mikench
Well-known member
That's life and the absurdity of this great hobby
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
You know, the funny thing with pike is just that. I've been dead bait fishing many times, when the actual bait has gotten no bites, but the pike have tried to furiously catch the float! Okay, you are free to try a surface lure then, but guess what. They are not interested.
Have you tried a deadbait with the air sac complete so it floats, freelined and tweeked at intervals?
buick_toni
Well-known member
Well, no. But to be honest I have been pretty good with the setup I've used (a large cigar float, a large sinker, treble hooks). But I am quite sure my methods are not as refined as they could be... This is one of the things that is being reflected by the fact I mostly go lure fishing.
What I have done sometimes especially on hot summer days while bait fishing on shallow areas, I have put a slim polystyrene float (quite common here, probably would make people here laugh) inside the bait depending on it's size. It has given enough boyancy for my needs. So it has been pretty much improvising for me this far.
maggot_dangler
Well-known member
I was unsure this morning what to do .
Had to wait till 10:30 for the local shop to open to get some maggots , Finally got moving just after 10:00 went to my club pool (nice and quiet today bit cooler) :wh fished same peg as the day before anyhow got into some nice roach 1lb + after 7 nice fish phone rang work drat the real bad part of it was i had turfed all my tools out and just left the fishing gear in so pool to home = 8 miles uinload fidhing stuff load tools back to job a mile further past the pool for a real teaser of a job never sen the problem before hope to never again latch had becom detathced from its carrier but the spring was holding it locked good fun ..
hopefull the weather gods are good on wednesday next outing might even turn the phone off ...:wh .
PG ...
Had to wait till 10:30 for the local shop to open to get some maggots , Finally got moving just after 10:00 went to my club pool (nice and quiet today bit cooler) :wh fished same peg as the day before anyhow got into some nice roach 1lb + after 7 nice fish phone rang work drat the real bad part of it was i had turfed all my tools out and just left the fishing gear in so pool to home = 8 miles uinload fidhing stuff load tools back to job a mile further past the pool for a real teaser of a job never sen the problem before hope to never again latch had becom detathced from its carrier but the spring was holding it locked good fun ..
hopefull the weather gods are good on wednesday next outing might even turn the phone off ...:wh .
PG ...
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
PG...You sound like a safe cracker called in to 'do a Bank' or some such at short notice!
Likely as not the job probably paid for the maggots which gave you some lovely fish - so nice one!!
Likely as not the job probably paid for the maggots which gave you some lovely fish - so nice one!!
mikench
Well-known member
Unfortunately I found my way to the office and it was still there
maggot_dangler
Well-known member
Well not quite some old dear sat on her doorstep waiting for me to let her in darn cheap immitation yale night latches ..
PG ...
jon atkinson
Well-known member
Yesterday, I decided that Dig Pit was to be the venue for my Easter excursion. This is a medium-sized water on the St Helens AA card which carries a good mixed head of fish, but roach & skimmer / bream are most likely to be encountered here. As I drove down the track that leads to it I was hoping (as ever) that it wouldn't be too busy, but as I approached it wasn't looking great in that regard
However this can be, & indeed was misleading as Dig Pit is in very close proximity to the 'far end' of Carr Mill dam - far-and-away the largest water on the St Helens ticket & a favourite for matches, so it was happy days as I inspected the water
I set up on the near side about a third of the way down fishing worm on the feeder close to the small island and red maggot on the waggler about 20 yards out straight in front. Things started slowly as I fed little & often but after about half an hour the float dipped & a small roach made its way to the net. This was followed by a skimmer, then plenty more roach. I probably finished with about 60 fish, nothing over 5oz & aside from 4 skimmer, 3 perch & 4 of these little fellas, it was all roach.
Funny thing with gudgeon - I never tire of catching them (which admittedly isn't all that often these days) whereas a succession of small skimmer, perch or even roach can become slightly 'tedious' by comparison.
One final point; can one nominate oneself for a 'Crabtree BAA' - I reckon if I'd nailed every bite I had yesterday I'd have caught more like 150!mg:
However this can be, & indeed was misleading as Dig Pit is in very close proximity to the 'far end' of Carr Mill dam - far-and-away the largest water on the St Helens ticket & a favourite for matches, so it was happy days as I inspected the water
I set up on the near side about a third of the way down fishing worm on the feeder close to the small island and red maggot on the waggler about 20 yards out straight in front. Things started slowly as I fed little & often but after about half an hour the float dipped & a small roach made its way to the net. This was followed by a skimmer, then plenty more roach. I probably finished with about 60 fish, nothing over 5oz & aside from 4 skimmer, 3 perch & 4 of these little fellas, it was all roach.
Funny thing with gudgeon - I never tire of catching them (which admittedly isn't all that often these days) whereas a succession of small skimmer, perch or even roach can become slightly 'tedious' by comparison.
One final point; can one nominate oneself for a 'Crabtree BAA' - I reckon if I'd nailed every bite I had yesterday I'd have caught more like 150!
mg:
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Sorry no, my bad angling awards are only given for truly bad angling. Missing bites, especially on the float with maggot happens to the best of us...
Using 2 rods at once is frowned upon by me but an award would definitely be on the cards if one of them flew off the rest into the water whilst using the other.
Beware....
Using 2 rods at once is frowned upon by me but an award would definitely be on the cards if one of them flew off the rest into the water whilst using the other.
Beware....
dorsetandchub
Well-known member
After not being able to get out for a couple of weeks, largely due to a First Aid refresher and one or two other work based distractions, it was a case of either sort a day out or be the next patient after Prince Harry and, I doubt any violence on my part would be swept under the carpet with quite the same understanding his would, so I had to get out.
I'm not sure if it was this mindset or, I dunno, a lack of oxygen to the brain or something, but twice in the past ten days or so, I have seen two separate Caligulan type orgies in carp ponds so I formed the hope the carp might have other things on their mind and went looking for some light match type tackle to take with me but retaining enough sense to pack some regular carp kit in case my cunning plan went awry.
I went back through history to find some C20th kit that didn't see daylight very often and arrived at the pit of choice to unwrap a Conoflex 12ft Match, Browning 810 reel with some C21st 2.4lb Bayer Perlon, an ancient Drennan stillwater blue taking 4 no. 6 down to a Drennan silverfish 18 to 2lb trace. Two red maggots for bait.
Fishing at the end of an island, after pulting in two good helpings of hemp, a very few wetted 2mm feed pellets and a tiny helping of sweetcorn and 4mm meat cubes, I cast past the island and, dipping the rod tip, brought the float back till I was happy.
First bite after a couple of minutes brought a roach around 3oz. Back out and battered, obviously a carp it kept going....and going...ad infinitum as far as I'm concerned as it's probably still going now.
Set up again and wouldn't you know it? A repeat performance only this time, I pulled out and didn't get completely trashed.
God loves a trier (so they tell me) but Einstein's logic of repeating the same experiment and expecting different results was, perhaps, the superior brand as the next take resulted in a short and violent confrontation which, happily, ended in a moral victory as a tench around 1 1/2lb was netted.
Back out and, again, a lump and smashed. This was turning into a horror story. Absolute confirmation soon arrived. Every self respecting modern day horror movie finds a place for a scruffy old guy who arrives to deliver a single line "You're all doomed" or something similar. My one appeared from nowhere, I didn't see him on arrival, and he was actually laughing as he opened with "You keep getting smashed up."
Although I like to think I'm tactful and diplomatic, I thought "If I bring your nose into the pattern, will you get the picture then?" but heard myself saying "Yep, they're feeding well today" and popped the rod away before reaching for the pole.
The newly found bankside expert observed "Oh, that's a nice pole" which sent my frayed nerves into overdrive. I wanted to answer "Yeah, I was so hoping it was cr3p having spent a fortune on it" but settled for a diplomatic "Yeah, it's a nice piece of kit".
I unwrapped a 6lb mainline rig, to a .5g Image Carp float and 4.6lb bottom to a Middy 16 carp hook.
A 6mm cube of coconut flavoured meat went out and, looking round, I found the old guy had just vanished, I don't know where to but had to admit he'd done it quite effectively. I put my ipod on and some quality Benny Goodman jazz soon had me feeling a lot better about the world.
The meat took well from the start and some nice roach, rudd (one over the pound), a load more carp (including one lump around 9lbs), a sprinkling of skimmers and the very odd tench amounted to a nice day which would shortly get even better. At a guess, a bag around the 35 - 40lb mark.
I felt a lot, lot better about life afterwards and got home to find er indoors exercising a rare charitable frame of mind. This time next week, we'll be leaving for a cheap and cheerful week in Crete and, that in mind, she suggested I sneak in another session Friday before we go.
I really pushed the hopeful boat out and hoped for a nice steak and chips. One out of two wasn't bad, I got two mediocre lamb burgers and chips but it didn't matter. A week of cold beer and warm sun awaits and, even before that, there's still, as the late great Frank Zappa put it, "Friday on my mind...."
Have a great rest of the week, all and take the greatest of care.
I'm not sure if it was this mindset or, I dunno, a lack of oxygen to the brain or something, but twice in the past ten days or so, I have seen two separate Caligulan type orgies in carp ponds so I formed the hope the carp might have other things on their mind and went looking for some light match type tackle to take with me but retaining enough sense to pack some regular carp kit in case my cunning plan went awry.
I went back through history to find some C20th kit that didn't see daylight very often and arrived at the pit of choice to unwrap a Conoflex 12ft Match, Browning 810 reel with some C21st 2.4lb Bayer Perlon, an ancient Drennan stillwater blue taking 4 no. 6 down to a Drennan silverfish 18 to 2lb trace. Two red maggots for bait.
Fishing at the end of an island, after pulting in two good helpings of hemp, a very few wetted 2mm feed pellets and a tiny helping of sweetcorn and 4mm meat cubes, I cast past the island and, dipping the rod tip, brought the float back till I was happy.
First bite after a couple of minutes brought a roach around 3oz. Back out and battered, obviously a carp it kept going....and going...ad infinitum as far as I'm concerned as it's probably still going now.
Set up again and wouldn't you know it? A repeat performance only this time, I pulled out and didn't get completely trashed.
God loves a trier (so they tell me) but Einstein's logic of repeating the same experiment and expecting different results was, perhaps, the superior brand as the next take resulted in a short and violent confrontation which, happily, ended in a moral victory as a tench around 1 1/2lb was netted.
Back out and, again, a lump and smashed. This was turning into a horror story. Absolute confirmation soon arrived. Every self respecting modern day horror movie finds a place for a scruffy old guy who arrives to deliver a single line "You're all doomed" or something similar. My one appeared from nowhere, I didn't see him on arrival, and he was actually laughing as he opened with "You keep getting smashed up."
Although I like to think I'm tactful and diplomatic, I thought "If I bring your nose into the pattern, will you get the picture then?" but heard myself saying "Yep, they're feeding well today" and popped the rod away before reaching for the pole.
The newly found bankside expert observed "Oh, that's a nice pole" which sent my frayed nerves into overdrive. I wanted to answer "Yeah, I was so hoping it was cr3p having spent a fortune on it" but settled for a diplomatic "Yeah, it's a nice piece of kit".
I unwrapped a 6lb mainline rig, to a .5g Image Carp float and 4.6lb bottom to a Middy 16 carp hook.
A 6mm cube of coconut flavoured meat went out and, looking round, I found the old guy had just vanished, I don't know where to but had to admit he'd done it quite effectively. I put my ipod on and some quality Benny Goodman jazz soon had me feeling a lot better about the world.
The meat took well from the start and some nice roach, rudd (one over the pound), a load more carp (including one lump around 9lbs), a sprinkling of skimmers and the very odd tench amounted to a nice day which would shortly get even better. At a guess, a bag around the 35 - 40lb mark.
I felt a lot, lot better about life afterwards and got home to find er indoors exercising a rare charitable frame of mind. This time next week, we'll be leaving for a cheap and cheerful week in Crete and, that in mind, she suggested I sneak in another session Friday before we go.
I really pushed the hopeful boat out and hoped for a nice steak and chips. One out of two wasn't bad, I got two mediocre lamb burgers and chips but it didn't matter. A week of cold beer and warm sun awaits and, even before that, there's still, as the late great Frank Zappa put it, "Friday on my mind...."
Have a great rest of the week, all and take the greatest of care.
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Pete Shears
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
- Messages
- 885
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No frost but 2C showing on the car this morning,arriving at the reservoir it had dropped 1.5C but quite pleasant and warmed up lugging all the gear up the bank.
Then the wind picked up and swung to a NE direction and it was cold,wind bouncing the rods tops causing false bleeps,gave up on float fishing as the wind just pushed the float under.
Eventually started to get liners and only had two real bites from a bream of about 2lb and a roach of 12oz - still no blank - blue tits nesting in a hole in an ash tree,buzzards trying to avoid the crows and an orange tip fluttered by.No tench & even the osprey didn't show up.
Then the wind picked up and swung to a NE direction and it was cold,wind bouncing the rods tops causing false bleeps,gave up on float fishing as the wind just pushed the float under.
Eventually started to get liners and only had two real bites from a bream of about 2lb and a roach of 12oz - still no blank - blue tits nesting in a hole in an ash tree,buzzards trying to avoid the crows and an orange tip fluttered by.No tench & even the osprey didn't show up.
jon atkinson
Well-known member
I'm still in 'winter' mode on the second rod & despite one 'near miss', touch wood I've never had one dragged into the drink. Cometh the warmer weather, most likely next month, I'll be reverting to just the one.
Pete Shears
Well-known member
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Frost on the car windscreen this morning,at the reservoir mist slowly rising from the flat calm surface with blazing sunshine - almost a June tench morning but a lot colder.
Plenty of fish rising,grebes diving,what could possibly go wrong - not many bites that's what.
Just a bream around two pounds on a legered mini boilie and a few small roach on the float.
A south easterly breeze kicked in which certainly stopped me from working up a sweat recasting the method feeders.a kingfisher flashed by and an albino canada goose flew off with others to a nearby field.
Still dentist tomorrow . . . . . . .
Plenty of fish rising,grebes diving,what could possibly go wrong - not many bites that's what.
Just a bream around two pounds on a legered mini boilie and a few small roach on the float.
A south easterly breeze kicked in which certainly stopped me from working up a sweat recasting the method feeders.a kingfisher flashed by and an albino canada goose flew off with others to a nearby field.
Still dentist tomorrow . . . . . . .
Graham Elliott 1
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A few hours at Farmoor.
Managed 3 good trout to over 4lb. Stunning fish.
A hard day with more than half bankside anglers blanking.
Blue flash damsel did the job. Very few fish showing until 6pmish. Lot of debris weed floating on surface.
Managed 3 good trout to over 4lb. Stunning fish.
A hard day with more than half bankside anglers blanking.
Blue flash damsel did the job. Very few fish showing until 6pmish. Lot of debris weed floating on surface.
stu_the_blank
Well-known member
First time out this year yesterday. Afternoon on a Sussex pond as the guest of an old friend.
Bright, sunny and a cold wind made the fishing slow but he managed a nice perch at just over one and a half pounds and I had a 'glowing' commom at just shy of 9-00.
Great to be out again.
Stu
Bright, sunny and a cold wind made the fishing slow but he managed a nice perch at just over one and a half pounds and I had a 'glowing' commom at just shy of 9-00.
Great to be out again.
Stu
maggot_dangler
Well-known member
Was going to fish a favorite peg on the local canal today but they are busy replacing lock gates so it is havoc there so went to the club pool instead .
Perch perch and more perch oh a sardine perch perch more more more the the climax of the day ( before having yet another fishing trip scuppered by work) a string of Tench biggets just over 5.75 lb two more slightly smaller then something big think it must have been a carp using 8lb straight thur to the hook on the 4th lunge it snapped me and took of like a dang U boat never got to see it but the bow wave says a good 20+lbs thought we had lost all the bigger ones a few years ago after a leak in a bad winter .
Fished till 17:00 then worked till 20:00 once again knew i should have turned that bloody phone off .
PG ...
Perch perch and more perch oh a sardine perch perch more more more the the climax of the day ( before having yet another fishing trip scuppered by work) a string of Tench biggets just over 5.75 lb two more slightly smaller then something big think it must have been a carp using 8lb straight thur to the hook on the 4th lunge it snapped me and took of like a dang U boat never got to see it but the bow wave says a good 20+lbs thought we had lost all the bigger ones a few years ago after a leak in a bad winter .
Fished till 17:00 then worked till 20:00 once again knew i should have turned that bloody phone off .
PG ...
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Fancied a change today so I drove up to Tring to fish Marsworth reservior for bream. Damp and drizzly with a SW breeze putting a nice ripple on the water.
12'6" Preston Carbonactive rod, running 20gr cagefeeder to 18b911 to 0.11 trace. Sweet Brasem crumb with a few dead maggs and double maggot on the hook...
Fished for 5 hours, not a sniff. Nil, nada nothing first blank for agesmg:
TBH I expected the worst before I went.
There was a hatch of small flies which looked like small mayflies to me but I'm sure they were something else.The terns, swifts and martins were scoffing them all day.
12'6" Preston Carbonactive rod, running 20gr cagefeeder to 18b911 to 0.11 trace. Sweet Brasem crumb with a few dead maggs and double maggot on the hook...
Fished for 5 hours, not a sniff. Nil, nada nothing first blank for ages
mg:TBH I expected the worst before I went.
There was a hatch of small flies which looked like small mayflies to me but I'm sure they were something else.The terns, swifts and martins were scoffing them all day.
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mikench
Well-known member
I had a plan! I had a variety of ground baits, hemp , deadmaggots and a selection of feeders. I was all set up about 9.00 am although it was a miserable grey and windy day. My baseball cap was soon replaced by my Korean winter hat and a snood! I even started the zippo handwarmer it was so chilly!
I caught 18 bream to 4.5lb and two roach; the trouble was I was after tench
Not a sign of a tench so back to the drawing board. I aim to return tomorrow with a different ground bait and some corn. I may even try the float/ lift method if I can remember how to do it
I liked your post Peter but not your blank but I do find it reassuring that someone as exalted and experienced as thee can have the same result ,on occasion, as I do regularly!
I caught 18 bream to 4.5lb and two roach; the trouble was I was after tench
Not a sign of a tench so back to the drawing board. I aim to return tomorrow with a different ground bait and some corn. I may even try the float/ lift method if I can remember how to do it
I liked your post Peter but not your blank but I do find it reassuring that someone as exalted and experienced as thee can have the same result ,on occasion, as I do regularly!
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Spent last Friday's session on the shallow lake. A hood-up, back-to-the wind endurance test for one 3lb tench and a smaller carp. Tuesday's warmer morning prompted me to go back and try again. I didn't believe the cloudless blue skies would last, and thought I'd have a chance of some tench when the inevitable grey murk we've been living under re-established itself. Couldn't have been more mistaken. The sun shone. The lake baked. None of the 5 anglers saw a tench, and chopped worm and caster was just an expensive way to catch roach that would be quite happy to eat pinkies. So, today went to the deep lake. Pole fishing, 10 metres into 8 feet plus. Fed to the left with pellets and corn, to the right with groundbait and dead maggots. Bingo. Fish lined up for both and it made a nice change to feel like an angler rather than someone who hauls quantities of gear on futile excursions. I know there are people out there who don't appreciate bream, but where/when I grew up a 3lb bream was a canal talking point, and if you fish with .10 line and light elastics there is fun to be had. The only downside: having played a presumed carp to a standstill ( we were both knackered) I was about to bring it up to the waiting net when it rolled and revealed itself to be the biggest tench I've ever seen (on my line) before spitting the hook back at me. Oh well.
Spent last Friday's session on the shallow lake. A hood-up, back-to-the wind endurance test for one 3lb tench and a smaller carp. Tuesday's warmer morning prompted me to go back and try again. I didn't believe the cloudless blue skies would last, and thought I'd have a chance of some tench when the inevitable grey murk we've been living under re-established itself. Couldn't have been more mistaken. The sun shone. The lake baked. None of the 5 anglers saw a tench, and chopped worm and caster was just an expensive way to catch roach that would be quite happy to eat pinkies. So, today went to the deep lake. Pole fishing, 10 metres into 8 feet plus. Fed to the left with pellets and corn, to the right with groundbait and dead maggots. Bingo. Fish lined up for both and it made a nice change to feel like an angler rather than someone who hauls quantities of gear on futile excursions. I know there are people out there who don't appreciate bream, but where/when I grew up a 3lb bream was a canal talking point, and if you fish with .10 line and light elastics there is fun to be had. The only downside: having played a presumed carp to a standstill ( we were both knackered) I was about to bring it up to the waiting net when it rolled and revealed itself to be the biggest tench I've ever seen (on my line) before spitting the hook back at me. Oh well.
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Tee-Cee
Senior Member
Knottskev.............."The biggest tench I've ever seen" - Don't leave us in suspense, even a rough guess at a weight would be nice!!
'Played to a standstill and both knackered', suggests to me a fish in the region of 6 - 8lbs??
'Played to a standstill and both knackered', suggests to me a fish in the region of 6 - 8lbs??