How did you get on?

[peter crabtree]

If I'd had a bigger Olivette that many wouldn't have been necessary.
smaller shot are better for fine tuning the tip of the float down and they're neater.

 

[mikench]

I'm not sure I'm capable of putting 8 no 6 shot on the line! It would be an effort and time consuming!

 

[103841]

The heatwave has finally reached the Southeast corner of the UK and with a warm and cloudless day forecast I needed to find a cool swim. The ideal place is a shaded swim on Fordwich lake, a beautiful 33 acre lake just two miles from Canterbury town centre.

Arrived as the sun was rising and pleased to see just one car parked up and my fancied swim available.

Set up a method feeder as the sleeper and a float rod for the main activity and it was on the float that I had three tench over the first couple of hours, this one at 4lb 6oz being the largest. It had a prominent bulge above the anal fin, is that spawn?

By now the sun was high and gaining strength, I was grateful for the shade.

Had a bream on the sleeper rod and that was it, packed up at 2pm.

 

[peter crabtree]

The bulge isn't spawn, it's a male fish..

 

[Another Dave]

12:40 - 14:50

Too hot for roving so the plan was to stay put in the shade of the parrotcage swim and attract the fish to me. Shallow and clear, you can see the fish easily when they're there. Took a second rod, the small lure rod set up for dropshotting (not my forte) in case the perch showed up.

Got to the swim, threw in a couple of crusts and one fish rose once. Tried something i'd wanted to do for a while now, took a mesh bag, sort of landing net material with a drawstring and put in broken bread. The idea was to keep the minnows going mad close in, which would attract the perch. Put the string round my rod rest and dropped it in. About a minute later about 20 chub started going crazy round it, along with a good sized trout, all right underneath my nose. Took a pic, you can just about make out a fish:



Seeing as the lure rod was tackled up i couldn't resist immediately fishing and dropped the lure in. Didn't have a chance to do anything fancy, the trout grabbed on straight away at which point i realised that the reel handle was folded down, d'oh, fish off. And with that, the chub evaporated into the shadows apart from one take on meat that i fluffed. Then the trout came back, looking like it meant business. Freelined meat taken instantly. Expected the aerial displays and wasn't disappointed. Bang on 2lb:



Still no idea why the camera on this Sony phone turns my mat pink in that swim, very odd.

Took off the size 6, put on a 12 and managed a dace and a chublet, still on the meat.

Noticed a couple of eels nosing around, seen several now whereas last year there were none. One started nibbling the free offerings of meat and prawn so i gave it a go with the bait rod, fish took the bait, i struck and...well i don't remember ever having been bitten off by an eel but that seems to be what happened.

Did see some nice perch but they laughed at my lures, tried prawn on the dropshotting rig, nothing. Then i saw the eel come back so let the dropshotted prawn fall to the bottom and and voila, he took it!



Pleased to have got one for old times sake but i won't be targetting those again, still trying to get the slime out of my net.

On the way back i stopped in a couple of swims, missed the take in the meadow swim but a few minutes on the cliff swim got me a chub, this swim seems to give up a fish every visit now:

 

[mikench]

Well done Dave!

 

[tigger]

Had a couple of hours trotting today. I really think I might be loosing the effin plot!...I forgot my water "again", I forgot my landing net and I forgot my belt pouch. I fished a stretch that is usually good for large chub and good sized barbel but when I got there I knew they would have moved elsewhere....the water was very low! Since I was there, and void of some near essentials I couldn't be bothered to go back to the wheels and drive elsewhere. Even with the conditions so dire I had lots of smaller stuff.... chub, roach, dace and even some gudgeon one of which I might count as a small barbel lol....it really was a clonker and quite colourfull.

 

[mikench]

There's hope for me yet Ian!

 

[tigger]

There's hope for me yet Ian!

Mmmm, not sure about that Mike, you may possibly be a lost cause lol .

I'm gonn'a blame the heat, loss of fluids has shrunken my already small brain and trying to remember what to take is getting harder and harder!

 

[mikench]

I know Ian and i find its probably why still water fishing is simpler in that i at least keep copious supplies and examples of everything in the car which is never far away! Yomping across fields, over stiles, through gates and in waders can be daunting.

Next week i am home alone so can go fishing any day from tuesday onwards so am up for a touch of river fishing if there is any water left!

 

[tigger]

I know Ian and i find its probably why still water fishing is simpler in that i at least keep copious supplies and examples of everything in the car which is never far away! Yomping across fields, over stiles, through gates and in waders can be daunting.

Next week i am home alone so can go fishing any day from tuesday onwards so am up for a touch of river fishing if there is any water left!

You only need very little tackle to do what I do Mike so the walking and climbing isn't anything like as tedious as it would be if humping lots of gear, besides all that walking and climbing over styles etc keeps you fit and makes you appreciate your tea even more when you get home .
There are places where little walking is needed for those who prefer to retain calories.
Regarding the gear to take on a trotting session....
If i'm trotting I usually make my rod up at home and band it together. I have a small bag containing disgorgers, hooks, weights, scissors. Scales, head torch, knife, tube of floats. I might have a smaal spool or two of low diameter lines and a small wallet containing some bottoms I made up decades ago and possible a few loose lead boms incase I switch to the leger.
I carry a folding net either hanging off my back or carry it in my hand with a small bucket of maggots and another smaller bucket of corn inside the maggot bucket. I have a small towel or cloth hanging from my waist and a couple of neck bags in my pockets and thats about it.....sounds a lot but if you see it all it is infact very little to carry and negating those styles etc is easily.
I wear thigh waders as they're east to walk in.

 

[103841]

She went shopping, I went shotting.

Just two hours to spend along the riverbank but it wasn’t long before I located some decent fish, chub, carp and I’ve found a really good perch swim with a few decent ones on show.

The water is now crystal, no bite detection aids needed, just a pair of Polaroid’s.

Boy it was frustrating, no matter what lure I dangled enticingly under their noses, they weren’t having it today. I shall return to this perch hole with worms very soon.

Er indoors bought a pair of trousers.

 

[mikench]

Does that mean she wears them in your house John or just thinks she does?

 

[103841]

Does that mean she wears them in your house John or just thinks she does?

She wears them most definitely, wears them out regularly, on days ending with a Y it’s even stevens.

 

[Another Dave]

She went shopping, I went shotting.

Just two hours to spend along the riverbank but it wasn’t long before I located some decent fish, chub, carp and I’ve found a really good perch swim with a few decent ones on show.

The water is now crystal, no bite detection aids needed, just a pair of Polaroid’s.

Boy it was frustrating, no matter what lure I dangled enticingly under their noses, they weren’t having it today. I shall return to this perch hole with worms very soon.

Er indoors bought a pair of trousers.

I'm finding the same with lures in crystal clear water, with some exceptions. Fancy a chat about it in the Shallow Water thread or whatever it's called?

 

[wetthrough]

Back at the Dam on Tuesday but a different spot. Fishing the shallow end reasoning that it will be the first place to cool down and given that it's in the shade for much of the day it won't heat up too quickly. There's also an inflow which should help with oxygenating the water a little. Two rods - 45"@4 rods out and just in front of the reeds at 31". Set up by about 6am and started in the margin and it was fishing well. Fairly steady picking up nice Roach on casters and Tares with no tiddlers. Switched to the long line and again it's fishing well and it continued through the day right up until I left at about 5pm which was somewhat surprising given the weather.

At last, a skimmer. First skimmer I've had from the Dam this year. As much as I like catching Roach I do like a bit of variety. It's half the fun of fishing for me not knowing what's taken the bait. I've had good catches of skimmers and Bream from the Dam in the past but this one was small, around 6oz but no less welcome. A couple more followed through the day of much the same size.



Did this Perch really think it was going to eat a Roach nearly twice it's size? It lept in the net after the Roach.



Most baits were working well. I even picked a few up on Adzuki beans which I gave a try but the fish weren't enthusiastic about them. I was using a 16s hook on the long line and missed more than I caught on Adzuki as they're a bit on the big side for a 16s hook. Corn and Tares winning the day size wise, I was loose feeding maggots a bit beyond the float to try and keep the tiddlers busy.

Chose the 16s so that I could use flake on the hook. 16s is a bit small for flake but it meant I didn't have to keep switching hooks to try different baits. If I'd been fishing a match (I don't) flake would have been the bait of the day as it was by far the fastest to get a bite and usually on the drop. Not the biggest fish but I'd have amassed the biggest weight if I'd stuck to it. I don't hook flake by wrapping it round and pinching. Scouring the net some time ago I came a cross a method which I found better as it leaves the hook point more exposed and stays on the hook more reliably. Worth a try IMO if you haven't already.



Fish of the day caught on corn, a 1lb Roach weighed in the net

 

[103841]

Wetthrough

No need to compromise on choice of hook. When I was rudd fishing last week I was constantly swapping between corn, pellet and bread (I use your method for bread, taking a bag of pre cut discs in various diameters).

Each bait required a different hooklink (or hair),takes a few seconds to change using these connectors. They act as a perfect dropper shot too.

 

[wetthrough]

Thanks S63. I do have some snap links but I've just never had a great deal of confidence in loop knots. I might give them another go sometime as they obviously have advantages.

 

[103841]

A repeat of yesterday the only difference being I had no shopper to ferry and I swapped plastic lures for lobworms.

They did the trick and and a few small but beautifully coloured perch zoomed in on the worm without a second thought.

Didn’t use a true drop shot rig today, just a hook tied direct with an optional swan shot, couldn’t be simpler, the braid became a vital component of today’s session!

There were some decent sized chub cruising around in and out from under the trees, I removed the shot and freelined a lob and on about the tenth trot I hooked into a nice fish. As I drew it in closer I was just about to reach for the net when I spotted a decent size pike homing in on the chub., I had no choice but to drag the poor fish out, made possible with 11lb braid, the pike lunged for its tail but I just managed to get it out on time. Hence the look of surprise on the chubs face!

Tenching on the estate in the morning,

 

[mikench]

I might give them another go sometime as they obviously have advantages.

These links are great and I use them all the time when float fishing! I bought some on John's ( S63) recommendation and they are just the job! I bought some cheap ones and some cralusso ones! When I see you next you are welcome to a few !