How did you get on?

[mikench]

Some great posts there! Two Tarés TeeCee now there a moniker! I will give two a try next time out !

Nice fish John and Stuart and I'm glad you managed a session on day one! You're a better man than me Stuart as no way would I wander around a river at midnight!!!

I bet the experience was just what you needed Ian but I'm glad I wasn't there! I need dry, calm and safe for my next foray on the river!!

 

[tigger]

Some great posts there! Two Tarés TeeCee now there a moniker! I will give two a try next time out !

Nice fish John and Stuart and I'm glad you managed a session on day one! You're a better man than me Stuart as no way would I wander around a river at midnight!!!

I bet the experience was just what you needed Ian but I'm glad I wasn't there! I need dry, calm and safe for my next foray on the river!!

Depth wasn't a problem Mike, the river was as low as i've ever seen it....to low if ewt!

 

[peter crabtree]

Got down the river at 6:30 this morning. Set up 15' rod and 4bb stick float.
First 2 chucks on punch had 2 roach then on the next I hooked a lump. It sped off downstream, chub like tactic, and my drag was set just a tad too tight and the Hooklink snapped at the loop.

After that I couldn't get a touch for at least an hour. Changed to double pinkie and had lots of perch.

Neil was around later with his curly plastic jobs and had far more than me...

 

[Tee-Cee]

Mikench...If you do try the double tare; Mine were very soft and they had been soaked in the juice from a tin of Dynamite Hemp (nod, nod wink, wink..) for some time. I also fed a few grains of hemp on each cast...I hope it works but when you put the two on the hook it will look all wrong in presentation, and if looks are anything to go by it should never, never work - I promise you!!!

ps I think it was you who bought some black tares ? I also did the same, BUT I have to say when i tried them they were as hard as bullets and almost impossible to get them on the hook!! I don't know what I shall do with mine unless they soften with more cooking.

imho I think it far better to buy them uncooked and very gently simmer them until they are dead right if you are serious about them as an effective bait..

Good luck, but be patience is the key

)Wrong thread, so apologies for that...)

 

[mikench]

Depth wasn't a problem Mike, the river was as low as i've ever seen it....to low if ewt!

You are right Ian. As I drove over at Balderston I noticed how low the river was! Perfect for my wading abilities!!!!!!

 

[mikench]

Neil was around later with his curly plastic jobs and had far more than me..

Looking forward to your post Neil!!!!

 

[john step]

No tench on the Witham on opening day. Only one rudd and one skimmer. I did see something new to me however.
Upon removing the weed from the drag two tiny fish fell out. I had not seen these before. They were about 2 inches long and I guessed they must be some sort of loach.
I have looked them up and they were spinney loach. Found in the East and mostly in Licolnshire in fact.
You learn something new every day.

 

[tigger]

You are right Ian. As I drove over at Balderston I noticed how low the river was! Perfect for my wading abilities!!!!!!

Don't you mean flew over Mike, there's no roads over the river for miles either side of that area!

 

[mikench]

I'm talking about the stretch at the tickled trout as you cross over on the M6!! Isn't that Balderston?

I meant Brockholes!! Doh! I knew it started with a B!

 

[Pete Shears]

On the banks of the Wreake just after five this morning,no wind and cloudy.A white egret flew off as I reached the fence and a swan slashing around at the lower end of the pool surprisingly did not assume I had brought it breakfast and stayed away.
Out with the quiver tipped crust & a small cage feeder contaning liquidised bread.Lots of knocks and tweaks showing there was a healthy minnow population and finally connected with a proper bite landing a nice golden chub of 2lb 4oz showing no sign of otter or cormorant damage.About 6.30-ish it started to rain,then it really started to rain and not having a brolly (too heavy to lug about on a small river) I legged it for the car,the rain then got worse so homeward bound and return another day.

 

[neil1970]

I decided to use a tiny lure (Fox Microfry) for almost all of the afternoon on the river today;
scale down and have bit of fun, with no pressure was my intention.
It worked. I had a leisurely stroll upstream in the afternoon and met Simon for a chat after catching 18 tiny perch.
By the end of the day I 'd had 49 tiny perch and 2 tiny pike Thoroughly Enjoyable.

 

[The Runner]

Opening day on the Colne at Uxbridge , not the best I've had, with the river pitifully low. Got there about 2, took a walk more or less right round, and noted that my banker early season barbel swims (plan was as always to fish float for anything that comes to start with and then move to a barbel swim for the last two hours) both looked horrible, one virtually slack and the other for some reason without its usual weed cover. Had seen two or three good barbel last week though in an unfancied area , only 18 inches deep at present and full of cabbage, so decided that would be my late go-to swim.

Main river was really hard, ran stick through with maggot for well over three hours spread over three swims for three perch, a dace and half a dozen minnow sized chub (as well as some minnow sized minnows ) so decided to give it an hour on the backwater. On walk down to backwater, passed the aforementioned shallow cabbagey swim and obviously I wasn't the only one to have seen the barbel there as one of our regulars was sat there having a cuppa and waiting for the light to drop before he put a bait in. Onto backwater and it was a bite a chuck, mostly little dace with a couple of proper ones, some perch, and a bonus chub about a pound. Nowhere I really fancied for a final move so stayed there until packed in, probably had about 6 to 7 lb.

Hopefully next weeks report will involve some pollack. Off up to new home on Skye on Monday for a week and a bit to get some decorating done before full removal in second week of July.

 

[binka]

At long last, back on the river!

No early start for me as I had planned to fish early afternoon until dusk but my eagerness got the better of me and I was running a float through by 11.30am.

The excitement soon drained away when I realised how hard the going was, even the silvers seemed strangely conspicuous by their absence but I persevered with trotted maggots for the occasional small Roach and netter Perch.

The squally wind didn’t help matters but by early evening it had calmed down and my formerly choppy swim seemed to flatten out nicely.

Great to see Oyster Catchers, Kingfishers, Egrets and Swifts to name but a few and although I had to wait until around 9.30pm the float did eventually bury halfway down the swim with what for me is quite a rare occurrence and an opening day Barbel…

I’m happy enough with that and looking forward to the next session already :w

 

[flightliner]

Peter, I thought the recant pollution on the Witham was a total fish wipeout???

 

[Another Dave]

Up early to day to fish my first commercial with an old fishing mate. Really nice day out with small skimmers, roach and rudd, and a half decent bream. Carp were spawning but also feeding and my first cast with lobworm had me into a double which i played up and down the lake for what seemed like ten minutes before the hook pulled. Every time you'd get the swim built up there'd be another carp take your bait, all a bit unfamiliar for me. I did get one of those F1s though, they're no crucians but i have to say they are scrappers for their size

All great fun but i'm dying to get down my local mini river asap, i fear i used up all my brownie points on today though.

 

[john step]

Peter, I thought the recant pollution on the Witham was a total fish wipeout???

The wipeout was below Bardney down to the Wash. The "dead stretch" upstream the lock gates and up to and beyond Lincoln was unaffected. Unfortunately the pollution wiped out the very best sections of the river. The dead section is more like a canal but it does move, albeit very slowly most of the time.

Brian told me that someone who lives alongside the affected part walks it regularly and has not seen a sign of life.

The Sincil Drain which runs alongside the Witham was unaffected.

 

[lambert1]

I will dedicate my long awaited return to the river to that well known country and western singer Slim Pickings! Had to work hard for a modest haul of little Perch, Chub and Dace, trotting maggots. The wind was a real pain and it was actually quite cold in the early evening. I found what I thought was a really good swim and my stubborn side kicked in and I did not budge from there all session, when perhaps I should have. I at least did not blank like some other members I talked to, who were after the Barbel and Chub. It was fun to be out and watching the wild life though and I will be back as soon as work and other commitments allow. Good luck to all out today.

 

[thames mudlarker]

At long last, back on the river!

No early start for me as I had planned to fish early afternoon until dusk but my eagerness got the better of me and I was running a float through by 11.30am.

The excitement soon drained away when I realised how hard the going was, even the silvers seemed strangely conspicuous by their absence but I persevered with trotted maggots for the occasional small Roach and netter Perch.

The squally wind didn’t help matters but by early evening it had calmed down and my formerly choppy swim seemed to flatten out nicely.

Great to see Oyster Catchers, Kingfishers, Egrets and Swifts to name but a few and although I had to wait until around 9.30pm the float did eventually bury halfway down the swim with what for me is quite a rare occurrence and an opening day Barbel…

I’m happy enough with that and looking forward to the next session already :w

Nice one mate, is nice to see a barbel come out on opening day, well done :thumbs:

 

[peterjg]

I started the season on a private stretch of the Kennet. Cast out across a back eddy into the main flow a cage feeder filled with groundbait with flavoured bread on a size 12, caught one small roach. Tried the eddy but it was now snaggy after the winter rains and lost two end rigs. Moved back upstream and had to hack out an overgrown swim with my machete. Nice spot, 7ft deep and started to trot dead maggots, caught two dace and missed three sneaky bites. Swapped back to the leger and caught a roach, a brown trout and my speciality a signal crayfish (I am good at catching them!). No other anglers there, a nice start. Night fishing tomorrow with my son on a club lake.

 

[David Gane]

I had 17 hours on the Trent at East Stoke yesterday. Started fishing at 4.45. Got there early enough to get my favourite swim. The river was looking good, although with no colour at all and the weather was okay, although a bit blowy during the day. So, all the signs were good.

Sadly the fishing wasn't as good as I'd hoped. I had quite a few small knocks and bumps early on, but just one run all day that produced a single barbel of about 5 lbs. I could see seven other anglers from where I was set up and to the best of my knowledge nobody else caught at all. Most gave up by the afternoon.

On the bright side, I did see a fair bit of pike and perch activity, so even if the barbel aren't playing I'll take a lure rod with me next time.