How did you get on?

[Alan Whitty]

Been again today, to the deep lake I blanked twice on, had some fish, 16 roach, two about a pound and a modest ide about 8ozs, here is a picture of one of the decent roach-

 

[terry m]

Back on the Avon this morning in search of the big girls. Absolutely brass monkeys cold to the point where I question my actions and my sanity. A small Jack of about 3 pounds was my only reward, and by 11.30 I came to my senses and went home!

 

[@Clive]

Cold and frosty this morning, but had risen to a balmy 3C by the time that I left the house just after 9am for my thrice postponed fishing trip.

I started with the pole in an eddy where the River Vienne runs through a large dam. I fished around 9 foot deep at various lengths so that I fished the flow, the seam and the slack using sweetcorn and dendra baits. After 90 minutes without a bite I packed up and headed about 5 miles downstream below the dam.

Swim 2 is in woodland and has a deeper than usual channel about three rod lengths out. In this 3 mile long by 150 yards wide stretch between weirs there are only two accessible places to my knowledge where the water is more than two feet deep and this is one of them. I catapulted some seeds and small pellets out and ledgered in the narrow channel. Here you can get trashed by huge catfish, lose 30lb carp and occassionally land barbel, carp, carassins or chub, none of which appeared today. I gave it two hours and walked back towards the car to the next swim.

Swim 3 is the other deep water peg in this stretch. I've had barbel, carassins and ide out of here, but today worms were the only bait that got any interest and that was from little fish nipping the ends off. I fished a cage feeder in the usual spot using sweetcorn, soft pellets and worms. I had planned to pack up at 5pm so as to get back and unpacked in time for dinner. Often I'll have three or more 'last casts', but today was not going to be one of them! At 4:59pm the rod tip rattled and I struck into a fish. It ran me all over the river and I only just managed to squeeze it into the net after a long struggle.

 

[ian g]

Fancied a change of scene today so headed down to Cressage ,arriving about 11.30 . One car in the car park , a guy I'd met before who usually fishes here with his brother . He was fishing upstream of the oak tree where his brother had had 7 barbel earlier in the week , He was blanking as the river had dropped 4 foot and the swim was now around 2 foot deep . I set up below the oak and fished worm on the tip and the float . Lovely day with some warmth in the sun but not ideal for fishing . I was thinking about a blank when I had a steady bite on the tip rod , which I missed . My new mate came by a couple of minutes later and he hadn't had a touch . I had a couple more knocks on the tip , small stuff I suspect . Then out of the blue at 4.15 the float disappeared , no bobs or runs just straight under and a good fight from a nice perch which went spot on 2lb and judging by the fresh cuts on it's side had had a recent encounter with a pike . I continued to have snatchy bites on the tip, none of which where converted . All quiet on the float until 5.50 we a repeat of the other bite the float disappeared and I'm attached to another perch slightly bigger at 2.6 lb , both fish fat and ready to spawn . Nice day to be out though cold when the sun went down , saw a kite soring on the thermals and had a couple of swans getting it on in the swim , shame the close season looms

 

[nottskev]

I usually have bait in the bait fridge, but the fishing on the big rivers around here has been so discouraging that I had none in. The warmth of the sun today, though, inspired me to get a loaf from the corner shop and have a minimal gear go for a couple of hours on a local little river. Getting to the bank through a cow field wasn't a pleasure, but the river was in lovely trim

I spent more time walking and pulling my feet out of the mud than fishing, and got three bites on a 3AAA link ledger, hooking two fish

 

[mikench]

I assume you were ledgering flake Kev.

 

[nottskev]

I assume you were ledgering flake Kev.

Yes, but I forgot the flake punch you sent me.

 

[tommos16]

Been a long time since I last posted, I hope all are well... since I had my son (somehow two and a half years ago) I've barely managed to get out. But the fishing gods were smiling on me tonight. Went down to my local river (where last time I fished this spot it produced both a Flounder and a PB Perch). Two rods, both 6lb mainline, 3lb hooklink. On a pair of John Wilson Avon rods. One float, one ledger - bait was garden dug worms.

Had a tiny tiny bite on the float rod, struck into what I expected would be a tiny Perch - only for it to steam upstream. This is a small river, it holds a few small Barbel so naturally assumed it would be one of them... wrong. Carp! Took me just over 15 minutes to land it, thankfully a kind passerby was on hand to net it. Whilst the Carp was being held in the water and I was putting my head back on my shoulders, my other rod goes... new PB Perch. 2lb 10oz!

Going to take me a long time to get over that particular ten minutes haha, Fishing really is magic

 

[terry m]

A freezing cold morning developed into a beautiful day today, so sitting behind my rods on a local pit was rather enjoyable. 4 runs resulted in 3 pike on the bank, the biggest tipping the scales at 15lb 1oz. It felt like spring was close.

 

[Steve Arnold]

February was such a tough month fishing on the river Lot, I vaguely remember catching a carp at the start of the month......or was I just fantasising there?

The rest of that month the river and countryside looked cold and dead, little wildlife showing along the river banks and I became quite depressed. You have to think positively to catch fish, lack of confidence leads to dry nets. I tried a few times during the month but could not catch another fish!

Anyway, it's March now and we have sunshine. I gave myself a mental kick to snap out of my fishing gloom and try again, with the river still cold and full I picked a swim facing good scenery with sun on my face for the first few hours. Sometimes that sun can put the fish off feeding so this swim I knew would give the river some shade, at least for the last hour.

I also convinced myself that with the longer daylight hours the fish would need to feed as preparation for their romantic season. What other thin straws could I clutch to become a positive thinker about my fishing chances? How desperate a fishing blanker I have become!!!!

Fortunately it did not take too long for the first positive bite, at which point I almost went into shock with the surprise of such a rare event.......

A healthy 4 pound barbel in the net and a little later I had another barbel about the same size. Now I feel a relaxed fisherman with confidence restored to continue the season.

How fragile my moods have become when a single fish can make such a difference? But maybe that was the same way when I was a boy catching my first fish, so perhaps nothing has changed in me?

After a depressing months fishing a little introspection is useful, now it's time to anticipate this years fishing potential and enjoy the reality of living close to the river Lot.

 

[Alan Whitty]

Well, well, well, I left home at 8.20am and now at 9.32am I'm stuck on a motorway, stationary, there has obviously been a serious accident ahead, been sat here 30 plus minutes with the engine turned off, hope nobody is hurt up there.....

P.s. I ended up being stationary for 45mins, I was bursting for a wee and searched in my carryall for a bait box, opened the drivers door and rear door, knelt down and gleefully relieved myself, on the fast lane, lol....

 

[nottskev]

I fancied fishing the pole yesterday afternoon and I hadn't been to the disused canal since last summer, so I headed there. I asked the one angler on it who was packing up how he'd got on; one bite, he said, and the match on Sunday had plenty of DNW's. It was either give it a try or go home. The place holds thousands of Ide, and these fish were brought here, as far as I know, to provide winter sport. Surely I can get a bite off one on a warm March afternoon? No, I couldn't.

Today, despite blanking on my last three trips to it, I thought I'd give the Trent a try for chub. Steak and mince have been revived by some local anglers, so my bait for the afternoon was just some of Lidl's finest

I called in at 3 stretches before I found the combination I was looking for: a swim where the risk of sliding in and drowning was low, with the kind of pace and crease chub like. Luckily, unlike those canal fish, the chub were looking for something to eat and I hadn't put the rod in the rest first cast before the tip bounced and the first chub was on

The next three fish were a similar size, and then the swim died. I had a walk around to see if there were any other swims nearby, but I decided I was in the best place, so I lay on the bank in the sun, ate my lunch and gave the chub an hour to resume their positions. When I started again, I got no indications, so I put on a lighter hooklength and a smaller hook and cut bits of steak not much bigger than a maggot. Bingo! Two bites and the two best chub

 

[Alan Whitty]

Eventually got to the venue, the one I hadn't fished for more than 20 years, well, it fished a lot harder, in fact out of the ten anglers fishing two of us caught, the other chap had a common carp about 5lbs, one bite, one fish, I luckily had quite a few bites, 5 decent skimmers to a pound, two 3oz skimmers, a hybrid around 8ozs, two bream around 2lb 8ozs, 4 diddy roach and an F1 around 3lbs 8ozs, missed quite a few bites, they were being extremely iffy in spite of having the sensitive float dotted right down to a dimple and fishing a real 22 hook to 0.10mm hooklength....

 

[mikench]

I overcame my lethargy around 10.00 am and set off for a spot of fishing with 3 objectives in mind. Firstly I wanted to enjoy being out, secondly I wanted to avoid a blank and thirdly I was determined to float fish with just maggots for bait. I achieved all 3 just. It was sunny early on with a breeze and it was at my back. I managed to set up and in honour of Gordon I even plumbed up. He had more important matters to occupy his time. I visited a popular club water for the first time in months.

I set up my Sphere float rod with a little difficulty with my trigger thumb and was all set up by 10.30. It was slow going for me and about another 6 or so members and it remained that way. I didn’t blank but only caught a couple of skimmers and 5 or 6 roach similar to this.

By 3.00 pm and with the increasing cloud and wind velocity I packed up along with everyone else including a guy on the peg next to me who only arrived at 2. It wasn’t cold and I enjoyed the fresh air and the accompaniment of woodpeckers doing what woodpeckers do all around me. I have no idea which type they were but there were a good few making a racket.

 

[markcw]

I fancied fishing the pole yesterday afternoon and I hadn't been to the disused canal since last summer, so I headed there. I asked the one angler on it who was packing up how he'd got on; one bite, he said, and the match on Sunday had plenty of DNW's. It was either give it a try or go home. The place holds thousands of Ide, and these fish were brought here, as far as I know, to provide winter sport. Surely I can get a bite off one on a warm March afternoon? No, I couldn't.

View attachment 33101

Today, despite blanking on my last three trips to it, I thought I'd give the Trent a try for chub. Steak and mince have been revived by some local anglers, so my bait for the afternoon was just some of Lidl's finest

View attachment 33102

I called in at 3 stretches before I found the combination I was looking for: a swim where the risk of sliding in and drowning was low, with the kind of pace and crease chub like. Luckily, unlike those canal fish, the chub were looking for something to eat and I hadn't put the rod in the rest first cast before the tip bounced and the first chub was on

View attachment 33103

The next three fish were a similar size, and then the swim died. I had a walk around to see if there were any other swims nearby, but I decided I was in the best place, so I lay on the bank in the sun, ate my lunch and gave the chub an hour to resume their positions. When I started again, I got no indications, so I put on a lighter hooklength and a smaller hook and cut bits of steak not much bigger than a maggot. Bingo! Two bites and the two best chub

View attachment 33104


View attachment 33105

Steak and mince . That brings back memories .

 

[Alan Whitty]

Mike, were they calling(a laughing sound), or were they tapping,the former would be a green woodpecker, the latter a greater spotted male....

 

[mikench]

It was definitely a tapping sound . It was loud and continuous. Thanks Alan.

 

[S-Kippy]

Out today for the first time in what seems an age. I’ve not been fishing AT ALL since October and coarse fishing for longer than that.
On the Colne hoping for a chub, nowt in the first two swims I tried but first chuck in the 3rd swim ( an old favourite of mine that’s given me some lovely barbel in the past) and I’m in. A lovely chub an ounce shy of 5lb and absolutely mint.
I lost another an hour later through rank bad angling and missed another good bite. So…I should probably have had 2 fish from the 3 bites but who hasn’t missed a bite ?
More to the point I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to get back down there.
Small black cap feeder with 2 reds on a 16 to 0.14 Suffix Duraflex which is absolutely brilliant stuff if you can find it in the lower diameters. I use nothing else for lead/feeder work.

 

[seth49]

First day out fishing yesterday since late November, shows what rubbish weather we have had this winter, I usually fish a few days but not this winter.

so went on my syndicate water, as the match results have been better there, first cast at around 8am got me a nice common carp of around 4lbs, nothing then apart from losing a couple, and a few missed bites, I fished my feeder rod all day as it was too windy for the pole.

did get a couple of tench around mid day and missed a few more bites, it was supposed to be warm but the wind spoiled that, glad I took my heated waistcoat with me, the fish felt like ice, so it definitely needs to warm up, nice to be out again I enjoyed it, although the wind spoiled it.

 

[S-Kippy]

If anybody is interested in that Duraflex line I keep banging on about it seems to be available in the lower bs via Rapala. It’s a lower diameter line but with a bit of stretch and I use nothing else for hooklengths and on a couple of pins if I expect the odd lump It’s not cheap but it is fantastic stuff. I like it in clear but it also comes in a mist green.Its limp and knots well.

0.14 = 5.3lb bs : 0.16 = 6.7lb bs.

For comparison bog standard 4lb mono is about 0.20 and a 0.14 Drennan hook to nylon is about 3.5 lb bs. The advantage is, I think, obvious.