B
binka
Guest
A great plan and a great opener Mick, well done mate.
Here are some of Flight's pics...
Did you manage to find out if the chub in the third pic liked butter?
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
A great plan and a great opener Mick, well done mate.
Here are some of Flight's pics...
Did you manage to find out if the chub in the third pic liked butter?
flightliner
Well-known member
Many thanks Steve. The buttercup didnt reveal anything, maybe the clue was in the bait--- it was well anchored.
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xenon
Well-known member
very true-trick is working out which days!Some days you are better off just staying in bed
I got less than an hours fishing but as it was the 16th I felt obliged to try.
Couple of slices of white in my pocket and a stroll of 10 mins to a spot I've never seen another angler and I was drifting breadflake under a 5AA balsa. Heavier set up than I would usually use here but there was a little more flow than expected for summer. First fish after a two trot warm up was a 4oz roach, a new season's best! Couple of casts later and I'd upped that to 6ozs. Had one chublet of nearly a pound when time was up and off I went back.
Always good to encounter a wild fish and I've certainly had far worse starts. I saw lots of small stuff along the whole stretch and in the millpool above the water's edge was dark with tiny fry. Everything was looking bright and full of life, with roach topping frequently and a couple of surface explosions where Perch, I think were hammering them. Promising for the future. Promising enough to throw in a handful of wheat and some corn into half a dozen spots to return to soon.
Couple of slices of white in my pocket and a stroll of 10 mins to a spot I've never seen another angler and I was drifting breadflake under a 5AA balsa. Heavier set up than I would usually use here but there was a little more flow than expected for summer. First fish after a two trot warm up was a 4oz roach, a new season's best! Couple of casts later and I'd upped that to 6ozs. Had one chublet of nearly a pound when time was up and off I went back.
Always good to encounter a wild fish and I've certainly had far worse starts. I saw lots of small stuff along the whole stretch and in the millpool above the water's edge was dark with tiny fry. Everything was looking bright and full of life, with roach topping frequently and a couple of surface explosions where Perch, I think were hammering them. Promising for the future. Promising enough to throw in a handful of wheat and some corn into half a dozen spots to return to soon.
edsurf
Well-known member
First session on the Hants Avon today trotting a float, had a few small chub a half dozen Grayling then these two back to back, 5.5 and 4.3, a pretty good start to the season.
thecrow
Well-known member
Had my first session in a long time on a still water today, I chose a swim that had been good to me in the past with some decent Roach, the breeze was blowing into it and things looked good for a few fish.
I started with sweetcorn on a 16s to 2.5 lbs nylon coupled with a loaded 3 bb waggler fished in 4.5 feet of water at around 25 yards.
No bites after an hour on the corn prompted me to try a banded pellet that I had been feeding, its not something I have ever used on the float before but it looked presentable enough to me but unfortunately the Roach found it to be as attractive as the sweetcorn, I persevered with these 2 baits for around 4 hours before having to leave so that was it a blank but it was nice to be back on the water where I first started fishing even if the fish didn't want to come out to play.
I had spoken to a couple of anglers on there a few days ago and they said it had been very slow for a week or so and the reason could be seen in the margins, Daphnia the place was alive with it and with the fish swimming about in this soup it might be a while before it gets much better.
I started with sweetcorn on a 16s to 2.5 lbs nylon coupled with a loaded 3 bb waggler fished in 4.5 feet of water at around 25 yards.
No bites after an hour on the corn prompted me to try a banded pellet that I had been feeding, its not something I have ever used on the float before but it looked presentable enough to me but unfortunately the Roach found it to be as attractive as the sweetcorn, I persevered with these 2 baits for around 4 hours before having to leave so that was it a blank but it was nice to be back on the water where I first started fishing even if the fish didn't want to come out to play.
I had spoken to a couple of anglers on there a few days ago and they said it had been very slow for a week or so and the reason could be seen in the margins, Daphnia the place was alive with it and with the fish swimming about in this soup it might be a while before it gets much better.
Graham Elliott 1
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dorsetandchub
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With the biblical rain down here and needing to finish an urgent piece of work, I opted out of a June 16 start and for today instead.
I chose to have a day at Revels Fishery, hoping that it might not be too busy now the rivers were open again.
To my delight, I was on the money and, barring the half dozen or so pegs nearest the car park, virtually the rest of the fishery was free. I opted for a peg next to one of my favourite ones at the back of the main lake, an island at 13m and a lovely looking section of reeds which had to hold fish.
As the late, great Bill Shankly would have put it, today was very definitely a game of two halves. This morning was definitely spent at the altar of the God of Small Things.
I started off on the usual pole attack with 8mm cubed Bacon Grill and within a very short time, I was catching stacks of roach in the 7 - 10oz range, every single one in absolutely mint, pristine condition.
During this furious fishy downpour, I also netted a single skimmer, quite a few F1s and tiny carp from 4oz to 12oz, with one of 1lb and was also rewarded with a stunning gold rudd of 12oz.
I also had a very strange experience with a fish coming up to the top and looking red, bright red, leading me to think goldfish but, believe it or not, it turned out to be a tiny tench, all 2oz of it. I was to catch another one later and this one was the big one.
I hope King Binka's quaking, tiny tench wise there's a new kiddie in the nursery. The two smallest tench I have ever caught in my life but you know what? I had the biggest smile on my face.
By now, I had Lennon and McCartney on the ipod, the sun was out and I was genuinely enjoying today. I decided to come close in just to see if there was anything to be had and, whilst slurping Pepsi, had a beautiful roach-bream hybrid of around 12oz amongst more roach and F1s and the second tench, a leviathan of an ounce and a half on an 8mm cube.
It was definitely slower close in so I went back out to the far bank and just as "Penny Lane" became "All You Need is Love" the float dropped and the lake parted like the Red Sea. Oh Lordee, the big boys had moved in and were making themselves known. The first carp went about 8lbs and fought like the proverbial tiger.
A pleasant succession of carp with another around 7lbs and one around 3lbs 8oz, a load more between 8 - 12oz and more roach, again all mint, and I was really enjoying my day.
I decided on a 6pm finish and around an hour before, the rain returned with a major vengeance. I broke down to my top three and all hell let loose. Pepsi everywhere and a colossal battle culminating in another 8lb common, this one was a real old stager with a mouth like Bill Beaumont's ear.
And that was that. I was getting wetter ever second and after, I reckon, about 40lbs of pure enjoyment today, I packed up toute suite and beat a hasty retreat.
I'd really enjoyed today, I'm still smiling now but with another fortnight of holiday ahead, I have to get on the river soonest.
More on Monday, Muchacchos
I chose to have a day at Revels Fishery, hoping that it might not be too busy now the rivers were open again.
To my delight, I was on the money and, barring the half dozen or so pegs nearest the car park, virtually the rest of the fishery was free. I opted for a peg next to one of my favourite ones at the back of the main lake, an island at 13m and a lovely looking section of reeds which had to hold fish.
As the late, great Bill Shankly would have put it, today was very definitely a game of two halves. This morning was definitely spent at the altar of the God of Small Things.
I started off on the usual pole attack with 8mm cubed Bacon Grill and within a very short time, I was catching stacks of roach in the 7 - 10oz range, every single one in absolutely mint, pristine condition.
During this furious fishy downpour, I also netted a single skimmer, quite a few F1s and tiny carp from 4oz to 12oz, with one of 1lb and was also rewarded with a stunning gold rudd of 12oz.
I also had a very strange experience with a fish coming up to the top and looking red, bright red, leading me to think goldfish but, believe it or not, it turned out to be a tiny tench, all 2oz of it. I was to catch another one later and this one was the big one.
I hope King Binka's quaking, tiny tench wise there's a new kiddie in the nursery. The two smallest tench I have ever caught in my life but you know what? I had the biggest smile on my face.
By now, I had Lennon and McCartney on the ipod, the sun was out and I was genuinely enjoying today. I decided to come close in just to see if there was anything to be had and, whilst slurping Pepsi, had a beautiful roach-bream hybrid of around 12oz amongst more roach and F1s and the second tench, a leviathan of an ounce and a half on an 8mm cube.
It was definitely slower close in so I went back out to the far bank and just as "Penny Lane" became "All You Need is Love" the float dropped and the lake parted like the Red Sea. Oh Lordee, the big boys had moved in and were making themselves known. The first carp went about 8lbs and fought like the proverbial tiger.
A pleasant succession of carp with another around 7lbs and one around 3lbs 8oz, a load more between 8 - 12oz and more roach, again all mint, and I was really enjoying my day.
I decided on a 6pm finish and around an hour before, the rain returned with a major vengeance. I broke down to my top three and all hell let loose. Pepsi everywhere and a colossal battle culminating in another 8lb common, this one was a real old stager with a mouth like Bill Beaumont's ear.
And that was that. I was getting wetter ever second and after, I reckon, about 40lbs of pure enjoyment today, I packed up toute suite and beat a hasty retreat.
I'd really enjoyed today, I'm still smiling now but with another fortnight of holiday ahead, I have to get on the river soonest.
More on Monday, Muchacchos
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B
binka
Guest
Those pesky barbel sent me home with a right royal rodgering yesterday, I wasn’t happy about it for opening day and looking back I don’t think I boxed that clever but three fish for nigh on 36lb this afternoon has addressed the balance
I hadn’t even planned on a session but after pacing up and down the garage this morning, trying to decide what to go for tomorrow, I came to the conclusion that these decisions were best made bankside and by three o’clock this afternoon I was doing just that.
The river had dropped a couple of inches overnight which meant absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things with several feet of floodwater still racing through and I decided to do the opposite of yesterday and head for fast water where it wasn’t collecting the amount of colour that the dirty brown slacks were holding.
A swim I’d never fished before and a quick dink around with the lead directly under the rod tip revealed a good nine feet of water of which at least four feet was extra and with a sliver of slack, around two feet wide by fifteen feet long and running beside the submerged reeds which occasionally popped their heads up during periods of slacker flow, I thought it was worth a try.
A 2.5oz lead just about held under the tip with the occasional bounce along the bed to give me a few palpitations and within the hour I had my first wrap over and it was a classic, the fish steamed off downriver and under an overhanging tree and out the other side and I thought that was it but some dogged pumping eventually brought the fish back upriver and into the net.
12lb 2ozs, cracking!
I was a happy chappy but better was still to come after another good wrap over but this time the fish never budged, it just stayed put hugging the bottom and I even questioned if it was a fish until it really started to show off and moved a few feet upriver of me so that it was fighting a strong flood flow and full pressure from me!
Inevitably, the fish had to turn and when I got her on the surface for the first time my knees knocked together, it looked huge and in one of those split second moments of instant guesstimate I reckoned on 16lb but the weigh in read 14lb 5ozs for the post spawned fish.
Into early evening and the drizzle had started, I was just setting a pack up time in my head when the tip walloped over again and this time, after a frantic fight which told me it was a smaller fish, I slipped the net under a fish of around 9lb.
Job done.
With heavy rain looming there was no need to sit it out until dusk and I cut and ran around 9pm, a good job really as yet another torrential downpour taunted me all the way home.
She’s not the biggest of the afternoon but she is the prettiest and the first of the season at 12lb 2ozs…
And the wonder bait of the day?
A good old fashioned lump of smelly, hair rigged cheddar.
I can now finally go on a prolonged toast to the new season and I don’t mean the buttered variety either :w:w:w
I hadn’t even planned on a session but after pacing up and down the garage this morning, trying to decide what to go for tomorrow, I came to the conclusion that these decisions were best made bankside and by three o’clock this afternoon I was doing just that.
The river had dropped a couple of inches overnight which meant absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things with several feet of floodwater still racing through and I decided to do the opposite of yesterday and head for fast water where it wasn’t collecting the amount of colour that the dirty brown slacks were holding.
A swim I’d never fished before and a quick dink around with the lead directly under the rod tip revealed a good nine feet of water of which at least four feet was extra and with a sliver of slack, around two feet wide by fifteen feet long and running beside the submerged reeds which occasionally popped their heads up during periods of slacker flow, I thought it was worth a try.
A 2.5oz lead just about held under the tip with the occasional bounce along the bed to give me a few palpitations and within the hour I had my first wrap over and it was a classic, the fish steamed off downriver and under an overhanging tree and out the other side and I thought that was it but some dogged pumping eventually brought the fish back upriver and into the net.
12lb 2ozs, cracking!
I was a happy chappy but better was still to come after another good wrap over but this time the fish never budged, it just stayed put hugging the bottom and I even questioned if it was a fish until it really started to show off and moved a few feet upriver of me so that it was fighting a strong flood flow and full pressure from me!
Inevitably, the fish had to turn and when I got her on the surface for the first time my knees knocked together, it looked huge and in one of those split second moments of instant guesstimate I reckoned on 16lb but the weigh in read 14lb 5ozs for the post spawned fish.
Into early evening and the drizzle had started, I was just setting a pack up time in my head when the tip walloped over again and this time, after a frantic fight which told me it was a smaller fish, I slipped the net under a fish of around 9lb.
Job done.
With heavy rain looming there was no need to sit it out until dusk and I cut and ran around 9pm, a good job really as yet another torrential downpour taunted me all the way home.
She’s not the biggest of the afternoon but she is the prettiest and the first of the season at 12lb 2ozs…
And the wonder bait of the day?
A good old fashioned lump of smelly, hair rigged cheddar.
I can now finally go on a prolonged toast to the new season and I don’t mean the buttered variety either :w:w:w
thecrow
Well-known member
Super session Steve, made up for yesterday.
Graham Elliott 1
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What a day Binka.
Top fishing. Amazing. Well Done.
Top fishing. Amazing. Well Done.
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
Yes, a red letter day Steve and great fishing..........
I notice you were on the 'pin so it must've been a bit hairy at times .
Are you able to say what rod / line you were using to fish a 2,5oz lead and still control huge fish in weed, and fast flowing water ?
Whatever, a fantastic day for you - just hope you haven't done the whole season in one day !!.................................Nah............
I notice you were on the 'pin so it must've been a bit hairy at times .
Are you able to say what rod / line you were using to fish a 2,5oz lead and still control huge fish in weed, and fast flowing water ?
Whatever, a fantastic day for you - just hope you haven't done the whole season in one day !!.................................Nah............
B
binka
Guest
Thanks Tony.
The rod is the Hardy Marksman Specimen Avon and I had re-spooled the mainline to the rod's maximum rating with 15lb (Pro Gold) and a 12lb Ultima bottom, usually I go 12lb/10lb but it would have been asking a lot from it in such conditions.
It was that horrible feeling when pumping the first fish back upriver as I could clearly feel the submerged vegetation all the way back up which made for stop-start progress and it was really a case of trying to keep the fish moving but everything did its job and held out well.
I managed to snatch a handful of good fish towards the back end of last season with the 'pin and I really am enjoying it, In fairly open water i'm already preferring it over the fixed spool for lead fishing
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dorsetandchub
Well-known member
A Hardy? Really? Are you sure??
Graham Elliott 1
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Forget about the rod reel line etc.
What swim was it?
Smiley.
What swim was it?
Smiley.
flightliner
Well-known member
I know it, dont let Steve know I told you but its here------ google post code DN 36 5 BW
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I had a couple of hours legering after tea last night, caught one chub about 4lb and lost two barbel. First one must have taken my line under an obsticle so it was see saw for a spell until the line broke, second one had grazed my line on something close to the hook and it cut through it....how wierd loosing two like that in one session. It p!$$ed me off enought for me to call it a day and sulk off home lol.
I had a nice little trotting session on a small river today, some nice dace, chubletts and a few decent chub up to 4lb'ish. I think I would have done better but the river was still running down from recent heavy rain and carrying a lot of colour/sediment making my bait difficult for the fish to see.
I had a nice little trotting session on a small river today, some nice dace, chubletts and a few decent chub up to 4lb'ish. I think I would have done better but the river was still running down from recent heavy rain and carrying a lot of colour/sediment making my bait difficult for the fish to see.
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
Now tigger, Was this afternoon ' tea ' with cucumber sarnies ( without crusts ) followed by scones, jam and oodles of fresh cream, OR was it what I knew as ' tea ' to mean (what the well-to-do call ' dinner ' ) which began at around 6.30 / 7pm, or when my farther arrived home from work ??
I can only see ' tea ' as spoken of by Sheringham at the beginning of the 20th century when he enjoyed afternoon tea prepared by the river keeper prior to going out for the evening rise.
Anyway, gutted about the barbel.....losing one is bad enough, but two might've meant a return journey for the ' tea ' regardless of time, had it been me !!
Still, thankfully only the beginning of the season.........................
I can only see ' tea ' as spoken of by Sheringham at the beginning of the 20th century when he enjoyed afternoon tea prepared by the river keeper prior to going out for the evening rise.
Anyway, gutted about the barbel.....losing one is bad enough, but two might've meant a return journey for the ' tea ' regardless of time, had it been me !!
Still, thankfully only the beginning of the season.........................
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It was what you knew as tea, the time when your dad got home and your mum made your tea..."tea time"
.Funny how people have different terms for eating times, to me lunch time would be called dinner time at around midday to one'ish.
The problem I had Tee Cee was all the decent spots were taken and I had to fish a stretch of the river where you loose a lead or have hasstle getting it back on virtually every cast. I purposly tied a short length of six pound line to connect leads so they would snap off easy if they did get caught up between the boulders and rocks. Those rocks are very rough and can easily cut any kind of line but usually 10lb mainline and upward is pretty safe. It was unusual to loose the only two barbel I had in a session like that though, quite sickening at the beginning of the season n'all.
Funny enough in years past I have had twenty or more baebel in that swim without a hitch!
I'll most likely go back and