How did you get on?

[dorsetandchub]

Well done, Lamb - smashing stuff. Took me a while to get to grips with barbel too so I know exactly where you're coming from but well pleased for you.


I had a great session last night, a session with a real and major difference. I never wet a line. After a bit of organising, I managed to catch up with Mark Wintle whose works on roach line my bookshelves and whom I respect massively.

Although I took a float rod and a box of stick and other river floats, Mark opted to fish the waggler and I knew I was going to learn something so sat back, watched and asked a million questions.

Whereas I grew up fishing canals and stillwaters, Mark, being local, worked his apprenticeship on Dorset's rivers and very kindly offered to show me some tips and tricks.

The fault was all mine as I'd opted for the Frome at Wareham, a triumph of hope over experience. Arriving at 6pm, there were kids jumping off the town bridge, boats the size of Rhine barges and the 4 knot speed limit? Forget that.

We crossed to the towpath side, further down and Mark set up a whippy Normark float rod with a Mitchell Match, an insert waggler and two maggots.

A previous angler had dumped some maggots on the inside line and we watched a small trout return countless times in its quest to get bigger. That was after watching a big shoal of sizeable mullet make their way upriver - a regular feature in this tidal stretch.

Pretty soon, he was into the first of a modest catch of dace. The fish ranged from a quarter of an ounce to one or two around the quarter pound. Nothing huge but he was, at least, catching and I was also learning a lot as the conversation ranged to bread fishing (another weakness of mine) to fishing tares (never even tried). Mark was kind enough to suggest catching up on the Stour at Sturminster to fish bread later in the year and possibly tares too if his diary will allow.

The session had to be short and three hours just flew. The catch was all dace, not spectacular but just sitting, watching and learning from an experienced river hand was wonderful. I got home itching to try the waggler and with a better understanding of when it should be used, rather than just blindly reaching for a stick float as I would have before.

I really feel I learned something last night and it felt and feels great. Take care, all.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

I didn't' fancy barbel given the high temps and low river although a few are coming out in the evening.

And a close ear to a conversation in a tackle shp ( you've all done it!) Told me some decent perch are coming out locally.

So I went to the rockiest bit I could find and took the trotting rod and the Avon Quiver rod to do a bit of perching.

The river was desperately low and I could only find about 3 ft max within casting range.
A few bleak snaffled, and the mini chub and dace returned, I set up the avon with a chubber float a couple of swan and a size 8 hook.

First cast a nice perch around 1lb and one slightly larger the next cast. Difficult fishing with the wind in my face and I managed a few tangles on the reel during the next few hours.

Dusk ambled forward and so did the fish with a couple more over the pound topped with an estimated 2 1/2.

Good sport and a swim for later in the year

---------- Post added at 07:49 ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 ----------

 

[barbelboi]

After fishing one of the local farm ponds a couple of weeks ago I decided to fish the other a couple of hundred yards away across the fields last Wednesday. This one is a totally different water to the first with probably only a couple of accessible swims ‘crafted’ where the sheep come down to quench their thirst.

Once again I was after crucians and set up a 14’er tight along the marginal reeds with 2lb line to an ‘18’. This time I struggled for just 6 small crues and was plagued by around 20 of these ‘big mouthed’ little fffffffffffffffffferals – the bu99ers went like a rocket on the light gear but only lost one in the reeds. One of those days, fished from 10am-2.30pm and looking forward to being back on running water on Monday..............

 

[dorsetandchub]

Nice day on the Colne locally today. A nice shady swim with a slow flow down the middle.

The real Swim Shady.....mg:

---------- Post added at 13:30 ---------- Previous post was at 13:28 ----------

Feeling a Crabtree Bad Angling-Writing Award coming on......


I'll get me coat.....

 

[barbelboi]

Great hooks to nylon from when Drennan made hooks on realistic size line instead of everything to 2lb or 3lb line nowadays
Found them in my garage...
Nice roach first chuck....

I've still got a few Simon.............

 

[dorsetandchub]

He bought them the year Arsenal finished other than fourth........:whmg:

Bragging rights tomorrow Jerry, Peter, you ready??

 

[barbelboi]

He bought them the year Arsenal finished other than fourth........:whmg:

Bragging rights tomorrow Jerry, Peter, you ready??

That's a thought Phil, I'll start up a dedicated pi$$ taking football thread............

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

That's a thought Phil, I'll start up a dedicated pi$$ taking football thread............

Careful what you wish for Jerry

 

[binka]

A bit of a scrappy one for me today, no less enjoyable for it though.

I had a split day, 4.50am – 11am on one stretch and the remainder of the day until 7pm on another and a lot was covered really from grabbing bits under the rod tip in three feet of water to picking up small roach by running it through in twelve feet.

The morning was quite frustrating for various reasons (not least because I kicked my bucket of reds over) but I settled down in the afternoon and enjoyed some great sport with endless perch in the 4 – 6oz range and probably had well over thirty five pounds of ‘em along with a good smattering of roach and skimmers.

No big perch today, the best pushing a pound tops.

There was no point in persisting with the perch paternoster rig either, the pike were going crazy and I abandoned that after three jacks in three put ins and concentrated on the maggot instead.

I had company for most of the afternoon in the form of a mid-double pike which kept sidling up to the nearside rocks right below me and three times I gently poked her away with the landing net handle before the realisation crept in that I was gonna tire of that game well before she did as she just melted back into view each time.

A certain feeling of déjà vu following last Saturdays surprise catch…



Reminds me of the ex-missus, especially the cataract…



Gardening tomorrow but if I get done early enough I might go and watch a bit of meat go pale in the river.

:w

 

[S-Kippy]

Another go at the Wey barbel for me yesterday evening......out of sheer defiance more than anything.

Met Big Dave on the water after an easy run round the 25 though I noticed ( typically) that there was an overnight closure of my joining junction planned meaning I could look forward to the cross country route going home. Also as usual nowhere to park so we barrelled off to have a look at another stretch which appeared very promising but with time getting on one for another day. Back to the usual beat and BD's " secret" overflow parking spot which if he'd told me about originally could have saved me a lot of grief. Words were exchanged but he is bigger than me and impervious to abuse !

Back on the water I christened my new Torrix with a Chub a little over 4 lb but things were generally quiet all along the stretch. With dusk approaching I lobbed my bait upstream into a far bank undercut and was utterly amazed when about 5 mins later the tip jagged over before the line went slack and I found myself attached to a very angry Wey barbel. I've never caught one of the famed " Teme Tigers" but I cannot believe they fight any harder than these elusive Wey fish who seem positively outraged that anybody has had the sheer audacity to actually hook them. Incredible fish.

Big D on net duties and after one helluva scrap I popped this season's Wey cherry with a very handsome fish of 7lb 2 oz. Not a big barbel.....probably only what constitutes an " also ran" elsewhere but any Wey fish is a prize and I was very happy to finally put one on the bank after a couple of unexplained hook pulls. Whether the new rod has anything to do with that I don't know but it was nice to get a fish on it first outing. I think we are going to get on just fine !

Another fish would have been to much to ask and so it proved though I had a tremendous " bat bite" after dark which had me going for a moment. Nothing for the Big Feller bar a blank saving Chub at last knockings.

Home via the pretty route and a huge raspberry to the DOT cos the clockwise junction at Chertsey still had one lane open so I was off up there quicker than a Bury Hill tench up a bankside rat hole.

I'm up early because my ar$ehole neighbours think it's OK to sit under my bedroom window laughing and talking at 4 am. I've explained why i think it isn't but im now too angry to go back to bed !

 

[Tee-Cee]

..........and I thought I was the only one with an inconsiderate ' neighbour '....

Mine works from home and ' work ' continues well past 7pm when he still insists in sharing his daily grind by carrying out telephone conversations in the middle of his garden, and this at a level that we can hear every word. Most conversations begin with " As I was saying to ----- the other day........ "

At this time we like to sit outside and enjoy the last of the day, but this verbal intrusion means we have to come inside and close the door.....No point in raising the issue as he is just not the type to have a reasonable discussion....

Thought for others around you is all it takes.....................Thanks God he's not a fisherman !!

Rant over !

Nice barbel, by the way.....................

 

[barbelboi]

It's this noisy family of Jays that tend to wake me up first thing in the morning, about 8 o'clock.....................

 

[mikench]

What were the ferals Barbelboi? It looked like a small mirror!

 

[barbelboi]

What were the ferals Barbelboi? It looked like a small mirror!

Mike, apologies for any confusion but a feral carp is generally what many people mistake for a true wild carp. In my post I was just, light-heartedly, playing around the ‘F’ word............

 

[flightliner]

Jerry, it looked like your rod had snapped off at the but on one of your piks-- hope it wasnt a Hardys.

 

[barbelboi]

Jerry, it looked like your rod had snapped off at the but on one of your piks-- hope it wasnt a Hardys.

No Mick, just an Acolyte Ultra - couldn't get the full 14' in the pic..................

 

[mikench]

No problem Barbelboi; I was just curious

 

[skov]

I got up nice and early today and cycled down to the Great Ouse for a few hours of peace and quiet.

Since I started angling again I've almost entirely used a roving approach, typically either stalking chub or flinging lures about.
I fancied a change today and decided to leave the lures and cheese paste at home and try what I think of as the more traditional approach to fishing, i.e. stay in one spot, trot a float down the river, and see what comes along.

It started off well with a nice roach on my first cast.

After that it was a little hit and miss... well mostly miss to be honest
I seemed to be getting lots of bites, but they were lightning fast and I was really struggling to react quick enough to most of them.
I did manage to land a few though, all of which were very satisfying, even if they were on the small side!
Here's a few (not entirely sure what all of them are...?)

Overall it was a really enjoyable morning, and I was amazed how fast the time seemed to fly by (was a little worried I might get bored staying in one swim).
Really looking forward to my next stick float session!

 

[The Runner]

Fished club match on the match lake at New Farm near Maidenhead. First visit for me, a few enquiries suggested it was mostly small fish work so went armed with maggot, 4 mil feed pellets and expanders and a few left over worms.
Drew peg 10, looked nice with small bushes across right and left (at 15 and 14.5m respectively to get to the back of them so glad I was probably going to be concentrating on a closer line . Plumbed up, very shallow in edge in front and a steady 3'6 or so elsewhere, a bit less tight over and about 2ft on the inside just to my left next to some reeds which looked promising.
Started by flicking 4 mils and maggot on 6m line in front and also to left, with a decent sized pot at 10m and a few tight over if needed later. First 20 minutes was the expected tiny rudd plague, cut out the maggot feed, 4ml expander on hook and after half an hour had a baby tench and a 2 oz carp. Switched to left hand line which was an immediate improvement with various small carp/ crucians/F1s/Brown Goldfish and all points in between, with the odd skimmer and little tench. Mostly only 8-12oz fish but catching steadily. Gave it a rest every now and again when it looked like slowing but could barely get a bite on the other 6m line and only odd fish further over. A quick look down the edge found a skimmer and a lovely little barbel but then nothing.
Half time and it was apparently between myself and Ian on peg 2 with one or two struggling a bit. Kept plugging away largely on the 6m line, had a little run of 4 barbel which seemed to push everything else out for a while, adding an ide and a few perch to my species collection. Second last hour and the 6m line was beginning to get very sketchy with only the odd carpette. Still only the occasional fish further over so stepped up the feed in the edge and after a few minutes started picking up skimmers around the half pound mark (including several of the obligatory triple-jump ones) as well as a couple of slightly better tench and increasing the proportion of maggots in the feed brought a few more little carp in. Had a good run of fish in the last fifteen minutes but when whistle went didn't think I had enough as Ian was reckoned to have about 50lb and though I might have just over 40. Thought Richard who I could see on peg 6 had beaten me as well as he had a few bigger fish.
Scales got to me with only two more to weigh, Ian 52-0, Richard 40-14 and then a string of weights from 30 to 34 with only two under 20.
Given the size of the fish it seemed a bit random what had gone into each net ; silvers net (skimmers, rudd , odd roach and perch, ide and a stray chublet) went 14-2, carp tench and barbel net 37-14, so 52-0 and tied for first.

Nice day out. Lovely bacon sandwich delivered to peg at half time as well.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Thoroughly enjoyable session on the Salwarpe today, started on the pin and after three small Chublets, had a three pounder, not big but as good as any I've had out of here. Had plenty more small ones and a few Dace, about fifteen Perch to half a pound, five Roach including a netter close to three quarters (far and away my best on here). Even caught a Rudd which was another first. Finished with a Chub that was pushing a pound, all caught on maggot or worm, around forty fish in total.

Another first was watching a squirrel swim across the river, seen snakes, an otter and mink but never seen a swimming squirrel before