My comment looks a bit daft - only the first two pics in your post came up for me last night, even though I clicked on the post several times.
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
My comment looks a bit daft - only the first two pics in your post came up for me last night, even though I clicked on the post several times.
thecrow
Well-known member
Back to the club water yesterday an early start meant I was second waiting for the appointed time that anglers are allowed onto the fishery, it means the first one has to open the gates and anyone behind me has the job of closing them leaving me free to drive to the car park 
The water is deep close in 11 rings up on my 13ft rod so no need to fish far out as I always think that depth is cover in the clear water, 2 Tench on the first 2 casts with no freebies being put in both around a couple of pounds then it went quiet so I introduced some reds, hemp and small cubes of meat all wrapped up in some fishmeal groundbait made fairly stiff to ensure it doesn't break up to quickly on the way down.
I have found that the groundbait method often brings pretty instant results and it was no different this time as I ended up with 8 Tench to around 4lbs a couple of Bream and some Roach the biggest or which would have gone over a pound but as it was not hooked but somehow lassoed with the hooklength ( how does that happen its not the first fish I have had like that) it didn't count.
The water is deep close in 11 rings up on my 13ft rod so no need to fish far out as I always think that depth is cover in the clear water, 2 Tench on the first 2 casts with no freebies being put in both around a couple of pounds then it went quiet so I introduced some reds, hemp and small cubes of meat all wrapped up in some fishmeal groundbait made fairly stiff to ensure it doesn't break up to quickly on the way down.
I have found that the groundbait method often brings pretty instant results and it was no different this time as I ended up with 8 Tench to around 4lbs a couple of Bream and some Roach the biggest or which would have gone over a pound but as it was not hooked but somehow lassoed with the hooklength ( how does that happen its not the first fish I have had like that) it didn't count.
Went to a new pond, a club we've joined, andd it's well stocked with carp, tench and some large perch! we had called on Saturday for a look and this guy was reeling the buggers in happy as larry.
so today we go and settle on a couple of pegs. the water was vile green, apparently courtesy of the wash off from a horse centre further up the field.
finding the fish was tricky but a trio opposite were pulling a few in fishing about 2' depth and on the method, so the lad started on the float and I went for the cage feeder with the bait popped up slightly because the bottom is very weedy.
we spent the day chasing fish, I managed a nice little carp of about a pound and a couple of silvers on the cage/method using corn and worm, and I took another carp to a pound on the float with worm on the drop. the lad managed a nice haul of skimmers despite forgetting his landing net head which made life interesting chucking a net between us when separated by bushes!
the other side of the pond were pulling the buggers in with gay abandon! even the daughter who knew n'owt about fishing and had her dad untangling her every 5 minutes was fetching them in up to about 4lb! an old chap some pegs further down on the same side from us was also doing well, again we were fishing the same depth and tactics but struggling.
interestingly though where the triumverate of terrors over the other side were fishing was where the guy on Saturday was also fishing
next time if we can get on there we'll try the other side, although I did notice late in the day I was fishing peg 13!
I should just point out I was selling myself short on my catches. I was reading the wrong scale and those carp weighed 1Kg or 2.2lb!
hey! wouldn't we all like to double our catch weights?
mg:Tee-Cee
Senior Member
My time on the bank today didn't start well. First off I managed to miss a ring when setting up - not, I might add, one near the top of the rod, but the first ring above the reel. No matter, I started again and all went well, if you can say spending many, many minutes faffing around trying to fix No 10 shot to the line in the early morning gloom and dropping more than I fixed. The next fiasco found me trying to gather up as many hemp seeds from the ground as possible, having spilt half the contents of the days supply. In the end I baited up and cast out using the spilt stuff as feed.
Under normal circumstances this sort of thing doesn't happen to me, but this, along with other 'incidence' over the past week or so, leads me to believe ' under normal circumstances' may well be a state of affairs belonging to yesteryear..
I'm pleased to report however, that once fishing all the old style and smoothness came back and I was quickly counting the roach, most of which fell to hempseed fished on the drop. I had to keep the word 'size doesn't matter' in my head as most fish, around a dozen or so, fell someway short of 'goer' size. In an attempt to remedy this I changed my 20 for an 18 and went on to 'giant hemp' (almost the size of a tare) and for a while I had fish to around the 3/4lb mark, which on light tackle was satisfying enough.
In my planning for the session I had already decided to give a number of different baits a whirl and over the next 2/3hours I tried red maggots, sweetcorn (the whole kernel and just 'skins') flake, punch bread, tares and wheat and all caught fish apart from the latter, but that because I didn't give it long enough to be effective.
Bites eventually started to fall away so I went back on the hemp and fished well up in the water. Frustratingly, I missed (or lost) many fish in the strike, but I did manage to bring the total catch up to around 40/50 fish with the odd fish up at 12ozs or so. When I finally called it a day I noticed the 20 hook had lost its sharpness and it was sloppy of me not to have checked this earlier. (Yes, I am hard on myself!)
I really enjoyable session and it was only when I vacated my tree shrouded swim did I realise just how warm it was, and probably another good reason why the bites faded.
I shall do it all again tomorrow but I will probably start earlier in the hope that one or two better fish will make themselves known, so another early night is on the cards.....
Under normal circumstances this sort of thing doesn't happen to me, but this, along with other 'incidence' over the past week or so, leads me to believe ' under normal circumstances' may well be a state of affairs belonging to yesteryear..
I'm pleased to report however, that once fishing all the old style and smoothness came back and I was quickly counting the roach, most of which fell to hempseed fished on the drop. I had to keep the word 'size doesn't matter' in my head as most fish, around a dozen or so, fell someway short of 'goer' size. In an attempt to remedy this I changed my 20 for an 18 and went on to 'giant hemp' (almost the size of a tare) and for a while I had fish to around the 3/4lb mark, which on light tackle was satisfying enough.
In my planning for the session I had already decided to give a number of different baits a whirl and over the next 2/3hours I tried red maggots, sweetcorn (the whole kernel and just 'skins') flake, punch bread, tares and wheat and all caught fish apart from the latter, but that because I didn't give it long enough to be effective.
Bites eventually started to fall away so I went back on the hemp and fished well up in the water. Frustratingly, I missed (or lost) many fish in the strike, but I did manage to bring the total catch up to around 40/50 fish with the odd fish up at 12ozs or so. When I finally called it a day I noticed the 20 hook had lost its sharpness and it was sloppy of me not to have checked this earlier. (Yes, I am hard on myself!)
I really enjoyable session and it was only when I vacated my tree shrouded swim did I realise just how warm it was, and probably another good reason why the bites faded.
I shall do it all again tomorrow but I will probably start earlier in the hope that one or two better fish will make themselves known, so another early night is on the cards.....
thecrow
Well-known member
Your not alone in doing that Tony, I missed the same ring yesterday but being a lazy so and so I left it
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
The big loop of line between c'pin and 2nd ring would've caught on everything, Crow...
I'm still trying to work out how you 'lasso' a 1lb+ roach. Imagining it in my head it hardly seems possible, and yet you say it has happened before. You haven't some fancy casting method based on fly fishing, have you?
You'd have been well gutted, had it been 2lb+ !!
ps I meant to say in my last report that in experimenting with shot sizes down the line (all no10's or staggering the shot size from hook to float) the former caught by far the most fish. Took an age for the float come upright and many times it shot way ('shot away' Ho ho ho). In the end I put on a very small quill float fixed top and bottom which tended to shoot along the surface before disappearing and seemingly making the hooking of fish that much easier.
It certainly is a 'keep you on you toes' type of fishing!
I'm still trying to work out how you 'lasso' a 1lb+ roach. Imagining it in my head it hardly seems possible, and yet you say it has happened before. You haven't some fancy casting method based on fly fishing, have you?
You'd have been well gutted, had it been 2lb+ !!
ps I meant to say in my last report that in experimenting with shot sizes down the line (all no10's or staggering the shot size from hook to float) the former caught by far the most fish. Took an age for the float come upright and many times it shot way ('shot away' Ho ho ho). In the end I put on a very small quill float fixed top and bottom which tended to shoot along the surface before disappearing and seemingly making the hooking of fish that much easier.
It certainly is a 'keep you on you toes' type of fishing!
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mikench
Well-known member
I have done this twice in recent weeks and cannot explain why beyond incompetence, blindness and stupidity!
I spotted the second error before my first cast and remedied it. I do not need any help in failing to catch!!! I can understand a small eyes near the tip but the first one!!!!!
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Had a fantastic morning today. Ok, a bit of a cheat but I’m so made up I had to share my joy with the HDYGO faithful.
Went down the the Stour through Canterbury to do a recci, so no actual fishing. The chub were very obliging woofing down the cubes of meat as I tossed them in, loads of perch buzzing around too.
The best was yet to come, it seems almost inconceivable that a stretch of river no more than two miles long running through the centre of a large city could have so many areas where its nigh on impossible to get access due to the vegetation with nettles and bramble 6ft high but Ive come across a dirt track that took me to a section of the river I’d not come across before, very isolated and quiet compared to the buzz of the urban daily life elsewhere. It’s then that I got my first sighting of a barbel, not a huge one, maybe 5lb or so but unmistakeable with its streamlined profile. I threw in a few lamprey pellets which surprisingly didn’t spook it but unlike the greedy chub it wasn’t interested in some free food and sauntered off casually lleaving me excited like a young kid.
I’ve been looking for a barbel in this stretch for so long I’d started to think they were just mythical creatures. So part one is accomplished,will the second stage and then the third i.e.hooking one, then netting it be just as much of a challenge?
The coming months will tell, I suspect this swim will have a queue on the 15th from those “in the know”, I’ll give it a week or two before a few early morning raids.
Went down the the Stour through Canterbury to do a recci, so no actual fishing. The chub were very obliging woofing down the cubes of meat as I tossed them in, loads of perch buzzing around too.
The best was yet to come, it seems almost inconceivable that a stretch of river no more than two miles long running through the centre of a large city could have so many areas where its nigh on impossible to get access due to the vegetation with nettles and bramble 6ft high but Ive come across a dirt track that took me to a section of the river I’d not come across before, very isolated and quiet compared to the buzz of the urban daily life elsewhere. It’s then that I got my first sighting of a barbel, not a huge one, maybe 5lb or so but unmistakeable with its streamlined profile. I threw in a few lamprey pellets which surprisingly didn’t spook it but unlike the greedy chub it wasn’t interested in some free food and sauntered off casually lleaving me excited like a young kid.
I’ve been looking for a barbel in this stretch for so long I’d started to think they were just mythical creatures. So part one is accomplished,will the second stage and then the third i.e.hooking one, then netting it be just as much of a challenge?
The coming months will tell, I suspect this swim will have a queue on the 15th from those “in the know”, I’ll give it a week or two before a few early morning raids.
Continuing my crossing to the dark side....I have just had a 24 hour carping session and blanked.mg: The rascals were crashing around all the time. Porposing, bubbling and tail flapping and generally sticking two fingers up at me.
Dynamite baits didn't work so may be real dynamite might be the answer.:wh
mg: The rascals were crashing around all the time. Porposing, bubbling and tail flapping and generally sticking two fingers up at me.Dynamite baits didn't work so may be real dynamite might be the answer.:wh
mikench
Well-known member
Best of luck John for the 16th and I hope you get a barbel!
thecrow
Well-known member
Back to the same club lake today, very slow for the first couple of hours with only a small Perch that grabbed my meat as I reeled in to show.
This is the third time I have fished there and I am starting to recognise some of the regulars, the mallet men,
fluorescent jacket man, whip man who seems intent on trying to cast to the horizon with a 2 dust shot float and clap man who claps every time a duck goes near his swim, its really entertaining
Ended up with 7 Tench nothing bigger than 3lbs most smaller but they give a good account of themselves in the deep water all on small cubes of meat fished over some mixed sizes pellet.
This is the third time I have fished there and I am starting to recognise some of the regulars, the mallet men,
fluorescent jacket man, whip man who seems intent on trying to cast to the horizon with a 2 dust shot float and clap man who claps every time a duck goes near his swim, its really entertaining
Ended up with 7 Tench nothing bigger than 3lbs most smaller but they give a good account of themselves in the deep water all on small cubes of meat fished over some mixed sizes pellet.
No fishing today, I thought, with a dentist appointment and some bank business. But it was such a nice day, it seemed a shame not to squeeze in a couple of hours and balance up the terror and tedium. The Tench Lake was looking fine
and, the second coincidence in two visits, the chap I met there a few weeks back, re-starting his angling career with a 1973 fibreglass Sealey Blue Match, was in the peg I fancied fishing, and had had 3 good bream and some tench. He was about to leave, so I sat and chatted and tackled up while he caught a few, then swapped places with him. I must be mellowing; I wouldn't at one time fish a peg that had just been vacated, assuming they'd either had the best or spoiled it.
The small tench obliged as usual, and I got just the one bream as they passed through on their tour of the margins.
This peg has a shallow shelf going out for 8' or so, before the water deepens and you can't see the bottom; elsewhere the contours are steeper. This proved quite an eye-opener - the number of fish, some of them a tidy size, which passed time between me and the end of my keepnet had me re-thinking how to fish here. Two tench bigger than any I've caught recently (not that hard - they were about 3lb) spent the evening mopping up any bait I dropped in. It was interesting to see their reactions - if I dangled the rig in front, they inspected the bait immediately, then fled for several minutes. If I shoo'ed them off with the landing net, they moved reluctantly and came back quickly!
I spent a fair bit of the short session feeding and watching these fish - the bream, when they passed through came right to my feet, as well - and it was a treat, after all the windy weather, to see the lake fall flat calm.
I've enjoyed catching all these little tench. I'm well aware I could be catching a lot less from a big moody river in a couple of weeks
and, the second coincidence in two visits, the chap I met there a few weeks back, re-starting his angling career with a 1973 fibreglass Sealey Blue Match, was in the peg I fancied fishing, and had had 3 good bream and some tench. He was about to leave, so I sat and chatted and tackled up while he caught a few, then swapped places with him. I must be mellowing; I wouldn't at one time fish a peg that had just been vacated, assuming they'd either had the best or spoiled it.
The small tench obliged as usual, and I got just the one bream as they passed through on their tour of the margins.
This peg has a shallow shelf going out for 8' or so, before the water deepens and you can't see the bottom; elsewhere the contours are steeper. This proved quite an eye-opener - the number of fish, some of them a tidy size, which passed time between me and the end of my keepnet had me re-thinking how to fish here. Two tench bigger than any I've caught recently (not that hard - they were about 3lb) spent the evening mopping up any bait I dropped in. It was interesting to see their reactions - if I dangled the rig in front, they inspected the bait immediately, then fled for several minutes. If I shoo'ed them off with the landing net, they moved reluctantly and came back quickly!
I spent a fair bit of the short session feeding and watching these fish - the bream, when they passed through came right to my feet, as well - and it was a treat, after all the windy weather, to see the lake fall flat calm.
I've enjoyed catching all these little tench. I'm well aware I could be catching a lot less from a big moody river in a couple of weeks
Another Dave
Well-known member
This is the third time I have fished there and I am starting to recognise some of the regulars, the mallet men, fluorescent jacket man, whip man who seems intent on trying to cast to the horizon with a 2 dust shot float and clap man who claps every time a duck goes near his swim, its really entertaining
This is hilarious, i bet nearly everyone does this and i wonder if there's a thread in it. Let's find out https://www.fishingmagic.com/forums...-other-anglers-you-encounter.html#post1462373
seth49
Well-known member
View attachment 4914
On my own today as mick was going to a funeral, so up at four am car loaded and away at five, got to the fishery at five thirty am and decided to fish the barbel lake.
Maybe the fact that somebody is supposed to have caught a fourteen pounder last week, might have influenced my decision, that’s grown well from an initial stocking weight of four to six ounces, and the pond I usually fish is not fishing well yet.
Fished two rods on alarms, one with a robin red pellet tipped with a piece of plastic corn, and the other with a large piece of strawberry sweetcorn, which the barbel do seem to like, it’s the so called mega corn might be maize.
View attachment 4915
Caught first barbel at six thirty, which weighed five pounds eight ounces, and went on to catch three more during the day, another five pounder and two around three pounds, chap across from me had an eight pounds eight ounces one which was a nice fish, pound for pound they fight very well against the carp, get them to the net and they go off again, three or four times they will do this.
Had a go on the top for awhile with dog biscuits for the carp, only caught one, very small about a pound, it was a fully scaled mirror and looked perfect.
Also had three ide best about two and a half pound.
It went from seven degrees first thing to high twenty’s by two o clock when I decided to go home as I had to take the wife somewhere later, had a walk round before I left,mainly to see if my usual pond had improved any , but talking to the two who where fishing it not much, it was still hard going for them, and they have fished it for years.
Did see this as I walked round, early purple orchid I think. Nice day out enjoyed it.
View attachment 4916
On my own today as mick was going to a funeral, so up at four am car loaded and away at five, got to the fishery at five thirty am and decided to fish the barbel lake.
Maybe the fact that somebody is supposed to have caught a fourteen pounder last week, might have influenced my decision, that’s grown well from an initial stocking weight of four to six ounces, and the pond I usually fish is not fishing well yet.
Fished two rods on alarms, one with a robin red pellet tipped with a piece of plastic corn, and the other with a large piece of strawberry sweetcorn, which the barbel do seem to like, it’s the so called mega corn might be maize.
View attachment 4915
Caught first barbel at six thirty, which weighed five pounds eight ounces, and went on to catch three more during the day, another five pounder and two around three pounds, chap across from me had an eight pounds eight ounces one which was a nice fish, pound for pound they fight very well against the carp, get them to the net and they go off again, three or four times they will do this.
Had a go on the top for awhile with dog biscuits for the carp, only caught one, very small about a pound, it was a fully scaled mirror and looked perfect.
Also had three ide best about two and a half pound.
It went from seven degrees first thing to high twenty’s by two o clock when I decided to go home as I had to take the wife somewhere later, had a walk round before I left,mainly to see if my usual pond had improved any , but talking to the two who where fishing it not much, it was still hard going for them, and they have fished it for years.
Did see this as I walked round, early purple orchid I think. Nice day out enjoyed it.
View attachment 4916
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
10 codgers turned out yesterday to fish our weekly match on the GUC near Tring.
The water was very coloured and the warm, cloudy conditions with a slight breeze gave it that "it's going to fish well" look.
In the event it didn't fish that well but I did land a specimen gudgeon..
At the scales I only had a meagre 2lb1oz and came nowhere...
Others fared better up by the marina with this 3:14 weight, deftly weighed in by yours truly...
Canal ace Steve had 10lb:12 of skimmers and roach on his vintage Normark Microlight and waggler fished at distance across to the clubhouse margin, to take top spot...
The water was very coloured and the warm, cloudy conditions with a slight breeze gave it that "it's going to fish well" look.
In the event it didn't fish that well but I did land a specimen gudgeon..
At the scales I only had a meagre 2lb1oz and came nowhere...
Others fared better up by the marina with this 3:14 weight, deftly weighed in by yours truly...
Canal ace Steve had 10lb:12 of skimmers and roach on his vintage Normark Microlight and waggler fished at distance across to the clubhouse margin, to take top spot...
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Despite a 4am alarm call and despite arriving at Stonar lake by 5-15 I was disheartened to see the place looking like bivvie city with all the popular pegs taken.
I drove round the lake to the far corner and found peg 1 free, not surprising as its a float only peg. Not my preferred area, it’s very shallow compared to the immensely deep sections which the silvers seem to stick to, maybe to avoid cormorant attacks?
One major plus is being able to watch the resident Peregrine Falcons that inhabit one of the Phiser buildings. Times like this I’d wish I had my camera gear with a super long telephoto, the phone camera limitations seriously exposed
As always the Rudd were the target but some nine hours later I hadn’t caught one just a shed load of bream so not the best day, having said that they do put up a good scrap on the whip with many weighing in around six pound and the best thing, they’re not slimy, still bream though.
Couldn’t bring myself to take a photo of one, a pic of a curved whip seemed infinitely more interesting.
Day ended on a low, broke the top section of the whip trying to release it from number two, off to the garage to find spares.
I drove round the lake to the far corner and found peg 1 free, not surprising as its a float only peg. Not my preferred area, it’s very shallow compared to the immensely deep sections which the silvers seem to stick to, maybe to avoid cormorant attacks?
One major plus is being able to watch the resident Peregrine Falcons that inhabit one of the Phiser buildings. Times like this I’d wish I had my camera gear with a super long telephoto, the phone camera limitations seriously exposed
As always the Rudd were the target but some nine hours later I hadn’t caught one just a shed load of bream so not the best day, having said that they do put up a good scrap on the whip with many weighing in around six pound and the best thing, they’re not slimy, still bream though.
Couldn’t bring myself to take a photo of one, a pic of a curved whip seemed infinitely more interesting.
Day ended on a low, broke the top section of the whip trying to release it from number two, off to the garage to find spares.
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
I did a seven hour session this morning on the same lake as earlier in the week but in a different swim that remained in the shade all session. Looking through the float selection I found a long slim float fashioned from the tail feathers of a pheasant that I made some months ago, but had never used. The beauty of these floats is that they are absolutely straight as a die and although fragile they do make a really lovely float.
I recall when making them, the fuff of folding the bottom end back on itself to form the 'eye' and then whipping it in position (plus a bit extra to give the lower end a bit of stiffness) without breaking the oh so fragile stem. Took an age, but looking at one of them this morning the effort was well worth it and in the water it looked a treat.....
As usual I was after roach (with the distant hope of a crucian) and among other baits pinches tiny flake pinched on a 16 was what I fancied to produce better quality fish. I varied the shot pattern but the one that produced the most fish was shirt button in about 6' of water. On the flake I had a few fish at 12ozs with the best at 15ozs. A change to large hemp, whilst giving me countless bites, only gave me fish to about 10ozs when I managed to hook one!!. Another change to sweetcorn 'skins' gave me 20 or so fish but of no size.
With all baits I used standard hemp only as feed, and then sparingly...
I ended up with about 40 or so fish and they were still feeding when I packed up.
Ideal conditions with not a breath of wind and very enjoyable, intense fishing, to the extent that it was 09.30 before I had my first mug of hot tea. Then I went mad and had three cups!!
Out with my wife tomorrow so it will be Monday before I venture out again..(Picked up my new Ultralight 11' rod this afternoon so will be christened that day)
ps The float worked very well and it made a pleasant change to fish a top and bottom float under the rod tip.
I recall when making them, the fuff of folding the bottom end back on itself to form the 'eye' and then whipping it in position (plus a bit extra to give the lower end a bit of stiffness) without breaking the oh so fragile stem. Took an age, but looking at one of them this morning the effort was well worth it and in the water it looked a treat.....
As usual I was after roach (with the distant hope of a crucian) and among other baits pinches tiny flake pinched on a 16 was what I fancied to produce better quality fish. I varied the shot pattern but the one that produced the most fish was shirt button in about 6' of water. On the flake I had a few fish at 12ozs with the best at 15ozs. A change to large hemp, whilst giving me countless bites, only gave me fish to about 10ozs when I managed to hook one!!. Another change to sweetcorn 'skins' gave me 20 or so fish but of no size.
With all baits I used standard hemp only as feed, and then sparingly...
I ended up with about 40 or so fish and they were still feeding when I packed up.
Ideal conditions with not a breath of wind and very enjoyable, intense fishing, to the extent that it was 09.30 before I had my first mug of hot tea. Then I went mad and had three cups!!
Out with my wife tomorrow so it will be Monday before I venture out again..(Picked up my new Ultralight 11' rod this afternoon so will be christened that day)
ps The float worked very well and it made a pleasant change to fish a top and bottom float under the rod tip.
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you must be fishing the same places as me mg:
mg:Roger Johnson 2
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Well, yesterday provided an evening of firsts:- first fish on dry fly, first fly caught fish from a river, first grayling on the fly, first grayling from the River Dordogne, first salmon ( parr), and all from my own back garden! One of my dreams when I came to live here on the banks of the Dordogne was to catch a salmon from my own garden so I guess I’m sort of on the way. Mind you 50 years of U.K. coarse angling makes me want to sort out the chub and barbel which frankly at the moment are beating me hands down.
Oh, and first post on HDYGO!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Oh, and first post on HDYGO!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk