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How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
Trotting for a few Grayling today, very nippy early on but improved around mid day, as did the fishing.
Plenty about with sport coming briskly between slower spells.
Strangely, the top spot for them, which last time was full of trout, didn't produce a thing!
Nothing of much size, best one may have just made a pound.
Plenty about with sport coming briskly between slower spells.
Strangely, the top spot for them, which last time was full of trout, didn't produce a thing!
Nothing of much size, best one may have just made a pound.
mikench
Well-known member
I'd forgotten grayling on my list of fish yet to be caught!!
When the bugs have gone I plan to do something about that!!
When the bugs have gone I plan to do something about that!!
Another day surveying the poor old Witham after the ammonia pollution earlier on.
Not everything was killed but it certainly cut down the fishy population.
I have built up a rough picture of where the fish are downstream. I had one pike and one perch on lures but saw plenty of fry.
Things will no doubt improve with time.
Not everything was killed but it certainly cut down the fishy population.
I have built up a rough picture of where the fish are downstream. I had one pike and one perch on lures but saw plenty of fry.
Things will no doubt improve with time.
mikench
Well-known member
First day out after nearly 3 weeks for various reasons ! I had the place to myself all day!
View attachment 6044
Put my cunning plan into effect but no perch! I had a carp of 10lb, 2 decent bream and several roach all on worm! This was typical.
View attachment 6045
I was just glad to be out and to feel almost normal! It was cold but with little wind,very tolerable! As I have loads of worms left plus maggots , I may just go tomorrow and fish on the float for a few hours! I have a new rod( to me) to try out!
View attachment 6044
Put my cunning plan into effect but no perch! I had a carp of 10lb, 2 decent bream and several roach all on worm! This was typical.
View attachment 6045
I was just glad to be out and to feel almost normal! It was cold but with little wind,very tolerable! As I have loads of worms left plus maggots , I may just go tomorrow and fish on the float for a few hours! I have a new rod( to me) to try out!
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
Yesterday I fished 10am til 3pm for half a dozen roach on a still water. Today, the same water but a different, considerably deeper swim, and I had more than twenty. All, except three fish, fell to red & white maggots,and they took hemp, fished on the drop. At no time could I say the fish were feeding in earnest as I had long spells without a bite, but it was an interesting session nonetheless.
Tackle wise; As I say I fished on the drop into 10'+ of water so I used a bit of a one off home made float comprising a slim peacock body with a broken off 50mm length of Drennan Glow Tip glued in the end (I don't like to waste anything) and this shotted down to the antenna. Bites were unmissable as the tip just sank from sight very slowly, be the fish 6" or 12" long. It took a time for the last shot to become effective and on a couple of occasions fish took before it reached bottom.
On both days I had two fishermen along from me who failed to catch, so I think I did very well all things considered, and it was well worth the hours spent in dank, cold conditions.
Out again on Monday if the weather holds up....................
Good luck to anyone out over the weekend!
Tackle wise; As I say I fished on the drop into 10'+ of water so I used a bit of a one off home made float comprising a slim peacock body with a broken off 50mm length of Drennan Glow Tip glued in the end (I don't like to waste anything) and this shotted down to the antenna. Bites were unmissable as the tip just sank from sight very slowly, be the fish 6" or 12" long. It took a time for the last shot to become effective and on a couple of occasions fish took before it reached bottom.
On both days I had two fishermen along from me who failed to catch, so I think I did very well all things considered, and it was well worth the hours spent in dank, cold conditions.
Out again on Monday if the weather holds up....................
Good luck to anyone out over the weekend!
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Don’t give up on the perch Mike!
Keep spraying maggots over your lobworm and if you’ve got any, small 2mm betaine green pellets seems to attract them on some waters. The most important ingredient though is patience.
mikench
Well-known member
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Today was what I call a roach day, low pressure, no wind and overcast. A mate suggested the venue so I joined him there at 10.. I set up 2 pole lines, one at 6m just over the near shelf and one at 10m at the bottom of the far shelf.
Cupped in some liquy on the near line then 3 balls of groundbait laced with pinkie and squatt on the far line.
Started on punch but the fish were not taking it positively so I tried a much smaller punch which worked. Small roach mainly, taking on the drop in most instances..
After a while I changed to the longer line with double red pinkie, more small roach. Then a very positive bite came, no3 solid elastic made its first appearance in earnest. Turned out to be a chunky dace, landing net poised I scooped it up and it fell straight through the net, wtf ! I thought.
The bottom of the net had been eaten by mice in my garage...
Certainly not a red letter day but nice to get the pole out again after all the waggler work recently.
Cupped in some liquy on the near line then 3 balls of groundbait laced with pinkie and squatt on the far line.
Started on punch but the fish were not taking it positively so I tried a much smaller punch which worked. Small roach mainly, taking on the drop in most instances..
After a while I changed to the longer line with double red pinkie, more small roach. Then a very positive bite came, no3 solid elastic made its first appearance in earnest. Turned out to be a chunky dace, landing net poised I scooped it up and it fell straight through the net, wtf ! I thought.
The bottom of the net had been eaten by mice in my garage...
Certainly not a red letter day but nice to get the pole out again after all the waggler work recently.
Neil Maidment
Moderator
I intended to get on the Dorset Stour early morning but failed. Mainly because of getting to bed at some unearthly hour after watching the England Ladies thrash India to reach the T20 World Final.
So 11:00am was a leisurely start time but I still had a wide choice of swims as I appeared to be the only angler on this particular stretch.
Two hours later I only had two small chub, both about 1lb, to show for my efforts. Just as thoughts of a move entered my head I hit into a much better fish that turned out to a fine chub of 6lbs 02oz. See the short video below.
So I stayed where I was and fished hard in anticipation of a good last couple of hours. Constant feeding of red maggot eventually had a few queuing up as I netted a further six chub. Having returned that first good chub I remembered I had brought a keepnet with me, hence the group shot:
The lower two are proper lumps at mid 5's, broad across the back and deep stocky fish. Others are nice chub but still a bit on the lean side, Two with well healed wounds, most probably cormorant strikes.
So 11:00am was a leisurely start time but I still had a wide choice of swims as I appeared to be the only angler on this particular stretch.
Two hours later I only had two small chub, both about 1lb, to show for my efforts. Just as thoughts of a move entered my head I hit into a much better fish that turned out to a fine chub of 6lbs 02oz. See the short video below.
So I stayed where I was and fished hard in anticipation of a good last couple of hours. Constant feeding of red maggot eventually had a few queuing up as I netted a further six chub. Having returned that first good chub I remembered I had brought a keepnet with me, hence the group shot:
The lower two are proper lumps at mid 5's, broad across the back and deep stocky fish. Others are nice chub but still a bit on the lean side, Two with well healed wounds, most probably cormorant strikes.
sam vimes
Well-known member
I had a new toy that needed to be used ASAP. I don't believe in buying rods and not using them for months. I wanted somewhere where plenty of fish were likely, but not hordes of tiddlers. I settled for my winter favourite roach pool, hoping that something other than the roach might show.
The roach on this place are often finnicky biters and today was no different. At times they were biting like starving pirhanas, at others they were frustrating as hell. This seemed to go in fifteen minute waves. At the end of the day, which amounted to about four hours fishing, I'd managed sixty six roach and one bonus tench. The tench was around the 2-2.5lb mark and the best roach went 1lb 4oz. At a very conservative estimate, I'll have had a very safe 20lb in total. It was a pretty reasonable test of the new rod, but I may have to resort to a full on commie to get a more significant bend in it.
The roach on this place are often finnicky biters and today was no different. At times they were biting like starving pirhanas, at others they were frustrating as hell. This seemed to go in fifteen minute waves. At the end of the day, which amounted to about four hours fishing, I'd managed sixty six roach and one bonus tench. The tench was around the 2-2.5lb mark and the best roach went 1lb 4oz. At a very conservative estimate, I'll have had a very safe 20lb in total. It was a pretty reasonable test of the new rod, but I may have to resort to a full on commie to get a more significant bend in it.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
The fish in your photo above looks like an ide to me Sam?
sam vimes
Well-known member
I can assure you it isn't, Simon. I think the ****y eye, it was probably blind on one side, and the thinning effect of being in they bottom of a net isn't helping.
mikench
Well-known member
So which Shakey rod were you using Sam?
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Oh boy!
Do you ever get those voices in your head that say “lets go fishing” and then another voice says “no it’s cold and damp, let’s stay warm and comfy”? I’ve had these voices all week, I think it was Neil’s post of stunning chub that finally tipped the balance, so I ventured out this afternoon down to the river for a couple of hours trotting into dusk. Hoping for some roach or dace on a light setup with 4lb mainline and a 2lb bottom attached to an 18 hook.
Nothing as I trotted through a swim for thirty minutes, spraying a few maggots in on each cast. On retrieving the umpteenth cast a huge pike almost lept out the water in chase of my single maggot, it came as a pleasant surprise that I managed to play the pike for a good two minutes before it cut through the vulnerable hooklength.
No point staying in that swim and with an hour of daylight left setup a few hundred metres downstream. In that last hour I managed to lose three decent chub, two after a fairly long battle trying to coerce them out of the weed.
I was using a size 18 micro barbed Drennan hook, perhaps I wasn’t striking firmly enough on the bite to set the hook properly.
Proper frustrating session, but I will return!
Do you ever get those voices in your head that say “lets go fishing” and then another voice says “no it’s cold and damp, let’s stay warm and comfy”? I’ve had these voices all week, I think it was Neil’s post of stunning chub that finally tipped the balance, so I ventured out this afternoon down to the river for a couple of hours trotting into dusk. Hoping for some roach or dace on a light setup with 4lb mainline and a 2lb bottom attached to an 18 hook.
Nothing as I trotted through a swim for thirty minutes, spraying a few maggots in on each cast. On retrieving the umpteenth cast a huge pike almost lept out the water in chase of my single maggot, it came as a pleasant surprise that I managed to play the pike for a good two minutes before it cut through the vulnerable hooklength.
No point staying in that swim and with an hour of daylight left setup a few hundred metres downstream. In that last hour I managed to lose three decent chub, two after a fairly long battle trying to coerce them out of the weed.
I was using a size 18 micro barbed Drennan hook, perhaps I wasn’t striking firmly enough on the bite to set the hook properly.
Proper frustrating session, but I will return!
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sam vimes
Well-known member
So which Shakey rod were you using Sam?
It was a Shakespeare with a strange stylized stags head logo.
John Keane
Well-known member
Shakesdeere?
mikench
Well-known member
It's an ill wind etc, and the recent cold snap prompted the Old Lake owners to lift the net ban, now that the threat of KHV has receded. Whether I'd catch anything to put in a net was another matter as it was a grey and chilly day when I set up there for the first time in 6 months
Anglers on the lake had caught next to nothing in recent days, and when the bailiff told me "Fish maggot, duck" he wasn't kidding. During the cold spell after Christmas last year, I caught well on hemp and caster, with caster or corn on the hook, but today neither of these brought a bite and I soon reverted to maggot. That got bites, but the fish were small - although the small boy occupying the next peg assured me this perch was at least 6lb!
He and his mate - they were both about 12 - had been dropped off by a dad and were now bivvied up and set to night fish for carp. They had only boillies, so I gave them some bait to use on the ancillary pole they had - might as well try and catch a small fish; it could be a long night. A method feeder landed in my peg a few times, but the big tree between us saved me from a direct hit.
My float kept going under, but the fish weren't getting any bigger, and I gave it best after about three hours. I'm pleased to have it back on my list of places to fish, and I'm intending to go back before long.
Anglers on the lake had caught next to nothing in recent days, and when the bailiff told me "Fish maggot, duck" he wasn't kidding. During the cold spell after Christmas last year, I caught well on hemp and caster, with caster or corn on the hook, but today neither of these brought a bite and I soon reverted to maggot. That got bites, but the fish were small - although the small boy occupying the next peg assured me this perch was at least 6lb!
He and his mate - they were both about 12 - had been dropped off by a dad and were now bivvied up and set to night fish for carp. They had only boillies, so I gave them some bait to use on the ancillary pole they had - might as well try and catch a small fish; it could be a long night. A method feeder landed in my peg a few times, but the big tree between us saved me from a direct hit.
My float kept going under, but the fish weren't getting any bigger, and I gave it best after about three hours. I'm pleased to have it back on my list of places to fish, and I'm intending to go back before long.
mikench
Well-known member
Is that a tench lurking there Kev!!
I like the signage! I was looking for the one saying" No fishing"
I like the signage! I was looking for the one saying" No fishing"
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