How did you get on?

[barbelboi]

I prefer to use bulk shot with a dropper on the Itchen (usually no 4s but with the conditions I thought $od it and went for BBs when the first decent grayling pinged off and sent the end tackle into the vegetation). As mentioned above, everyone to their own, but I was comfortable with shouldered sticks with 8/10 no 4s (or half as many BBs )as most of the fish on the day were in the first 20/30' of the trot as I was using the wind and feeding upstream.............

Ed, I'm looking forward to using the 'Ultra' 14' and it will be interesting to compare it to my old favourite, the Titan 2000, On the day it seemed sensible to use the 'tried and trusted' considering conditions and the fact a 12' was probably the better option in the wind as I was trotting the near bank..............

 

[Neil Maidment]

Linked to big floats, especially my local Stour, I had a great conversation with a guy called John Rushton. He's a very active bailiff on the Stour at Hampreston (below Wimborne) and other close by venues.

In winter he's a big advocate of flake fishing and feeding mashed bread and makes some monsters from the biggest swan quills he can get. He labels them "Stour Searchers" and adorns them with some excellent artwork. Doesn't bother with shot or olivettes - various sizes of industrial rivets are just attached to the line with silicone tubing. He's very successful with the roach and chub!

These are over a foot long and are from his "medium" range.

View image in gallery

View image in gallery​

 

[wa1115]

Quick 2 hour session today towards the end of the afternoon, missed one take on the jig-fly just ten minutes after starting, had a little wander then back to the first spot. Mobile phone rang and the other half said "I'm on my way" rollox I thought that's it then, but just as she pulled up slam fish on, my good lady took the picture, possibly a low double? But didn't have scales with me
http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums/q571/wa1115/IMG-20151203-WA0004_zpsdr1pvd0a.jpg

 

[robtherake]

I prefer to use bulk shot with a dropper on the Itchen (usually no 4s but with the conditions I thought $od it and went for BBs when the first decent grayling pinged off and sent the end tackle into the vegetation). As mentioned above, everyone to their own, but I was comfortable with shouldered sticks with 8/10 no 4s (or half as many BBs )as most of the fish on the day were in the first 20/30' of the trot as I was using the wind and feeding upstream.............

I overcame this problem after reading an article where a fella was pole fishing for grayling and never bounced a single one. By the end of the session he and his friend were practically fighting over the one pole they'd brought. The loser made use of his grey matter and figured out a method by which he could float fish with rod and line, incorporating some elastic between main line and hooklink. Since then, I 've made up a few for myself and can attest to their effectiveness, even if the resultant set-up looks a tad clumsy - the elastic prevents the grayling from making the slack it needs to throw the hook.

Mine are made up from solid pole elastic (6 or 8, I think) and are about 4" long, with a micro-swivel tied to each end and a thin piece of shrink tube to cover the knot and tag, keeping it tidy. I later found a couple of dedicated lengths of elastic with the swivel held in a moulded loop at either end - some kind gentleman had left them on the bank for me to find. They're obviously factory-made, perhaps from an elasticated feeder, or similar, but whatever they're from, they do a better job than my DIY ones, where it's difficult to get the knot both tight enough and hanging straight, if you see what I mean. If I can be arrsed, I'll dig them out and put up a photo. It sounds a bit naff but it really does work.

The only time they're less useful is in really shallow water, which then necessitates the use of a 6-8" hooklink with the elastic directly beneath the float. Fortunately the fish don't seem to mind the bit of elastic wiggling above their heads.

Hey, I've just had a eureka! moment: it shouldn't be too difficult to make an elasticated float. A piece of stiff, hollow tubing would fit onto a deliberately short stem, beneath the float body, or even pass all the way through the body, so that a tip could be inserted. The elastic would have to be fixed at the top of the tube and run down the inside, where it would pass through a mini-bead before being tied to a micro swivel; the elastic would need to be tensioned slightly to make it retract and the bead stops the swivel jamming.

Don't laugh, it's only a flippin' idea! In any case, I'm sure that with a bit of fiddling it could be made to work, after a fashion.

 

[barbelboi]

I overcame this problem after reading an article where a fella was pole fishing for grayling and never bounced a single one. By the end of the session he and his friend were practically fighting over the one pole they'd brought. The loser made use of his grey matter and figured out a method by which he could float fish with rod and line, incorporating some elastic between main line and hooklink. Since then, I 've made up a few for myself and can attest to their effectiveness, even if the resultant set-up looks a tad clumsy - the elastic prevents the grayling from making the slack it needs to throw the hook.

Mine are made up from solid pole elastic (6 or 8, I think) and are about 4" long, with a micro-swivel tied to each end and a thin piece of shrink tube to cover the knot and tag, keeping it tidy. I later found a couple of dedicated lengths of elastic with the swivel held in a moulded loop at either end - some kind gentleman had left them on the bank for me to find. They're obviously factory-made, perhaps from an elasticated feeder, or similar, but whatever they're from, they do a better job than my DIY ones, where it's difficult to get the knot both tight enough and hanging straight, if you see what I mean. If I can be arrsed, I'll dig them out and put up a photo. It sounds a bit naff but it really does work.

The only time they're less useful is in really shallow water, which then necessitates the use of a 6-8" hooklink with the elastic directly beneath the float. Fortunately the fish don't seem to mind the bit of elastic wiggling above their heads.

Hey, I've just had a eureka! moment: it shouldn't be too difficult to make an elasticated float. A piece of stiff, hollow tubing would fit onto a deliberately short stem, beneath the float body, or even pass all the way through the body, so that a tip could be inserted. The elastic would have to be fixed at the top of the tube and run down the inside, where it would pass through a mini-bead before being tied to a micro swivel; the elastic would need to be tensioned slightly to make it retract and the bead stops the swivel jamming.

Don't laugh, it's only a flippin' idea! In any case, I'm sure that with a bit of fiddling it could be made to work, after a fashion.

Loved to have seen him using a pole on the Itchen in 55mph upstream gales.................

 

[robtherake]

Loved to have seen him using a pole on the Itchen in 55mph upstream gales.................

Quite! Pretty sure it weren't one o' they big buggres, maybe 6 metres, tops. It was just a little river they were fishing. Next time you're biting on your knuckles after the umpteenth Lady gets off you'll remember my post and wish you'd made one up.

They do work.

Really.

No, really, they do. It isn't a wind-up

 

[barbelboi]

Rob, Ive been using micro swivels for years and others have been using pole elastic (not for me) with good results. I only lost around seven out of some 30+ fish in far from ideal conditions - last year I believe I lost two from around 60 fish in calmer waters.............

 

[robtherake]

Rob, Ive been using micro swivels for years and others have been using pole elastic (not for me) with good results. I only lost around seven out of some 30+ fish in far from ideal conditions - last year I believe I lost two from around 60 fish in calmer waters.............

I've never heard it mentioned anywhere else. Trust me to be last to hear about it...mg:

 

[Tee-Cee]

From memory it was our Peter Crabtree who introduce me to micro swivels some years ago on FM and in the main I have used them ever since. I suspect that match fishermen use them more than those who fish for pleasure as they are very fiddly especially in cold weather, but in my book if they work for match fishermen than they will do for me....

Have they improved my catches............hard to say, but I would say yes, in general !

 

[sam vimes]

Back to the roach pool because the rivers are a bit full for my liking and the weather was ok, for a change.

For some reason, things often seem start fairly slowly on this venue. Today was no different. However, it was that slow that I was starting to regret leaving my hemp at home. I've previously been unconvinced that it's been doing a great deal for my catch rate. Fortunately, before throwing the towel in, I tried an alternate feed line and immediately found some fish. When that line went a little quiet, I moved back to the first and found fish there too. Though it was a bite a chuck, the chucks often ended up being a fairly long time apart.

For the first few hours it was roach and chub. The latter don't tend to show up very often but, when they do, they are voracious little buggers. A carp turned up to spoil things for a little while. It certainly spoiled a fine wire maggot hook as it headed fast for places I couldn't let it go. Got back into the roach and chub before a second interloper turned up. This one was, I suspect, a little smaller. It was certainly more obliging as it ran out into open water and pretty much played itself out there.

Ended the day with 28 roach, the best being a pair at 1lb 2oz, 14 chub(lets) and one 6lb carp. Just for Mr. Crabtree, here's a couple of pics.

 

[neil1970]

I managed to get out for two quick 1.5 hour sessions this week.
First one saw two jacks on a weekless crayfish and a perch.

Second trotting - minnow , bleak, gudgeon, dace, roach, chub & perch.

 

[wa1115]

Was hard going today, I tried everything in the box (lure wise) eventually I had a nice Jack with lovely markings,
http://i1164.photobucket.com/albums...psluhtkeey_edit_1449258875879_zpsc5msmhdh.jpg
the one other person fishing using deadbait struggled as well. Better than nowt.

 

[binka]

I had a day on the river today and after a rotten night's sleep I was more out of sorts than the river which dropped before rising rapidly again.

In fairness I was on a good swim for the conditions and should have made far better of it but I never really felt settled all day, switching between the long float rod and the bomb rod for a handful of tiny bits.

Very unlike me I called it a day early at around 2pm and got back to sort a change of gear for a barbel session with a mate tomorrow.

Hopefully I will be in more settled frame of mind.

 

[binka]

It’s definitely been a day for questioning one’s own sanity after barely being able to hear myself think all day due to the constant gale force wind and snapping of tree branches!

All the same we had a good day at it from dawn until dusk on what was an unfriendly looking day ticket stretch of river that was churning through with two and a half to three feet of extra, heavily coloured water and after picking up my mate and dragging him to a particular beat before daybreak we were both quite optimistic despite all the additional wet stuff and the howling wind.

I chose a swim where I knew, from low water conditions, that there would be deep and slack water close in on the near side of a crease and I rigged up a pre-soaked pellet feeder rig which seemed the logical way to go given the stink the feed was giving off and it’s seemingly irresistible position right on the edge of the flow.

But, after a couple of hours at it I had little to show for the effort and all the time I had been telling my mate (make that shouting to him in order to be heard over the wind even though he was only six feet away) that my instinct was urging me to put a ruddy great piece of meat on a straight leger rig and drop it in under the rod tip to where I would usually be sitting at normal river level.

Eventually I succumbed and logic went out the window before, at roughly the same time, a huge chunk of meat went in the river right below the rod tip and low and behold within twenty minutes a sharp tap had me at full alert before the tip then hooped over deep into the blank and I lifted into what was obviously a decent fish.

After a right old tussle to turn it, the fish then made for the submerged bankside foliage which resulted in a grit yer teeth and pull situation and the extra insurance of a 12lb Drennan hooklink did an admirable job as I now had the fish clear and in open water and it was just a matter of time before she was safely in the net.

And this was my only decent bite of the entire day!

Although…

































At 14lbs 14ozs (the second time I’ve narrowly missed a 15 in a matter of weeks with two different 14-14 fish!) I wasn’t complaining…



Happy with that! :w

 

[thecrow]

It’s definitely been a day for questioning one’s own sanity after barely being able to hear myself think all day due to the constant gale force wind and snapping of tree branches!

All the same we had a good day at it from dawn until dusk on what was an unfriendly looking day ticket stretch of river that was churning through with two and a half to three feet of extra, heavily coloured water and after picking up my mate and dragging him to a particular beat before daybreak we were both quite optimistic despite all the additional wet stuff and the howling wind.

I chose a swim where I knew, from low water conditions, that there would be deep and slack water close in on the near side of a crease and I rigged up a pre-soaked pellet feeder rig which seemed the logical way to go given the stink the feed was giving off and it’s seemingly irresistible position right on the edge of the flow.

But, after a couple of hours at it I had little to show for the effort and all the time I had been telling my mate (make that shouting to him in order to be heard over the wind even though he was only six feet away) that my instinct was urging me to put a ruddy great piece of meat on a straight leger rig and drop it in under the rod tip to where I would usually be sitting at normal river level.

Eventually I succumbed and logic went out the window before, at roughly the same time, a huge chunk of meat went in the river right below the rod tip and low and behold within twenty minutes a sharp tap had me at full alert before the tip then hooped over deep into the blank and I lifted into what was obviously a decent fish.

After a right old tussle to turn it, the fish then made for the submerged bankside foliage which resulted in a grit yer teeth and pull situation and the extra insurance of a 12lb Drennan hooklink did an admirable job as I now had the fish clear and in open water and it was just a matter of time before she was safely in the net.

And this was my only decent bite of the entire day!

Although…

































At 14lbs 14ozs (the second time I’ve narrowly missed a 15 in a matter of weeks with two different 14-14 fish!) I wasn’t complaining…



Happy with that! :w

That's a fat bu££er, lovely fish and a great photograph Steve.

 

[sumtime]

It’s definitely been a day for questioning one’s own sanity after barely being able to hear myself think all day due to the constant gale force wind and snapping of tree branches!

All the same we had a good day at it from dawn until dusk on what was an unfriendly looking day ticket stretch of river that was churning through with two and a half to three feet of extra, heavily coloured water and after picking up my mate and dragging him to a particular beat before daybreak we were both quite optimistic despite all the additional wet stuff and the howling wind.

I chose a swim where I knew, from low water conditions, that there would be deep and slack water close in on the near side of a crease and I rigged up a pre-soaked pellet feeder rig which seemed the logical way to go given the stink the feed was giving off and it’s seemingly irresistible position right on the edge of the flow.

But, after a couple of hours at it I had little to show for the effort and all the time I had been telling my mate (make that shouting to him in order to be heard over the wind even though he was only six feet away) that my instinct was urging me to put a ruddy great piece of meat on a straight leger rig and drop it in under the rod tip to where I would usually be sitting at normal river level.

Eventually I succumbed and logic went out the window before, at roughly the same time, a huge chunk of meat went in the river right below the rod tip and low and behold within twenty minutes a sharp tap had me at full alert before the tip then hooped over deep into the blank and I lifted into what was obviously a decent fish.

After a right old tussle to turn it, the fish then made for the submerged bankside foliage which resulted in a grit yer teeth and pull situation and the extra insurance of a 12lb Drennan hooklink did an admirable job as I now had the fish clear and in open water and it was just a matter of time before she was safely in the net.

And this was my only decent bite of the entire day!

Although…

































At 14lbs 14ozs (the second time I’ve narrowly missed a 15 in a matter of weeks with two different 14-14 fish!) I wasn’t complaining…



Happy with that! :w

Binka, you da man, excellent specimen.

 

[bennygesserit]

Wow what a fish ! Brilliant

 

[dorsetandchub]

Steve,

Peach of a fish, mate. Very well done. Excellent.

 

[wa1115]

Fantastic!!! Nothing else I can say..

Sent from my LG-E410i using Tapatalk

 

[robtherake]

You can't beat your meat! (Am I allowed to say that? )