouldered fish which I suspect have been feeding hard for some time and particularly during the low pressure murky conditions we've had around here for the last week.

I fished on of course and took two more Perch of 2lb 2ozs and 3lb 1ozs along with a couple of sub pound fish, I would have been delighted with the 2's but the 3's made it really special...

A magical session on a magical day which reminded me why I keep going back despite the blanks and made all the sweeter for the fact that the reel I used is knocking on for forty years old...

I'm tempted to have another go at them whilst i'm off work but i've done that before after such a session and know how that could turn out so I think i'll have a go at something else and let this little bubble float for a while before I rush to stick a pin in it

 

[ian g]

I've had a few sessions on the Severn when perch are just so easy to catch and many others when that's not the case . It's what keeps us going . That is a fabulous catch , they are really my favourite fish

 

[chevin4]

I had a day booked at a famous River Lea weir last Thursday. The conditions were not ideal being bright and sunny after a misty start so confidence was low. The river was still high and pushing through. My plan was to fish a maggot feeder during the daylight hours alternating with lob worm on a second rod. The fish at the venue are huge as I was on my own I felt it was prudent to fish with one rod. I switched to meat once dusk arrived. The swim at the edge of the white water had one for two bad snags which weren't there when I fished it last. After loosing a feeder and bait dropper I switched to an in-line lead after which I had no further losses of end tackle. Unfortunately no bites were forthcoming but I will try and book in again when conditions are more condusive.