Hugh Bailey
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Smashing fish & great photo!
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
Smashing fish & great photo!
theartist
Well-known member
The photo credits go to the missus, for some reason she's nonplussed by roach despite the spring in my step, show her a pike and she's all over it lol
mikench
Well-known member
Rob, the wife, a 2lb roach and a good days fishing all at the same time! 
You are a lucky man!
You are a lucky man!
Specihunter
Well-known member
A good day on the float, 2 bream both over 3lb and 2 tiny roach all on maggot. Getting a bit fed up with bream from the same venue, the carp aren't feeding and no perch or tench showing either.
Roger Johnson 2
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As promised, back to fluff chucking and give the feeder flinging a rest. No success though spent an hour paddling about in the main river for a 10 minute magic slot when the river came alive with rising fish.... just at the moment I got tangled and too dark to sort it out. Sometimes even I am amazed by my own incompetence.
On the plus side an afternoon off from renovation was spent walking ( rodless ) round a lake with a stock of largemouth bass,very tempted for a crack at some of those, watch this space.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
On the plus side an afternoon off from renovation was spent walking ( rodless ) round a lake with a stock of largemouth bass,very tempted for a crack at some of those, watch this space.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
The lad and myself set off for the fishery on Saturday morning, got there about 11.30 and set to our task.
The first pond is only really for pole fisherman so we tried the next, Sherwood, and there were plenty of pegs with some still to the roadside so we settled on the 2nd and 3rd as you go in.
I went straight onto cage feeder with worm, the lad on float with corn. Neither of us were getting anywhere, I had a few knocks and lost a bit of worm here and there but nothing doing.
Changed to the method and put a wafter on, again a few knocks and what have you but nothing doing.
I decided to change bait to a 4mm skrill pellet still on method and then I started getting somewhere. I was fishing up to some lilypads and started to get a few bites.
Managed to pull a carp of about 5lb in followed by the odd skimmer.
Got snapped off on the take by something massive - clutch set nicely, 8lb main with 9lb hooklength. the line failed at the Drennan swivel so I won't be using them anymore, happened too many times now and it cost me my new method feeder.
Swapped over to a pellet feeder which I then broke with my big paws snapping the tube whilst loading it so it was on to the cage feeder again.
I finally swapped over to plain 8mm plain carp pellet on the cage feeder and it was like flicking a switch. not quite hook a chuck but close.
eventually I ran out of groundbait and couldn't be arsed to make anymore as we were going to pack up any time so I swapped out the feeder for a 2/3oz lead and set to fishing 8mm pellet with a few fed by catty every so often and still they came.
Ended up with 10 carp up to 6lb, average 4-5lb all of which fought like champs which was great practice for me on playing a fish and when to get the net under it.
The lad eventually changed to method and landed a few bream and a carp to about 4lb which cheered him up a bit. He also got snapped off by something but examined the line and to be fair it looked cut or bitten through so we wonder if Mr Pike is lurking in there.
All in all a fair day's fishing once you figured out what they wanted to eat!
The first pond is only really for pole fisherman so we tried the next, Sherwood, and there were plenty of pegs with some still to the roadside so we settled on the 2nd and 3rd as you go in.
I went straight onto cage feeder with worm, the lad on float with corn. Neither of us were getting anywhere, I had a few knocks and lost a bit of worm here and there but nothing doing.
Changed to the method and put a wafter on, again a few knocks and what have you but nothing doing.
I decided to change bait to a 4mm skrill pellet still on method and then I started getting somewhere. I was fishing up to some lilypads and started to get a few bites.
Managed to pull a carp of about 5lb in followed by the odd skimmer.
Got snapped off on the take by something massive - clutch set nicely, 8lb main with 9lb hooklength. the line failed at the Drennan swivel so I won't be using them anymore, happened too many times now and it cost me my new method feeder.
Swapped over to a pellet feeder which I then broke with my big paws snapping the tube whilst loading it so it was on to the cage feeder again.
I finally swapped over to plain 8mm plain carp pellet on the cage feeder and it was like flicking a switch. not quite hook a chuck but close.
eventually I ran out of groundbait and couldn't be arsed to make anymore as we were going to pack up any time so I swapped out the feeder for a 2/3oz lead and set to fishing 8mm pellet with a few fed by catty every so often and still they came.
Ended up with 10 carp up to 6lb, average 4-5lb all of which fought like champs which was great practice for me on playing a fish and when to get the net under it.
The lad eventually changed to method and landed a few bream and a carp to about 4lb which cheered him up a bit. He also got snapped off by something but examined the line and to be fair it looked cut or bitten through so we wonder if Mr Pike is lurking in there.
All in all a fair day's fishing once you figured out what they wanted to eat!
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No photos, no happy ending, no cigar.
Today was...........just one of those days. Made my fifth trip inside a week in an attempt to find the perfect combination for trotting through a particular swim on the local Stour.
Having lost a nice chub last week on a Matchpro ultralight,I then returned with a Shimano Beastmaster rod and found myself bumping off far too many perch and dace so today I chose my Acolyte waggler rod ( currently in a sale at Bobco for £127...bargain), I was confident this would tame any tear away chub heading for the tree roots as it has served me well this summer handling tench and carp with ease but would it have the finesse to handle dace and perch?
The swim was free as it always is, nobody seems to fish the river with a few rare exceptions which suits me fine, surprisingly for a bank holiday the area was quiet.
The quest is to cast underarm and get the float to glide under a willow on the opposite bank where the chub reside. Wasn’t long before a few dace and perch were landed, the rod behaving well.
The wind got up and the casting required the pinpoint accuracy of Phil (The Power) Taylor and it wasn’t long before I’d overdone it and was pulling my snagged rig from the Willow with a sigh of relief as it came away intact but with enormous velocity to dive straight into bramble and nettle below my feet. Amazing how undergrowth has the capacity to strip your line of every shot and split your float rubbers.
A retackle only to have the same thing happen again some thirty minutes later.mg: undeterred I tackled up again muttering all sorts of expletives under my breath and finally settled into a decent rthymn without any more drama.....or so I thought. I allowed the float to trot a little further than the norm and it paid off with a sizeable dace that was putting up a spirited tussle only to be engulfed by a huge pike right under my feet. The pike was on for a few seconds before severing the line.
The pike along this stretch have been a right p in the a, bet they all disappear come October 1.
Went home slightly peed off but at least I seem to have found the right balance for the next time..........think I’ll wait for the wind to drop.
Today was...........just one of those days. Made my fifth trip inside a week in an attempt to find the perfect combination for trotting through a particular swim on the local Stour.
Having lost a nice chub last week on a Matchpro ultralight,I then returned with a Shimano Beastmaster rod and found myself bumping off far too many perch and dace so today I chose my Acolyte waggler rod ( currently in a sale at Bobco for £127...bargain), I was confident this would tame any tear away chub heading for the tree roots as it has served me well this summer handling tench and carp with ease but would it have the finesse to handle dace and perch?
The swim was free as it always is, nobody seems to fish the river with a few rare exceptions which suits me fine, surprisingly for a bank holiday the area was quiet.
The quest is to cast underarm and get the float to glide under a willow on the opposite bank where the chub reside. Wasn’t long before a few dace and perch were landed, the rod behaving well.
The wind got up and the casting required the pinpoint accuracy of Phil (The Power) Taylor and it wasn’t long before I’d overdone it and was pulling my snagged rig from the Willow with a sigh of relief as it came away intact but with enormous velocity to dive straight into bramble and nettle below my feet. Amazing how undergrowth has the capacity to strip your line of every shot and split your float rubbers.
A retackle only to have the same thing happen again some thirty minutes later.
mg: undeterred I tackled up again muttering all sorts of expletives under my breath and finally settled into a decent rthymn without any more drama.....or so I thought. I allowed the float to trot a little further than the norm and it paid off with a sizeable dace that was putting up a spirited tussle only to be engulfed by a huge pike right under my feet. The pike was on for a few seconds before severing the line.The pike along this stretch have been a right p in the a, bet they all disappear come October 1.
Went home slightly peed off but at least I seem to have found the right balance for the next time..........think I’ll wait for the wind to drop.
mikench
Well-known member
I have certainly had worse days but I cannot recall when! 3 skimmers and a carp by 9.00am was promising but the next 5 hours produced nothing and not even maggot could induce a bite! Throw in a stiff and chilly breeze, rain and thick cloud all day and I was glad to pack up and come home!
I saw at least 3 anglers changing pegs and 2 changing lakes but to no avail! I reckon the fish were having a bank holiday too
I saw at least 3 anglers changing pegs and 2 changing lakes but to no avail! I reckon the fish were having a bank holiday too
mikench
Well-known member
Always happy to oblige and improve the lot of my fellow man!
jon atkinson
Well-known member
Fair play to BBC weather, they predicted wind & rain where I live & just wind where I was going to fish & that's exactly how it transpired despite being a mere 10 miles apart. That having been said I really can't be doing with wind so I had already decided to fish Newby pond as I felt that would be reasonably sheltered from the elements & broadly speaking so it transpired .
I started fishing single caster on #18 b911 to a 4lb bottom feeding caster & hemp just off the lillies - caught a slow but steady stream of roach - nothing massive but more netters than not.
I then hooked something that put up a bit more resistance - again not a monster, but perch are a species that I don't really target & this was one of the better ones that I've encountered - I had a couple more of a similar stamp as well as a couple of my more usual smaller examples.
I did experiment with maggot / worm & reducing the hook size / length but without much in the way of tangible results. Newby is not a prolific venue & my expectations hadn't been high anyway but with perhaps a couple of dozen roach, the aforementioned perch & one random roach-bream hybrid I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the bank none-the-less.
.I started fishing single caster on #18 b911 to a 4lb bottom feeding caster & hemp just off the lillies - caught a slow but steady stream of roach - nothing massive but more netters than not.
I then hooked something that put up a bit more resistance - again not a monster, but perch are a species that I don't really target & this was one of the better ones that I've encountered - I had a couple more of a similar stamp as well as a couple of my more usual smaller examples.
I did experiment with maggot / worm & reducing the hook size / length but without much in the way of tangible results. Newby is not a prolific venue & my expectations hadn't been high anyway but with perhaps a couple of dozen roach, the aforementioned perch & one random roach-bream hybrid I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the bank none-the-less.
dave m
Well-known member
yesterday was my first barbel trip of the season, we have had some rain and its slightly freshened the water.
i have really been missing getting on the river.
i was driving down the motorway trying to decide on a section to visit but nothing was jumping to mind, so i thought id go a little bit off the usual spots and try a new area.
i walked to a swim id never even seen before and it looked decent, a good bit of flow and the water was turbulent enough to be bouncing around. a few exploratory casts with a 4oz feeder to feel it down and guestimate the depth and find the main channel and i was ready to go.
a decent chub first cast, and a few other small chub, and just after dark im in to my first barbel in many months. its staying deep and the fight is very slow, im willing it to be a big fish.
she's in the net at the second attempt, rod down and head torch on and she looks massive. long and very broad, im thinking a certain double.
i stake out the net to rest the fish while i reel the other rod in and then go up the bank to get the mat and selfie kit ready.
a few self take testers and im ready to go and bring her up the bank.
the scales say 9lb 12oz and i need to weigh it again, but i cant squeeze any more out of it. maybe she was empty, maybe its been that long since i have seen a decent barbel in the flesh, or maybe im so used to seeing some of the other fish and their claimed weights its ruined my judgement...
a few shouts of "cheese" to work the self takes and then she is back into the margin for a few minutes to get her breathing sorted before release and away she goes.
checking the pictures later i can see the fish has a really long top lobe on its tail fin.
three other barbel were also caught, an 8lber and two at 6lb.
the 8lber had another length of line attached with confused me at first, but once i had unhooked my rig all became clear. unfortunately the hook was nowhere to be seen, and even with my drennan specimen disgorger i couldnt reach it. i managed to get the line to break well down the fishes throat [maybe a bad knot?] but i had to leave the hook in the fish.
i also had a few more chub and ended up with about 10 of them, mostly about 12oz to 1lb, a couple of 2lbers and a couple of really long skinny ones about 3.5lb or so.
all fish came to drilled 14mm halibut pellets that have been well glugged, feeders filed with mixed halibuts and plugged with plain groundbait on running rigs with 3ft hooklengths of 10lb mono.
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i have really been missing getting on the river.
i was driving down the motorway trying to decide on a section to visit but nothing was jumping to mind, so i thought id go a little bit off the usual spots and try a new area.
i walked to a swim id never even seen before and it looked decent, a good bit of flow and the water was turbulent enough to be bouncing around. a few exploratory casts with a 4oz feeder to feel it down and guestimate the depth and find the main channel and i was ready to go.
a decent chub first cast, and a few other small chub, and just after dark im in to my first barbel in many months. its staying deep and the fight is very slow, im willing it to be a big fish.
she's in the net at the second attempt, rod down and head torch on and she looks massive. long and very broad, im thinking a certain double.
i stake out the net to rest the fish while i reel the other rod in and then go up the bank to get the mat and selfie kit ready.
a few self take testers and im ready to go and bring her up the bank.
the scales say 9lb 12oz and i need to weigh it again, but i cant squeeze any more out of it. maybe she was empty, maybe its been that long since i have seen a decent barbel in the flesh, or maybe im so used to seeing some of the other fish and their claimed weights its ruined my judgement...
a few shouts of "cheese" to work the self takes and then she is back into the margin for a few minutes to get her breathing sorted before release and away she goes.
checking the pictures later i can see the fish has a really long top lobe on its tail fin.
three other barbel were also caught, an 8lber and two at 6lb.
the 8lber had another length of line attached with confused me at first, but once i had unhooked my rig all became clear. unfortunately the hook was nowhere to be seen, and even with my drennan specimen disgorger i couldnt reach it. i managed to get the line to break well down the fishes throat [maybe a bad knot?] but i had to leave the hook in the fish.
i also had a few more chub and ended up with about 10 of them, mostly about 12oz to 1lb, a couple of 2lbers and a couple of really long skinny ones about 3.5lb or so.
all fish came to drilled 14mm halibut pellets that have been well glugged, feeders filed with mixed halibuts and plugged with plain groundbait on running rigs with 3ft hooklengths of 10lb mono.
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dave m
Well-known member
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
The match Sunday on the farm lake was a total washout. Howling wind and cold rain put paid to the fishing for most.
Today though it was perfect, the GUC near Berkhamstead was coloured and the water level high. No wind to speak of and dry ...
It was bites from the off at 10am right through to the end at 3pm. Nothing big ( I did hook one lump but it fell off ) gudgeon and roach and a single perch last chuck. I caught most roach on the wagg and magg across under the tree, a tricky cast.
Winner had 12lb:2... 5 good skimmers and some bits.
2nd 9:10 including 2 big perch.
I was 3rd with 6:13.
Today though it was perfect, the GUC near Berkhamstead was coloured and the water level high. No wind to speak of and dry ...
It was bites from the off at 10am right through to the end at 3pm. Nothing big ( I did hook one lump but it fell off ) gudgeon and roach and a single perch last chuck. I caught most roach on the wagg and magg across under the tree, a tricky cast.
Winner had 12lb:2... 5 good skimmers and some bits.
2nd 9:10 including 2 big perch.
I was 3rd with 6:13.
mikench
Well-known member
John (s63) those Fox pellet pegs are brill and come in 3 sizes! I bought the 11mm and they are far andaway the best bait stops I have come across. I found a strip on a peg a few months ago, used them and finally found out what to buy. I can only find clear .
Back on topic I went to my local Mere fishing on the float for roach and after a difficult morning I had two small perch. I noticed a common carp turning up just below my peg and hoovering up the freebies. As maggots were a waste of time I put an Eleven mm pellet on a hair rig and fished overdepth with the bait being dropped just in front of the fish. It ignored the offering for over two hours and just swam off only to return every twenty minutes or so. Finally it succumbed and after a decent struggle a fifteen pound common filled my landing net, that designed for roach and too small. I was so excited at my cunning plan coming together I forgot to take a pic.
My iPad is playing up again and I cannot use numerals. I packed up whilst I was ahead.
Back on topic I went to my local Mere fishing on the float for roach and after a difficult morning I had two small perch. I noticed a common carp turning up just below my peg and hoovering up the freebies. As maggots were a waste of time I put an Eleven mm pellet on a hair rig and fished overdepth with the bait being dropped just in front of the fish. It ignored the offering for over two hours and just swam off only to return every twenty minutes or so. Finally it succumbed and after a decent struggle a fifteen pound common filled my landing net, that designed for roach and too small. I was so excited at my cunning plan coming together I forgot to take a pic.
My iPad is playing up again and I cannot use numerals. I packed up whilst I was ahead.
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Thanks for the thumbs up Mike, ordered some today. You also caught three more fish than I did today, but that’s not to say my very short ninety minute session was either boring or a let down, infact anything but.
After a number of sessions fishing the Canterbury Stour trotting maggots I had today an opportunity of just a short session whilst acting as taxi driver for swmbo.
Decided to freeline cheese that has been my banker over the past two seasons bringing in a good number of decent sized chub to the net but today they would have none of it, but the short time spent was fascinating.
Headed first to my regular swim of the last week or so and lobbed my lump of cheese under the willow that’s home to a number of chub, within seconds a couple of pike emerged and cruised across the river calm as you like taking station below my feet, these critters just know what’s going on, a fish on the hook is so much easier to hunt down. After sacrificing a nice dace to the beasts yesterday I moved on not wanting a repeat performance.
The next swim is not one I’ve taken any notice of before, it was like an aquarium with bream, carp and a Jack circulating in an open area between the streamers, they all paid their respects to the cheese but weren’t having it. I shall return tomorrow with worm and pellets, see if that works.
My final swim with just thirty minutes left had chub circulating my bait but again no interest. I reeled in and just threw out a lump of cheese and sat and watched. Within five minutes four chub cruised upstream stopping short of the bait about five metres away, one ventured forward to within inches of the bait, looked with curiosity before doing a u turn and rejoined the other three, had a word or two in chub speak, and they all turned and headed downstream giving me the finger.
A few minutes later one returned and swam up to within few metres of the bait and turned away returning and edging ever closer, this happened at least four times until it finally touched the cheese and then bolting downstream totally spooked!
Fascinating and I’m wondering having caught so many on this bait over the last two years they’ve memorised it and have become wary of the stuff?
After a number of sessions fishing the Canterbury Stour trotting maggots I had today an opportunity of just a short session whilst acting as taxi driver for swmbo.
Decided to freeline cheese that has been my banker over the past two seasons bringing in a good number of decent sized chub to the net but today they would have none of it, but the short time spent was fascinating.
Headed first to my regular swim of the last week or so and lobbed my lump of cheese under the willow that’s home to a number of chub, within seconds a couple of pike emerged and cruised across the river calm as you like taking station below my feet, these critters just know what’s going on, a fish on the hook is so much easier to hunt down. After sacrificing a nice dace to the beasts yesterday I moved on not wanting a repeat performance.
The next swim is not one I’ve taken any notice of before, it was like an aquarium with bream, carp and a Jack circulating in an open area between the streamers, they all paid their respects to the cheese but weren’t having it. I shall return tomorrow with worm and pellets, see if that works.
My final swim with just thirty minutes left had chub circulating my bait but again no interest. I reeled in and just threw out a lump of cheese and sat and watched. Within five minutes four chub cruised upstream stopping short of the bait about five metres away, one ventured forward to within inches of the bait, looked with curiosity before doing a u turn and rejoined the other three, had a word or two in chub speak, and they all turned and headed downstream giving me the finger.
A few minutes later one returned and swam up to within few metres of the bait and turned away returning and edging ever closer, this happened at least four times until it finally touched the cheese and then bolting downstream totally spooked!
Fascinating and I’m wondering having caught so many on this bait over the last two years they’ve memorised it and have become wary of the stuff?
mikench
Well-known member
Great post a John and very interesting! We humans think we are the only creatures with intelligence!
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I think we’re the dumb ones Mike!
markcw
Exiled Northerner
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I went to a local water today with Collin who as Mikench says is one of the four muskateers, I thought Mike was in France that's why there were only two of us and Gordon laid up. When I say local it is 10 minutes from my house. It must be 18 years since I last fished it. Anyway on to the fishing part, After being relieved of £7 each by the owner, he was round before I had my rod out of my holdall !!! I set up a waggler rod with my trusty Daiwa 1657 reel loaded with 2.8lb line, Drennan 2gram + 2xnumber4 float,to a 1'8lb hooklength and size 20 Tubertini 808, My other set up was my 10' feeder rod, Shimano 4000DL baitrunner loaded with 6lb Sensor, straight lead and short hooklength and size 14 Guru hook with hair rig. Collin decided to fish the pole and a bomb rod, I started off on maggot on the waggler, casting about 25 yards to far side, one a chuck from perch ranging from "wasps" to around 6oz, with the occasional roach making an appearance, these were from 4oz to over a pound. Collin was fishing corn over chopped worm and caster on his pole line, and a method feeder with 2mm krill pellets and banded 4mm pellet in to a channel between two islands, He managed a bream of around 5lb on that and was hoping there was a shoal there, but it was a solitary one, His pole line produced some decent roach again a few over a pound, then a big carp decided to make an appearance, the pole elastic was stretched as it swam around the pool, then everything went solid, and it wouldn't budge, after a few minutes the line snapped. "Hard Luck" I said cheerily, Back to me now, after getting fed up of catching perch and not having a sniff of a fish on the feeder rod using either the mushroom bread set up or a banded pellet, I put a piece of bread on the waggler and cast to my left where I had seen a few fish rolling, the obligatory roach made an appearance for a while, then the float dipped, I struck, the rod hooped over and I was taken into what I found out later was a submerged lily bed,there are a few dotted around the pool, so we surmised that's where Collins carp headed for, My hook came back with a large scale and piece of weed on it. It was getting close to packing up time so I went back on the maggot for the last half hour perch and roach bashing,Collins corn swim was only producing the odd fish now, As we were packing up a lad who had been after the carp around the corner from us on the pool, strolled over and asked us if he could bring his gear to where we had fished, He showed me a couple of pics of the carp he had had from our swims last week, a carp of 21lb and one of 19lb, We had a chat when I packed up and we both agreed it was feast or famine on this particular water, I could go again tomorrow and not have a bite,.