How did you get on?

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Had a few hours yesterday after the Chub.River looked nice. Started with float fished flake but no luck,so went back to the quiver tip and flake.plenty of interest and a few fish,which with the warm weather and no wind made for an enjoyable session.

Pick of the bunch....

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[Tee-Cee]

I did not intend posting after todays session as I don't believe anyone wants to read boring ' repeats ' which record, yet again, what has already been said in previous posts. However, as something unusual occurred I thought it worth a mention......

I went again to the same venue mention in my last two posts, only this time I changed swims in the hope of locating a few more roach. The swim I chose was on the opposite bank therefore facing into what would have been a very stiff breeze last week, but today was quite still, giving a flat calm surface.
I have fished this swim many times before but mainly in the warmer months when it is partially covered with lily pads and shaded by trees. Not particularly deep at 6' max but it does shelve up to around 3/4' where the pads grow and although I started in the deeper water I had this thought in the back of my mind of having read about fishing over dead pads in winter which eventually caused me to cast in a different direction.
I didn't change my approach and persevered with slow falling caster bait with very small shot down the line which over the next couple of hours produed six roach all over 9" long with one nearer to 10/11" based on the span of my hand. Not huge catch but one that I really worked hard for, and although I missed a number of positive bites I was well pleased.

Toward the end of the session ( and this is the 'unusual ' bit ) action had slowed to the occasional dip of the float ( which I put down to very small roach or perch ) so I started to get the gear back in the bag. I then came a across an opened bag of hemp which I had been using very, very sparingly as an indicator of fish moving about and hitting the line as it dropped through the water, causing the float to dance about. I had not seen any such indication.......
So, for no reason I can fathom I decide to put a grain of hemp on the 20 hook, never expecting to get a response. Low and behold, the float dipped twice after a minute or two then sank from sight and a 10" roach came to the net !!
Perhaps catching roach on hemp at this time of year is nothing unusual for some, but I can say without fear of contradiction that I have never done so, in December. October yes, but never this month............And yet, when I think about it, have I ever tried to ???

I did fill the last minutes of my ' fixed ' session with attempts to catch another fish and although I had slight indications they failed to materialise...

I shall try again tomorrow or later this week and if the weather stays mild as promised ( 16 degrees at weeks end ) I hope to give standard and ' giant ' hemp a good work out.

I can't wait to get to the bank again !!!


ps If anyone else has caught on hemp ........................................

 

[peterjg]

Tee-Cee - an interesting post, Keep 'em coming. I am really struggling at present to catch roach at the moment in daylight due to the clarity of the water, the roach are feeding well after dark - just out of interest is the lake that you mention clear or still coloured?

 

[dorsetandchub]

Just £3.99 that's a bargain I paid more for these

Durex pect me to believe that??

 

[john step]

Tee Cee, You are posting from Bucks. I used to fish the GU near you.(Oveltine stretch etc) Always had hemp in winter. Often caught on it. Why not?

 

[Pete Shears]

Piking again today - my mate Charlie had 2 - 8.5lb & 3lb on a trout deadbait. I had just one fish at 17lb 8oz on a sprat impaled on a single hook rig - trying for a bigger one tomorrow.
Enchanting flock of long tailed tits just 3 feet away in the hedgerow, prettiest of them all 7 a red kite circled across later but 6 cormorants, that's about 12lb of fish no-one will ever catch.

 

[Neil Maidment]

Did well to resist the urge to go back on the Stour after some more chub and turned right and headed for the Frome continuing the search for the elusive 3lb+ grayling. mg:

Plenty of 3oz samples and one or two maybe approaching 12oz/1lb but no sign of anything near the desired size. A couple of seatrout didn't help as they trashed the swim with their acrobatics.

Sat back and had a coffee trying to decide where to move to when just one more trot produced the tell-tale gyrations of a quality grayling. Not 3lbs but over 2lbs and very very welcome.

Four more followed in the next hour or so, all around the same high quality. I weighed the last at 2lbs 06oz. That one was almost immediately followed by another seatrout that only headed back towards the coast after creating havoc in the swim.

No more grayling followed but I went home extremely happy after netting such fine fish.

View image in gallery​

 

[Tee-Cee]

peterjg...

The water is as clear as a bell !

Out of interest I'm using 2,5lb main line and Drennan barbless ' silverfish ' Maggot hooks to nylon which for sizes 18 / 20 is 2lb BS although it seems a lot finer than that.
If I go down to a 22 then the line is 1lb 10ozs, or so they say !
Bottom shot 6 /8" from hook and no 8's.....

Single caster hooked handle bar fashion seems to be best, although a double, both on a 20 has caught.

Always going to be different for another water, but this works for me - but still a ' work in progress ' in every sense of the word !!

Good luck !

 

[peterjg]

Tee-Cee, thanks for your reply. I am fishing the Kennet and the Kennet & Avon canal for roach, the roach are difficult in daylight but switch on when the sun switches off. I'll try a 0.08mm hooklength. Thanks again.

 

[tom_moran]

Well after my bait issue yesterday (I forgot to buy any) I got up and was outside the nearest Maggot shop at 8am and at the side of a main road sorting my gear out waiting for the shop to open, maggots and casters were bought and I was on the canal side by 9.30 which was about 2 hours later than I had hoped but never mind.

The day started off slow, had not even a snifter all day on ledgered worms. But fishing single red maggots at dead depth about a foot from my feet bought home about 20 fish or so in 6 hours. Plenty of gudgeon, some lovely condition roach with a real blue tint to them, more so than I've seen before. I also bagged a few really lovely perch and one on the dropshot which I got out whenever the float went quiet, nothing massive but I later found out why.

Turns out about 6 weeks ago the section of canal I was fishing had completely drained due to a lock failure so it didn't have its usual stamp of 1lb+ perch I'd heard rumours of.

I will attempt to add the few pictures I took....

Now I'm torn between going back to the canal tomorrow and fishing the lower section where I reckon all the big perch have gone or hitting the Avon on a free stretch to see if I can get some decent chub, maybe a perch or two and if I'm really lucky my first barbel.....

 

[Tee-Cee]

Went back to my still water yesterday for a few hours from 07.30ish... Managed 6 roach to about 3/4lb sitting well back from the edge and fishing very close in- say 6' from the bank - with very little rod over the water. Maybe it didn't help, but seemed logical not to have too much rod over the very clear water.......

Bait was double caster, BUT I did have 2 good fish on vanilla flavoured giant hemp after failing to develop the quick bites on the standard stuff. Toward midday the bites became even more finicky regardless of tackle changes which was very frustrating !
NOT my best day in terms of ' good fishing ' as I fussed and farted far too much........

Back again Thurs / Fri for longer sessions in the heat of the day, as some bright spark at the Weather Centre suggests temps of 15 /16 / 18 degrees could be on the cards - too good to miss !!!

 

[peter crabtree]

A short 4hour session with Son of Meldrew on the GUC locally yesterday. A damp dark day which looked spot on for some roach. We set up beside a bridge where the Colne crosses the canal.


A slow start until some small dace began to show on wagg and magg. Around 2pm the roach finally showed but only small ones. By 3pm it was getting very gloomy and floats were hard to see so we called it a day.

 

[theartist]

Just got back from a trip to the tiny River Ash, when I say tiny it is very small, perhaps the smallest I have fished making the Bulbourne and Chelt look big.

Caught most the fish from a swim a foot wide and a foot deep on a little home made dibber style float, before walking down the river, literally.

 

[maggot_dangler]

Well boit of a late start but what the heck it is winter ( or so i believe that is what the season used to be called )

Any how ddown my normal small pool not expecting too much and lo and behold it lived up to that for a couple of hours not a nibble nada nothing nowt didely squat. :wh

Then switched to fishing over deep still on a light float with only one shot to cock the float no hook end shot three maggots on a size 18 and bingo peskys of around 6 to 8 oz 7 of them then dead , poking around for an hour or so then went for an over hanging laurel bush and BNGO 6 nice slim and very long carp of 2 to 2.5 lbs each one after the other all from under the bush .

so all in all not a bad day if i say so myself


PS when i can get them off the new phone i have a couple of pictures interesting looking carp to say the least ...


PG ...

 

[neil1970]

I went out for a very quick 3/4 hour dusk session today.

Feeling ill with a cold thats lasted 2 weeks I didn't fancy moving from swim to swim so stuck to a weirpool and tried a variety of lures.

Eventually one of my trademark jacks took a liking to a fluorescent Mepps

Amazing how a bit of fresh air and a quick bit of fishing perks you up

 

[peterjg]

Spring in December! Seen daffodils in full bloom and while roach fishing on the Kennet today caught a bream of about 5lbs with spawning tubercles! Also caught a chub, a few dace, a roach another bream and a 11lb 5oz common carp. Twit, I tried to lift a large roach out without the landing net and it twisted off of the hook.

 

[peter crabtree]

I tried to lift a large roach out without the landing net and it twisted off of the hook.

Oh dear Peter?
It's a Crabtree bad angling award for you...

 

[john step]

Elated then gutted. As previously posted I have been trying for Trent zeds..a new species for me. I have been unsure about the location/watercraft side of things.
Well, at dusk today at a new location I had a run and a good size zed just about to slide over the net....then the hooks came outmg:
If I had to compare it to the size of a pike I would guess a high single.

On the brighter note, we all get blanks but at least I know I am on the right track location wise

 

[peterjg]

Peter Crabtree - that's not SOM that's "Klunkenbog" - please refrain from putting any more pictures of him on this forum, it nearly scared the life out of me! I am proud to accept the Crabtree bad angling award.

 

[Pete Shears]

Reservoir piking again today, 2 fish 9lb 8oz on a sprat & 8lb on a mackerel tail - only 2 cormorants so I suppose things are improving : kingfisher whizzing up & down,buzzards, a flock of lapwings and the ever friendly robin.