How did you get on?

[binka]

a gull swooped in and grabbed it still with the hook in it's mouth rescued a much battered and scarred perch these gulls are becoming a pain all over now .

PG ...

Bloody nuisances!

The last time I holidayed in this country (many years ago) I stayed in St Ives, Cornwall and one particular morning I went down to breakfast in the hotel.

The mini bar in my room consisted of a silver tray with lots of plastic mini bottles of spirits and packets of nuts and I had left the sash window up in my room.

I returned half an hour later to a scene which looked like a ransacking!

Nuts everywhere and practically every bottle of spirit punctured with beak marks and did the hotel believe my explanation?

They're like bloody flying skips, I just hope the damned thing had a hangover worthy of the bill!

I also had your favourite irritation today in the form of Canadian Geese going off like fog horns every five minutes mg:

 

[maggot_dangler]

Bloody nuisances!

The last time I holidayed in this country (many years ago) I stayed in St Ives, Cornwall and one particular morning I went down to breakfast in the hotel.

The mini bar in my room consisted of a silver tray with lots of plastic mini bottles of spirits and packets of nuts and I had left the sash window up in my room.

I returned half an hour later to a scene which looked like a ransacking!

Nuts everywhere and practically every bottle of spirit punctured with beak marks and did the hotel believe my explanation?

They're like bloody flying skips, I just hope the damned thing had a hangover worthy of the bill!

I also had your favourite irritation today in the form of Canadian Geese going off like fog horns every five minutes mg:

Getting quite good with the small bait catty now :wh they dont harf squark when a 1 inch brick thumps em up the butt :wh

PG ...

 

[peterjg]

I read somewhere that the seagull population is expected to quadruple in the next ten years!

 

[buick_toni]

The season has been opened! Despite the occasional snowing and gusting winds, I decided to go. Actually the weather was quite nice when I arrived, but after 15 minutes it turned out worse.

Well, anyway... The water I fished was quite different from my usual fishing spots. Its a short stretch of water between two lakes and just before the latter lake there is a dam. The current was very strong and the only lures I was able to use properly were spoons. Spinners and most of the crank baits lost their ability to cope with the flow that strong.

Anyway, no fish this time, but the worst fishing fever might be gone now! I also checked a few lakes, I'd estimate that after a week or so the ice might be gone. No I might be good for that time. If I don't decide to go today

 

[mikench]

No plan today! The sun was shining and it promised to be a lovely day so off I went! I decided to use the swing tip and nearly threw the thing in the lake! I caught but the tip regularly tangled and I felt very frustrated. I swapped tips to a 10inch tip (think it was a premier ) with a rubber connection and found it vastly superior. No tangles and 10 bream later I felt happier.

Still no tench, maybe they do not exist in this lake, but despite the very cold wind I really enjoyed the day. The most successful hook bait was a yellow pineapple Boily ; who would have thought it!

At 8.30 am it was flat calm and warm! By 3.30 it was very windy and cold and not the best conditions for swing tipping but what do I know.

Can people recommend good swing tips?

I enjoyed the day before winter makes a return. I plan to do lots of fishing next week over the bank holiday and you never know I might catch a tench

 

[peter crabtree]

Club match today on one of our lakes. First chuck across to the far bank on method feeder and GB with treble maggot and the tip bounced then dropped back, a nice skimmer around 2:8. During the next 6 hours I had just 2 more smaller ones on the pole and that was it...



20 anglers on this small venue absolutely kills it stone dead and today there were blanks and some very scant weights. Winner from a secluded corner peg managed to winkle out 6 skimmers for 14lb..

Second and third had 10lb+.

My 3:12 came second in section and 5th overall so not bad....

Lovely warm sunshine all day and great company as usual...,

 

[hammer_jamie]

Slow start but ended up landing some nice size ide which I'm pleased with, Nice sunny day it's been. Now the Mrs is cooking a roast dinner

Would you guys say this is a roach?

 

[peter crabtree]

I'd say that's a roach Rudd hybrid Jamie.

 

[mikench]

Could it be a tench and have I been catching the little tinkas all along?

I am deluded but not that deluded

 

[flightliner]

Certainly no roach, scales to small and with that tightly packed together look that shouts ide.

 

[crumpercatcher]

Managed to sneak in a couple of hours at a local park pond with a mate who I cadged a handful of red and white maggots from. Fished a 3bb waggler with the last 2 shot on the bottom to counter the wind and tow. Had small roach and skimmers upto half a pound. Was hoping for a crucian or a tench or two. But there is always next time.

 

[fishing4luckies]

A splendid day out today at a secluded farm reservoir with Chris, my regular fishing accomplice.

The lake in question is known to hold Carp to 28lb, but of most interest to us were the 'rumoured' Tench.

Last week we discussed tactics and groundbaits over several phonecalls, culminating in some serious Hemp cookery last night. A bait tub of freshly cooked seed was added to a good helping of layers mash, a couple of tins of corn, a glug of molasses and some of the Hemp cooking water to bring it to the right consistency. How could we fail?

We met at the lake at about 07:00 and quickly got set up and started balling out our wondermix into our chosen swims. The lake is almost featureless in terms of bottom contours and shelves steeply down to a depth of about 4ft just a few feet out, so no really obvious places to bait up. We also gave it a quick going over with the Deeper Pro just in case there were a few deep holes but alas - billiard table flat and silty to boot.

Undeterred I loaded up a Preston Banjo feeder with a stodgy lump of groundbait, attached a semi bouyant 'oozing' mini 8mm boilie (pineapple flavour) to a bayonet on the hair and chucked it out. I started getting my other rod set up (a Shimano Tribal Intensity/baitrunner Carpy combo - who thinks of these names?) and the buzzer started sounding, the rod bounced in the rests and line began peeling off at an alarming rate.

With the fish eventually under control, but still making long runs out in open water Chris asked me "what do you reckon it is, and what do you want it to be?"

"I reckon it's a carp - about 6 - 8 lb, but I'd rather it's a Tench. I'm aiming to beat my PB of 3lb 12, so a 4 would be nice" was my reply.

Once netted it turned out to be exactly what I'd asked for. A lovely Tinca of 4lb 12oz.

A few more Tench followed, several Carp (my biggest was 15lb 9oz) and a VEY close call with a Canada Goose.

Tinca picture below......

View image in gallery​

 

[thecrow]

Well done on your new Tench PB, I am still searching for some in my area all the waters that did hold them no longer do or have been filled in

 

[sam vimes]

First session of the year on my local headbanging water. Only a snatched few hours late afternoon because I wasn't prepared to pay for a day ticket and my other "free" stillwater is just as hard and further to travel.

Watched the big carp bosh out for a few hours and diligently stared at an immobile float for a little longer. If it wasn't for the carp, you'd think the place had nowt in it. Not even a sucked maggot for my troubles.

 

[associatedmatt]

Well done on your new Tench PB, I am still searching for some in my area all the waters that did hold them no longer do or have been filled in

same as me then i find venues and find there tench in there but alot more carp than tench and then we know its a number game with mr carp ! or its waters that used to be a good water but been netted a few years ago .

ive found one but its a park lake and get kids , dogs and teens causing trouble

 

[maggot_dangler]

I read somewhere that the seagull population is expected to quadruple in the next ten years!

Where's me quad barreled pump action 44 round snot gun that should delete a few :wh.

they are a blomin menace .

PG ...

 

[jon atkinson]

Plan 'A' based on the forecast yesterday was Blackbrook Basin, but it was pretty obvious on waking up that we were going to see way more sun than 'white cloud' so I thought that the deeper, more tree-surrounded Siding Lane was the place to be. Not off to the earliest of starts after dog walking with my beloved & when I finally arrived it appeared that others had come to the same conclusion - I've never seen the place so busy .

So black to plan 'A'; I was pleasantly surprised to find only one other fishing [although on a gin-clear venue on a bright, sunny day perhaps that shouldn't come as a complete shock?]. Anyway, I set up at the wide end in a fairly sheltered swim between some trees.

Not as many different birds around as usual but there was a pair of Mandarin doing the rounds that were clearly not too 'phased' by my presence - lovely looking ducks.

It was pretty hard going although plenty of fish were coming up to the surface on a regular basis; I managed perhaps a dozen small roach on the waggler on either double red or double caster plus a couple of crucian around 6 -7 oz

A lovely day to be out although I accumulated a fair old clump of hornwort which looks to be making a not so welcome come-back here

Still no sign of any tench, although based on those around me I should be happy with anything at all - a tough day at the office, but so much more enjoyable than actually being at 'the office'! So 'til next week - keep the faith people :w

 

[nottskev]

It's a feast or a famine for me at the moment, and there was no feast yesterday. I made a pm Sunday start, and I paid the price, which in this case was a peg in a willow tree parrot cage, sandwiched between two pairs of carpers at the might-as-well-use-up-this-bait stage of their session, who rained shock and awe on the water via spods, catapults, throwing sticks....
I snagged 4 small roach and a couple of 4lb bream on the pole at 11m as they passed the peg en route to the air-raid shelter. I packed up early and went home to watch MU v Burnley. That's how bad it was. I should say, though, that when one of the bream, unmanageably foul-hooked in a fin, got stuck out of reach in the willow, two carp guys stuck a spare pole onto my landing net pole and scooped it out, so fair play to them.

 

[lakhyaman]

My Friend Rengarajan From South India was visiting. He is a man who fishes for trout in the hill streams of the Nilgiris, mahseer in the southern rivers, GT's in the Indian Ocean off the Andaman Islands but had not sampled the joys of a quiet lake and a float rod.

So off to the lake it was to find it sunbathed but windlashed.

Windy but sunbathed arm of the lake.

I set him up with the usual float rod (Drennan Red Range Carp Waggler initially and then a Drennan Acolyte Ultra), peacock quill waggler, and fly reel loaded with mono. The fishing was three feet out from the bank and on the bottom at a depth just over two feet. Bait was the usual bread paste mixed with ants eggs. The lake has greater depths but the fish come into the shallows on bright days. They were there today as well.

A number of Mrigal (Cirhinnus mrigala) led him a merry dance and he finished with a small Kalabans (Labeo calbasu).

Rengarajan with a Mrigal and Mandan (Ghillie) in attendance.

Mrigal

Mrigal close up. They are fine fish.

Kalabans and Mandan

Day's end.

Rengarajan is firmly hooked and is making enquiries as to float rods, carp rods, baitrunners etc!

All the best

Lakhyaman

 

[rubio]

Hi all. I have been out fishing, and reading your reports. I've done less well than most but getting enough to keep me interested.
Crucian are getting pretty reliable, and some ready for spawning already,in club ponds. I've tried to get something for Tench challenge but stuck at 3lbs so far. My niece did capture a suitable entrant for the mini-tinca challenge tho.
Carp have again been following me when after silvers. Lost a sizeable orange lump at weekend. Hollo elastic and thick weedbeds prevented any closer scrutiny.
I have actually got my carp rods out of the loft this year. Also found my old Roy Marlow swing-tip rod. Guess which one gets used first?