How did you get on?

[Graham Elliott 1]

If I had realised it would have been 3.2. (Smiley )

Funny thing was I weighed it in the net head at 3.10.

The net weighed 8 oz...but I took an ounce off for net water loss....
..

 

[binka]

As mentioned elsewhere I had a pet bereavement yesterday and whilst I seem to be fine with humans I am softer than an overripe plum when it comes to animals, especially pets and eighteen years is a strong bond.

Anyway, the last thing on my mind was fishing but after, a quite literally sleepless night, I needed the distraction and so I was picking up three pints of reds before eight o’clock this morning but after reaching the river and setting up I can honestly say that my heart just wasn’t in it.

A tiny 2 x no.4 stick shotted with no. 8’s accounted for a string of small perch down the inside edge and then I laid the rod on the rest to pour a cuppa and within seconds the tip was arching over and the ‘pin was spinning!

I picked up (after spilling tea in my float box) and played a rather surprised barbel of around 9lb to the net on that rubbish () 3.3lb Drennan Supplex bottom and size eighteen hook.

Having had such a result I then continued with my accidentally found tactic to bank three in total and all on that same 3.3lb hooklink, the best nudging double figures…



Unusually for me I called it a day early afternoon and a quick call back to Flightliner on the way home caught him right in the act of cradling a twelve pound plus fish in his landing net a few miles away on the tidal.

Gonna have a few drinks now so that’s about it from me today as I need an early night, grateful in the knowledge that whoever was looking down on this soppy git gifted him a worthy distraction after all…

:w:w:w

 

[dorsetandchub]

Steve,

I doubt very much I can say a great deal to help at the minute but just to add that I know exactly how you feel. I've owned some wonderful dogs and I miss them so much.

My guess would be that they wouldn't want you to mope. Chin up, old boy.

Take care and think about the good times.

---------- Post added at 16:35 ---------- Previous post was at 16:28 ----------

Is that now the maximum weight for perch in the country could it have been the same fish being moved about by perch fanciers tune in next week to see if it gets caught somewhere else

Sop Press: It does, at 7lbs - by Spiders.......

 

[binka]

Thanks Phil, both wise and kind words indeed

Rest assured I will be back and breaking things before you know it

 

[dorsetandchub]

As the weather here was grey but not wet and not outlandishly cold, I opted for a prawn based attack at the local commercial. I popped into the tackle shop for a can of corn - and came away with a Maver trolley for the seatbox, a huge self service helping of Skretting pellets and, of all things, a Korum Method Feeder reel. God knows why, I didn't need said reel but it seemed quality at a bargain price....

I opted to fish with a Grays 1lb Specimen rod, Preston PXR 4000 with 8lb Maxima to a Drennan Driftbeater carrying 2.5AAA and a 14 to 6.6lb trace.

I also had a pole but just felt like using the rod as it seems, unless I'm on a river, it's all pole nowadays.

It's definitely slowed up into Autumn as it took 45 minutes for the first knock, which may have been a liner, but brought nothing.

I finished the day with a bag of ten carp, nothing startling, from one and a half to about eight pounds, a roach around 9oz, a skimmer around 12oz and, a little surprisingly for me at least, a tench around the pound mark.

On arriving home and wiping down the rod and reel, after a discussion with er indoors, I sourced Christmas Day dinner locally at a local hostelry that has a beer guest list that resembles the acting credits on The Longest Day and booked a table. The plan is that a grief ridden shopping trip for the various dinner ingredients can be avoided and Christmas Eve can be spent rod in hand somewhere, conditions allowing.

Anyway, until the next time, adieu. As I say, I hope the conditions hold as I'm gagging to get on the river. Take care, all.

---------- Post added at 17:49 ---------- Previous post was at 16:56 ----------

Thanks Phil, both wise and kind words indeed

Rest assured I will be back and breaking things before you know it

Of that, mon ami, I have no doubt

 

[john step]

My life at the moment seems to be driving up and down to London regarding ancient parents having strokes and falling down and being carted off to hospital and arranging care.

Between jaunts I did manage a trip to a small stillwater today for a perch or two.

Actually I managed 7, the biggest was probably getting near the three I have been after. Only thing, its s*ds law that the scales have packed up. I have always thought the Reuben Lightweights were ok but upon taking it apart today I found its a box of cheap flimsy bits and bobs.

Time to start looking for a new set.

Oh yes, plus 3 carp to about 8lb. on my roach deadbaits.

 

[stu_the_blank]

Just got back from three days on the Wye. One on Wyebank and two on Courtfield.
Low, clear water, clear, cold nights, a chilly east wind and largely bright conditions made meant that little happened until dusk.
Hooked two fish on each day, culminating in a beautiful fish a shade over 10lbs. My first double figure Barbel.
Great company of two old friends, tall stories and a few beers afterwards, all in all a great few days.

Stu

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Binka. After losing our two cats about two years ago, and realising they had been with us for 23 years, nearly as long as the kids, it was a sad time indeed.
Only warmed by the fact they had had a long and wonderful cared for life.

Now we sit, two half siamese moggies, one on my lap the other in toasting in front of the wood burner.

Remember the shared times.

Great fishing by the way.

 

[flightliner]

I needed focus, bitting and batting at anglings this n that was'nt doing it for me so yesterday I spent several hours in the garage tidying up all the mish mash of gear that was set up for some of my late summer and autumn outings and at the same time making up four rods , two for some steak n mince chubbing and two for a day or two barbelling--- today and next week when the tidal trent will be throwing up some big tides that should--- despite the recant drop in temperatures-- produce some big fish for the odd fortunate angler.
Off this morning just as rush hour is dying down to the lower tidal, not to fish initially but to make enquiries about a prime piece of river that I have been drooling over for years now thats become accessible.
Enquiries completed satisfactorily I made a short twenty minute trek to a bit of midtidal river that gives up a barbel or two and just after noon with both rods in place, a little carpet of mini meat and ten mill pellets some five metres out for one and a little more halfdistance I settled back with a drink.
It was an hour later when the nearside rod hooped over and the baitrunner started to give off line--- nice--- I was in.
It was obvious the fish was a big one, taking line, hugging bottom, taking more line and generally coming back upstream very grudgingly.
I rested it in the net for long enough then did the honours with the scales, 12-9--- a nice autumn barbel in the pink of condition.
I was happy for some ten minutes afterwards before realising I should have been at my local health centre having a flu jab--- oh calamity--- oh well, maybe next week.
I sat there for a further four hours without so much as a bite , sitting looking over towards Lincoln with an increasingly bitter wind in my face so, even tho my timing was pretty poor barbel wise I cleared away my kit and headed home.
It will be interesting with the big tides next week.

 

[binka]

I rested it in the net for long enough then did the honours with the scales, 12-9--- a nice autumn barbel in the pink of condition.

And here's flight's barbel...



Lovely fish Mick, weren't they hanging on well yesterday eh?

 

[flightliner]

They were Steve, so much so that I gave my fish extra resting time in the margins before release.
Funny thing was I had a group of swans milling around my swim close to the edge, one in front was just treading water as My fish sidled off into the deeps. For a split second the fishes back and the swans feet looked as one , ive never seen a swan lift off into the air before in one instance, ducks yes but never a swan -- a tv moment -- amazing.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

You need a bad day sometimes to appreciate the good ones. This morning was a bad day.

Perching on the Wye. The bleak bashing didn't happen for nearly an hour a dace chublets and 3 welcome roach came to the net. Nothing over 8oz but the roach were mint.

Then no1 came along. Local lad who had caught pike over 36 lb a perch last week nearly record size and humungous carp.
Then he said hello. 45 mins later he said Goodbye....and my fishing knowledge and how to fish had multiplied tremendously.
Thank you.

Yes No 2 came soon after, nice chap for the 2hrs he stayed and shared his life story.
Meanwhile the one bite of the day was missed. One of those where the bleak is on the surface and the perch , that looked a good one tried 3 times to suck it in....wallychops striking when it hadn't

I packed up and listened some more on the way back to the car.

 

[john step]

You need a bad day sometimes to appreciate the good ones. This morning was a bad day.

Perching on the Wye. The bleak bashing didn't happen for nearly an hour a dace chublets and 3 welcome roach came to the net. Nothing over 8oz but the roach were mint.

Then no1 came along. Local lad who had caught pike over 36 lb a perch last week nearly record size and humungous carp.
Then he said hello. 45 mins later he said Goodbye....and my fishing knowledge and how to fish had multiplied tremendously.
Thank you.

Yes No 2 came soon after, nice chap for the 2hrs he stayed and shared his life story.
Meanwhile the one bite of the day was missed. One of those where the bleak is on the surface and the perch , that looked a good one tried 3 times to suck it in....wallychops striking when it hadn't

I packed up and listened some more on the way back to the car.

Yes there are times when despite being the perfect gentleman you just want to say" p!ss off and leave me alone"


Also how is it they normally arrive when you want to sit back and enjoy your sandwiches with a cup of coffee?

 

[peter crabtree]

View image in gallery​

Fished a small Bedfordshire fishery today with another forum members.
Some top anglers there today and yes I got battered.


Caught some of these though......

View image in gallery​

 

[rubio]

Had a short session back thurs evening after roach. Still no flow on my intended spot so tried different river and headed for somewhere with depth in the hope of finding a few quickly. Tesco had supplied me with 3 loaves of going out of date bread for 60p which I liquidized roughly. A pint of flouro pinkies was added to the bag too and these proved to be the better hookbait.
I put in 2 balls of bread squeezed tightly to get below the gentle drift in the top 2 feet of water and flutter down the remaining 6 feet. I had added a smallish helping of dead pinkie in the bread but still started off on punch. 20 biteless mins and i switched to pinkie to get a small perch, then a brace of dace and a roach in successive casts then nowt again. Reluctant to put in too much feed for a short session I played around with depths and shotting and flicked out no more than half a dozen pinkies each cast. Eventually I got my hook lined up with the fishes noses and was back to bite a chuck. Much higher proportion of dace in with the roach which are always the mainstay here. Far fewer perch than usual. I was using a 6 m elasticated whip, take apart style adding the last 2 sections to run down to the bait on the bottom 3m downstream. 2 inches off the bottom it was a dace 2 inches over and it was a roach. Then suddenly a lot of my doubled no. 2 elastic was out and across to the far bank. A good looking small chub of a couple of pounds came back eventually, along with a a run of much smaller ones. Figuring these greedy buggers would clean up any loosefeed long before it got to where I wanted it I wetted down the bread a bit and moulded a handful around a stone. Took no more than 5 mins to resume where I was previously with a few slightly better roach showing up. Biggest was no more than 8ozs but I had a decent net(even tho I didn't have a net actually out) of easily double figures as the light went completely.
Returned yesterday also with decent sport but most on punch rather than pinkie this time. Opted for a proper whip style this time of 5m and a small waggler as the breeze was less helpful and slightly downstream. Weightwise I don't think I would have had as much yet caught more rapidly taking a lot of blade roach of an ounce or two. I had fed hemp a pinch at a time throughout, and although I didn't catch on this I believe it was responsible for bringing 4 better specimens. All these fish look in prime condition and wonderfully coloured. probably as a result of the long low dry spell leaving the water very clear for an extended period.
Great bit of fishing on a free spot that seems to be popular with no-one but me and a few dog walkers. Only ever seen one other fishing here 4 years. Long may it remain so.

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Woke up to torrential rain, packed the brolly and waterproofs then got stuck on the M5 following an accident, should I have stayed in bed? Absolutely not. Got on the Salwarpe about 9.15 with the sun breaking through and started on mag and wag, no flow and the rod was already set up from the pool last week. Third trot resulted in a Chub around a pound and a half, followed by a couple of perch and dace. The heavy rain had started to improve the flow so changed to a stick and swopped the maggot for worm (fast taking over as my "go to" bait). Ended up with ten Perch, two around the half pound mark, three Dace, a chublett and four Chub from 1.5 to a couple of ounces under three pounds, my best return on this stretch.

 

[neil1970]

A whole hour today on the GUC.
Very relaxed fishing, just sitting there casting weakly, and having chat.
"Can you get the net mate" made my friend stand up, as we both lazily watched the rod tip bouncing away under our feet. I didn't bother to stand up...nice to be relaxed for a change:roll eyes:

 

[Chefster]

Fished a small Bedfordshire fishery today with another forum members.
Some top anglers there today and yes I got battered.

photo uploading websites

Caught some of these though......

photo uploading websites

Shame on you for catching them in a stillwater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sam vimes]

Neil,
what do you make of the Spro Addiction Microcast? I've been wondering about using a 3000/4000 as a float reel.

 

[neil1970]

Hi Sam, very solid reel, nice and smooth and some nice details like a spring assisted metal line clip... something that is missing from the £150+ shimano offerings that I have, I'd like a 3000 on this rod, but won this one so it was free.