mikench
Well-known member
Could those 9" have made a difference? I doubt it 
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
I went yesterday,firstly to the Ouse at Bedford,to be very disappointed,the river was full of weed,not visible from the surface(9ft deep),so moved onto the new lakes 25 miles away,to say it was a struggle would be an understatement,3 crucians around a pound,a tench about two pounds and probably 15 roach up to 12ozs,the crus being on three different baits,with no pattern to the day(apart from my discomfort lol).
mikench
Well-known member
Alan I'd call that a good day!
It was one of those sessions where nothing really worked,I had fizzing in the swim,so fish were present,but changes did little to improve things,the only good thing was a signal crayfish got the benefit of my excessive weight...
The Runner
Well-known member
Been down in London for a weeks work staying at stepkids' place in Hounslow. Had my name down for a club match at New Farm today but had a quick think after finding would be fishing until 4. Decided that after weighing in, back to mates house to drop off tackle in his garage, back to Hounslow, wash, change, eat etc would be cutting it a bit fine for the sleeper tonight to Inverness so reluctantly had to cancel.
Did manage a bit of fishing locally, but got comprehensively next pegged by grandson (3)…
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Did manage a bit of fishing locally, but got comprehensively next pegged by grandson (3)…
View attachment 6924
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theartist
Well-known member
Yesterday me and 'er outdoors went for a day trip to Stratford Upon Avon, the place was really nice and I hadn't been there since I was a kid, I still couldn't help but point out all the places Shakespeare couldn't go because he was bard :wh
My five piece float rod which had to be a Shakespeare was in the car for later and in the afternoon we found ourselves on a scenic stretch of the Warwickshire Avon
It was old school stick fishing with hemp and maggot and there was plenty of roach, perch and decent chub in my first spot. Everything was green, overgrown and beautiful and there were worse places to spend and afternoon that's for sure. A rove later on bought a better stamp of chub and when my missus wasn't chasing pheasants with her camera (which is always hilarious) she was taking action shots of the chub putting a good bend in the rod.
The chub were a lovely colour too with dark, almost black backs and even the 2lber's went well in the strong current with the gear I was using. A nice fish of just under 5lb was a great way to finish a really nice day out
My five piece float rod which had to be a Shakespeare was in the car for later and in the afternoon we found ourselves on a scenic stretch of the Warwickshire Avon
It was old school stick fishing with hemp and maggot and there was plenty of roach, perch and decent chub in my first spot. Everything was green, overgrown and beautiful and there were worse places to spend and afternoon that's for sure. A rove later on bought a better stamp of chub and when my missus wasn't chasing pheasants with her camera (which is always hilarious) she was taking action shots of the chub putting a good bend in the rod.
The chub were a lovely colour too with dark, almost black backs and even the 2lber's went well in the strong current with the gear I was using. A nice fish of just under 5lb was a great way to finish a really nice day out
sam vimes
Well-known member
Fingers crossed for the scale count when I get home, but I think I've just had a 3lb 1oz crucian.
mikench
Well-known member
sam vimes
Well-known member
Not a bad day, but maybe not quite as good as it could have been. Five tench to 5lb 4oz, a few decent bits and what looks likely to be a 3lb 1oz goldfish rather than a crucian. However, I'm no expert and I'm just going on scale count and a bad dose of "I couldn't be that lucky".
Keith M
Well-known member
My son Stuart and I had a few hours on the estate lake late in the afternoon today.
Being at the weekend we were quite surprised to see only one other car in the car park and only two other anglers fishing on the lake so we virtually had the whole of the lake to ourselves; which usually meant that it wasn’t fishing it’s best.
I chose a swim with the end of an island directly in front of me and where I have had some nice Carp from in the past (pic below).
I had one rod tight up to the end of the island in a small bay and the other rod further left near a small Lilly bed.
We both had a couple of fish from around 10.5lb up to just over 15lb but alas no 20lb-ers this time.
It was so nice to be fishing such a remote and peaceful and lovely lake so it didn’t really matter that the fish weren’t quite as hungry as normal.
Just a 10.5lb-er but still a good fish and very welcome.
My second fish which went a little over 15lb.
Im going to have a few evenings on my local streams chasing Barbel very soon, once the initial rush is over, and spending a few hours on the estate lake was just a very pleasurable diversion.
Keith
Being at the weekend we were quite surprised to see only one other car in the car park and only two other anglers fishing on the lake so we virtually had the whole of the lake to ourselves; which usually meant that it wasn’t fishing it’s best.
I chose a swim with the end of an island directly in front of me and where I have had some nice Carp from in the past (pic below).
I had one rod tight up to the end of the island in a small bay and the other rod further left near a small Lilly bed.
We both had a couple of fish from around 10.5lb up to just over 15lb but alas no 20lb-ers this time.
It was so nice to be fishing such a remote and peaceful and lovely lake so it didn’t really matter that the fish weren’t quite as hungry as normal.
Just a 10.5lb-er but still a good fish and very welcome.
My second fish which went a little over 15lb.
Im going to have a few evenings on my local streams chasing Barbel very soon, once the initial rush is over, and spending a few hours on the estate lake was just a very pleasurable diversion.
Keith
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Neil Maidment
Moderator
I've managed four trips to the rivers, three of which have been short evening session on the D. Stour looking for barbel. None landed but encouraging signs. Lost two fish, one of which was probably foul hooked and the other eventually in the very dense weed. At least the third session produced some nice chub to around 5lbs and in surprisingly good nick for the time of year.
The highlight though was a very social trip with three good mates to a sidestream of the H. Avon. I walked miles before finally settling into a swim just a few hundred yards from the car park!
The float gear and centrepin came out for the first time this season and a couple of nice dace quickly obliged as did the usual gudgeon and small roach. Then the chub arrived. Nothing of any great size but I ended up with five well conditioned examples perhaps around 4lbs+.
I lost two fish, one to a similar sized pike that just wouldn't let go!
The highlight though was a very social trip with three good mates to a sidestream of the H. Avon. I walked miles before finally settling into a swim just a few hundred yards from the car park!
The float gear and centrepin came out for the first time this season and a couple of nice dace quickly obliged as did the usual gudgeon and small roach. Then the chub arrived. Nothing of any great size but I ended up with five well conditioned examples perhaps around 4lbs+.
I lost two fish, one to a similar sized pike that just wouldn't let go!
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Club fixture yesterday on the Aylesbury arm on the town’s outskirts. This is the bit with the lily pads which we fished last week. With that in mind I only took my pole. 20 pegs had been placed at 20yd intervals, then there was a long section where power cables crossed so no fishing. There were 17 fishing. Rather than taking out the 3 furthest pegs the organiser left them all in the bag.
I drew 20.. it was a hell of a walk and took me 15 minutes to get to. The lily pads were way back and I arrived at a totally featureless peg with a high bank and a narrow towpath behind me.
I had to do some gardening first to make a gap in the foliage and get my keepnet in. Plumbing up I had 4’ depth from under my feet to about 3’ off the far bank where there was a slightly shallower shelf. I couldn’t ship my pole back or parallel, so it was a case of breaking down 3 times to reach the shelf.
Awkward!
Eventually I got the hang of it and started two lines. One in front and the other to my left, both on the shelf. See red dot below.
Potted in half a kilo of gb, chopped worm and casters into each spot. I’ve had good results with this gb recently.
Both rigs were very light floats to a 16 B911 strong wire hook with half a Dendra tipped with a caster. First bite on the left side rig saw elastic shooting out, a good bream. That was a bit of a surprise. From then on it was patchy so I mixed another kilo of gb, feeding one good ball in each spot after every fish. Alternating between the 2 lines and took 6 more skimmers. Later the Rudd switched on which became tiresome but the bites were welcome.
I was first to be weighed in, I had 6:11:0.
I followed the scalesman all the way back and the nearest to my weight was 6:7:0.
Victory again on my least favourite venue and a dodgy looking peg..
I drew 20.. it was a hell of a walk and took me 15 minutes to get to. The lily pads were way back and I arrived at a totally featureless peg with a high bank and a narrow towpath behind me.
I had to do some gardening first to make a gap in the foliage and get my keepnet in. Plumbing up I had 4’ depth from under my feet to about 3’ off the far bank where there was a slightly shallower shelf. I couldn’t ship my pole back or parallel, so it was a case of breaking down 3 times to reach the shelf.
Awkward!
Eventually I got the hang of it and started two lines. One in front and the other to my left, both on the shelf. See red dot below.
Potted in half a kilo of gb, chopped worm and casters into each spot. I’ve had good results with this gb recently.
Both rigs were very light floats to a 16 B911 strong wire hook with half a Dendra tipped with a caster. First bite on the left side rig saw elastic shooting out, a good bream. That was a bit of a surprise. From then on it was patchy so I mixed another kilo of gb, feeding one good ball in each spot after every fish. Alternating between the 2 lines and took 6 more skimmers. Later the Rudd switched on which became tiresome but the bites were welcome.
I was first to be weighed in, I had 6:11:0.
I followed the scalesman all the way back and the nearest to my weight was 6:7:0.
Victory again on my least favourite venue and a dodgy looking peg..
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4am call, looked out the window and it was dry, calm and very warm.
With HT expected at 5-45 headed down to my private Whitstable mark, 90 minutes of hurling various lures resulted in nothing. The water has still some colour after the recent storm, maybe this has something to do with the blank.
Returned at Low water and retrieved a snagged lure, many more blanks and it will cease to be a private location.
The humidity is very high, another storm brewing.:rain:
With HT expected at 5-45 headed down to my private Whitstable mark, 90 minutes of hurling various lures resulted in nothing. The water has still some colour after the recent storm, maybe this has something to do with the blank.
Returned at Low water and retrieved a snagged lure, many more blanks and it will cease to be a private location.
The humidity is very high, another storm brewing.:rain:
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skov
Well-known member
I trotted off to a local stretch of the Great Ouse for the evening yesterday; Matchpro in one hand, tub of maggots in the other.
The water was low, weedy, and gin-clear, but did at least have a bit of flow to it (the river narrows slightly here, which helps).
I had to fish quite shallow to avoid hooking the weed, but running the float along a line of cabbages I had a steady stream of Dace and Bleak all evening (plus a bonus chub).
Lovely!
The water was low, weedy, and gin-clear, but did at least have a bit of flow to it (the river narrows slightly here, which helps).
I had to fish quite shallow to avoid hooking the weed, but running the float along a line of cabbages I had a steady stream of Dace and Bleak all evening (plus a bonus chub).
Lovely!
barbelboi
Well-known member
Doesn't appear to be a pukka one Chris.............
First chance I've had to report in....
Had my first session since the end of 2015, lovely stretch of the Thames near Clewer last Friday.
Hard going from early morning, very bright sunshine and the water was gin-clear. Managed to get the dace going on the cage feeder, caster and hemp. Couldn't fish the waggler due to overhead and downstream restrictions and too shallow close-in for the stick. Dace started to come thick and fast about 10:00am, Ninja-quick bites that my reaction time wasn't quite up to at first due to my time away. Soon got into it again though. A lovely procession of sardines and then roach of around 5 or six ounces. I caught plenty but certainly should have caught more.
And, relating to another thread, I actually managed to catch the best fish of the day, a very nice roach of about nine ounces with a fake red maggot.... The first time it's ever happened for me.
Unfortunately I'm working in central France for the rest of the week (36 degrees forecast and 32 overnight which isn't great for someone diagnosed with 'fat-b*****d syndrome') and then I'm down in the west country next week with no chance to get out for a good while.
Know where I'd rather be...
Can't wait.
Had my first session since the end of 2015, lovely stretch of the Thames near Clewer last Friday.
Hard going from early morning, very bright sunshine and the water was gin-clear. Managed to get the dace going on the cage feeder, caster and hemp. Couldn't fish the waggler due to overhead and downstream restrictions and too shallow close-in for the stick. Dace started to come thick and fast about 10:00am, Ninja-quick bites that my reaction time wasn't quite up to at first due to my time away. Soon got into it again though. A lovely procession of sardines and then roach of around 5 or six ounces. I caught plenty but certainly should have caught more.
And, relating to another thread, I actually managed to catch the best fish of the day, a very nice roach of about nine ounces with a fake red maggot.... The first time it's ever happened for me.
Unfortunately I'm working in central France for the rest of the week (36 degrees forecast and 32 overnight which isn't great for someone diagnosed with 'fat-b*****d syndrome') and then I'm down in the west country next week with no chance to get out for a good while.
Know where I'd rather be...
Can't wait.
mikench
Well-known member
Beyond the arctic circle? Heat is fine when you have a pool or the med handy. Sat on the bank is purgatory.
sam vimes
Well-known member
I know, that's why I said it's a goldfish. At best it's a goldfish/crucian hybrid.
mikench
Well-known member
You must have some cracking fair grounds in your neck of the woods Sam!