How did you get on?

[john step]

First river trip of the new season on a rather fast but clear running lower Trent. Just the evening. I had one run from this barbel at 8lb. 10 ozs. There was a very chilly Northerly wind and I actually had my thermal bib and brace on. Flaming June???

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[108831]

Tysties,bonxies??? Please elaborate?

 

[The Runner]

Tysties,bonxies??? Please elaborate?

Sorry, becoming a local. (although my father who like me was from Newcastle called them Tysties as well)
Black Guillemot and Great Skua respectively.

I will be distinguishing between outside and outwith next

 

[neil1970]

I managed to get about for an hour and a half before dark yesterday.
The target was Chub. I managed one in between 7 jacks and 5 little perch.

 

[theartist]

Had a couple of hours to kill yesterday and wanted to try something different so went to some hard gravel pits close to home, doing the old wag and mag to see what's there. In gin clear water amongst the lillies I picked up a few small roach and perch in a snaggy corner that offered some cormorant cover, but what was evident was the fact that I couldn't buy a bite anywhere near the bottom and every fish was caught either on the drop after casting or after twitching the float whilst fishing dead shallow. These were all small fish, what I call pre cormorant, the size you often get on certain waters.

I decided to experiment with the tiddlers so out came the matchstick for the first time this season, last year it worked so well on slow shallow streams and besides it is so much fun and so direct. I've found that it's best to allow the matchstick to sink slowly using a no8 as this keeps a tight line between hook and 'float' otherwise the only bites you'll see are the ones which scream off taking up any slack and moving the stick. You do have to refrain from striking when the match cocks and starts to sink though, something I told myself after the umpteenth 'air' strike. This also works best in clear water and watching the matchstick sink eerily into the depths then speeding up slightly when a fish took the bait instantly bought a better stamp of roach, fish I thought weren't there.

As there was little or no disturbance I was able to cast, sink, repeat many times fishing on the drop with a few freebies and it was working well before the worlds smallest pike grabbed hold of a half pound roach and wouldn't let go, I netted both and that was the cue to go home after a short fun session.

 

[108831]

Sorry, becoming a local. (although my father who like me was from Newcastle called them Tysties as well)
Black Guillemot and Great Skua respectively.

I will be distinguishing between outside and outwith next

I thought that was what a bonxie was,tried looking at the picture and the colour looked right...

 

[103841]

An impromptu last minute opportunity arose to grab an hour on my local stretch of river whilst er indoors paid a visit to Canterbury hospital to visit a friend in need.

I had a few lobworms still alive and kicking in the fridge and today they paid off handsomely with three chub and a perch falling to the freelined worm dangling enticingly in the gin clear water, best chub going about three pounds. Had the usual advice from passers by that never fish but amazingly know where an how I should be fishing!

No pics, you can watch a recently released movie that shows my locations.

Back home and preparing for a proper full day tomorrow in hope of some big Rudd and roach, hope this wretched Northeasterly wind abates, it’s doing my nut in.

 

[mikench]

No pics, you can watch a recently released movie that shows my locations.

Aah the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, a very good read. I didn't know that a new film had been made.

 

[seth49]

View attachment 6956
Up at 4am this morning,and on the fishery just after five, clear blue skies and bright sunshine all day, we were the second ones on, and the best peg was free, and as it was my turn to fish it, I went straight to it, and mick picked the peg nearly opposite.

I tackled up with my nine ft Kodex carp rod, and rigged up a method feeder, with soaked two mm pellets, and a ringers chocolate orange wafter, I’ve finally discovered that these skrettings pellets work best with a forty five second soak time, leaving the mould cleanly and sticking together well.

First two bites the tip shot round, but no hook up, after that I started to catch carp, plus a bonus roach as well, they came in patches catch two or three, then it would go quite for a while, kept recasting every ten minutes to get some bait in the swim, mick was catching as well, in fact he caught four before I got one.

Up till noon my swim was in the shade, and it felt quite cool, then the sun came over the trees, and it started to get hot, still kept catching.
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Finished up with fourteen carp landed, and lost another five or six at least, mick had nine carp, and he also lost some as well,
So a good days sport, in good weather for a change,we finished at three, it was getting hot by now and we had an early start, so we called it a day.

 

[S-Kippy]

Early (ish) start for us today to beat the dreaded M25 traffic. Venue was a Godalming club lake famed for its crucian.

We thought it might be a bit busy given that GAS impose a close season so this is only the 2nd week its been open. The 1st week is always a bunfight and to be avoided at all costs. Got the swims we wanted despite there being quite a few cars in the car park....mostly overnighting carpers.

Anyway....despite sitting no more than 20 feet away from me the BF barely had a touch all day. He had 2 proper runs, hooked both and lost both..I had indications from the start and finished with 3 tench...4-7,5-4 and 5-8 plus 3 lovely crucian 2-14, 3lb exactly and 3lb 3oz. I lost one other tench and also had half a dozen rudd with one nice one among them which I guessed at about 1-4. We were shaded during the morning but got roasted this afternoon with neither of us having a touch after about 2pm.

You can imagine how cheesed off the BF was but I owed him one for spanking me on the tench a fortnight ago. Its an odd place...I've sat on the swim he fished today and spanked him fishing the one I was on and vice versa. The fish just seem reluctant to move far in the shallow water and to be fair at this time of year I had a weedbed to my right. Maybe they were holed up in there and just nipping out for the odd peck but I had 5 of my 6 fish on the lh rod ie the one furthest from the weed and nearest to Phil. Work that one out.





Sorry about the pics. First is 3lb on the button...the one I'm holding is the 3-3.
One crucian on an 8mm krill pellet...all the other fish on a single grain of corn.

 

[lambert1]

A quick session after work last night. Just grabbed some bread and went to play with the little Roach under the bridge. Small is beautiful, although how many will be left by winter is anyone's guess with all the predators they face. Very unambitious session but I had been working in the heat all day and was quite frankly knackered. Just the sort of fishing I did as a kid and very relaxing it was too! Sat enthralled watching a couple of Grey Wagtails put on a very impressive display of precision flying catching insects. There is so much to this sport of ours that is good for the soul.

 

[theartist]

Similar to the above I also set out to potter about for a evening session in the mid afternoon heat and I'm not sure what the term is for a group of Red Kites but there was seven circling the field behind me, a sight which was much more impressive than the photo of seven black dots which I looked at when I got home, oh well, nevermind

The river was gin clear in the sun and small chub everywhere on top meant the maggots would stay sweating in the bag. So it was trotting pellets again and it was with much pride that I hadn't hooked the far bank foliage at all as it was really windy. I managed half a dozen small barbel before a bigger one ghosted over the feed which I had put in the margins for the carp as I was sitting well back on the deck, legs crossed, knees getting sunburnt. I quickly plumbed the depth using a split shot as it's always shallower than it looks and this didn't disturb the fish. It was soon game on and my size 18 held firm to land a barbel just shy of double figures, this is a really good fish for this stretch of the river and to be honest I'd be happy if it's the biggest I get this season



I caught a couple more small ones from the far bank feature but with no roach or chub about I couldn't really get back into it so gave up the swim when I saw another angler struggling for a spot with all his gear, we joked it would be on the basis he didn't tell me if he caught a 2lb roach. I probably could have done another hour but was running low on water by then and my legs were starting to look like tasty drumsticks to those Kites. I knew I shouldn't have worn those shorts

 

[103841]

This has got to be the earliest post I’ve made in this thread.

Spent time last night preparing bait, rods and whips for a full day on Stonar lake today. The Northeast wind seemed to have calmed down a bit when I got up at 4am, but on arrival at the lake it was a different story an hour later, I took one look and decided to abort the day, the huge lake was more like a choppy sea, not my idea of a pleasurable days float fishing.

Home by 5-30am, bait put back in fridge and back to bed.

I’ll have another attempt tomorrow when we are alleged to have this mini heatwave and the wind swinging round to the southeast, I’m not convinced.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

I spent a couple of hours on the Avon with a 3 weight rod and line and dry flies . . . . and to be honest didn't see a single rise other than two well up stream in the first 20 minutes.

Probably far too warm and not much shade as this section of the river has few bankside trees.

So, in time-honoured solution I repaired to the shade of the local pub' for a cooling pint.

 

[JONM14]

Met my dad afterwork last night on a BAA stretch of the staffs/worcs canal. My dad had prebaited the swim for me and 2nd cast resulted in a 2.5lb chub. Had several other chub around the 1lb mark and a few roach with a bonus roach over 1lb. Cracking 3 hours with my dad having only the odd roach/perch and gudgeon. Needless to say he has threatened not to help me anymore...

 

[no-one in particular]

My great niece with her first fish(and that's scary), looks like she doesn't need any excuses like all of us professionals

 

[mikench]

As I had the day to myself I decided to go fishing for a change.

View attachment 6963

This was the view at 6.00am, just delightful with no wind and pleasant temperatures. The morning remained delightful but a warm breeze set in as temperatures climbed and I had had enough by 3.00pm so had a chat with fellow anglers. I caught 50 fish with at least a dozen carp to 6.5lb, a dozen crucians to 1.5lb and the rest a mix of roach to 12 oz, perch to 8oz and gudgeon and skimmers.

A red kite( still rare in these parts) was harassed and chased off by a pair of oyster catchers of all things. I saw lots of butterflies including several large coppers. Fishing on the float with maggots mainly is the essence of Angling and cannot be beaten. I think I prefer the float when the weather is nice.

As I loaded up the car i bumped into Ryan Giggs on a run. No time for a chat this time! He is not an angler.

 

[barbelboi]

It was back for a stroll over the fields for another spell of trotting for roach which was something of a stealth mission with the clear water and clear blue sky. I did not manage to locate any of the large ones but banked a fair few about this size on tiny pieces of 50/50 flake. Fished from 10.30 – 2pm and stopped off for a small mineral water (or something) at the village pub on the way back.

PS Nice crues Skip - good to see there are still some 3s in MF...............

 

[peter crabtree]

Yesterday the codgers fished the charming Wendover arm of the GUC. It no longer actually reaches Wendover from its source in Bulbourne near Tring as it slipped into dereliction years ago.
There’s just a couple of miles remaining.

Overgrown high banks and a very narrow towpath add to the challenge of fishing in shallow water .
There’s a healthy head of bream and chub to have a go at along with some huge carp which cruise nonchalantly by unphased at angler’s presence...
As usual in these matches it was running line and float only. I fished waggler and maggot taking 5 good skimmers+bits for 4:7:8 which got me 3rd overall. Winning weight was 6:11:8.

Today I went down to the Colne in search of some roach. Stick float and caster failed to find a single one? Instead it was dace, gudgeon, chublets and a single slab.

After a while I moved onto the lake and fished waggler and maggot hoping for a tench but just had one bite, a feisty perch.

 

[john step]

On the reservoir today. Lovely to have a lake to oneself. 4 carp to 12+/one crucian/ 3 chunky perch/a bream and some rudd. Shame about the tench that came off at the net.
All on prawn. Strangely I could not get a bite on anything else.

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