How did you get on?

[mikench]

Wow Gordon that sounds like quite a day and an eventful one! The Dam sounds less and less attractive!

I hate the crud particularly the fluff from the willow which sticks to the line, builds up on the spool and blocks your smallest eyes on the tip. The main disadvantage of trees I'm afraid. If you fancy a day at Dunham send me a txt: Goose Green remains closed!

Ps Goose Green reopened yesterday so we have a choice.

 

[103841]

With the tench going missing on the estate I thought I’d make my first trip of the year to the mighty Stonar lake in search of the lovely Rudd.

An early start to hopefully bag my favourite swim which I did and set up the whip at 6 metres.

The Rudd must be part of the same union as the tench as they didn’t show in the 7 hours I was there. Plenty of these though.

The carp also proved to be a nuisance, hooked three, lost three, they go big in this lake and two were definitely into double figures, the strength of my old Daiwa whip is quite incredible having played them for a good few minutes before the hooklength snapped.

Maybe not that incredible as I managed to catch the tip on an overhead branch snapping two inches off the finely tapered tip as I was packing up.mg:

 

[mikench]

It's so easily done. It looks an impressive venue.

 

[peter crabtree]

Went to Luton AC’s version of old codgers match today on their stretch near Leighton Buzzard. I was advised to walk down to the marina so 5 of us out of the ten fishing made the 10 minute walk down there. I was knackered before I’d unpacked a thing...
Set up pole and a tip rod.

]

It never ceases to amaze me how potting chopped worm and gb seems to be an instant cue for a boat to come through and disperse it everywhere!
This happened twice in the first hour grrrr!
First chuck on the feeder across to the boats produced a bite almost immediately, a good fish too. Within 2 seconds it dumped my hook in a sunken branch which I dragged across and chucked up the bank. With my patience wearing ever thinner I cupped in some more gb and chopped worm @ 12m and gave the pole a go.
Blade skimmers one a chuck on double maggot were welcome but unlikely to build a decent weight.
Eventually I caught a few bigger ones but it was too little too late. Unusually the scalesman was using metric scales, I had 4:340k which was enough for 4th overall but no cigar....
Can’t remember the top 3 weights but I was just 300gr off 3rd place.

]

 

[john step]

Peter.....Looks like a nice bit of canal without a towpath close behind you?

On my syndi res today for the carp.
I was not expecting much due to the extremely bright sunshine. I was right for the morning.
About 12 the wind got up and my buzzer went off. I had 7 in total during the afternoon including two doubles. This was most unusual as the most I have had in a day there before was four.

View attachment 6702

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As its warming up a bit I think Friday coming will be an attempt on the tench day.

 

[mikench]

Pete that top carp is almost barbel shaped. An attractive fish

 

[nottskev]

No fishing for me for the last week or so - I'd been lurking around the house getting paranoid about the unusual chest pains (I'm used to the usual ones) but I wasn't going to miss the chance to meet up with one of our fellow FM members at a lake where you can catch the odd small tench.

Last time I was there, 10 days ago, the fluffy seeds from the trees that line the lake had been a pain - in fact my mate couldn't fish rod and line, and I had to fish pole as rings jammed up in no time. That should have passed, but it seems that many of the trees - perhaps because the weather cooled for a week - had yet to explode and were at it today.

We weighed up where it was worse. We noted the forecast wind direction. We trudged around to the clear bank



But with only the slightest and most variable of breezes, for long periods the swims in front of use were more solid than liquid



which slowed the catch rate a bit! Even so, Chris was quick to suss out how close to the bank you could catch the hordes of small tench



And they were disappearing into his keepnet at a fair old rate. We spent a bit of time chatting, and I got the chance to drool over several top-end shimano rods that I'd not seen before, and the sun shone all day. There was a good sample of the lakes' residents in Chris' net - had to do a Peter Crabtree type photo



And a similar amount in mine



So the seeds, whilst a pain, didn't stop us catching a few. Good to meet another FM member - thanks for making the long trip down, Sam Vimes, and I'm sure we'll meet up again at some other venue.

 

[Weirdoh]

Watched a 50 strong shoal of Dace navigating some shallow water on a local river this afternoon.

 

[john step]

Pete that top carp is almost barbel shaped. An attractive fish

Its amazing how they can vary in shape in there. Commons,mirrors and the odd leather. Some are very deep and others are like this torpedo. They are not starving as there is plenty of aquatic life and its not overstocked.

 

[sam vimes]

Thanks Kev,
I thoroughly enjoyed my day, though I seem to have developed centrally heated arms! They are positively glowing.

I stayed on for a couple of hours after Kev had to leave. I stayed partly because I wanted to avoid the early evening traffic, partly because I fancied litening to the Leeds/Derby play off game during the drive north, but mostly because I was having fun. I knocked another twenty or so tench out, with the odd roach and perch and a surprise I'd been warned about.

I can honestly say that I've never fished a venue quite like this before. It might seem like the tenchy equivalent of knocking pasties out of a commie, but it's novel and it's fun. The bonus being that there's no chance of me fishing it often enough for the novelty to wear off. I can honestly say that I've never caught as many tench in one sitting.

 

[sam vimes]

Interesting hexagonal scales!

 

[wetthrough]

Reflection of the net?

 

[103841]

Without a shadow of a doubt!

 

[theartist]

For older viewers that bream is a blockbuster

 

[flightliner]

I had a first time out for near on four weeks two days ago.
Family/ house/ garden commitments and maybe an unusuall lack of mojo all played there part in my bankside absence.
I arrived late and didn't start fishing until 11-30 as I met an old friend and chatted for some twenty minutes before I found my place to fish.
There was no real rush however as no other angler seemed to be catching much so, a simple waggler rig complete for a mag and wag attack I finally got underway.
Slow at first, an odd bite, the odd tiny roach with the slow sinking bait but nothing of note and after a half hour the sun was becoming uncomfortable and to make it worse the hot concrete slab my feet were resting on was like a hot plate -- not good.
I was becoming a little tired of my results , the constant casting was tiresome in the heat so so after putting my brolly up as protection changed my approach to placing some creed wheat mixed with hemp close into the right hand margin and with no tackle change put creed wheat on the hook and laid on long in the shallower swim.
It wasn't long before a few carp began to pay me a visit, tight on top at first but later a few encouraging puffs of mud began to erupt on my baited area, it wouldn't take long.
The first bite came with a bang, the rod hooped round and I was connected to a very lively common that when landed would maybe have pushed any scales to three lb or so.
Another ten minutes later and it was looking good when I was paid a visit by another angler who stood right over my baited area - maybe eight foot above and a foot from the edge only has one result with carp so near to it ------- wheeeeeeeeee - farewell, goodbye- auvidersain, arividerchi!
I wasn't best pleased , grrrrrrr, !
It went very quite after , maybe a full hour then they came back and at the end I ended up with seven carp to around five lbs.
It could have been better but matey and an earlier than expected Finnish because of the heat had me back on the road home for a cooling shower. Still had a touch of the sun however- the tip of my left ear will be skinning in a day or so lol!

 

[theartist]

Had a trip out Tuesday with dad after some more big gudgeon on bread, managed a couple but no bigger than last time, there was also a succession roach, crucians and even the bream and small tench were taking on the drop as I was using a light pole float with no weight other than the punched bread to cock it. It was of course deadly for the carp to 12lb 8oz which is a decent size for the match pond, they varied in condition but this 8lb mirror had great scales just a shame about the dorsal. Seemed a relaxing day on the pond, the difference a day makes.

 

[theartist]

Just got back from a few hours on the canal today which saw a really weird day, caught loads of roach dace and perch with one just shy of 2lb but all that seems irrelevant compared to everything else.

This is what happens when a tree falls across a canal if you're unlucky, I hope no one was in





Then the bream were breeding, some lumps too about 40 of them, they drew the attention of the passers by and were also oblivious as I took many photos right under my feet, at the time I thought this was wonderful and I left them alone to fish elsewhere. However the local youth didn't do this and in twenty minutes I watched as at least four of them were foul hooked and lost as they had no net and were attempting to land them in a bucket!

I walked off angry at myself for not saying anything but was a bit outnumbered and these guys weren't the sort you'd talk to, I also thought it's better them than a group with a big net and fishmonger contacts. I thought that aside from no net they actually weren't doing anything against the law, this didn't seem right, this made me wonder whether I should be fishing and should leave it for a while whilst the majority of the fish are breeding. Lots of thoughts went through my head and the worst of all was I spent more time worrying about those bream than the poor folk who could have been in that boat





Pretty dispirited right now, like I say the difference a day makes

 

[mikench]

Rob when do you get the time to draw?

Gordon (wetthrough) has joined one of my clubs and we plan to visit a pool I like and which also appeals to him. Well being a caring so and so I thought the least I could do for a pal would be to check it out to make sure it was still there and prebait a swim for him:







I managed five carp with one mirror over 12lb and the bream of 4.5lb pictured! Despite the sunshine, I was in the shade and there was a cold breeze necessitating a hoodie and I was still cold!

I thought the grass was a little long around the lake so arranged for it to be cut ready for Gordon! Not really but this lake and another close by which we may visit have had the cutting and pruning treatment today . It's ready Gordon:wh

 

[barbelboi]

Now for something completely different.

I was talked in to leaving our local waters for the day and motoring 20 minutes north west to the 96 acre Naseby reservoir that neither of us had fished before. First impressions? The water level was low so there would obviously be less acreage of water to ponder over – secondly, the car park/reservoir was devoid of cars/people which isn’t generally a good sign.

The car park is adjacent to the dam wall and from there I could see some fish activity in the shallow, virtually gin clear, weedy bay in front of us. Good place to start so grabbed a rod, X-lite, bag and net and set up on the far side facing the dam wall (so that’s whittled it down from 96 acres to around an acre with some fish in residence). I decided to use a 1.5t/c Avon, 10lb ProGold to an old Shimmy Aero 5000GTE, a small fox bubble, about 3’ of Reflo .19 hook length to a B911X size 12 with a KK to a pellet band. Bait was an 8mm pellet.

I overfilled the bubble to sink gently on to the pond weed and cast about 30’ out ‘poulting out some pellets from time to time. We had the place to ourselves, apart from a visit by the bailiff who relieved us of £5 each, a commented that he was surprised we were catching as the place had ‘not been fishing’. Fished from 10-3pm for 9 carp between 14.10 and 19.14. The last hour got somewhat chilly as the easterly wind picked up so it was handy that the car was so close to grab a fleece................

 

[sam vimes]

A few hours to kill before the footie started combined with what is supposed to the the last of the sunny weather tempted me out again. The potential case of after the Lord Mayor's show wasn't as bad as it could have been. I'd intended a spot of bit bashing with a twenty five year old Daiwa rod. It didn't quite work out as planned, despite a 2lb 6oz hooklink and size 18 Drennan Silverfish Maggot hook.

I did have a few unremarkable bits but the bigger fish turned up and pushed them out intermittently. I did lose a couple of what I'd assume to be carp. One to a simple hook pull, another to an opened up hook when I had to try and stop it getting into some lillies.
The first, and biggest, of the two carp I had went 11lb 7oz.

Whilst I generally got on better than I expected with the sliding rod bands. The better fish had the rod bent double and the reel moving around just enough to make me uncomfortable.
No such issues were had with more sedate 4lb bream. I've had them before from this water when they've fought pretty well. This one was the proverbial wet sack.