How did you get on?

[flightliner]

Had my first trip out yesterday, fished from around nine am until 7-30 pm . Any Bream or Tench would have been welcomed by anyone present but none were forthcoming.
Another familier start to my season!

 

[mikench]

Met up with Gordon( Wetthrough ) today at the Dam which is on our club card but also day ticket. It's a large water and whilst a favourite with Gordon was unfamiliar to me. We met at 5.30 am under bright and clear skies and with little prospect of rain. We agreed on the venue last week and I was determined to leave my comfort zone and fish for pike. The water has pike to 30lb alledgedly plus cats, double figure bream , large carp and tench plus eels, roach, Rudd and perch.

I could so easily have opted to float fish but stuck with my original decision and we proceeded to set up after a 250 yard walk to the pegs. I set up my Drennan pike rod(unused) with a 6000 reel, a Korum Dura bung and a single circle hook ( with the barb crushed) attached to à wondertress trace. I felt that as a complete novice I would rather lose a fish than use a double treble and risk deep hooking one. I had all the gear and some frozen sprats.









The 6lb pike came after a couple of hours and was hooked in the scissors so , much to my relief, I was able to unhook it and return it safely to the water and watch it swim away. What a relief!

That was it though no more and nothing else on a feeder rod. Gordon fished a slider and other floats at different distances and depths and lost count of the number of roach he caught. It's fair to say we expected more but it wasn't to be. We had a good day though with interesting chat and , to Gordon's relief, he wasn't called upon to help.

The rod is heavy but specifically for pike and I tried a variety of long casts. I have a lot to learn but one has to start somewhere.

My first pike. I'm chuffed!

 

[theartist]

Well done Mike is the photo blurry because you had a bit of the shakes? Tell you what it's got some lovely colour to it though

 

[mikench]

It's not my best pic but I was anxious to return the fish asap.

The pike was in very good condition and fought well for its size. Having broken my duck I will be less anxious and circumspect next time.

 

[barbelboi]

I took a stroll over the fields earlier to a small local river for a bit of roach trotting– rod, reel, small bag, a couple of slices of 50/50 and a net. I intended to be mobile so the X-lite stayed at home . A fair few roach found their way to the net, along with a couple of chub. No monsters but very enjoyable and it was certainly good to be back on running water again after the close. Fished from 10.30 – 2.30pm............

 

[103841]

Well done on your first pike Mike (like), almost an identical setup to the one I caught my first on and caught in the scissors too.

 

[mikench]

Thanks John. It's a bit pathetic I know but I was full of trepidation and worried that I might make a pigs ear of catching one and half hoped I'd blank. It was exciting though and that's another fish knocked of the list.Heavy gear isn't my bag though!

 

[103841]

I felt no different to you, it shows we care.

 

[Pete Shears]

Back to the local reservoir this morning to find it flat calm with fish of all sizes rolling,totally different to yesterday when a strong SW breeze blew all morning and I never even suffered a liner or saw anything move.Managed to wangle a male tench of 4lb 10oz and a bream of about 2lb both caught on p/u plastic corn.Ten possibly more long tailed tits working the hedgerow and willows,the ever friendlier reed buntings twelve feet away in the reeds obviously but the background cackle of three or four magpies all morning.

 

[davebhoy]

Yesterday Dad and I joined the masses on the Upper Lea only to join their concern about the water levels as they were so LOW, yes we've had all the rain down here too over the last week but it's the lowest I have ever seen the river this time of year and it would even be low were it mid August. Houses are being built at the source at an alarming rate and this river is suffering as a result.

With our first choice rammed we opted for a plan B and scoured the bottom for signs of anything other than small chub, occasionally the odd small barbel and good roach were to be seen but the wind and sun was making them so skitty in the low clear water, moving the rushes about which they use for cover. The river here is mostly under a rod length in width and shallow. The weather people managed to get it round the wrong way as the showers came early doors and brighter weather later and it was in one of these dark cloudy spells where I had my only barbel of the session, having to cast my float upstream under a rush overhang.

View attachment 6876

A mighty fish barely scraping a pound but in perfect condition, it wont be the last barbel caught this year but it would be today as the swim emptied after that with the sun coming out. I tried a few other spots winkling out some decent roach and large but not quite weighable gudgeon on maggot. Poor old dad blanked on the lead despite trying several spots too.

Not great news about the lack of water. Rain doesn’t make much difference to the levels there, the river goes up and back down pretty quickly but it’s shallow now at the best of times.

 

[theartist]

Not great news about the lack of water. Rain doesn’t make much difference to the levels there, the river goes up and back down pretty quickly but it’s shallow now at the best of times.

Yes that's true but it's one of many rivers which over a 20-30 year period we are visible seeing reduce in size year on year

 

[davebhoy]

Yes that's true but it's one of many rivers which over a 20-30 year period we are visible seeing reduce in size year on year

It’ll be a terrible shame if it continues. I’m not fished it nearly as long as that but I have fished the long walk a lot over recent years and it’s a little gem of a stretch

 

[peter crabtree]

Last night I fished the third of our evening series fixtures on the GUC in Tring. Drew one of the noisy pegs opposite the flour mill.
The recent rain had coloured the water which at times can be gin clear.

The banks are high here and as usual I was perched somewhat precariously on the edge, ever mindful not to lean forward too far...

My solid aluminium brolly spike was screwed into the ground and attached by brolly arms on my box, this gave me peace of mind that I wouldn’t slide forward and fall in.

Roach and bream are the main species here so it was punch on my light waggler set up. Fishing down the middle first bite a small roach. This was followed by a 2lb skimmer which cheered me up as the rain started again. After that it went a bit dead and the heavens opened in earnest!

What with that and the semi darkness my fine tipped waggler was hard to see so I had to fish closer in.
I tried maggots and casters to no avail, all the small roach wanted was punch. By the end of the 3 hours I knew I’d not got enough to win by a long chalk, I weighed in just 2lb 13 which was enough for 5th and one precious point in the Evening league table.

11 fished.

 

[theartist]

By the end of the 3 hours I knew I’d not got enough to win by a long chalk, I weighed in just 2lb 13 which was enough for 5th and one precious point in the Evening league table.

Aww I was all set to do a "Simon brings home the dough opposite the flour mill" gag

 

[rich66]

Supposedly thunderstorms and rain today. Woke up this morning to find it dry that was enough for me to take another trip to Frisby. Grabbed a tin of sweetcorn and what was left of a bag of frozen mussels.
Pulled up in the car park about 9, decided to go scout out that swim I couldn’t get to last week. Looking good this morning not enough ground water to stop me reaching that spot. Set up decided to fish a waggler float around 8inch over depth about 2 foot away from the reeds. Sweetcorn on the hook and loose feed sweetcorn.
I’d been set up and settled less than 1/2 an hour when my float sailed gracefully away into the depths. Struck into a determined fish that took me a few minutes to land, just did not want to come in. Nice common carp which I didn’t weigh guesstimate at about 4-5lb. Less than 15 minutes later a 2lb bream was bought to the bank. Next cast bought me a sweet little tench within 10 minutes. Still on corn bought me a nice mirror carp in less than it took time to me to think I’ll have a coffee. Last two fish came on mussel both within 10 minutes of each other. Lost another 1/2 hour later and had a few twitches on my feeder rod. But that was it for the day fish wise. Funny I catch more carp when I’m aiming for tench ?
However I did find some very pretty wild orchids behind me. Never seen these before so another 1st.

 

[stillwater blue]

]

Damn, those are some pretty carp

 

[seth49]

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Nice early purple orchid as well

 

[mikench]

You beat me to it Keith! If you are lucky enough to find them it's normally when the bluebells are out so those are late early orchids. They are becoming rare.

 

[seth49]

Some fifty odd years ago, a wood near the farm where I lived was felled, the spring after, the cleared land was a mass of early purple orchids, they must have been dormant under the trees for years, and the extra light and sunshine made them grow again, there under conifers now, I wonder if there still waiting for these trees to be felled, so they can bloom again.

 

[flightliner]

I thought hard about returning to my Stillwater after such a dissapointing start so decided to return next week and have an enforced change , so, not wishing to look a gift horse in the mouth I decided to have a day after a Barbel on the flooded Trent as its rude to ignore a summer flood anytime.
I can't remember going once last season as I was occupied with other things but did bank three accidentals on a couple of occasions.
I timed my arrival to coincide with my better halves wishes (as we do) but not before I called in to a supermarket for a tin of luncheon meat.
I set up on the edge of a field as the water was just level with the tops of marginal nettles but with a small gap that would maybe help with any fish I may have needed to land.
Simple rig, a flat lead, a four hook with hair rigged meat and a four foot hooklength.
First cast at forty five degrees downstream to allow for any lateral drift to avoid some large rocks that normally show in "better" conditions and in five minutes the rod hoops over and after a really long fight the fish comes to my net, a big one too, all 13-4 of it.
I was chuffed to say the least.
A recast after it was long rested and the rod was away again in minutes , this time the fish made a really long run before surfacing, "a carp" I wondered as of the Many I've had off the river they usually surface after their initial run, but no, surprisingly it was a Barbel that like its earlier cousin nearly equalled it on the scales at 13-3.
A lovely brace in any language.
After that it went quite but I had an interesting visit from a long not seen angler who has taken up photographing wildlife , and what superb piks he has, particularly Dragonflies of many differant varieties , awesome in detail that would grace the pages of any magazine, such a talent!!!
I was tackling down by early evening, one rod already in the hold-all when the one remaining fishing rips off again, it went nine lb on the scales.
I may be back tomorrow, not the same swim , another I have in mind.
It would be a shame to waste what's left of the floodwater.
My Stillwater will still be there next week.