How did you get on?

[qtaran111]

Not much to report this weekend unfortunately. After my triumphant return to fishing a few weeks ago, I managed to put my back out mg: Must be getting old...

Had a session on the Wandle on Sunday. On arrival I knew it would be tough as the river was running very low and clear. Tried my usual super reliable spot for dace, but not a single dace in sight, only minnows. Tons of fat, little minnows.

I tried another deepder spot further downstream to see if any barbel or chub about, but not a sniff. Still, it was nice to take a break and have a gulp of soup.

On the way back I spotted the two ornamental carp that have made the Wandle their home (if you squint in the pic below you might be able to see them under the branch, one orange, one white). They are both big fish, probably about 5 - 7lb and always seem to be together. They definitely weren't in feeding mood though, just hanging around in the current, daring me to slide down the 45 degree bank...

 

[barbelboi]

Ps-- binka, fluffed my pik --- doh! --any chance you could put the one up I sent you today please!.

................

 

[binka]

................

Lol...

I should've added a b---m warning Jerry, I was just wondering how you submitted a post with so few characters and then highlighted your text and saw you changed the font colour to white you crafty tinker you!

 

[flightliner]

Not a morning for the feinthearted today but it was going to be sunny anyway so left home around nine thirty.
A white wonderworld on arrival and the car thermometer was reading one degree but getting my gear out it seemed warmer but cat ice in the margins suggested maybe not.
A quarter mile walk and I settled into a nice little reach where I could run my rig some fifty sixty yards under the brow of an increasingly high bank.
All to no avail sadly but I was comfy, not cold at al, a pleasure to be out 'cept mt mashed bread and flake just wasnt wanted---
free image host.
I decided on a change, downstream to find some cover as the sun was a downer casting my shadow across the swim , not good.
An hour later I was parked up beside a stretch thats overgrown with lots of shade, colder yes but no real bother.
I settled in to a swin some two fieet deep but maybe a few inches deeper just past midway.
I took off the stick float and went on the blob, much much better in such shallow water- less disturbance ans easy to manipulate.
First run down-- bingo-- a nice chunky roach -- I was in business!.
Sixteen fish before I moved, three chub and thirteen roach.
I left with half an hours light but almost at the car I couldnt help a trot down one last time in a swim I,ve never bothered with, it being plagued by walkers and kids but it was quite so why not-- result second run down with the best chub of the day.

postimg

 

[Pete Shears]

In the sunshine again today,piking on the reservoir - one fish of around 6lb on a small bream
deadbait which made the trip worthwhile,left when the sun slid round and was masked by trees & the temperature dropped massively,frost still on the grass which had been in shade all day.

 

[maggot_dangler]

Bit the bullet this morning(ish) headed for the River Stour at Stourton headed for a swin that normally fishes reasonably well for me 1 hour later no takers so had a move right to the end of the BAA section ( thats some trudge as well) into a few nice perch around 1 lb or so only 7 fish in total but nice day right choice of clothing stayed warm one thing that annoyed me , did a flask of tea walked to first swim you got it left it in the dang car no way i was going all the way back so had to manage with a bottle of Liptons Iced tea yea great .


PG ...

 

[mikench]

Blanked today and it wasn't that cold I blame my tooth abscess; wisdom tooth extraction tomorrow. Mind you forgetting my maggots, my bread for punch and my pellets did not help!

All my plans thwarted so I will reconvene on Saturday!

What's a blob Flight?

 

[robtherake]

Blanked today and it wasn't that cold I blame my tooth abscess; wisdom tooth extraction tomorrow. Mind you forgetting my maggots, my bread for punch and my pellets did not help!

All my plans thwarted so I will reconvene on Saturday!

What's a blob Flight?

You asked for it, Mike, so don't blame me. They're great margin floats in shallow water, both still and running. Handy to have one or two in your tackle box.:wh

Korum Blobs

 

[mikench]

............ like the proverbial up a drain you were quick of the mark Rob and I can honestly say I have never seen or heard of them

Needless to say I must have them just in case but you knew that already!

Love it!!!!

 

[Tee-Cee]

I also 'bit the bullet' this morning and I found myself travelling down the local by-pass at 7.15 in -4 degrees of heavy frost. No matter that the local boy racers still thought it fine to come past me nose to tail, like I was standing still!
It didn't look too clever when I arrived at my lake, sort of bleak and clear like a scene from Wuthering Heights and being sensible I chose the 'sunny' side of the water, should it make an appearance in an hour or so.
I take some pleasure in stating that I probably broke the world record for tackling up from a standing start. I managed to be ready for casting so quickly, that my hands were still quite warm. This did not last however, as within 30 minutes I had consumed two mugs of hot tea from my twin flask supply, just so I continue to my arms...

I am stretching this report out somewhat before I get to my 'catch for the session' just to show I don't just do fishing, but take good note of my surroundings and how I'm feeling on the day. Within the hour my twin socked feet had gone numb to the point that as I stood up I almost fell over! Gloved hands fared no better and they too reached the point of numbness, and of a colour that might suggest I'd already passed on... Eventually the sun did come through the trees and although it didn't feel any warmer at the time I did notice the change downward when it disappeared behind the tree trunks.

I went for it hammer and tongs, fishing hard and using all my knowledge in an attempt to put fish on the bank. Hooks were minute, line very fine and maggots warmed as much as possible inside a plethora of tea towels various, so the fish would be presented with a bait with a wiggle, of sorts.Unfortunately, apart from one or two dips of the float, said wriggling maggots might have been lengths of string for what fish they yielded until, that is, around noon, on a single red, cast three rod lengths out at 3' deep, a 9" roach scoffed the bait and was duly landed. A 'spec' fish in every sense of the word.
I was very pleased as I'd begun to think a blank was on the cards - something I haven't had for a long time. I continued to work hard for another hour or so, but with the sun behind some heavy woodland I decided enough was enough and headed home to hot veg soup and crusty bread, slightly warmed.
The feet took an about an hour to return to normal...


Out again tomorrow when I expect balmy temps of at least 5 degrees. The weather lady says so, anyway!

 

[robtherake]

............ like the proverbial up a drain you were quick of the mark Rob and I can honestly say I have never seen or heard of them

Needless to say I must have them just in case but you knew that already!

Love it!!!!

There are times when the fish'll spook off a traditional float, but a blob just looks like flotsam. Similarly with the flat float technique, using an inch of peacock quill held on at each end by float rubbers. There are days when a fish will tow a flat float, upend it and decisively sink it, when you can't get a hittable bite using a conventional float, however short or sensitive. Sounds barmy, but it works.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...AJ#v=onepage&q=the peacock flat float&f=false

 

[mikench]

What else do I need Rob! I have bought loads of stuff on your kind recommendations and am delighted with all of them. Blobs are new to me! Have just ordered some!

 

[robtherake]

What else do I need Rob! I have bought loads of stuff on your kind recommendations and am delighted with all of them. Blobs are new to me! Have just ordered some!

You're one-up on me then - I found the only one I own at a commercial ten years ago and there's barely any colour left on it. It's also worth carrying a couple of short lengths of peacock, though, for lift floats and flat floats. Having said that, a short piece of dry twig off the bankside works just as well.

 

[flightliner]

Mike, Robs pretty much summed up "the blob" , they do make a big differance on shallow clear water thats for sure.
I use the ones by sensas as they come painted in two halves . One a hot orange/red the other in flourescant yellow.
I also stick a one inch piece of cotton bud stik into the base which has a needle araldired into it.
This allows the blob to be changed to show either the red or yellow half depending on whether the water is in shadow or silvery .
I hold the cotton bud stik over the gas to soften its end then nip it flat with pliers before piercing it with a red hot needle for my line to go thro.
A couple of number six or eight shot either side and maybe similar shotting down the cast completes the rig.
Its superb on fast shallow rivers for trout n greyling and also for slower rivers when running clear as you can see the blob beneath the surface a long way downstream running below the surface when a fish takes the bait.
I.ll try and upload a pik of some i use on here later this evening..

 

[S-Kippy]

Us trite fishermen know them as "bungs" doncha know. Very good on rivers bugging for grayling or on ressies fishing buzzers and nymphs. I use Fish Pimps.

 

[john step]

Had a cold Witham to myself today. Only one pike at 9lb + on wobbled rudd.
I fluffed the only other take but better than leaving it too late and deep hooking. Probably a tiddler...or thats what I tell myself.

 

[tigger]

I had the last hour of daylight on the river yesterday, temp's where upto 10 degrees so it felt quite warm after the horribly cold snap we've just been having. Anyhow I was lucky to drop on a shoal of small chub and caught one virtually every trot through until I couldn't see the float, using 6lb sensor

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Well with the temperature up to a balmy 5 degrees after recent minus 8 ..I thought i would pop down to the river for a few hours to see if Mr Pike was awake yet.

Whole mackerel on snap tackle with a float set up and planning to fish the margins.

I tend to move the bait alongside the flow and lift and drop back every few minutes to bring it slowly into the margins.

Into the fourth swim without any sign of action and after leaving it static for a few minutes and no sign on the float it was apparently onto a submerged branch.

Lifted steadily and suprise surprise the branch was a very large 20 + pike that was just holding the bait.!
It simply released the bait before i had a chance to strike or at least tighten up.

The pike was pretty comatose and simply dropped back down into the deeper water.

Gave it another hour...no joy.

I'll see if she's there tomorrow!!!!

 

[bracket]

I fished the Frome yesterday. I could only manage two and a half hours as I had family arriving from the Midlands, late morning. I decided to be a considerate husband and allow my Lady to get on with all those mystical things women have to do. Got to the river just after 09.15 with a light mist and the temperature a cosy -6C. Only one other angler on the bank and he was in the far distance. The river was sock on and not a breathe of wind.



Third run down and I was into the first grayling of the day.....



.....which turned out to be a small brownie. Second fish...



....was a grayling, so we were up and running. The mist got thicker and I had the winter problem of frozen rod rings, so struggled for a while, until it lifted, then back to business



with a 2lb 7oze brownie.

Although they weren't climbing up the rod, I did manage a few more fish. By this time the lens on my mobile was steamed up and the photos were rubbish, apart from the ones I took of my feet, the floor and the sky. They were spot on. Come 11.15 and it was time for the "Just one more fish" pledge, which generally puts the pox on everything. Not this time, I finished up with a 1lb(ish) grayling, at which point the far distant angler came up and introduced himself with the words "So there are some fish in the River then!" Nice guy. His name was James and said he'd travelled up from London to catch a grayling, that's a long haul to Dorset. I was packing up so suggested he tried the peg. Just hope he did a few. I finished up with 17 fish all told, 4 brown trout and 13 grayling, best 2lb. Got back home to find my youngest daughter and husband had arrived and invited us out to lunch (invited us to a lunch which I finished up paying for. How does that work then?) still nice to see them. Pete.

 

[john step]

Well with the temperature up to a balmy 5 degrees after recent minus 8 ..I thought i would pop down to the river for a few hours to see if Mr Pike was awake yet.

Whole mackerel on snap tackle with a float set up and planning to fish the margins.

I tend to move the bait alongside the flow and lift and drop back every few minutes to bring it slowly into the margins.

Into the fourth swim without any sign of action and after leaving it static for a few minutes and no sign on the float it was apparently onto a submerged branch.

Lifted steadily and suprise surprise the branch was a very large 20 + pike that was just holding the bait.!
It simply released the bait before i had a chance to strike or at least tighten up.

The pike was pretty comatose and simply dropped back down into the deeper water.

Gave it another hour...no joy.

I'll see if she's there tomorrow!!!!

Best of luck.
The s0ds seem to do that in the cold water don't they!

The colder the water the more I find it difficult to judge when to strike.
There is always the reluctance to leave it too long to avoid deep hooking.
I have found the advice often given to strike immediately is a tad simplistic.
OK for those just new to piking though, so I can understand where its coming from.