How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
barbelboi
Well-known member
What a difference a few days make – a sunny 27/28C on the bank last Wednesday and Thursday, overcast, breezy and struggling to reach 13C today. I decided for a few hours on the bay end of a large, local gravel pit for some tench. The end result was three fish to a bit over 6lb and fished from 10am-2.30pm when the rain set in.
mikench
Well-known member
Where you fishing with buzzers and freespool reels Jerry? Nice tench! I would be very happy with one like that and live in hope!
barbelboi
Well-known member
Bobbins Mike, don't use buzzers as I tend to stay awake whilst fishing:wink: although two rods as there aren't many fish in that pit....
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
8 codgers turned up this morning for their Tuesday therapy. The canal near Tring where I fished Saturday.
Photo from Saturday...
Today I was opposite the blue boat, set up 2 wagglers, one for the near shelf and another for across to the boat. At the off I swung out the near line with punch and almost immediately a bite was converted to a nice bream around 2lb:8.
A succession of gudgeon followed while I pinged casters across to the boat hoping to attract the resident chub or carp.
After 30 minutes I swapped rods and chucked a single maggot on a 20 across.
The wind was broadside and the locks were opening and closing regularly which made presentation difficult . I missed 3 or 4 bites before finally contacting with a fish. It hung heavy and wallowed a bit and I imagined a big bream but it suddenly woke up and started a vigorous fight. I nursed it across very gingerly and it was lunging trying to find a snag. At one point it tried to bury itself behind my keepnet but I persuaded it out and netted it, my first chub from this stretch.
That was it and I was biteless for the final 2 hours, I even tried the choppy and worm close in which worked for some perch Saturday.
Weighed in the 2 fish for 5lb:8 which secured yet another win for me.
2nd had 4lb and 3rd 3:7.
Photo from Saturday...
Today I was opposite the blue boat, set up 2 wagglers, one for the near shelf and another for across to the boat. At the off I swung out the near line with punch and almost immediately a bite was converted to a nice bream around 2lb:8.
A succession of gudgeon followed while I pinged casters across to the boat hoping to attract the resident chub or carp.
After 30 minutes I swapped rods and chucked a single maggot on a 20 across.
The wind was broadside and the locks were opening and closing regularly which made presentation difficult . I missed 3 or 4 bites before finally contacting with a fish. It hung heavy and wallowed a bit and I imagined a big bream but it suddenly woke up and started a vigorous fight. I nursed it across very gingerly and it was lunging trying to find a snag. At one point it tried to bury itself behind my keepnet but I persuaded it out and netted it, my first chub from this stretch.
That was it and I was biteless for the final 2 hours, I even tried the choppy and worm close in which worked for some perch Saturday.
Weighed in the 2 fish for 5lb:8 which secured yet another win for me.
2nd had 4lb and 3rd 3:7.
mikench
Well-known member
Well done Peter!
Pete Shears
Well-known member
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Back at the reservoir this morning for yet another trip to catch tench after a mate had two male fish yesterday to 4lb 1oz and all I have had are blanks.Cool and overcast,was that this years summer last week?
Kept getting line bites and set up a float as well fished lift method style with corn on the hook.One of the method feeders went and I thought it was a tench on the end but ended up with a three pound jack pike in the net with the popped up plastic corn deep in its mouth - couldn't get a touch a month ago in the pike season - must try it again this winter,still not a blank.
Kept getting line bites and set up a float as well fished lift method style with corn on the hook.One of the method feeders went and I thought it was a tench on the end but ended up with a three pound jack pike in the net with the popped up plastic corn deep in its mouth - couldn't get a touch a month ago in the pike season - must try it again this winter,still not a blank.
flightliner
Well-known member
Well, an afternoon of heavy rain forecast so decided to "walk the river" (Trent) this morning on the very lower tidal to check out a reach that tho I've fished it before in the past was one that I had never got to grips with where the better swims might actually be .
Arriving at ten thirty, booted n suited I was off upstream with an occasional step back to compare signs of the rivers actions to those Above and below mentally noting the ones of greater interest.
It was hard going in places where the detritus left by the recant receding floods had left huge piles of the stuff that was knee deep in places that again were noted as areas that could be slacks in high water conditions.
Finally after almost two hours I had three really interesting swims that will receive my attention later in the year.
Finally the forecast rain began to fall so back in the car I had a drink, a bite to eat and then, job done, journeyed home.
Arriving at ten thirty, booted n suited I was off upstream with an occasional step back to compare signs of the rivers actions to those Above and below mentally noting the ones of greater interest.
It was hard going in places where the detritus left by the recant receding floods had left huge piles of the stuff that was knee deep in places that again were noted as areas that could be slacks in high water conditions.
Finally after almost two hours I had three really interesting swims that will receive my attention later in the year.
Finally the forecast rain began to fall so back in the car I had a drink, a bite to eat and then, job done, journeyed home.
seth49
Well-known member
Big change from last week, ten degrees, windy,and it rained all day from one o clock, started as drizzle and got steadily worse, we had a late start as mick had a doctors appointment at ten thirty, so we only had about an hour fishing in the dry. The peg I picked was a bit muddy when I started and just got worse.
Tackled up with middy battle zone pellet waggler rod, Shimano 2500 baitrunner, six pound line, and four pound hook length to a size sixteen hook, float used was a 3bb drennan glo tip, and bait was six mm expander pellets flavoured with pineapple, with two mm pellets as feed.
I like the above rod a lot, it’s sensitive enough for small fish, but it will handle carp as well, will handle lines up to twelve pounds as well.
So I had quite a few of these.
View attachment 4450
A dozen or so Rudd.
View attachment 4451
One of these.
View attachment 4452
And a lot of these.View attachment 4453
A total of forty six fish altogether, so a good day apart from the rain, the bream are showing spawning nodules on them already, so the cold winter doesn’t seem to have held them back much.
Now trying to dry most of my kit, I usually take a piece of plastic sheet , place on ground, lie my rod hold-all on it with other bags and cover them up, forgot it today so what didn’t go under the brolly got wetmg:.
I never did like fishing in the rain, I did catch ok, but it makes a lot of extra work when I get home.
Even so I did enjoy it, but if it’s wet on Thursday I’ll probably give it a miss.
Tackled up with middy battle zone pellet waggler rod, Shimano 2500 baitrunner, six pound line, and four pound hook length to a size sixteen hook, float used was a 3bb drennan glo tip, and bait was six mm expander pellets flavoured with pineapple, with two mm pellets as feed.
I like the above rod a lot, it’s sensitive enough for small fish, but it will handle carp as well, will handle lines up to twelve pounds as well.
So I had quite a few of these.
View attachment 4450
A dozen or so Rudd.
View attachment 4451
One of these.
View attachment 4452
And a lot of these.View attachment 4453
A total of forty six fish altogether, so a good day apart from the rain, the bream are showing spawning nodules on them already, so the cold winter doesn’t seem to have held them back much.
Now trying to dry most of my kit, I usually take a piece of plastic sheet , place on ground, lie my rod hold-all on it with other bags and cover them up, forgot it today so what didn’t go under the brolly got wet
mg:.I never did like fishing in the rain, I did catch ok, but it makes a lot of extra work when I get home.
Even so I did enjoy it, but if it’s wet on Thursday I’ll probably give it a miss.
wetthrough
Well-known member
Make that ThreeBlanks More fool me for going back to the same place. The water had a bit of colour in it so I thought I'd give it a go. There must be some fish in there . There are, Carp and fair sized ones at that. I'd seen a mirror by the peg but that was probably in the 6/7lb bracket. Yesterday what must have been 15lb+ lept out of the water with an almighty crash 3 times in succession - time to step up my hook length!
Again not even a nibble and now it's starting to rain heavily. I was just retrieving my 6mm bread punch when something took it. Sadly I never got to find out what. Never having caught a big Carp I don't really know how they play but this was much like my past experience of Pike, powerful and pedantic and much bigger than Pike I've had on before. Played it for a few minutes with the match waggler rod doubled over until it snapped me off. Nothing after that and with the gear and outers wet through I called it a day at around 4:00.
There's going to have to be a lot more colour in the water before I go back there. You live and learn, just not very quickly in my case
Bizzarely, I still enjoyed the day and look forward to when there is some colour in the water.
Onward and forward. Might give the Dam a go tomorrow if I get up at a reasonable time - snooker tonight:w
More fool me for going back to the same place. The water had a bit of colour in it so I thought I'd give it a go. There must be some fish in there . There are, Carp and fair sized ones at that. I'd seen a mirror by the peg but that was probably in the 6/7lb bracket. Yesterday what must have been 15lb+ lept out of the water with an almighty crash 3 times in succession - time to step up my hook length! Again not even a nibble and now it's starting to rain heavily. I was just retrieving my 6mm bread punch when something took it. Sadly I never got to find out what. Never having caught a big Carp I don't really know how they play but this was much like my past experience of Pike, powerful and pedantic and much bigger than Pike I've had on before. Played it for a few minutes with the match waggler rod doubled over until it snapped me off. Nothing after that and with the gear and outers wet through I called it a day at around 4:00.
There's going to have to be a lot more colour in the water before I go back there. You live and learn, just not very quickly in my case
Bizzarely, I still enjoyed the day and look forward to when there is some colour in the water.
Onward and forward. Might give the Dam a go tomorrow if I get up at a reasonable time - snooker tonight:w
mikench
Well-known member
I reckon if you wait for supposedly ideal conditions you will not go fishing very often! Too cold, too wet, too windy, all of the above are typical climatic conditions prevalent on these islands!
As for blanking it goes with the territory! I managed a couple of hours on Monday afternoon but it was so uneventful( one carp of 10lb) I couldn't be bothered posting about it!
I also lost 3 fish which I reckon were carp but in a self indulgent delusion I can imagine they may have been large tench! One snapped the hooklink, another the hook from the hair and the third just pulled the brand new hook!
There is always tomorrow both literally and metaphorically and I draw comfort from it! Just listening to a radio programme about the beach boys and their song "God only knows" ! Brilliant and says it all about fishing even though it's not about that!
As for blanking it goes with the territory! I managed a couple of hours on Monday afternoon but it was so uneventful( one carp of 10lb) I couldn't be bothered posting about it!
I also lost 3 fish which I reckon were carp but in a self indulgent delusion I can imagine they may have been large tench! One snapped the hooklink, another the hook from the hair and the third just pulled the brand new hook!
There is always tomorrow both literally and metaphorically and I draw comfort from it! Just listening to a radio programme about the beach boys and their song "God only knows" ! Brilliant and says it all about fishing even though it's not about that!
Make that ThreeBlanks
Again not even a nibble and now it's starting to rain heavily. I was just retrieving my 6mm bread punch when something took it. Sadly I never got to find out what. Never having caught a big Carp I don't really know how they play but this was much like my past experience of Pike, powerful and pedantic and much bigger than Pike I've had on before. Played it for a few minutes with the match waggler rod doubled over until it snapped me off. Nothing after that and with the gear and outers wet through I called it a day at around 4:00.
There's going to have to be a lot more colour in the water before I go back there. You live and learn, just not very quickly in my case
Bizzarely, I still enjoyed the day and look forward to when there is some colour in the water.
Onward and forward. Might give the Dam a go tomorrow if I get up at a reasonable time - snooker tonight:w
What patience! (And I'm not being sarcastic) You obviously love the fishing as well as the catching. It goes around and comes around, so when you do sit down where the fish are actually feeding you'll probably empty the place.
mikench
Well-known member
Kev did you receive my pm?
Kev did you receive my pm?
I did, Mike, and replied, but apparently it didn't get there! I've just replied again.
mikench
Well-known member
Cheers Kev! I often find my pm replies disappear into the ether and never arrive!
Received by the way and replied to!
Received by the way and replied to!
Due to the appalling weather recently rendering the River unfishable I have not been out since 2nd of February. Last day for the River came and went, with still no improvement and I began to get withdrawal symptoms. So Monday I grasped the nettle and went to a local water that is tench and silver fish only. I sat down on peg 36:
View attachment 4461
which is an absolute flyer, draw it in a match and you run to the peg. I kicked off with the pole and expander, the most successful approach. Come three hours in, without a bite, the realization slowly dawned that I was just going through the motions, so I wrapped up and slunk away. Not to be deterred, today saw me at a banker club carp venue. It is a huge walk down a hill. Takes me fifteen minutes to get there and three quarters of an hour to get back, stops included, so I tend to be minimalistic and take only a feeder rod. This session was an improvement, I managed 11 carp, like this
View attachment 4462
in three hours. There was this digression halfway through, there is me fishing method feeder 40 yards out and I get a visitation:
View attachment 4463
View attachment 4464
I like to think that this is a case of the quarry searching for the root of the food source. But I'm sure the technical term for this activity is called "Taking the P**S". Still I left well satisfied and did the hill in 30 minutes. Pete
View attachment 4461
which is an absolute flyer, draw it in a match and you run to the peg. I kicked off with the pole and expander, the most successful approach. Come three hours in, without a bite, the realization slowly dawned that I was just going through the motions, so I wrapped up and slunk away. Not to be deterred, today saw me at a banker club carp venue. It is a huge walk down a hill. Takes me fifteen minutes to get there and three quarters of an hour to get back, stops included, so I tend to be minimalistic and take only a feeder rod. This session was an improvement, I managed 11 carp, like this
View attachment 4462
in three hours. There was this digression halfway through, there is me fishing method feeder 40 yards out and I get a visitation:
View attachment 4463
View attachment 4464
I like to think that this is a case of the quarry searching for the root of the food source. But I'm sure the technical term for this activity is called "Taking the P**S". Still I left well satisfied and did the hill in 30 minutes. Pete
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peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Back to the same canal venue as Tuesday with 3 others to practice for an open on Sunday. We fished the other side of the bridge as we may draw there.
It rarely fishes as well and today was no exception.
Just a handful of gudgeon and perch to show for my efforts, going to need my good draw hand Sunday...
It rarely fishes as well and today was no exception.
Just a handful of gudgeon and perch to show for my efforts, going to need my good draw hand Sunday...
mikench
Well-known member
The weather forecast said breezy with sunny spells! In meteorology language there was a 10% chance of precipitation They got that wrong big style as I endured rain, wind, hail and sunshine and frequently all at once! I fished from 7am until 4.00pm and only had 5 bites but I managed to convert them all! Jonny Wilkinson eat your heart out
Sadly no tench just carp although one was over 11.5 lb! It was cold as well and definitely brolly weather!
I have reached a conclusion about this water; there are no tench!
They got that wrong big style as I endured rain, wind, hail and sunshine and frequently all at once! I fished from 7am until 4.00pm and only had 5 bites but I managed to convert them all! Jonny Wilkinson eat your heart outSadly no tench just carp although one was over 11.5 lb! It was cold as well and definitely brolly weather!
I have reached a conclusion about this water; there are no tench!
I heard on the way home that temperatures in some parts are down nearly 20 degrees on this time last week. And it was certainly chilly by the Old Lake today - calm one minute, wind gusting wildly from all directions the next. That didn't deter Graham (The Crow) and I from having an enjoyable day's fishing, even if the tench that had been feeding well lately took the day off. It was quite a drive over through the morning traffic for him, but at least the bailiff had reserved us a couple of pegs. Although not quite the ones I'd asked him to, so we ended up not side by side but either side of a big tree.
Graham set up with a long rod and pin, and with a variety of baits - hemp, tares, cockles, corn - caught a variety of fish - roach, rudd, skimmers and tench, alongside a brief connection to a carp that scarpered quickly. I managed to get a pic of him unhooking a small bream, but managed to miss off the bream
Meanwhile, I fed and fished my usual two swims. I barely had a bite from the swim fed with hemp and pellets and fished bulk-down on the bottom - the tench, crucians and carp were conspicuously absent.
Fortunately the other swim produced a few roach
and I spent most of the time fishing little cubes of meat on a slow drop for these. We knocked off for a chat at frequent intervals, and agreed, despite the fairly hostile weather, that there are far worse ways to spend the day. Thanks for coming over, Graham, and I'll look forward to meeting up again before long.
Graham set up with a long rod and pin, and with a variety of baits - hemp, tares, cockles, corn - caught a variety of fish - roach, rudd, skimmers and tench, alongside a brief connection to a carp that scarpered quickly. I managed to get a pic of him unhooking a small bream, but managed to miss off the bream
Meanwhile, I fed and fished my usual two swims. I barely had a bite from the swim fed with hemp and pellets and fished bulk-down on the bottom - the tench, crucians and carp were conspicuously absent.
Fortunately the other swim produced a few roach
and I spent most of the time fishing little cubes of meat on a slow drop for these. We knocked off for a chat at frequent intervals, and agreed, despite the fairly hostile weather, that there are far worse ways to spend the day. Thanks for coming over, Graham, and I'll look forward to meeting up again before long.
mikench
Well-known member
The Crow is very photogenic!! It sounds like you and Graham had a good time and endured similar weather to me! I must be stupid because after the heat of last week, I decided that thermal lined waterproof trousers, thermal socks and layers could be consigned to the wardrobe until next winter! How wrong I was ! I know it is still April but today was cold and miserable like the fishing!!
Have a word with the tench Kev about next month!!:wh
It sounds like you and Graham had a good time and endured similar weather to me! I must be stupid because after the heat of last week, I decided that thermal lined waterproof trousers, thermal socks and layers could be consigned to the wardrobe until next winter! How wrong I was ! I know it is still April but today was cold and miserable like the fishing!!Have a word with the tench Kev about next month!!:wh
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