mikench
Well-known member
I recognise that lake; lovely spot Kev! I too thought it cold today!
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Got up early this morning but it was raining heavily, forecast said it should clear up by 10am so I went to the tackle shop at 9am.
By 11:30 I couldn’t wait any longer despite the fact it was still wet.
Arrived at the canal to find lots more boats moored than normal and both my favoured spots were occupied by them.
The water was a bit chalky too which never bodes well but I persevered.
Set up a 2bb stickfloat as this canalised river Gade pound was flowing nicely, the other advantage is being able to lift and drop the float without it going under or veering off course. Rob the artist used this method on our last meeting on the canal and caught loads of perch, beat me hands down...
It was really slow to begin with around midday, a skimmer and a ruff were all I could muster until about 2:30 when the water really coloured up for some reason?
Got a few perch after switching from pinkie to small worm, this one was the best.
As the light faded a few quality roach appeared rounding off a short but enjoyable session.
By 11:30 I couldn’t wait any longer despite the fact it was still wet.
Arrived at the canal to find lots more boats moored than normal and both my favoured spots were occupied by them.
The water was a bit chalky too which never bodes well but I persevered.
Set up a 2bb stickfloat as this canalised river Gade pound was flowing nicely, the other advantage is being able to lift and drop the float without it going under or veering off course. Rob the artist used this method on our last meeting on the canal and caught loads of perch, beat me hands down...
It was really slow to begin with around midday, a skimmer and a ruff were all I could muster until about 2:30 when the water really coloured up for some reason?
Got a few perch after switching from pinkie to small worm, this one was the best.
As the light faded a few quality roach appeared rounding off a short but enjoyable session.
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
I went back to the same lake, indeed the same swim on Friday and managed to catch more than 40 roach. In the majority the fish were smaller than those caught on Wednesday but they gave me some very enjoyable fishing during my morning session. One went a lb or so.
Conditions were completely different and the very mild 12/14 degrees had been replaced by cool, still, hardly ideal weather, leading me to think the fish wouldn't feed in earnest, but I was wrong..
I did change the float to one 40mm long x 8mm dia tapered to 4mm made and from balsa wood, and this held in place by a single no 3 shot above and two below. I fished at 2/3 ' depth with single white maggot on a 20 hook and on the drop. This 'float' is something I have come up with myself after reading about something similar in a very old angling book and although it sounds unusual it works beautifully. Cast out up to 2/3 rod lengths, tighten quickly to the float and wait for a bite, just as I did on Wednesday.
I lost a few on the strike including one good one, but generally speaking I hit most.
You have to imagine this float sitting out on the water; It jumps around, dives occasionally and even sits upright from time to time, but eventually it goes away at speed - that is if the fish didn't take it as soon as it hit the water!
Oh yes, it also has 5mm flame orange tip which shows up very well in the gloom or minimal sun......
Out again tomorrow as the weather looks promising and I want to make the most of this productive time before it cools somewhat next week.
Conditions were completely different and the very mild 12/14 degrees had been replaced by cool, still, hardly ideal weather, leading me to think the fish wouldn't feed in earnest, but I was wrong..
I did change the float to one 40mm long x 8mm dia tapered to 4mm made and from balsa wood, and this held in place by a single no 3 shot above and two below. I fished at 2/3 ' depth with single white maggot on a 20 hook and on the drop. This 'float' is something I have come up with myself after reading about something similar in a very old angling book and although it sounds unusual it works beautifully. Cast out up to 2/3 rod lengths, tighten quickly to the float and wait for a bite, just as I did on Wednesday.
I lost a few on the strike including one good one, but generally speaking I hit most.
You have to imagine this float sitting out on the water; It jumps around, dives occasionally and even sits upright from time to time, but eventually it goes away at speed - that is if the fish didn't take it as soon as it hit the water!
Oh yes, it also has 5mm flame orange tip which shows up very well in the gloom or minimal sun......
Out again tomorrow as the weather looks promising and I want to make the most of this productive time before it cools somewhat next week.
Well,as the forecast was so poor I wasn't sure as to go or not,they said it was going to start raining at around 5am,stopping at around 11-12 time,it wasn't raining at 5,6,7,I left home around 7.30,by which time it was drizzling,at the car park in Bedford it was persisting down,I got to my chosen swim,set and pegged the brolly down,made the feeder rod up and cast out six times with chopped worm,first cast a roach of 6ozs,then three missed bites,as I say watching the top I noticed a gentle wave coming from the bank just downstream of me,then round the corner came a female otter,she stopped five yards down from me,just looking at me,I'd have liked to have got my mobile out and took a picture,but knew any movement would provoke a dive,after a couple of minutes she slowly disappeared below the surface leaving a trail of bubbles along the bank until where I was,then out a few yards before proceeding upstream to her boot no doubt,the most amazing thing was that it was 9.35am,an ambulance with blues and two's went past on the car bank,people were walking to the shops,all this was around seventy yards from the main town bridge,back to the fishing,I had a skimmer about 12ozs and that was that...
I thought the river would be up today, and it was!
A very watery scene indeed....
I took some worms I dug up a few weeks back, most were quite small, so I settled for a gob of 3 or 4 on the hook in a few slacker areas.
Lots of debris bumping the line, but after a while the unmistakable knock of a fish....which took a while to develop until the tip finally pulled right over and produced this nice tubby one...
Tried a couple more swims quickly, but that was it, and I needed to get on as I had promised She Who Must that I would go to Tesco on my way home.
A very watery scene indeed....
I took some worms I dug up a few weeks back, most were quite small, so I settled for a gob of 3 or 4 on the hook in a few slacker areas.
Lots of debris bumping the line, but after a while the unmistakable knock of a fish....which took a while to develop until the tip finally pulled right over and produced this nice tubby one...
Tried a couple more swims quickly, but that was it, and I needed to get on as I had promised She Who Must that I would go to Tesco on my way home.
I thought I'd have a change of scene and try and catch a barbel today, so I headed off east while it was still dark. I was feeling smug about being up and out so early. But 5 miles down the road I realised the leads were on the shelf. And a mile further on, it dawned on me the bucket of lobs was too. Feeder and pellet it is, then. It was still dark when I locked the gates and set off down the track to the river, and I was a bit surprised to see headlights in the mirror as someone else turned in. The level wasn't up as much as I'd hoped , but there was plenty of water on the track, and I feared the worst when the car, although 4 wheel drive, started to wheelspin on the muddy track and at one point slide towards the water.
As I stepped out of the car, the other car pulled up, and out stepped Steve. We'd chatted about lakes, rivers and whether, when and where, but left it open, and obviously come to the same decision independently. Great- the day was improving.
While Steve set up with float gear upstream, I chucked out a feeder. After a few raps and rattles, the culprit got himself hooked
And a short while after, a more decisive bite and a stubborn fight ended with this one.
It went 12.4 on Steve's scales, so knock some off for the net it was weighed in
Steve, meanwhile, had had a 2.5lb bream, a 4lb chub and a string of dace and perch on the float. Apart from a couple of chub raps,my swim had died. I decided to try and catch another barbel in what, at first glance looked like a suicidal swim - a short slack between trees in the water, with a canopy overhead just to complete the parrot cage. I was equipped for it though, with a Harrison Chimera Flood and Snag rod and 15lb line. I was getting fed up watching the rod top, but had no floats, so I improvised a rig with one of those foam blobs ( someone on FM posted about them a while back) set overdepth, with a couple of AAA on the bottom.
That sat nicely, and I fed the swim with small balls of the unused feeder groundbait,
I was just saying to Steve, who'd walked down for a chat, that it looks good, but it would be nice to see it go under, when it did, and this was the result, after a tour of the many nearby snags
We didn't weigh this one, which looked just a bit smaller than the first. I didn't expect to catch another, after all the commotion, so I was pleasantly surprised when the foam blob raced off again and a third barbel in double figures was bullied into the net
Oh. I was hoping to put up another beautiful barbel, but I'm told I've exceeded my quota. So I'll have to leave off the additional chub, too.
Never mind. I sat out all day in December without feeling cold, caught three double figure barbel and a couple of nice chub, and had an unexpected day out with Steve - who ended up with 50+ assorted fish. I'm sure I've put more than 3 pics in previous posts, but who cares.
As I stepped out of the car, the other car pulled up, and out stepped Steve. We'd chatted about lakes, rivers and whether, when and where, but left it open, and obviously come to the same decision independently. Great- the day was improving.
While Steve set up with float gear upstream, I chucked out a feeder. After a few raps and rattles, the culprit got himself hooked
And a short while after, a more decisive bite and a stubborn fight ended with this one.
It went 12.4 on Steve's scales, so knock some off for the net it was weighed in
Steve, meanwhile, had had a 2.5lb bream, a 4lb chub and a string of dace and perch on the float. Apart from a couple of chub raps,my swim had died. I decided to try and catch another barbel in what, at first glance looked like a suicidal swim - a short slack between trees in the water, with a canopy overhead just to complete the parrot cage. I was equipped for it though, with a Harrison Chimera Flood and Snag rod and 15lb line. I was getting fed up watching the rod top, but had no floats, so I improvised a rig with one of those foam blobs ( someone on FM posted about them a while back) set overdepth, with a couple of AAA on the bottom.
That sat nicely, and I fed the swim with small balls of the unused feeder groundbait,
I was just saying to Steve, who'd walked down for a chat, that it looks good, but it would be nice to see it go under, when it did, and this was the result, after a tour of the many nearby snags
We didn't weigh this one, which looked just a bit smaller than the first. I didn't expect to catch another, after all the commotion, so I was pleasantly surprised when the foam blob raced off again and a third barbel in double figures was bullied into the net
Oh. I was hoping to put up another beautiful barbel, but I'm told I've exceeded my quota. So I'll have to leave off the additional chub, too.
Never mind. I sat out all day in December without feeling cold, caught three double figure barbel and a couple of nice chub, and had an unexpected day out with Steve - who ended up with 50+ assorted fish. I'm sure I've put more than 3 pics in previous posts, but who cares.
mikench
Well-known member
Fab post Kev and equally fab fish!
You will find , as I did , that your quota for photo files isn't per post but cumulative! As we have both exceeded our , apparently , lifetime allowance, its back to Postimages.com! Crackers/pathetic or what!
Don't tell Steve or he'll never come back!
You will find , as I did , that your quota for photo files isn't per post but cumulative! As we have both exceeded our , apparently , lifetime allowance, its back to Postimages.com! Crackers/pathetic or what!Don't tell Steve or he'll never come back!
flightliner
Well-known member
The swim sounds familiar Kev.
Fab post Kev and equally fab fish!
Don't tell Steve or he'll never come back!
Thanks , Mike. I'm a bit confused about this allowance. Why can't we delete old pics/posts and continue to post new relevant ones? I used Postimage for a bit, then it began to charge and ... sorry I'm bored already. Don't they want us to illustrate our posts? There's not that many people who bother to do it, so putting obstacles in the path won't help. Not that you have to answer any of these questions.
mikench
Well-known member
So am I !it was PC who informed me as he suffered the same fate! Maybe one of the mods can explain!
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Another early start today and off down the M40 to the river Thame just outside Thame, Oxon. An Interclub match, Tring v Thame AC.
I drew what is usually a flyer winter peg, the only snag being it’s not quite proper winter yet..
Set up 11’ rod with stick float and my 10’ light bomb rod. At the all in I trotted punch down the middle and an immediate bite, a roach. 2nd trot ditto, from then on I was plagued with mishaps, snags mainly, along with problems caused by the gusty upstream wind. No bites on the bomb and just one more on the punch which I hooked but it fell off.
Others fared better with 4:15 winning and 4:4 second. My 5oz wasn’t last either..
Thame beat us overall by 4lb, not surprising as it’s their home river.
I drew what is usually a flyer winter peg, the only snag being it’s not quite proper winter yet..
Set up 11’ rod with stick float and my 10’ light bomb rod. At the all in I trotted punch down the middle and an immediate bite, a roach. 2nd trot ditto, from then on I was plagued with mishaps, snags mainly, along with problems caused by the gusty upstream wind. No bites on the bomb and just one more on the punch which I hooked but it fell off.
Others fared better with 4:15 winning and 4:4 second. My 5oz wasn’t last either..
Thame beat us overall by 4lb, not surprising as it’s their home river.
mikench
Well-known member
Those pegs look tight! Hardly room to swing a rod let alone the proverbial!
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Those platforms are tight but don't hamper the fishing.
Getting on and off the seatbox is a bit of an obstacle race and the angler does tend to skyline himself. They are only on the 5 early pegs, for the convenience of disabled members.
Getting on and off the seatbox is a bit of an obstacle race and the angler does tend to skyline himself. They are only on the 5 early pegs, for the convenience of disabled members.
maggot_dangler
Well-known member
Well actually managed to get out today .
Headed for my club pool one bit of better news on the pool front the trus that owns it all has actually had a new pipe installed from our spring source thru to the pool so we should do better on the water level front as it refills properly just got the silt to deal with now 2 to 3 feet of it in places need a Long arm digger be easy then but funds wont run to that so it will be waders coffer dams and pumps in the spring . nuff of that any how .
Setup my 13ft maver wagler rod tying the hook on line snapped chop 6 feet of line off try again bang same again seems that for some reason the line on that spool for the 507 has gorn orft then the wind picked up so all in all i spent the first 3/4 of an hour faffing around and getting tangled by the wind ,
Finally got a hook and float in the water white maggots had a few small tugs then a better one 4 decent Crucians and a couple of small perch , then it started raining and going dark thats it me packed and off home .
Must make more effort to get out in the new year ( When i have found where we are going to be Sandwell Council are getting up my nose right now)
PG ...
Headed for my club pool one bit of better news on the pool front the trus that owns it all has actually had a new pipe installed from our spring source thru to the pool so we should do better on the water level front as it refills properly just got the silt to deal with now 2 to 3 feet of it in places need a Long arm digger be easy then but funds wont run to that so it will be waders coffer dams and pumps in the spring . nuff of that any how .
Setup my 13ft maver wagler rod tying the hook on line snapped chop 6 feet of line off try again bang same again seems that for some reason the line on that spool for the 507 has gorn orft then the wind picked up so all in all i spent the first 3/4 of an hour faffing around and getting tangled by the wind ,
Finally got a hook and float in the water white maggots had a few small tugs then a better one 4 decent Crucians and a couple of small perch , then it started raining and going dark thats it me packed and off home .
Must make more effort to get out in the new year ( When i have found where we are going to be Sandwell Council are getting up my nose right now)
PG ...
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
I had yet another morning session at the lake previously mentioned using identical tactics as previously described, so I won't repeat it all again now....
I expected to find a few weekend anglers out as the conditions were spot on for roach fishing(if not a little damp with the constant drizzle) but I didn't see a soul all morning. I would like to say I had another 40 fish but for some reason that escapes me, the fish were in a 'snatching mood' and I had to be content with 25. Well happy with that, though!
I changed the shotting and depth fished several times and this sort of helped but it didn't induce them to take confidently so I stopped fuffing around and just enjoyed the session, taking fish as and when. Sometimes I think one can overthink things and end up making all sorts of changes, when as likely as not is the fish are just not having it, for some inexplicable reason.
Several times on a tea break I did study the very clear water (with bino's) looking for signs of fish activity on the surface (several fish were taken only 1' sub surface) and even resorted to creeping up to a higher bit of bank, scattering a few maggots hoping to see fish swirl, but not a single flash from turning fish, yet next cast a smash take had a fish almost leave the water on the strike!
One cast close to bushes with a slow sinking red maggot ( a single No 8 down the line) produced the slightest of knocks and on the strike I found I was attached to a carp of some size. It didn't do a thing for a few seconds so I gently bought the rod sideways in the hope it would not dive further under the bushes but head out into open water. It did so, and lumbered off slowly and I expected the usual back and forth before it departed.
Strange thing is it was obviously a chunky fish yet it turned under the slightest of rod tip pressure (from an Ultralight for gawd sake!) and after a couple of dives it came to the surface very quickly and I folded it into the 16" net first attempt. It weighed just shy of 10lbs and a beautifully marked, gold flanked. common....
I did need a new hook length, though.......
Best roach around 12ozs but most in the 8/10 oz class and all with bags of fight.
I thought hard about going again this morning, but last night my wife 'suggested' I give it a rest and get some much needed walking exercise under my belt. A pity really as it's another 12 degree overcast day, but I know she's right, damn it!!
Wednesday looking good and a new swim (or another water!) is beckoning......................
I expected to find a few weekend anglers out as the conditions were spot on for roach fishing(if not a little damp with the constant drizzle) but I didn't see a soul all morning. I would like to say I had another 40 fish but for some reason that escapes me, the fish were in a 'snatching mood' and I had to be content with 25. Well happy with that, though!
I changed the shotting and depth fished several times and this sort of helped but it didn't induce them to take confidently so I stopped fuffing around and just enjoyed the session, taking fish as and when. Sometimes I think one can overthink things and end up making all sorts of changes, when as likely as not is the fish are just not having it, for some inexplicable reason.
Several times on a tea break I did study the very clear water (with bino's) looking for signs of fish activity on the surface (several fish were taken only 1' sub surface) and even resorted to creeping up to a higher bit of bank, scattering a few maggots hoping to see fish swirl, but not a single flash from turning fish, yet next cast a smash take had a fish almost leave the water on the strike!
One cast close to bushes with a slow sinking red maggot ( a single No 8 down the line) produced the slightest of knocks and on the strike I found I was attached to a carp of some size. It didn't do a thing for a few seconds so I gently bought the rod sideways in the hope it would not dive further under the bushes but head out into open water. It did so, and lumbered off slowly and I expected the usual back and forth before it departed.
Strange thing is it was obviously a chunky fish yet it turned under the slightest of rod tip pressure (from an Ultralight for gawd sake!) and after a couple of dives it came to the surface very quickly and I folded it into the 16" net first attempt. It weighed just shy of 10lbs and a beautifully marked, gold flanked. common....
I did need a new hook length, though.......
Best roach around 12ozs but most in the 8/10 oz class and all with bags of fight.
I thought hard about going again this morning, but last night my wife 'suggested' I give it a rest and get some much needed walking exercise under my belt. A pity really as it's another 12 degree overcast day, but I know she's right, damn it!!
Wednesday looking good and a new swim (or another water!) is beckoning......................
Last edited:
I've already posted about this session, but I was mystified by the "exceeded quota" message that stopped me putting up a pic of a third fish, and I'm just seeing what happens
Well, that seemed to work, but I was told the limit was a "lifetime" one, not one for one post. I can't post a further pic, though, so I had a 3 pic limit yesterday evening, and a 1 pic limit this morning. Ho hum.
Well, that seemed to work, but I was told the limit was a "lifetime" one, not one for one post. I can't post a further pic, though, so I had a 3 pic limit yesterday evening, and a 1 pic limit this morning. Ho hum.
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I was looking fprward to your report but missed your main one!....seen it now though.
Some crackin fish there Kev sounds like you had a great day out.
Bumping into Steve was a bit of iceing on the cake
.wetthrough
Well-known member
Thay can't possibly know how many bites you're next pic is going to be so they're probably estimating based on past or current behaviour.
flightliner
Well-known member
Fishing "the blob."I reckon that must be a first for Trent Barbel Kev !
Keith M
Well-known member
Some really great barbel you had there Kev, top Angling :thumbs:
Are you sure you didn’t mean ‘Photobucket’ Kev?
Postimage is free and I moved over to it because PhotoBucket started to charge. (https://postimages.org/)
Keith
Are you sure you didn’t mean ‘Photobucket’ Kev?
Postimage is free and I moved over to it because PhotoBucket started to charge. (https://postimages.org/)
Keith