How did you get on?

[Neil Maidment]

Ever since the trip to the Wye in July barbel in my local rivers have been avoiding me! But last evening/night I travelled to the Loddon and found them in ravenous mood!

Here are the best two up to 11lbs 10oz from a hectic session wandering up and down a couple of very large fields!

View image in gallery

View image in gallery​

 

[devon stalker]

cracking fish well done :thumbs:

 

[rubio]

Evening all. I've been without a useful computer, and incompetent at using my mobile so no posts for some time. I have been able to keep abreast of some fine catches by all you skilled people out there. Along with a few disappointments and disasters.
I have no intention of doing a review of all i've caught since my last post. Nothing of exceptional note anyway but some fine days amongst a few frustrating ones as always.
i will just briefly appraise anyone interested of last nights short 90 min session on the local river. It has begun to flow again a little. Not to the extent that any of you beleaguered by biblical storms recently whilst we suffered endless days of 30 degree heat.
Anyway a small maggot feeder flicked upstream to settle below a fallen willow. It's a deep spot in the stretch in any case and home to some very visible and uncatchable roach of a decent size. Armed with a new set of Drennan super specialist isotopes I chose to take them on after dark. Any earlier and I would be more likely to catch too many small perch that are always at home here.
Half a dozen casts without bait, and 20 mins rest and I thought it time to see if my thinking was right. 20 mins more and there was no sign I had a clue what to do. Eventually a couple of maggots came back ragged but not a twitch on the tip. Progress of sorts kept up with a short pluck and no bait on the hook when I reel in 2 mins later. Same happens again twice more. Summat had to change so I opted for a bigger hook and smaller bait. Not always a good plan but helped me out this time. I threaded just 1 maggot up the shank of a size 14 whisker barb, and then put a bit of extra bend in the tip. Shorter hooklength too and a lovely looking roach of a pound surfaced in the moonlight. Very chuffed with myself I returned it downstream. Quickly in again, an even better example of rutilic beauty. Bigger too. Weighed it at 1lbs 8oz. Even took a (low quality) photograph I was so impressed. Only 2 more followed but each a pounder before I really did have to go.
BTW what is general consensus about returning fish to avoid spooking? Up or downstream for starters?

 

[binka]

Had a nice day out yesterday on a local lake, wag & mag under a 2BB waggler to a size 20 and 1.12 bottom.

Everything was very pleasant and I had the ripple for most of the day which helped bag a non-stop procession of silvers which consisted of roach, rudd, perch and skimmers…





Within the first hour I hit a carp which was easily 20lb+ and which proceeded to clear the water and re-enter it with a the grace of a family sized hatchback, much to the consternation of three drop jawed carp anglers who were all bivvied up nearby

I managed to stay with it to well after re-entry but there was only ever going to be one outcome and I eventually whipped on a new hook.

The fish were generally of a decent stamp size…





All in all a very pleasant day getting back to basics and I’m tempted to do a bit of over wintering on here…

:w

 

[mikench]

Some beautiful looking fish there; I am envious!

 

[barbelboi]

I decided to have a few hours trotting for roach on the local embankment yesterday and arrived just before 10am. A mixture of cloud and brighter intervals, couldn’t buy a bite until 10.50 (must stop arriving so early) and then had a steady couple of hours with mostly ‘nettable’ fish but nothing of any real size. Packed up at 1pm for the short drive home for lunch.

 

[flightliner]

Nice looking bit of water there Jerry, Looks good for a bit of stret pegging for winter roach.

 

[S-Kippy]

Unlike Brother Neil the barbel in the rivers I fish have successfully avoided me all year....and continue to do so.

Another self inflicted punishment session on the Wey yesterday...with the usual results. Firstly the M25 was reasonably well behaved but I must have missed the flyers for "National Drive like an Utter Nob Day" which resulted in one or two interesting moments around Chertsey. Arriving at the river [not blessed for parking] I found a bloody great skip in the only parking space so it was dump the car in the estate and a fair old schlep back to the water.

6 hours later I packed having had no interest whatsoever bar one massive bat bite and also having watched my PVA roll sedately into the water and vanish before me eyes. The clue would be the fact that this swim is known as "The Slope" so probably not a good idea to put a cylinder on the ground. When I hooked and nearly lost me landing net I knew it was time to go home.

Back to the car only to find my dear friends at the DoT had shut the A3/M25 junction overnight as soon as they heard I was out and about. Apart from the fact that this bit of water involves too long a drive,has too few fish of no great size, not enough swims, rubbish parking and gets hammered to death I love the place !

Fantastic ! Who writes my scripts ?

 

[barbelboi]

Nice looking bit of water there Jerry, Looks good for a bit of stret pegging for winter roach.

I'm hoping it produces a big 'un later in the year Mick, the best I've had out of the clear water this season is 1.12 but I'm still getting to know these new waters. It's still gin clear now and you can see them nip out of the weeds at 6' deep and nab the flake. I've got the topography memorised for a couple of miles, plus about the same on a backwater, so I'm looking forward to some colour and flow.........

 

[neil1970]

I was lucky to be taken out on the Thames by some experienced kayak fishermen yesterday.
A really enjoyable adventure and would love to do it again, but it was really hard work trying to lure fish and remain in the hotspots with the kayak twisting around all the time.

I managed two small perch in about 5 hours paddling.
The rest did a touch better:wh

Really good fun & I was surprised how stable and safe you feel in them.

 

[Pete Shears]

Five white egrets,four herons,kingfishers,the last of the swallows over the reservoir this morning - beautiful sunrise, the fishing was slow but pleasant sitting in the sunshine without cooking,just a few skimmers.As it warmed up a red admiral and a comma were sunning themselves on the rocks at the base of the dam and a group of around six hornets were sipping sap ? from a damaged branch on an ash tree.Nearly time to get the pike gear ready for a week tomorrow when the pike season starts . . . anyone else noticed that the robins have started singing again.

 

[devon stalker]

WELL had my first day on a commercial today! got to say it was way more enjoyable than i expected it to be " funny how you get pre conceived ideas ",its a complex of about 9 pools all pretty much of a muchness stock wise ,though some are more picturesque than others , some are just match pools, snake pools i think there called and to me pretty featureless ? , due to the strong wind i stayed on the method feeder all day ,no huge bags but i had 3 carp up to about 4lb ,3 bream up to about 1.5lb and an roach about 8oz mostly before lunch time when things generally quietened down a bit ! i seemed to be doing at least as good if not better than the others on the pool so no embarrassment ,ALL IN ALL a very enjoyable day and definitely going back soon as its close and something different to the carping on a big local water im fishing that just has a few large fish in ! few more weeks and ill have a do at the pike , baits sorted in the freezer for that ! its feeling great coarse fishing again just seem right some how !

 

[steve2]

Strange thing happened yesterday, I hooked a small pike 12” long and on the way in it stopped fighting and became a dead weight. The reason was it was dead for some reason it died on the way to the bank. Not deep hooked or anything just lip hooked on a small lure.
Nothing wasted it is now in the freezer with the rest of my pike dead baits.

 

[rubio]

A couple more short evening sessions this week. First on the float, and last night on the tip. Happy to locate a few roach but they seem widely distributed. If it ever does get cold again I hope to have some idea of where they might settle. I've been struggling to find bigger shoals over past couple of winters so I'm getting out now looking for the gravelly glides and deeper holes while the river is low and clear. I may just feel the urge to try for a net of crucians this weekend. Haven't visited club lakes in a while but they should be loving this weather.

 

[peter crabtree]

Fished the GUC today near Hemel. Nice warm day with a light breeze.
Fed a couple of lines with hemp and caster, one at the bottom of the far shelf and another shallow line up the shelf.



Really fancied it for a big perch but it was mainly dace and perch. A few big gudgeon, roach and ruff ....

 

[Chefster]

Hello there,I guested with a mates club today,at TBF,we were on Canal pool,i drew peg 23,not fished that area before,couldnt find any shallow water across,or down my edges to fish to,so i opted to fish up and down at 5m,couldnt really fish shallow any further as wind was horrendous..
Fish turned up late,but i kept the faith,finishing with 45 F1,s ,2 mirrors and a barbel,for 91-8-0,and the win,most fish coming in the last 2 hours ,fishing a 3x8 TBF cult ,12 inches deep,with a banded maggot,slapping and tapping,only 1 fish on the Jigga....80lb was 2nd from peg 9,and 68lb was 3rd from peg 18...16 fished...,im back there monday and tuesday this week for opens on Bottom pool(mon),and High and Top(tues),Tight lines,Gazza

 

[thecrow]

Hello there,I guested with a mates club today,at TBF,we were on Canal pool,i drew peg 23,not fished that area before,couldnt find any shallow water across,or down my edges to fish to,so i opted to fish up and down at 5m,couldnt really fish shallow any further as wind was horrendous..
Fish turned up late,but i kept the faith,finishing with 45 F1,s ,2 mirrors and a barbel,for 91-8-0,and the win,most fish coming in the last 2 hours ,fishing a 3x8 TBF cult ,12 inches deep,with a banded maggot,slapping and tapping,only 1 fish on the Jigga....80lb was 2nd from peg 9,and 68lb was 3rd from peg 18...16 fished...,im back there monday and tuesday this week for opens on Bottom pool(mon),and High and Top(tues),Tight lines,Gazza

Gaz I have fished for more years than I can remember and although I enjoy reading your posts half of the time I have absolutely no idea what you are on about well done on another win and keep on slapping your jigga

 

[Chefster]

Gaz I have fished for more years than I can remember and although I enjoy reading your posts half of the time I have absolutely no idea what you are on about well done on another win and keep on slapping your jigga

Ha,sorry about that mate,what dont you understand ,and i,ll explain mate

 

[edsurf]

View image in gallery​

Had a morning Session wading on the Hants Avon, severals , nice Chub, trotted red maggot, pity the wind got up and made it difficult as they were feeding. was nice to be in the river on such a beautiful morning.

 

[S-Kippy]

Back to me roots today. Trotting a stick float on the Thames below Windsor.

I desperately needed a break from the torture of trying to catch a Wey barbel so a few hours running a stick through for silvers was just the ticket. Plan was to feed hemp and fish elderberry but with that hot spell they've all dried out and the tinned hemp I had was overcooked and a buqqer to find any suitable for the hook. So it was maggot over hemp with the occasional run through with Shrivelberry.

I had at least 11ft right under me rod and the bottom foot must have been solid perch. I keep altering depth to avoid them...not always successfully ....but there were plenty of kipper dace and roach to keep me interested. Bite a chuck basically, bumped a few fish and the reflexes just aren't good enough for dace fishing any more. But I thoroughly enjoyed the session.

About half 3 the perch seemed to disappear and from then until 5 when I packed it was pretty well all roach. Nothing big...best about 10oz but all absolutely mint. I reckon I must have had close to 15lb of roach,dace and perch in total....and one solitary blik !

Loved it. Proper fishing for a change.