How did you get on?

[sam vimes]

Another away day for me. I only went to get underneath the proposed flightpath of the Vulcan. Sadly, it must have been forced to deviate as I heard it just to the north of me but didn't see a thing.

Fortunately, the fishing wasn't too bad. Fifty plus dace and chublets to around the 12oz mark, about fifteen trout and grayling, a smattering of gonks and a half decent perch around the pound mark, just big enough to have developed the big perch hump. Not quite the four pounder that the peg has produced in the past (not for me, unfortunately), but not bad.

 

[binka]

A very nice day indeed back out on the river.

Thick fog again in these parts this morning, so much so that having arrived on the river before dawn for a perching session I couldn’t even see the river to do a bit of fry spotting from the top of the bank!

Not to worry, I had left my gear in an area that had produced for me in the past and so I made my way back through the darkness until I stumbled back across it.

The conditions felt ideal today with the low light levels due to the very slow to clear fog during the morning followed by a very dull and overcast afternoon but the big girls weren’t having any of it although I did manage a few nice fish with several well over a pound along with a couple of surprises.

I reverted back to the worm for this session for little other reason than it’s my favourite, what self-respecting perch could resist this lot eh?



A nice blend of chopped worm and prawn in seed compost and a sprinkling of dry groundbait to attract the silvers along with krilled dead maggots and a few sauces to compliment it all.

Next up was the hookbait which was a nice sized dendrobaena threaded well up a size 10 Drennan Specimen Barbless with a smidgen of rubber band to hold it clear of the bend and leave the point free and then it was time to fill the feeder which was a small black cap with some of the holes drilled out a bit larger.

I’ve never understood why but jeez I really love how messy worm fishing can be…






And then we were in and full of anticipation as always.

It didn’t take too long for small knocks and tremors to begin showing themselves on the 1oz tip as the slop flowed out and wafted down to the hookbait below it, no need for a skyward pointing rod either with steady water down the inside to where I was rolling the light feeder under an overhanging tree which also meant I could set the tip nice and slack which is what I prefer for perch fishing…



Within a few casts I was into swinger perch before a better stamp of fish showed up and pushed them out, a pattern which I hoped would continue…








I did have my heart stopper moment towards late afternoon when the tip showed a couple of sharp taps followed by quite a savage pull round and the strike was met with considerably more resistance than previously.

With the ultra-light bomb rod bending to the corks and some very angry head shaking going on at the business end I was initially convinced that it was the big perch and after a spirited struggle on both parts I netted…































A rather decent snig!

And she kindly spat the hook out in the net for me although I still had to practice my newly acquired snake charming skills just for the fun of it.

Along with a very angry jack of around 8ozs which succumbed to a provocative twitch of the worm it all added up to quite a toothy session.

That’s it really, despite it being such a nice relaxing day I'm now going to enjoy what will feel like a few well earned pints :guinness:

 

[thecrow]

Some immaculate Perch Steve, fear not the biggie will come along and if it doesn't well you are still catching and enjoying your fishing which is the most important bit.

Nice size eel ugh I cant stand them and am terrified of all things snakey but nice to see there are still some about as despite my phobia I think they are fascinating.

 

[dorsetandchub]

Dare you to stick THAT feeder on your nose, Steve

---------- Post added at 21:18 ---------- Previous post was at 21:02 ----------

It's the legendary Achilles' eel......

 

[smudger172]

I was sat watching the football last night (friday) trying to decide where to go today. Finally settled on the Ouse as the perch are still calling.
Arrived early doors and set about catching some livo,s. First cast a bleak and the next and so on. After a dozen baits, the first one's cast out on a paternoster and five mins later its away. Pike. blast it i said. out with another bait and another pike. Ended up with a bakers dozen, best 15-12. The perch were noticeable by their absence as i could not catch them even on the float.

 

[jimlad]

Still a little water in the river last night, so I went out fishing with some smelly homemade paste which seemed to get the barbel approval, hooked two and one came off

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maggot_dangler]

Well out yesterday afternoon ( Saturday) on the local canals and not a single nibble not a one to be had Bread , Maggot , Worm ,Corn nowt .

Water was once again crystal clear all round tried 3 canals all the same see your bait on the bottom in 5 feet of water .

It seems i am going to have to invest some funds in a tank of diesel and find a river worth fishing that dont take too long to get to and pegs close to parking , Limit of about 100 yards walking distance before disaster strikes .

see what the coming Wednesday brings down the pool ..

My first blank for ages

PG ...

 

[S-Kippy]

I was all set for a day watching the Rugby on Sat after an entirely rubbish week at work not helped by.Big Dave pestering me to go Sat evening because I just couldn't face the M25 on Friday afternoon.

After lunchi settled down to watch Samoa give the Jocks a fright which so incensed my resident Sweaty that she stormed off to cut the grass. I then reasoned that I really didn't care whether the Sheep Shearers or the Sheep Shaggers won so Ho ! For the Wey and some proper manfishing after a couple of sessions winkling for roach.

River was empty bar one angler and some kids in the weir which I left for Dave to sling off. Colour was good and so was the height/pace and I really fancied it. Down to the bottom end and my favourite spot looked absolutely mustard. One great big barbelly looking glide. This beats the telly any day.

40 mins in and a classic drop back saw me into a fish. Didn't feel like a barbel and so it proved but at 5-2 I wasnt complaining .....I don't mind catching chub of that size even though they are normally a bit.of an anti climax when I'm after barbel. Dave then turned up having sorted the kids in the weir out and we were chatting away when the rod went again....not the usual 3 ft twitch , just a good solid thump. "Chub" declares the Big One. "Well if it is its a hell of chub" says I cos it was just holding in the current. There then followed a quite dour struggle in the heavy (ish) water but I eventually worked the fish back upstream and it.rolled. Barbel.....thank God for that L Dave then announces that he knows this fish but won't tell me how big it is until its in the net. I was never really in any bother and shortly thereafter Dave did the honours with the net and i was admiring my best Wey barbel to date.

"That's double figures, mate" says Dave " she normally goes between 10-8 and 10-12" . On the scales she went 10lb 10ozs so once again the Big feller is proved right claiming to have recognised the fish by a white mark on the dorsal. To say I was chuffed hardly does it justice. I've had a lousy run of blanks and was beginning to lose a bit of heart. Not the biggest barbel in the world but a good fish for the Wey and it will be a.cold day in Hell before I ever turn my nose up at a 10lb barbel.

Normal service was then resumed as the only other bite I had was a sublimely disgusting snottie of about 4lb which had the bare faced cheek to pick my bait up. Dave never had a bite !

Hello....hello....Skippy is back !

 

[lambert1]

A very nice day indeed back out on the river.

Thick fog again in these parts this morning, so much so that having arrived on the river before dawn for a perching session I couldn’t even see the river to do a bit of fry spotting from the top of the bank!

Not to worry, I had left my gear in an area that had produced for me in the past and so I made my way back through the darkness until I stumbled back across it.

The conditions felt ideal today with the low light levels due to the very slow to clear fog during the morning followed by a very dull and overcast afternoon but the big girls weren’t having any of it although I did manage a few nice fish with several well over a pound along with a couple of surprises.

I reverted back to the worm for this session for little other reason than it’s my favourite, what self-respecting perch could resist this lot eh?



A nice blend of chopped worm and prawn in seed compost and a sprinkling of dry groundbait to attract the silvers along with krilled dead maggots and a few sauces to compliment it all.

Next up was the hookbait which was a nice sized dendrobaena threaded well up a size 10 Drennan Specimen Barbless with a smidgen of rubber band to hold it clear of the bend and leave the point free and then it was time to fill the feeder which was a small black cap with some of the holes drilled out a bit larger.

I’ve never understood why but jeez I really love how messy worm fishing can be…






And then we were in and full of anticipation as always.

It didn’t take too long for small knocks and tremors to begin showing themselves on the 1oz tip as the slop flowed out and wafted down to the hookbait below it, no need for a skyward pointing rod either with steady water down the inside to where I was rolling the light feeder under an overhanging tree which also meant I could set the tip nice and slack which is what I prefer for perch fishing…



Within a few casts I was into swinger perch before a better stamp of fish showed up and pushed them out, a pattern which I hoped would continue…








I did have my heart stopper moment towards late afternoon when the tip showed a couple of sharp taps followed by quite a savage pull round and the strike was met with considerably more resistance than previously.

With the ultra-light bomb rod bending to the corks and some very angry head shaking going on at the business end I was initially convinced that it was the big perch and after a spirited struggle on both parts I netted…































A rather decent snig!

And she kindly spat the hook out in the net for me although I still had to practice my newly acquired snake charming skills just for the fun of it.

Along with a very angry jack of around 8ozs which succumbed to a provocative twitch of the worm it all added up to quite a toothy session.

That’s it really, despite it being such a nice relaxing day I'm now going to enjoy what will feel like a few well earned pints :guinness:

Blimey Steve, you will be on the angling equivalent of Masterchef at this rate, only the chopped shallots were missing! Have you tried worm casts in your mix at any time? The only reason I ask is that there are loads around at this time of year and I have read of people using them in their ground bait mix for attracting Perch.

 

[binka]

Blimey Steve, you will be on the angling equivalent of Masterchef at this rate, only the chopped shallots were missing! Have you tried worm casts in your mix at any time? The only reason I ask is that there are loads around at this time of year and I have read of people using them in their ground bait mix for attracting Perch.

I've never tried worm casts but it stands to reason... Might just have to include those in place of the seed compost next time.

Along with a sprig of parsley on top

 

[dorsetandchub]

Picturing Greg Wallace now - Angling doesn't get any tougher than THIS!!!

 

[Hugh Bailey]

I was all set for a day watching the Rugby on Sat after an entirely rubbish week at work not helped by.Big Dave pestering me to go Sat evening because I just couldn't face the M25 on Friday afternoon.

After lunchi settled down to watch Samoa give the Jocks a fright which so incensed my resident Sweaty that she stormed off to cut the grass. I then reasoned that I really didn't care whether the Sheep Shearers or the Sheep Shaggers won so Ho ! For the Wey and some proper manfishing after a couple of sessions winkling for roach.

River was empty bar one angler and some kids in the weir which I left for Dave to sling off. Colour was good and so was the height/pace and I really fancied it. Down to the bottom end and my favourite spot looked absolutely mustard. One great big barbelly looking glide. This beats the telly any day.

40 mins in and a classic drop back saw me into a fish. Didn't feel like a barbel and so it proved but at 5-2 I wasnt complaining .....I don't mind catching chub of that size even though they are normally a bit.of an anti climax when I'm after barbel. Dave then turned up having sorted the kids in the weir out and we were chatting away when the rod went again....not the usual 3 ft twitch , just a good solid thump. "Chub" declares the Big One. "Well if it is its a hell of chub" says I cos it was just holding in the current. There then followed a quite dour struggle in the heavy (ish) water but I eventually worked the fish back upstream and it.rolled. Barbel.....thank God for that L Dave then announces that he knows this fish but won't tell me how big it is until its in the net. I was never really in any bother and shortly thereafter Dave did the honours with the net and i was admiring my best Wey barbel to date.

"That's double figures, mate" says Dave " she normally goes between 10-8 and 10-12" . On the scales she went 10lb 10ozs so once again the Big feller is proved right claiming to have recognised the fish by a white mark on the dorsal. To say I was chuffed hardly does it justice. I've had a lousy run of blanks and was beginning to lose a bit of heart. Not the biggest barbel in the world but a good fish for the Wey and it will be a.cold day in Hell before I ever turn my nose up at a 10lb barbel.

Normal service was then resumed as the only other bite I had was a sublimely disgusting snottie of about 4lb which had the bare faced cheek to pick my bait up. Dave never had a bite !

Hello....hello....Skippy is back !

Not sure if it is the same fish, but your description of the swims sounds exactly like a section of the Wey that I fish, and that features on Phil Smith's " A travelling man" blog where he caught a 10+ barbel (from, if I am correct, the same swim as you)?

 

[peter crabtree]

GAnother club fixture today on the Thames at Windsor. Mainly clear but flowing nicely. Drew well downstream so another long schlepp with my clobber. Arrived at my peg and set up pole and waggler.


Tried a 1gr pole rig on top 4 @11m. but the flow was too fast and I was getting bleaked out so changed to a 3gr flat float held back hard. Bites were fierce on single maggot and hard to hit so I changed to sliding waggler about 25/30 yards out. Bite a chuck on single maggot from dace and roach. Stayed on it for last 5hours and ended up with 10lb1oz for a section win by default.
Winner had 20lb on the pole. 14lb.6 2nd and 14lb 1 3rd.


21 fished....

 

[S-Kippy]

Not sure if it is the same fish, but your description of the swims sounds exactly like a section of the Wey that I fish, and that features on Phil Smith's " A travelling man" blog where he caught a 10+ barbel (from, if I am correct, the same swim as you)?

I couldn't possibly comment.....well,I'm not going to anyway. Not on a public forum.

Phil who ?

 

[Pete Shears]

Have been piking on the reservoir since Oct 1st - only catching on spinners & lures, nothing big, about 4lb the biggest , deadbaits seem a waste time at the minute, Watching the osprey, which seems to be resident now, fishing for breakfast & lunch is fabulous - hundreds of geese,canadas & grey lag, have turned up shattering the silence. With the endless east/northerly winds the fish just don't seem to have switched on yet but to be there is fantastic.

 

[The Runner]

Well, an unexpectedly good day down the river last week has now been nicely balanced out by an unexpectedly gruesome day on the canal in my first match for a month.
Slough Arm at Langley Boats, tapwater clear and still very heavily weeded, far more so than we've ever known it, to the extent that a few of us had drags with us today. A couple of the lads had been down midweek and reckoned that the pegs around the kissing gate would be the ones to draw and they weren't wrong . Drew far end peg on the day, about halfway between the gate and Mansion Lane bridge and opposite the three legged cat. Set up waggler for across to the boat but could see that the far half of the canal was a mass of pondweed and blanket weed apart from a couple of small seemingly clearer bits. Plumbed up with pole and soon realised that weed everywhere up to 2 ft off the bottom so dragged a couple of narrow clear channels to just past halfway, one in front and one slightly right. Set up only two pole rigs, one very light and one of 0.4 gm, both with 22 Green Gama to 0.7 and a waggler for fishing shallow on top of the weed either across or off to the side. Started on waggler and big maggot. Nothing. Waggler and pinkie. Nothing. Pole and pinkie in front- one tiny roach then nothing. Pole and pinkie to right where had fed a bit of groundbait (loosefeed only everywhere else)- one tiny roach then nothing. Hour and a half gone and less than an ounce, Bob on my left with three fish and Dave two pegs up with four. Kept plugging away and ringing the changes and by half time was up to five fish, Bob and Dave still on 3 and 4 but the pegs around the gate were apparently catching steadily although very small fish.
Realised was highly unlikely to start getting enough bits to get anywhere near so set up heavier rig 0.5 gram, 18 to 0.12 and fed two good sized pots of chop and caster up against the far end of the dragged area to sit it out optimistically for a bream , big perch or tench. Predictably enough, not a sign. With an hour to go had a quick look back on the light rig as a couple of small fish topping. Two tiny roach immediately then gone again, so back on the heavy rig which with 10 minutes to go produced its only bite on half a dendra... 2 oz perch.
And that was that, 8 bites, 8 fish , 5oz.
Bob had tipped back about 2oz with 90 minutes to go so at least I beat the next peg...

3-8-8 won it then 3-5, 3-2 and 2-7-8 all in a line either side of the gate.
Far harder than expected, not sure why. We've had far better results than this when its been clear, may just be that the fish haven't yet started moving into their winter quarters

 

[neil1970]

I went out for a bit today & managed a Jack. I'm beginning to think there are very few, if any big Pike in the river... I hope I can prove my self wrong

 

[rubio]

Double report from two trips this last weekend. First was to make use of my leftovers. A pint of maggots, a few handfuls of groundbait with some hemp and a few pellets in it, and of course some bread. A couple of jaffas went in to 2 1/2 ft at 45 degrees each side and then I got busy with the catapault feeding a small pouch of maggots about 5 rod lengths out towards the lillies. A round dozen of crucians and I switched to maggot on a light waggler. I'd hoped to pick up a few roach and rudd off the top. Then see if any big perch were active. Perch a plenty but nothing over 6 ozs. It was bite a chuck with the little stripeys dominating and taking every hook bait well up in the top layer of 4ft. Worm only seemed to encourage even smaller perch. No keepnet but it would have been a nice bag for one of the guys fishing a match the following morning. A few were there practising but all chose the deeper end and struggled. I felt very smug sat in the sunshine with half a lake of fish to myself.
Sunday and down to the river with my nephew. He loved wading the shallows and trotting below us, and beat me again with some baby gudgeon and chub. I connected with only one fish. A decent chub that smashed me in 2 seconds.

 

[flightliner]

Years ago travelling to a venue wasnt to bad, these days a long southbound trip down the M1 is only one I make on the vey rare occasion but hey, once in a while maybe if I think the rewards may be forthcoming.
A big lake that I fished was calling, bream, perhaps the last chance for a big one this season.
All the gear was ready, a little later than I would have liked but it was all to my liking unlike the two dozen swans that were busy feeding in the shallow water, one minute they were a long way away, the next right over my baits.
Every time they came near my feeder set up I felt obliged to pull out to avoid an incident.
after a couple of hours I had had enough so I reset my sticks and cast down the lake away from the big white lumps of torment.Lovely creatures but not in a swim thats swallowed up most of my bait!!!.
The optonik gave me fair warning of a bite, goodness, not ten minutes in a swim with no bait and the rods bent under a nice fish then---- disaster-- its gone!.
I was dissapointed to say the least but it wont be the last time.
Nothing then untill mid afternoon when an old familier sound skywards had me reaching for my mobile, a vulcan bomber flew over just in time for a quick snap. I remember someone mentio ing them a little while ago-- hopefully It will appear a little later.
The swans had gone so I recast to my original spot but one rod a little nearer the bank by some ten yards then I simply settled down--- it was a bite or nothing now till I packed up around five thirty in order to get home on the promised hour.
Ten minutes to go and the hanger on the near bank rod is dancing in the butt ring. This time no loss, just a fish kiting to my right in the very shallow water.
A result!!! A nice bream-- a double that went 10-6 on the old dial avons.
I was late home.

 

[binka]

Years ago travelling to a venue wasnt to bad, these days a long southbound trip down the M1 is only one I make on the vey rare occasion but hey, once in a while maybe if I think the rewards may be forthcoming.
A big lake that I fished was calling, bream, perhaps the last chance for a big one this season.
All the gear was ready, a little later than I would have liked but it was all to my liking unlike the two dozen swans that were busy feeding in the shallow water, one minute they were a long way away, the next right over my baits.
Every time they came near my feeder set up I felt obliged to pull out to avoid an incident.
after a couple of hours I had had enough so I reset my sticks and cast down the lake away from the big white lumps of torment.Lovely creatures but not in a swim thats swallowed up most of my bait!!!.
The optonik gave me fair warning of a bite, goodness, not ten minutes in a swim with no bait and the rods bent under a nice fish then---- disaster-- its gone!.
I was dissapointed to say the least but it wont be the last time.
Nothing then untill mid afternoon when an old familier sound skywards had me reaching for my mobile, a vulcan bomber flew over just in time for a quick snap. I remember someone mentio ing them a little while ago-- hopefully It will appear a little later.
The swans had gone so I recast to my original spot but one rod a little nearer the bank by some ten yards then I simply settled down--- it was a bite or nothing now till I packed up around five thirty in order to get home on the promised hour.
Ten minutes to go and the hanger on the near bank rod is dancing in the butt ring. This time no loss, just a fish kiting to my right in the very shallow water.
A result!!! A nice bream-- a double that went 10-6 on the old dial avons.
I was late home.

Nice write up flight and well done on the bream

And here's the Vulcan that flight took the pic of and his 10-6 bream...