How did you get on?

[103841]

Another pleasant river walk today interrupted at regular intervals to cast a lure searching out any predator that would take a fancy to my various pieces of plastic and metal.

Travelling light is key with the minimum of kit.

After three hours and a few miles of walking through muddy tracks not a single take came across another couple of guys piking, both dead baiting but not doing any better than me.

The air was dry and crisp and with a warming sun on my back the blank wasn't so bad in lovely countryside.

 

[skov]

I had today booked off work and, after earning a few points taking the wife out for breakfast, I decided to head out into the fens for the rest of the day in the hope of tempting a pike or two.

The piking was a bit slow going, but I kept myself busy catching a steady stream of roach on bread punch on my third rod.
I had a couple of tentative dropped runs early on, but didn't get my first proper run until around half three:

As it started getting dark I thought I'd cast the rods out one more time then start packing up.
Just as I was about to call it a day and reel in the alarm screamed into life. As I was playing it in I noticed the float bob on the other rod, then start slowly drifting off. I've never had two runs at the same time, and wasn't quite sure what to do
Luckily the first one went into the net pretty quickly and I didn't have to leave the other rod too long.

Nice to have the one-last-cast pay off for a change, even if having to deal with two feisty pike on the bank in the dark at the same time was somewhat interesting!

 

[108831]

Well...what an awful day,it rained from 7.30am until 4pm,not getting over 4degs,the droplets of water were slowing my pin down somehow,anyway I had two chub 3.5lb and 4lb 4ozs,losing one off the hook after hauling it 20yds and bumping one on the strike.

 

[jasonbean1]

I had today booked off work and, after earning a few points taking the wife out for breakfast, I decided to head out into the fens for the rest of the day in the hope of tempting a pike or two.

The piking was a bit slow going, but I kept myself busy catching a steady stream of roach on bread punch on my third rod.
I had a couple of tentative dropped runs early on, but didn't get my first proper run until around half three:

As it started getting dark I thought I'd cast the rods out one more time then start packing up.
Just as I was about to call it a day and reel in the alarm screamed into life. As I was playing it in I noticed the float bob on the other rod, then start slowly drifting off. I've never had two runs at the same time, and wasn't quite sure what to do
Luckily the first one went into the net pretty quickly and I didn't have to leave the other rod too long.

Nice to have the one-last-cast pay off for a change, even if having to deal with two feisty pike on the bank in the dark at the same time was somewhat interesting!

That place looks familiar, is it Ramsay 40ft ?

 

[soft plastic]

Another pleasant river walk today interrupted at regular intervals to cast a lure searching out any predator that would take a fancy to my various pieces of plastic and metal.

Travelling light is key with the minimum of kit.

After three hours and a few miles of walking through muddy tracks not a single take came across another couple of guys piking, both dead baiting but not doing any better than me.

The air was dry and crisp and with a warming sun on my back the blank wasn't so bad in lovely countryside.

The good old Sluggo.

Sent from my E6633 using Tapatalk

 

[skov]

That place looks familiar, is it Ramsay 40ft ?

Yes, well spotted.

 

[jasonbean1]

I haven't been tyer for over 25 years! But as soon as I saw the photo I remembered it very well.

When I first got into serious match fishing that was one of our league venues and we used to spend a lot of time there. Where you are used to be the flyer tench pegs.

 

[skov]

I haven't been tyer for over 25 years! But as soon as I saw the photo I remembered it very well.

When I first got into serious match fishing that was one of our league venues and we used to spend a lot of time there. Where you are used to be the flyer tench pegs.

I can't imagine it's changed much in the last 25 years!
In fact it's still a bit of a tench hot spot by all accounts.

 

[peter crabtree]

Our scheduled match was supposed to be on the Kennet in Reading today but reports it was piling through meant a change of venue..
Instead we fished a day ticket lake in Bucks. I've fished here a few times and it is never easy. With 1 degree on the thermometer and steady sleet falling it was always going to be tricky. My peg was 9' deep so I set up a slider and a feeder rod for the long chuck to the island...

Started on the slider, red maggot over a few small balls of groundbait about 20yds out. Just one bite in the first hour, a small roach. Noticed the float was holding up on the drop so I shallowed up by 6", now the bites were more frequent but still small roach. Then the angler next but one on my right caught a carp on hair rigged bread out by the island.. I immediately changed rods and chucked a method feeder with worm on the hook over to the island in an attempt to catch one too. (Forgot my bread)
Lost 2 method feeders up the trees attempting to cast tight to the island and didn't get any bites either, then the sleet turned to snow...With very numb wet hands, I was getting desperate. 2 of the anglers went home and I was tempted to follow.

Matey on my right caught another carp which wound me up, then horror of horrors, my umbrella pole buckled under the weight of the snow on topmg:
I had to snap it in two and shove half of it back in place thus making it almost touching my head. Decided to take a walk,calm down and warm myself up.
Splatt! Slipped on the snow and mud and went arse over tit grrr.
After that I wondered if anything else could go wrong?
With two hours to go I realised I could probably come 3rd or even 2nd if I applied myself, so it was back on the Waggler.
More roach and a decent skimmer resulted while matey landed a real munter carp in the last 15 minutes.
I weighed in 3lb:8:8 and did indeed come 3rd.

Matey walked it with his 3 carps for 20lb:15oz. 2nd fished the waggler throughout and had 5lb:1oz of roach and skimmers...

7 fished...

 

[jon atkinson]

Our scheduled match was supposed to be on the Kennet in Reading today but reports it was piling through meant a change of venue..
Instead we fished a day ticket lake in Bucks. I've fished here a few times and it is never easy. With 1 degree on the thermometer and steady sleet falling it was always going to be tricky. My peg was 9' deep so I set up a slider and a feeder rod for the long chuck to the island...

Started on the slider, red maggot over a few small balls of groundbait about 20yds out. Just one bite in the first hour, a small roach. Noticed the float was holding up on the drop so I shallowed up by 6", now the bites were more frequent but still small roach. Then the angler next but one on my right caught a carp on hair rigged bread out by the island.. I immediately changed rods and chucked a method feeder with worm on the hook over to the island in an attempt to catch one too. (Forgot my bread)
Lost 2 method feeders up the trees attempting to cast tight to the island and didn't get any bites either, then the sleet turned to snow...With very numb wet hands, I was getting desperate. 2 of the anglers went home and I was tempted to follow.

Matey on my right caught another carp which wound me up, then horror of horrors, my umbrella pole buckled under the weight of the snow on topmg:
I had to snap it in two and shove half of it back in place thus making it almost touching my head. Decided to take a walk,calm down and warm myself up.
Splatt! Slipped on the snow and mud and went arse over tit grrr.
After that I wondered if anything else could go wrong?
With two hours to go I realised I could probably come 3rd or even 2nd if I applied myself, so it was back on the Waggler.
More roach and a decent skimmer resulted while matey landed a real munter carp in the last 15 minutes.
I weighed in 3lb:8:8 and did indeed come 3rd.

Matey walked it with his 3 carps for 20lb:15oz. 2nd fished the waggler throughout and had 5lb:1oz of roach and skimmers...

7 fished...

I was going to say that I'd have been with the 2 that went home early, but in truth, looking at the forecast I wouldn't have made it out at all! Good on you for giving it a go... [even if you are bonkers! :wh]

 

[108831]

;bpc

Our scheduled match was supposed to be on the Kennet in Reading today but reports it was piling through meant a change of venue..
Instead we fished a day ticket lake in Bucks. I've fished here a few times and it is never easy. With 1 degree on the thermometer and steady sleet falling it was always going to be tricky. My peg was 9' deep so I set up a slider and a feeder rod for the long chuck to the island...

Started on the slider, red maggot over a few small balls of groundbait about 20yds out. Just one bite in the first hour, a small roach. Noticed the float was holding up on the drop so I shallowed up by 6", now the bites were more frequent but still small roach. Then the angler next but one on my right caught a carp on hair rigged bread out by the island.. I immediately changed rods and chucked a method feeder with worm on the hook over to the island in an attempt to catch one too. (Forgot my bread)
Lost 2 method feeders up the trees attempting to cast tight to the island and didn't get any bites either, then the sleet turned to snow...With very numb wet hands, I was getting desperate. 2 of the anglers went home and I was tempted to follow.

Matey on my right caught another carp which wound me up, then horror of horrors, my umbrella pole buckled under the weight of the snow on topmg:
I had to snap it in two and shove half of it back in place thus making it almost touching my head. Decided to take a walk,calm down and warm myself up.
Splatt! Slipped on the snow and mud and went arse over tit grrr.
After that I wondered if anything else could go wrong?
With two hours to go I realised I could probably come 3rd or even 2nd if I applied myself, so it was back on the Waggler.
More roach and a decent skimmer resulted while matey landed a real munter carp in the last 15 minutes.
I weighed in 3lb:8:8 and did indeed come 3rd.

Matey walked it with his 3 carps for 20lb:15oz. 2nd fished the waggler throughout and had 5lb:1oz of roach and skimmers...

7 fished...

Been there Simon,can't remember what its called,Cublington is it,method to the island usually wins,there is what used to be a trout lake behind you,now full of small tench.

 

[S-Kippy]

I think Simon's heroic performance is deserving of recognition so I hereby award him the first Skippy Stone Bonkers Iron Man Award of 2018. Anybody else mad enough to venture out today gets a mention in despatches.

 

[jasonbean1]

we had a club match on the Thames at Donnington, sideways sleet and snow that eventually turned to rain...not surprisingly only 4 if us turned up as there was other club matches on the canals that most chose to go to.

1st 19.13 bream
2nd 16,14 bream(me)
3rd 9.6 bream
and 4th was my mate Bill who blanked(didn't take any groundbait)

thank god for the peacock hand warmer!

 

[Fishfan85]

Me and some friends are doing a catfishing challenge in April. We are gonna stream the even on YouTube via a vlog. Please subscribe and enjoy the contest. Biggest cat wins the pot. They go up to 110lb on this lake. Thanks in advance

YouTube

 

[rubio]

Having bagged 2 blanks the previous weekend, this past one saw me driving back home in the sleet without even getting rods out of the car.
I did put a few baits along a favoured stretch of river in the hope summat will be waiting around when I return.
Might even check it out tonight. I'm sure I could smell some chub in the area.

 

[peter crabtree]

7 old codgers turned up this morning for our weekly outing. The GUC near Tring today, a nice mild day with sunshine and a south wind. Once again I drew last to walk off and was surprised when the rest all walked past the first peg?

Admittedly the wind was gusting straight through the arch on the bridge and further down looked more sheltered and comfortable...

I set up 11' rod, light waggler rig to a 20 hook. Sometimes in winter the roach shoal up by this bridge, would they be there today?

At the off I went straight out with punch 6" off the bottom in 5' of water, bites immediately from quality roach, it looked promising..


Stayed with punch the entire 5 hours and the roach kept coming with the odd plump gudgeon and a couple of skimmers.

Didn't feed at all and used just 3 slices of Warburtons toasty..

At the scales I had 8lb:2oz for the win..

2nd 3:15
3rd. 3:12

l

 

[103841]

Good win, should have brought a smile!

 

[jasonbean1]

4hrs on my favourite little Oxford stream last night which many years ago gave me some good barbel into double figures. Not many left there now but I'm always hopeful and with 3 ft of water on and a water temp of 7.9degree I was hopeful.

Kept it simple fishing a small feeder in a deep pool with pellet and paste wrapped boilie. Nothing for 2 hrs then 2 good bream in 2 chucks made it worthwhile.

Put a bit a bait in and will return tonight....if it's not raining

 

[mikench]

Despite feeling rough with a persistant hacking cough which I just cannot shift, I was determined to go fishing! I arrived at my closest venue before 8.00am to find no one there and a brisk cold wind blowing in the wrong direction for me! Everywhere I could have set up was beset with mud and after a 10 minute coughing fit I decided that fishing suddenly held no allure and I got back in the car just as the rain started to fall and came home! Sorry Mr Crabtree but I cannot compete with you! Am I a wuss?

I feel really out of sorts! Tomorrow may be a better day

 

[john step]

What a week. Two outings. 1st one two tiny pairs of eyes with fins. "2nd. No pike were interested at all.

Thats it! Roll on a bit of warmer weather to get them going.