How did you get on?

[no-one in particular]

Chucked lures of various shapes and colours into a flat and calm Westgate sea but no takes, a couple of anglers had small bass using bait but the sea was showing signs of May bloom which I’ve read puts paid to any chances of success with lures.

We get that here John, its the first flush of algae from the sun. As it dies it rots and smells and turns the sea brownish. Usually in May and can last for two or three weeks. It tends to kill off the fishing full stop. A couple of good blows tends to clear it out-Hope you feel better soon.

 

[mikench]

Hope you're feeling better John.

 

[no-one in particular]

The first bit of fishing this year, nothing serious and did not expect much. Winter species on thier way out and to early for summer fish, mackeral, bass. Still thought might be a chance of a school bass or a flattie. First mistake was leaving my chair either in the bookies or where I stopped for a pot of tea and scrambled eggs on toast, I blame the brain by-pass but I got it back in the bookies, they are used to me leaving stuff all over the place., second was not accounting for the May water which I could smell as I got near the sea, the water was not brown but greenish however, one bloke on the beach had one school bass.
I did remember to take a coat as I guessed that sea breeze might be cold which it was.
But not a bite, didn't stay long, a pint of Guinness on the way home and happy enough. When the May water clears out and the sea warms up a bit I will concentrate a bit more

 

[103841]

Great to see you out on the beach, to think where you were just a few weeks ago!

 

[neil1970]

Last week we were on holiday in Weymouth, the fishing was a bit slow, but I managed a few species.
All good fun

 

[mikench]

Lovely photos, as usual Neil. It's a good job those cute little gobies don't run to conger size as they would be a handful!

 

[103841]

Lovely photos, as usual Neil. It's a good job those cute little gobies don't run to conger size as they would be a handful!

As above, always a delight looking at your pics.

 

[john step]

I got over whatever bug I caught and SWMBO gave me a pass for Sunday and Monday. I dont normally fish weekends but it would have been rude to refuse.

I put the effort into carting my carp gear across the field and up the steps to the reservoir for a bit of sunbathing, not expecting too much. My tanned face looks like I accompanied Mike to the Sth of France!

I had 3 low doubles on my favourite tiger nut boilies. Mr Dynamite makes exceedingly good bait!
Plus a crucian and roach and rudd on the float.


View attachment 6616

 

[S-Kippy]

Just back from Bury Hill and another go on the pole for the crucians and tench.....accompanied by the Big Feller as usual.

With today looking like the best day weatherwise this week by some distance we decided to go despite me finding if harder and harder to get up early....but with the M25 in the equation its early or forget about it so 6 am saw me heading south with the rest of the herd, only they were going to work and I was going fishing.....hah !

Long story short. It fished its head off. We had Milton Lake almost to ourselves...certainly no one close enough to disturb us and the blazing sun never materialised.It stayed warm, overcast and calm all day. The crucians took a little while to get going, small perch and roach were a bit of a problem to start with but I ended up keeping 2 lines going...one at 11m straight out and one down the edge to my right. Phil gave if best about 2-30 as he was suffering with his knee. I gave it a bit longer until the floating tom tit drifted into my swim and made things extaordinarily difficult. 4mm pellet or double red maggot over 3mm betaine feed pellets seemed to do the job....I stopped feeding maggot to keep the perch and roach at bay.

I had 10-12 proper tench with the best 2 nudging 5lb...a couple of joey tench and around 35 crucian with the best 3 nudging 2lb...the others between 1-4 and 1-8. I could have carried on catching but why spoil a great day by knackering yourself and getting stuck on the M25 ?

Brilliant. Nothing I'd rather do this time of year.

 

[john step]

Just back from Bury Hill and another go on the pole for the crucians and tench.....accompanied by the Big Feller as usual.


Brilliant. Nothing I'd rather do this time of year.

With a venue like that I understand why you are prepared to suffer the M25.

 

[peter crabtree]

13. Codgers fished today at Boxmoor near Hemel. An overcast, warm and windless day, colour in the canal, perfect..

My peg was the first in the foreground. No roach showed to punch first thing so I changed to maggot, bleak, gudgeon, perch and chublets were all I could muster..
After 2 hours I heard a splash to my left, looking over I saw a piece of discarded bread getting ripped by a sizeable fish. It was tight to some overhanging brambles. I swapped my waggler to a clear crystal and shallowed up to 2’ deep.
Double maggot on an 18 red maggot hook to 0:011 cast across and bingo, float buried and a fight was on. This turned out to be the first of about 10 chub to 3:8 which I caught from the same spot (which required casting as close to snaggy bushes as possible) during the final 3 hours..

Went on to win the match with 14lb:9oz....

 

[S-Kippy]

Just back from Bury Hill and another go on the pole for the crucians and tench.....accompanied by the Big Feller as usual.


Brilliant. Nothing I'd rather do this time of year.

With a venue like that I understand why you are prepared to suffer the M25.

Sadly most of my favourite venues mean fighting the M25. I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the GUC as Brother Simon as I'm right on top of that. Today the M25 was reasonably benign....an hour to get there and an hour 15 to get home.

 

[nottskev]

Monday night I thought I'd nip out in the evening and catch a carp on crust from a local pond. A couple of carp were on the crusts more or less at once, so I thought it would be a formality to catch one. Then the fish swam off, and the wind turned to blow the crust straight back at me. I sat pondering what to do next, with the crust under my feet, when a large carp swirled and downed it. Naturally I missed it. And that was that.

Tench lake today. I imagined the more accessible swims had probably seen a few anglers over the weekend, so I put the wheels on the box and walked round to the swims in the little wood. This also put me in the sun and out of the wind.



I started fishing after lunch, and the light cloud had burnt off into another scorching day. I expected it to be quiet for a couple of hours, and to pick up late afternoon. In fact, the tench didn't need a lot of coaxing to feed in the bright sun.




With one swim fed with maggot, the other with pellet, I found they cheerfully ate both. But I did notice that the fish on this side of the lake were smaller than those I caught last time out on the other side. After a couple of hours, a movement next to the net caught my eye, and a tench far bigger than any I caught had stationed itself next to the net, where it inspected the tench inside. I tried to take a pic, but I could only see it thanks to the polaroids. I'd planned to fish til dusk, but I'd seen enough small tench by 6, and called it a day.

 

[103841]

You are the Tinca man Kev!

 

[peter crabtree]

Is it me or is your seatbox back to front?

Good net of tench too...

 

[nottskev]

Is it me or is your seatbox back to front?

Good net of tench too...

It is. I found it was more comfortable that way.....

 

[nottskev]

You are the Tinca man Kev!

Well, I reckon 3 of mine equal one of your estate lake tench!

 

[108831]

Well I had planned to go fishing after taking my autistic lad up the road to college,so was up early,looked out of the bedroom window and a car was parked in front of the garage,sh1t,anyway I got the seatbox,carryall and rod holdall out into the back garden ready for me to load up,8.30am came and I took the gear back indoors as the car was still there,I walked the lad up the road,came back and it was still there,so I put the washing on and watched my cctv in the hope of him appearing,he did...at 9.55am,I shot out and have him a mouthful and told him he had actually stopped the guy nextdoor going to work.Then I quickly shot off to the lake to find the car park as busy as I've seen it,I fished a swim I've never fished before,which I quickly found out there was a big snag around ten yards out,you fished around another five yards out in twelve feet of water,well I got little runs of bites throughout the day and caught twenty three roach to 1lb 11ozs,then at around 4pm it dried up,a guy from further along came up and we both reckoned something big had turned up,at 6.15pm I hooked it,at 7pm I landed it,a 30lb 8oz catfish on a be banded 6mm pellet ,5lb line and a 14 hook,knackered...

 

[nottskev]

Well I had planned to go fishing after taking my autistic lad up the road to college,so was up early,looked out of the bedroom window and a car was parked in front of the garage,sh1t,anyway I got the seatbox,carryall and rod holdall out into the back garden ready for me to load up,8.30am came and I took the gear back indoors as the car was still there,I walked the lad up the road,came back and it was still there,so I put the washing on and watched my cctv in the hope of him appearing,he did...at 9.55am,I shot out and have him a mouthful and told him he had actually stopped the guy nextdoor going to work.Then I quickly shot off to the lake to find the car park as busy as I've seen it,I fished a swim I've never fished before,which I quickly found out there was a big snag around ten yards out,you fished around another five yards out in twelve feet of water,well I got little runs of bites throughout the day and caught twenty three roach to 1lb 11ozs,then at around 4pm it dried up,a guy from further along came up and we both reckoned something big had turned up,at 6.15pm I hooked it,at 7pm I landed it,a 30lb 8oz catfish on a be banded 6mm pellet ,5lb line and a 14 hook,knackered...

Bloody hell. What sort of places do you fish? I've caught millions of roach this year - and none much over a pound. And a catfish??

 

[sam vimes]

Finally found a tench on the gravel pit. Just like buses, a second one came along very soon after the first.


3lb 10oz for the first one.

3lb 15oz for the second.

Now all I have to do is beat the 5lb 12oz which was my best from the water last year.