How did you get on?

[Another Dave]

-duplicate-

 

[maggot_dangler]

Well it was looking promising lots of nibbles from the off but wound up with line out of the water most of the time as there was an impromtu meeting called to discus yet another broken pipe problem so a blank for me mg:

Pity as it looked very good ..


PG ...

 

[no-one in particular]

Due to many reasons I haven't been out fishing for what seems ages, illness throughout the family and less than hospitable weather just two of those factors.

I'd had today pencilled for a while, long range forecast was good and the high tide was just perfect for the tidal stretch at Grove Ferry on the Stour.

Grove ferry never equaled the promise for me either although its many years since I fished there.
I used to have more luck on the tidal bit at Sandwich just down from the town, the stretch downstream from the toll gate for about 500yds. I expect its a bit far for you but used to get some good roach, decent bream shoals if you could get them going and the odd mullet. Better in summer though. I lost the best bream my old man ever hooked there once because I fluffed around with the landing net, he never forgave me (threatened to cut me out of the will) but it was a hefty old fish. And used to be a nice pub on the corner by the toll gate for a swift jar or three afterwards. Its more muddy and tidal than Grove Ferry but a few slip ways or platforms you could fish from, I don't know if that's still the case mind you.

 

[Neil Maidment]

After a fierce bout of flu and flooded rivers I finally got back to the river bank for my first session of the New Year.

A lazy start for what I hoped to be a not too challenging few hours with the resident chub. They certainly obliged

Rather than the normal photos, here's a short video I put together. The video shows the first chub in "real time" ( although I've speeded up the video :wh ) It arrived on the 7th trot at just over 6 minutes into the session, quite a slowish start mg:

I had any number of chub in the few hours either side of midday mostly fish in the 4lbs to 5lbs range. One I did weigh turned out to be 5lbs 5oz.

I estimated the first one at 3:08/4:00 but looking at the video perhaps is was somewhat bigger

Spot the sizable seatrout making a big splash over my shoulder as I netted the first fish!

YouTube

 

[103841]

Grove ferry never equaled the promise for me either although its many years since I fished there.
I used to have more luck on the tidal bit at Sandwich just down from the town, the stretch downstream from the toll gate for about 500yds. I expect its a bit far for you but used to get some good roach, decent bream shoals if you could get them going and the odd mullet. Better in summer though. I lost the best bream my old man ever hooked there once because I fluffed around with the landing net, he never forgave me (threatened to cut me out of the will) but it was a hefty old fish. And used to be a nice pub on the corner by the toll gate for a swift jar or three afterwards. Its more muddy and tidal than Grove Ferry but a few slip ways or platforms you could fish from, I don't know if that's still the case mind you.

Not too far at all, I shall investigate, thanks Mark.:thumbs:

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Well returned to the swim that I had good sport a couple of days ago. After seeing a pike in the edge that I estimated between 15-20lb then, decided to take the esox rod along.


Popped out half a huge mackerel about a foot from the bank and before I had made up the trotting rod, away it went. Good fight but at around 10lb either i'm rubbish at estimating or another freshwater shark in residence.

Managed 12 or so chub before the fog lifted at 11am. But the average size was half Neils norms!!

Bites slowed when sun came out but managed a few more chub and finally 5 roach to a lb. Had to keep changing depth alternating between dragging through and holding back hard.

Around 2pm a much larger pike came and had a look at a 2lb chub as I netted it. Same place as the one seen.
Moved the deadbait sink and draw under my feet and it was away. Hard fight and finally netted. Sure same fish I saw as beautifully marbled colouration.

Pulled the scales down to 17.9lb. Happy bunny.

Few more chub and home for dinner. Knackered with pretty much 8 hours standing up trotting.

 

[103841]

After a fierce bout of flu and flooded rivers I finally got back to the river bank for my first session of the New Year.

A lazy start for what I hoped to be a not too challenging few hours with the resident chub. They certainly obliged

Rather than the normal photos, here's a short video I put together. The video shows the first chub in "real time" ( although I've speeded up the video :wh ) It arrived on the 7th trot at just over 6 minutes into the session, quite a slowish start mg:

I had any number of chub in the few hours either side of midday mostly fish in the 4lbs to 5lbs range. One I did weigh turned out to be 5lbs 5oz.

I estimated the first one at 3:08/4:00 but looking at the video perhaps is was somewhat bigger

Spot the sizable seatrout making a big splash over my shoulder as I netted the first fish!

YouTube

Thanks for the video Neil, enjoyed that. I was no different to you yesterday having to shield my eyes from a blinding sun, sadly there were no further comparisons.

 

[jasonbean1]

After a fierce bout of flu and flooded rivers I finally got back to the river bank for my first session of the New Year.

A lazy start for what I hoped to be a not too challenging few hours with the resident chub. They certainly obliged

Rather than the normal photos, here's a short video I put together. The video shows the first chub in "real time" ( although I've speeded up the video :wh ) It arrived on the 7th trot at just over 6 minutes into the session, quite a slowish start mg:

I had any number of chub in the few hours either side of midday mostly fish in the 4lbs to 5lbs range. One I did weigh turned out to be 5lbs 5oz.

I estimated the first one at 3:08/4:00 but looking at the video perhaps is was somewhat bigger

Spot the sizable seatrout making a big splash over my shoulder as I netted the first fish!

YouTube

It's a tuff old river, I don't know how you put up with it!

 

[tigger]

I had a trotting session yesterday and fished a large'ish river. I decided to fish a stretch quite a way down river on the tidal stretch. It was only about 3/4 of a mile below a well known roach stretch where large numbers of roach are present and yet down here all I had was chub and some lovely Ide....over 30 chub most of which where about 2lb's but there where few of around 3lb+, the Ide went to about 2lb+.....the weights where all guesses because they weren't large enough to warrent weighing.
I did get a couple of pictures but postimage isn't working.

 

[flightliner]

Piking today very local, first time out for three weeks , I'd missed it but lots on elsewhere so little choice.
Anyway by ten am my two rods were fishing some shallow water twenty yards out and inside five minutes my sardine took off and after a nice spirited fight I netted a nice pike of 11-9, very welcome!
A recast and before I could sit down another run produced a pike that sadly came adrift!
Things got sillier as my next cast a take developed again in seconds that gave me a fine 19-1 fish.
One more not quite a double late afternoon was the end of things but I was more than happy with the result.

 

[sam vimes]

A short day out chasing stillwater roach. Started pretty slowly and ended pretty slowly, but managed a comparatively hectic bit in the middle. Finished up with something in the order of thirty fish. A fair number pushing towards the pound mark with two safely over.

 

[103841]

Had a three hour walk along the river Stour and the Fordwych lake complex this morning, the walk was interrupted at regular intervals whilst I cast a variety of lures into the calm water in an attempt to find a reluctant pike.

The walk was most enjoyable, nothing further to add.

 

[peter crabtree]

Had a look at this stretch of the Colne last Monday, I haven't fished it for at least 3 years as its rock hard as a rule. In fact the last time here was with Jerry when he still lived nearby. It had both good colour and flow so I decided to fish it today.

The colour had dropped out but the flow was ok. Flowing right to left on the outside of the bend I found 6ft depth. Set up 15' rod and stickfloat on 3lb main straight through to a 12 hook. Fed some mashed bread via dropper and had a cuppa while it dispersed. Trotting big lumps of flake I felt sure a chub would turn up but after an hour I hadn't had a touch.. Changed the hook for a 20 to 0:09 and tried maggot, surely I had to get a bite?
Nothing, not a touch once again.

It was a toss up whether to go home or try another peg.. I walked back upstream and couldn't resist another go. I crossed the bridge to the far bank and plonked down in the first fishable peg. Once again a good 6' depth but a bit of a parrot cage with the trees but a nice trot down to the bridge.

Fed maggot quite heavily by hand and started trotting, loads of false bites as the hook dragged through the debris on the bottom but I struck at each one. Eventually I struck into a fish, phew I thought, blank avoided...

By now it was getting darker and drizzling a bit, it got to " one last cast " time and bingo another fish on. At first I suspected it was the same fish but it was a tad bigger and had some scale damage on both sides, unlike the first fish.

 

[Another Dave]

Back to the eddy with a rod this time, and 3 hours to spare.

Bread and maggots, must have had 20 fish, nothing huge but it was non stop action.

My constant companion:

 

[rubio]

Quality dace there sir.
I blanked myself.

 

[Pete Shears]

Out on the upper Soar this morning after anything that might give me a bite.The river was coloured with a fairly fast flow still affected by heavy rain earlier this week.the rain had also made it slippery walking across the fields.A bite first cast into a wider bend saw a chub of 3lb 12oz come to the net - legered crust with a small cage feeder & liquidised bread.That killed that swim,moving upstream I finally made contact with a bite and lifted into a signal cray fish which wouldn't let go of the hook until the persuader intervened (a size 9 wellie).Another bite after missing many had a brown trout of 1lb in the net,again on legered crust.No more bites signalled another move to a wide bend with steep,slippery banks.Out went the feeder with crust and had 5 fish in 7 casts : chub 3lb,1lb 12 & 2lb and 2 brown trout 2lb 4 & 1lb 12.Flake,cheese paste,prawns & worms never had a bite just the crust.That finished the swim,time to go to beat the traffic jams at school chucking out time.Plenty of birds to be seen and heard,the best a sparrow hawk which skimmed over the scrub on the far bank and did over 100 yds without flapping its wings - impressive.

 

[peter crabtree]

Returned to this spot this morning, this is an old pic as I had limited battery life on my phone...

The water was clear as tap water but there's a fair depth down the middle.
Decided to use the squatts I bought last week and didn't use.

Using a very light rig strung out with no10's and 11's and feeding a pinch of squatts every put in most bites were on the drop. Lots of quality roach and a few dace...

 

[barbelboi]

In fact the last time here was with Jerry when he still lived nearby.

Remember it well Simon and still miss the Colne (even with so much flowing water on my 'doorstep') after fishing it for so many, many years..........

 

[Hogweed]

I decided on another visit to the Chelmer for this afternoon. This time without the 30mph winds and flooded.

Conditions were good apart from an upstream wind which made trotting a bit of a challenge.

The first couple of swims produced nothing so I went for a long walk. Came across a lock and weir and found a promising spot a bit further on. It was about 2.30 so this would be my last swim before it got dark.

It was very cold and I was close to giving up after an hour or so. I kept having one last cast. I'm so glad I did.

I was running the float quite close to a reed bed and it was getting difficult to see the float as it was getting dark by now.

I decide to run the float down the track and 3rd run down I had a nice chub. Might be coincidence but made me wonder why I hadn't tried it before. Something to keep in mind next time.

I reckon it was about 3lb and it put up good fight on light gear. It got snagged in the reeds at one point but I managed to winkle it out.

I'm chuffed with my 1st proper session on the pin and on a new venue ended so well.

 

[Another Dave]

Really pleased for you Hogweed, well done mate!

Funnily enough i was just now looking at the Chelmer on google maps. There's a couple of little weirs that are only a 20 minute walk from here, and i was fantasizing about taking my light lure rod out.