mikench
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Lovely pics again John? I will try for tench tomorrow and crucians.
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
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The water in Metroland looks as gin clear as up here. Not so good for tench??
A day in the nice warm sunshine. Cold last night and the fish were not having it until about midday. Now I must eat my words about sweetcorn that I posted recently as all 6 carp to 14 lb + came on vanilla flavoured corn.
All on the float and my Rapidex.
All on the float and my Rapidex.
Pete Shears
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Back at the big reservoir this morning hoping for just anything with it being 1.5C and mist billowing off the surface.Had hooked and landed a bream of 5lb+ before I could even cast the second method feeder rod and it was busy until about 9.45 when the bites,liners and false bites slowed down.An osprey was circling the shallows hoping for breakfast and fish of all sizes rolling.Eventually broke the endless bream with a solitary roach of around 12oz,hopes faded for a tench as they just don't get a look in but with a sunny day and plenty of wildlife to see, a pleasure to be out.
S-Kippy
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I’ve moved onto skippy’s Swim and the boat is still in its mooring.
Still waiting for a bite...
It wouldnt have been if I'd been there. Bloody thing.
Found that big snag yet ? That is as big a pita as the damned speedboat.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
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theartist
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The boat perhaps also stops the tench from getting on top sunbathing? The waters I fish a bright day is the kiss of death, just a thought?
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Your float looks a bit big for Tench
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Alan Tyler
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Take a look at P.C's post 12752, bottom pic, top right corner...
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Ah I see it now, yep them controller floats may not be the best for tench.
Neil Maidment
Moderator
I visited a venue for the first time in almost four decades last week. I last fly fished there when it was a privately owned water and with a good friend who passed away far too early not long after that visit. Nowadays the fishery is on one of my club's book.
The lakes are obviously far more mature now but even more picturesque. Three separate lakes each set in the side of a steep hill. It presents quite a sight as you arrive at the venue and look down.
I used some of the gear I inherited a while ago and included a nice little cane rod as well as something slightly more modern. I matched them with a pair of old but pristine Ryobi 355MG's which are super light magnesium reels. Pretty sure they had never been used before.
Not an easy afternoon, it took me a while to knock off the rusty bits from my casting technique! But got much better when I stopped trying to reach the horizon (now there's an age old lesson I've obviously failed to learn properly!).
I also missed or bounced the first few takes but finally managed to net a couple of plump little rainbows by tweaking a small bright buzzer in the upper layers.
An enjoyable few hours on a sunny afternoon!
The lakes are obviously far more mature now but even more picturesque. Three separate lakes each set in the side of a steep hill. It presents quite a sight as you arrive at the venue and look down.
I used some of the gear I inherited a while ago and included a nice little cane rod as well as something slightly more modern. I matched them with a pair of old but pristine Ryobi 355MG's which are super light magnesium reels. Pretty sure they had never been used before.
Not an easy afternoon, it took me a while to knock off the rusty bits from my casting technique!
But got much better when I stopped trying to reach the horizon (now there's an age old lesson I've obviously failed to learn properly!).I also missed or bounced the first few takes but finally managed to net a couple of plump little rainbows by tweaking a small bright buzzer in the upper layers.
An enjoyable few hours on a sunny afternoon!
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Old codgers today on the Wendover arm...
Don’t ask!
Don’t ask!
S-Kippy
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Bury Hill for me again today. I had a bad feeling about it but went anyway. I should have trusted my instincts.
I dont know why but Milton Lake at Bury Hill can switch off ( and on) virtually overnight and somebody had clearly thrown the switch. I expected a slow start as it was a tad chilly overnight but I wasnt expecting it to go all previous on me. When it does this virtually all you can catch is little perch....I did exceptionally well to smuggle a couple of crucian and a decent tench out. Add to that a bucket of scampi and that was me lot. It was still 2 crucian and a tench more than anybody else on the lake and by the time I admitted defeat 3 of the 4 other blokes had moved onto a different lake. As I packed up a bloke arrived...he was in for a torrid time methinks though it might come on later.....but somehow I doubt it.
Too hot, too bright, spawning ? Who knows ? All I know is that its done this to me before and no doubt will do it again. I will give it a rest for a bit now.
On the plus side I fooled the DOT roadwork goblins who had updated their Skippy App and hastily thrown in an M25 junction closure. Ha ! Already past it my friends....you'll have to be quicker than that !
I dont know why but Milton Lake at Bury Hill can switch off ( and on) virtually overnight and somebody had clearly thrown the switch. I expected a slow start as it was a tad chilly overnight but I wasnt expecting it to go all previous on me. When it does this virtually all you can catch is little perch....I did exceptionally well to smuggle a couple of crucian and a decent tench out. Add to that a bucket of scampi and that was me lot. It was still 2 crucian and a tench more than anybody else on the lake and by the time I admitted defeat 3 of the 4 other blokes had moved onto a different lake. As I packed up a bloke arrived...he was in for a torrid time methinks though it might come on later.....but somehow I doubt it.
Too hot, too bright, spawning ? Who knows ? All I know is that its done this to me before and no doubt will do it again. I will give it a rest for a bit now.
On the plus side I fooled the DOT roadwork goblins who had updated their Skippy App and hastily thrown in an M25 junction closure. Ha ! Already past it my friends....you'll have to be quicker than that !
mikench
Well-known member
I went to the same venue and the same peg as Sunday ! I had 65 fish a record for me! I caught 5 Chub to 3.5lb , 3 common to 5.5lb and the rest were decent roach and small perch.
Once members are aware of this water and suss out this peg they will be queuing up! Make hay while the sun shines.
It's a walk of 250 yards or so from the car park so this time I used the wheel kit for my chair! Saved 2 journeys and with a sore back after gardening, it made life easier!
It hardly justifies any pics and my phone only had 20% charge to begin with! Here's a couple with the roach being typical
Once members are aware of this water and suss out this peg they will be queuing up! Make hay while the sun shines.
It's a walk of 250 yards or so from the car park so this time I used the wheel kit for my chair! Saved 2 journeys and with a sore back after gardening, it made life easier!
It hardly justifies any pics and my phone only had 20% charge to begin with! Here's a couple with the roach being typical
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S-Kippy
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Why does it do this ? I'm pretty certain the tench/crucian weren't spawning...they just did not want to know. The margins which have been the place to fish lately seemed totally devoid of fish. I know it wasnt me....nobody on the lake was catching.
I think I might have winkled a fish or two out by chucking a feeder out to the lilies but that's not how I want to fish when I'm down there.
Pete Shears
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On the bank of the local canal feeder reservoir just before 6am this morning,mist rising off the water but nothing rolling,dimpling only noisy grey lags and canadas.A kingfisher flashed by as I set up the two method feeder rods and with a coffee poured it was time to scan the water - nothing moving.Just before 7am a violent take on the right hand rod baited with plastic sweetcorn and I had a proper fight on my hands not like the plodding of bream yesterday -a female tench of 5lb 8oz graced the net,first this year ! And then . . . nothing else happened,not a twitch,liner,bubbling etc nothing.Watched two red kites circling over the far bank, a tree creeper 25ft up on an overhanging branch but the underside - how do they do that ? - and a great spotted woodpecker flying across the water towards me given away by its looping flight.
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Certainly as far as the tench are concerned on the estate there comes a time when they stop feeding during the day time, the few I’ve had out in the past few weeks I see as bonus fish. As I said in my last report it’s now time to plan trips for sunrise or a few hours before sunset. Still too bloody cold for me to enjoy a 4am alarm call though,next week or two and hopefully we will get some warmer nights.
wetthrough
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An interesting if frustrating day on the Dam yesterday. Beautiful day sat in the shade with the Kingfisher flitting to and fro. 6:30am and I'm at peace with the world, for now... Decided to fish two rods. One at around 12M in 7'6" and a slider at 37M in just over 10'. I've fished the 3SSG slider before so the reel is clipped up from a previous session (16TDM3012 with the auto release line clip) and I know short of strong wind which wasn't forecast I can get the distance easy enough. Last time I fished the slider I damaged the float and didn't have a spare so bought a replacement. DJK seem to have stopped doing the original 3SSG slider and now do an adjustable one so got one of those instead, seems like a good idea. GB in the near swim and start setting up the slider with a 4.5g olivette which needs a couple of BBs and droppers to cock. Stop the float with a small shot, drop it near to and it sinks like a stone. Cursing float manufacturers (read on) for not getting the ratings right I strip it down (a bit of a performance in itself) put a 4g olivette on (no hooklength) and it still sinks. Strip down again. I don't have any 3.5g so it's down to a 3g olivette and we're getting somewhere near. Plummet on and get the depth. I can do the final shotting close in. Catapult GB in at 37M and I'm on form, right on target. Set up the 12M swim/rod and start fishing, it's about 8am by this time. Nothing, not a nibble. I've fished the swim before and short of near freezing conditions you can pretty much guarantee you'll pick something up with a maggot but nothing. I give it an hour or so but still nothing. Time to give the slider a go. It's only now I realise that with only 3g+ I'm struggling to hit the clip (the plummet was on when I baited up) which is a disaster on a slider. If the wind changes I'm stuffed, and it did. I had to reclip after numerous tangles ending up around 3:4M short of where I'd baited up, wonderful.
Then the crud came.
Tons of the stuff. Seeds, tree blast, catkins, you name it, it was in my swim. If I did get a bite, half the time I'd find the line wasn't sunk and struck into thin air. I'd have had to move to the opposite side to guarantee a crud free zone so persevered. I spent more time picking crud of the line than fishing.
The lady I've mentioned before was fishing about 200M towards the road from about midday. Around 1:30pm a walker tells me she's asked them to ask for my help as she's caught a pike (she fishes a whip for Roach) and needs some help. Assuming she needs help unhooking it I grab some pliers, disgorger and long forceps (at least it'll look like I know what I'm doing) and make my way over. B****r, it's still charging around under her rod tip, around 2lb and she's got no landing net. Back for a landing net, land it and thankfully it unhooks itself in the landing net and I don't get to demonstrate my limited skills at unhooking Pike.
The Pike's in a bad way though. It's been charging round under her rod tip for however long it takes to walk 800M and goes belly up in the net. Righted it and its gills are barely moving. I must have had it resting for a good 15/20m before it came back to life, phew. The lady has a landing net but it's in the garage! I think she'll be taking it next time. In her defence, she's been fishing for 50yrs and it's the first time she's needed a net.
I did manage to catch a few on the slider, nothing on the near line. One skimmer of around 1.5lb+, a Roach of around 8oz the rest, 8 in all, small Roach. The crud got the better of me and I packed in around 3pm, it was nigh on impossible to fish through it.
At home with my thinking head on I realised that not only does adjusting the slider make the bristle shorter or longer it also changes the volume of the float as it's the 4.8mm stem that slides in and out. The difference between being fully in, which it nearly was, and fully out amounts to about 1.5g. With the 4.5g olivette on all I needed to do was pull the stem fully out. Worth mentioning that you can fish them as either a straight or insert waggler/slider.
It's just worth mentioning but if you're thinking of getting one of the adjustable sliders you really need a washer or piece of rigid tubing with a hole that's a close fit over the 4.8mm float stem. The connector between the two works much like catapult elastic. As you pull it gets tighter. Pushing the stem in is easy. Pulling it out you have to get your nails behind the piece of connecting tube which is tricky. A washer or close fitting tube would make it a doddle.
DJK. If your ears were burning yesterday my humble apologies. Nice floats and always good service
Then the crud came.
Tons of the stuff. Seeds, tree blast, catkins, you name it, it was in my swim. If I did get a bite, half the time I'd find the line wasn't sunk and struck into thin air. I'd have had to move to the opposite side to guarantee a crud free zone so persevered. I spent more time picking crud of the line than fishing.
The lady I've mentioned before was fishing about 200M towards the road from about midday. Around 1:30pm a walker tells me she's asked them to ask for my help as she's caught a pike (she fishes a whip for Roach) and needs some help. Assuming she needs help unhooking it I grab some pliers, disgorger and long forceps (at least it'll look like I know what I'm doing) and make my way over. B****r, it's still charging around under her rod tip, around 2lb and she's got no landing net. Back for a landing net, land it and thankfully it unhooks itself in the landing net and I don't get to demonstrate my limited skills at unhooking Pike.
The Pike's in a bad way though. It's been charging round under her rod tip for however long it takes to walk 800M and goes belly up in the net. Righted it and its gills are barely moving. I must have had it resting for a good 15/20m before it came back to life, phew. The lady has a landing net but it's in the garage! I think she'll be taking it next time. In her defence, she's been fishing for 50yrs and it's the first time she's needed a net.
I did manage to catch a few on the slider, nothing on the near line. One skimmer of around 1.5lb+, a Roach of around 8oz the rest, 8 in all, small Roach. The crud got the better of me and I packed in around 3pm, it was nigh on impossible to fish through it.
At home with my thinking head on I realised that not only does adjusting the slider make the bristle shorter or longer it also changes the volume of the float as it's the 4.8mm stem that slides in and out. The difference between being fully in, which it nearly was, and fully out amounts to about 1.5g. With the 4.5g olivette on all I needed to do was pull the stem fully out. Worth mentioning that you can fish them as either a straight or insert waggler/slider.
It's just worth mentioning but if you're thinking of getting one of the adjustable sliders you really need a washer or piece of rigid tubing with a hole that's a close fit over the 4.8mm float stem. The connector between the two works much like catapult elastic. As you pull it gets tighter. Pushing the stem in is easy. Pulling it out you have to get your nails behind the piece of connecting tube which is tricky. A washer or close fitting tube would make it a doddle.
DJK. If your ears were burning yesterday my humble apologies. Nice floats and always good service