How did you get on?

[sam vimes]

Much against my better judgement, a mate persuaded me to go carping today. His insistence coupled with some unseasonally good recent results gave me the encouragement to give it a whirl.

If you stare at the photo* for several hours you'll get a fair representation of my day. Unfortunately, unlike recent days, we could barely find any signs of the fish. What little we did see was over our baits.










*Please note the properly assembled reel handles, unfashionable non-symetry of bobbins, handles, spools etc and adjustable buzz bars.:wh

 

[Tee-Cee]

I don't see any chair for sitting hunched up over the rods? Does that mean you were sitting 10 yds back under a bivi, or worse sitting in a car with the radio and heater on ?

Nice set-up of tackle - as long as it hasn't been 'staged'...................

Perish the thought..

ps I'm only posting at this time as looking out the front door at 7am with tackle ready to go, the rain had started to fall a little heavily, so whilst I can suffer cold and wind, the addition of rain made it a 'chicken out' situation. So, back into the house, empty flasks, bait in the fridge and plan for tomorrow.
A good day for a decent walk, a visit to the tackle shop, and mum !!

pps Oh, the fish report..Some fair roach yesterday but spread over a number of hours and only by casting to various areas of the swim was I able to find a few fish. It's odd that I can take several fish in successive casts, then nothing, only to be followed by a cast 15' away yielding another fish or two, and then back to the original spot...
All fell to hemp fished on a very slow drop with 95% of the weight under the float and only dust down the line. I needed to hold the rod at all times so it was intense fishing, but very enjoyable none the less....May have suffered the occasional 'shot' bite but 'shirtbutton shottting' was the only way to take fish !

 

[no-one in particular]

Did not have a bite on Sunday, however fished a river that's been in decline for a couple of years now. I still fish it occasionally just to see if and when it picks up again. I think I would have done better on one of my better known rivers and swims that hold roach and chub this time of year. The river was in good mettle, fined down a bit with plenty of colour but, looked lifeless.

 

[sam vimes]

I don't see any chair for sitting hunched up over the rods? Does that mean you were sitting 10 yds back under a bivi, or worse sitting in a car with the radio and heater on ?

Nice set-up of tackle - as long as it hasn't been 'staged'...................

Perish the thought..

No chair, no bivvy and no car within several hundred yards. The shot is in no way staged. I really was fishing and that really is what I got to stare at for several hours.

 

[chub_on_the_block]

If you stare at the photo for several hours you'll get a fair representation of my day.

Somebody should come up with the stay at home fishing game for PC. That would be the essence of it when played at nightmare level. It would essentially be a still photo of some rods, maybe an animated duck passing by every four hours. Hardcore gamers would be on the game for 48hr sessions.

 

[neil1970]

Out today for four hours and two bites.

Maggot feeder, no bites. Bunch of dendrobenas, no bites.
Spam, no bites.

Single red maggot, Chub.
Double red maggot, clutch active, 7lb hooklength snapped at knot.

 

[sam vimes]

Fished a swim that I'm only vaguely familiar with, rarely fish and even more rarely do any good on. However, I'm regularly told it's a cracking peg. True to form, I didn't get a sniff, despite trying the stick, waggler and even having to resort to the tip. I did see the odd small fish topping, mostly slightly up and downstream of me. Try as I might, I couldn't locate any feeding fish. Not a single dip of the float, rattle of the tip or nipped maggot/worm. I doubt the first really hard frost of the year helped much. Wherever the sun failed to penetrate stayed white and crunchy all day. By the time I knocked it on the head, I had to scrape the windscreen of my car before I could get going.

 

[nicepix]

It dropped from 20C to 8C overnight a few days back and has been hovering around 3C for the last three days. I've had two short sessions chucking lures mainly because I haven't had time to do anything else.

Today, I was working out in the Charente valley and so packed the spinning outfit, a bag of lures and a net and spent about 2 hours working a new area to me along the river near to Civray. Same result as before - not a touch.

 

[neil1970]

Have you tried a really slow retrieve across the bottom - tiny twitch upwards, wait for 4-5secs, then another tiny twitch?

Takes ages to get in, but seems to work for me (a bit)

 

[sam vimes]

A quick couple of hours or so on one of my banker swims and normal service has been resumed. Fifteen grayling, and an inexplicable absence of trout, and all for no more than a quarter of a pint of maggots. In the past month or so the river levels have fluctuated quite a bit, rising and falling quickly but never dropping below an expected winter level. All change in the last week, it's closer to normal summer levels at the moment.

 

[neil1970]

I walked up a very clear canal this morning, slowly jigging a small curly tailed plastic thing on a 5 gram jig head, and then headed onto the Chess basin where I swapped to a fox mini fry.

My fingers were starting to numb, so I popped into the local spoons for a tea and breakfast

On the walk home along the river I swapped to the heavy lure outfit and tried out some buster jerks, heavy spinnerbaits and a large 'real eel'

Nice stroll, no fish.

:wh

 

[bracket]

Dour morning on the river today. Dull dank and finger numbing cold, I can't fish with gloves on. The fishing was slow, fish coming in fits and starts. I gave it best at Noon and went somewhere warm. Finished the session with 12 grayling and 7 trout.



Pete.

 

[binka]

Had a bit of a nightmare after deciding on a local lake for some more perching today, the forecast southerly turned out to be a stubborn northerly straight in the face and for some reason the maggots which I'd krilled and frozen down earlier in the week had somehow blown and all floated back to me after balling them in a couple of rod lengths out in a mixture of various additives and seed compost which left little else out there other than a bit of chopped worm and some highly flavoured soil mg:

I optimistically thought that there might even be some merit in this on such a cold day and gave it four or five hours without even a sign before calling it an early day.

Roll on the weekend...

 

[Tee-Cee]

neil1970...................Are you sure you didn't just go for the tea and breakfast ?? I was out this morning and yes, it was a little chilly ( at 07.30 !! ) but never cold enough for chilly fingers....

I don't know, what is the world coming too when 'young' anglers can no longer stand the pace !! ( add a winky smilie here )


Mind you, it was really 'dark' at 8am - I thought I was in for a soaking...

 

[greenie62]

....for some reason the maggots which I'd krilled and frozen down earlier in the week had somehow blown ...

Binka - is your bait freezer in the garage? Depending on the type of freezer - some won't work properly if the surrounding ambient temperature is too low!
Solution: Point a fan heater at the back of your freezer! Not very 'Green' but it works - so heyho!

We had a near disaster in the run-up to Xmas a few years ago when the big freezer in the garage started to act more like a fridge and we had stuff defrosting a couple of days too early! No problem we just started eating it too early - left more time for drinking on Xmas Day!!mg:

 

[binka]

Binka - is your bait freezer in the garage?

It is Greenie and I only bought it brand new a couple of weeks ago after the old one gave up the ghost but I checked first that it was suitable for outbuildings... The deadbaits, cheesepaste, lager lollies etc are all frozen solid and I'm certain it's not the freezer.

I am completely baffled about the maggots though

The swear box was a bit full when I realised what was going on

 

[Tee-Cee]

I went yesterday, the third trip in four days, with early morning and midday being the most productive. I could've gone home for a couple of hours at 9am as the fish went walkabout during this period.
Hemp still producing reasonable roach with flake, tares and red maggot good back-up's, the latter producing a 1lb 1oz perch ( yes, the 1oz is important! ) hooked 'handlebar fashion' on an 18 hook......A very pretty fish with lovely colouring..
It was very cold and fuffing around with hemp seed on a 20 was no fun, BUT it kept me busy, which with several changes to float and shotting, made it all worthwhile.

Bit of a general clean up today, maybe some float making and definitely some hook tying !!

Weekend looks a very daunting prospect weatherwise, but I may not be able to stay away from the water...................................................

 

[sam vimes]

A quick session on the river for twenty eight grayling. Back in time for the footie, which has, so far, proven somewhat less inspiring.

 

[stu_the_blank]

Got out yesterday for the first time in six weeks, my longest break for a very long time. Work mainly!

Went for a few hours piking on my favourite carp lake. Popped out a couple of small DB's and threw about a lure in the sunshine. A jack on the plug, stopped for a cuppa and a doughnut. Pleasant day, temp low but nice in the sunshine. Moved one of the baits to the slope on the side of the dam, sat back and waited. Didn't expect any action until the sun dropped.

Out of the corner of my eye, a twitch on the float and the ping of the line pulling out of the rubber band. I picked up the rod as the float slid away tightened down and struck, over went the rod, clutch screamed as a very p*ssed off pike headed for the reeds. A short tussle resulted in a lump of a female sitting in the latex! A lump of primeval fury on the mat! Carefully removed the hook, in the sling. Result, 22-04. First 20 from the lake and my first 20 since I curtailed my annual trips to the broads and fens a few years ago.

Really chuffed. Won't get out again before Christmas but should get out over the festive period.

Stu

 

[binka]

Got out yesterday for the first time in six weeks, my longest break for a very long time. Work mainly!

Went for a few hours piking on my favourite carp lake. Popped out a couple of small DB's and threw about a lure in the sunshine. A jack on the plug, stopped for a cuppa and a doughnut. Pleasant day, temp low but nice in the sunshine. Moved one of the baits to the slope on the side of the dam, sat back and waited. Didn't expect any action until the sun dropped.

Out of the corner of my eye, a twitch on the float and the ping of the line pulling out of the rubber band. I picked up the rod as the float slid away tightened down and struck, over went the rod, clutch screamed as a very p*ssed off pike headed for the reeds. A short tussle resulted in a lump of a female sitting in the latex! A lump of primeval fury on the mat! Carefully removed the hook, in the sling. Result, 22-04. First 20 from the lake and my first 20 since I curtailed my annual trips to the broads and fens a few years ago.
Really chuffed. Won't get out again before Christmas but should get out over the festive period.

Stu

Congratulations Stu :w