How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Club fixture today on the river Thames at Walton on Thames.
First Thames match of the season. Due to the popularity of this venue with walkers, picnics, rowers and many other water craft we started early. Draw was at 6:30 am. I got about 3 hours kip last night due to the stifling humidity and rising at 4:15.
I was relieved to draw a peg away from the busy cafe, toilets and carpark, well upstream of that. Below is my view upstream where the river splits with the Desborough cut running in.
Downstream towards the bridge.
There was a lazy flow but the water wasn’t that coloured. I scrapped the idea of fishing the pole and opted for sliding waggler. I mixed 3kilos of VDE Super roach dark gb and formed 12 babyheads for my initial bombardment. Bait was casters, red maggots and hemp.
At the off at 7:30 I cast out my waggler about 30yds and used it as a marker to chuck my gb with a forceful underarm lob. Job done. Double red maggot on a 18 B611 was cast out. As soon as the float cocked in 9’ of water it went down, a nice roach. Feeding via catty every chuck with hemp and caster it was a busy first hour with quality dace and roach. As the morning wore on the rowing club opened and there was a steady stream of mainly lady rowers . This didn’t disrupt the fishing but bites were fewer than before. By midday there were weekend admirals on big white cruisers, barges, pike anglers in small boats etc, it also got quite warm. By now bites were at a premium, the roach and dace had switched off and I got the odd skimmer and a lone perch.
1:30 it was over, I reckoned I had about 5lb which isn’t great but I was happy.
At the scales I had 5:9:0 which won my section of 8.
Back at the carpark the sheet from the other section of 8 revealed a winner, a young lad who often does well, with 13lb. 2 bream + bits .
The other weights were all lower than mine which gave me runner up position..
One poor chap had a huge bream on the pole and after 10 minutes of elastic singing in the breeze it got knocked off by a passing boat!
16 fished..
First Thames match of the season. Due to the popularity of this venue with walkers, picnics, rowers and many other water craft we started early. Draw was at 6:30 am. I got about 3 hours kip last night due to the stifling humidity and rising at 4:15.
I was relieved to draw a peg away from the busy cafe, toilets and carpark, well upstream of that. Below is my view upstream where the river splits with the Desborough cut running in.
Downstream towards the bridge.
There was a lazy flow but the water wasn’t that coloured. I scrapped the idea of fishing the pole and opted for sliding waggler. I mixed 3kilos of VDE Super roach dark gb and formed 12 babyheads for my initial bombardment. Bait was casters, red maggots and hemp.
At the off at 7:30 I cast out my waggler about 30yds and used it as a marker to chuck my gb with a forceful underarm lob. Job done. Double red maggot on a 18 B611 was cast out. As soon as the float cocked in 9’ of water it went down, a nice roach. Feeding via catty every chuck with hemp and caster it was a busy first hour with quality dace and roach. As the morning wore on the rowing club opened and there was a steady stream of mainly lady rowers . This didn’t disrupt the fishing but bites were fewer than before. By midday there were weekend admirals on big white cruisers, barges, pike anglers in small boats etc, it also got quite warm. By now bites were at a premium, the roach and dace had switched off and I got the odd skimmer and a lone perch.
1:30 it was over, I reckoned I had about 5lb which isn’t great but I was happy.
At the scales I had 5:9:0 which won my section of 8.
Back at the carpark the sheet from the other section of 8 revealed a winner, a young lad who often does well, with 13lb. 2 bream + bits .
The other weights were all lower than mine which gave me runner up position..
One poor chap had a huge bream on the pole and after 10 minutes of elastic singing in the breeze it got knocked off by a passing boat!
16 fished..
mikench
Well-known member
I entirely agree. It's the only sensible way and I might choose feeder fishing next but doubt it. Fishing on the float is the very essence of Angling as far as I'm concerned.you can cover large expanses of the water and at every depth imaginable which isn't possible on the feeder. I'm a simple soul at heart and maggot as bait always gets you a bite .
rich66
Well-known member
A man after my own heart, with a pint of maggots and a float. I’m generally a happy man.
Another Dave
Well-known member
The kids wanted to catch mini species in their nets so i took them to the shallow part where all the local kids have always net fished. I'd noticed that the resident dace would take bread here so i took my £4 Decathlon 3m whip, 4lb mainline to the smallest drennan bobber, tiny olivette, clip, size 16 hook to nylon. Also took a disgorger, a bag of bread and a tiny tub of corn.
As predicted the main area with the steps was full of kids so i moved a few feet downstream, sitting up high above the river. Visibilty was perfect, especially with polarised sunnies on. I took off the float and just freelined with the olivette, fishing by sight. Straight away i was into quality dace, all getting on for half pound. Lots of kids now assumed i had the best spot and i frequently had to lift out while they tried with their nets. The dace didn't seem to mind at all, so long as the bread kept going in.
Having emptied my initial preferred spot of children i crept back down the steps, put the float on the line and fished the slightly deeper water in front of me with corn on the hook. More dace from very positive bites then one of them went solid as i was playing it in. Pike attack! Not a monster but not a tiny jack either, my whip was tested to its limits before the predator let go and i brought in a very sorry looking dace which had been totally hammered. This absolutely killed the swim and our allotted hour was nearly up, so we packed up and started to walk home.
We hadn't gone far when we saw the missus coming down to meet us. This meant we could fish for a bit longer. Back to the high up spot i started in - i'd thrown most of my bait in when we packed up but i still had a little bread left. Feed a bit, get the confidence up, then cast out some flake. Had a roach about 5oz, then another, then another getting on for half pound then a couple more before my bread ran out.
The kids had 36 tiddlers, mostly bullheads, here's the largest:
As predicted the main area with the steps was full of kids so i moved a few feet downstream, sitting up high above the river. Visibilty was perfect, especially with polarised sunnies on. I took off the float and just freelined with the olivette, fishing by sight. Straight away i was into quality dace, all getting on for half pound. Lots of kids now assumed i had the best spot and i frequently had to lift out while they tried with their nets. The dace didn't seem to mind at all, so long as the bread kept going in.
Having emptied my initial preferred spot of children i crept back down the steps, put the float on the line and fished the slightly deeper water in front of me with corn on the hook. More dace from very positive bites then one of them went solid as i was playing it in. Pike attack! Not a monster but not a tiny jack either, my whip was tested to its limits before the predator let go and i brought in a very sorry looking dace which had been totally hammered. This absolutely killed the swim and our allotted hour was nearly up, so we packed up and started to walk home.
We hadn't gone far when we saw the missus coming down to meet us. This meant we could fish for a bit longer. Back to the high up spot i started in - i'd thrown most of my bait in when we packed up but i still had a little bread left. Feed a bit, get the confidence up, then cast out some flake. Had a roach about 5oz, then another, then another getting on for half pound then a couple more before my bread ran out.
The kids had 36 tiddlers, mostly bullheads, here's the largest:
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no-one in particular
Well-known member
A couple of hours on a river yesterday. To be out of the sun I opted for under a bridge first, fish here sometimes when it’s raining and catch a few small bits but didn’t like it today, a bit of debris coming down and a cormorant swam along the far bank, plenty of small fry about, about 3inches but moved to a spot under some trees.
A small float, 2 bb’ and a ten hook.
Had a good bite and what I thought was a good roach on but it must have been a hybrid about a 1lb, looked a bit like a bream but I enjoyed it, put up a good fight. Then after a few little bites the float sailed away and a very good fish on, I thought t might be a big chub or a river carp. When it surfaced a bloody great big eel, must have been 4ft minimum and I reckon I would have trouble getting my hand round it’s girth, must have been 5/6 lb-ish. Then it managed to dive and must have got round a tree root or something and the line pinged and my rig ended up in the trees above me but I managed to retrieve the float minus hook and one of the bb’s. Good job, I didn’t fancy landed it and I packed up after that. I don’t know what it is with eels, they love me and I definitely don’t love them, all I caught last time I went sea fishing was an eel; I must carry an eel attraction under my armpits.
I caught it on bread hovis 2 in one. I like this bread, has little flecks of wheat germ in it. For the roach/bream I used flake but the eel took one of my sausage type bread shapes. I take a 1 to 2 inch square of bread and roll it round the line above the hook as tight as I can and squeeze it hard making a sausage, then I pull the hook up into it leaving a bit of a tail and the hook exposed. This does not come off the hook very easily and swells up a bit once in the water for a spell, it can just sit on the bottom for a long time; I like this when going for the big fish but not eels, bread is my usual avoid them bait.
A small float, 2 bb’ and a ten hook.
Had a good bite and what I thought was a good roach on but it must have been a hybrid about a 1lb, looked a bit like a bream but I enjoyed it, put up a good fight. Then after a few little bites the float sailed away and a very good fish on, I thought t might be a big chub or a river carp. When it surfaced a bloody great big eel, must have been 4ft minimum and I reckon I would have trouble getting my hand round it’s girth, must have been 5/6 lb-ish. Then it managed to dive and must have got round a tree root or something and the line pinged and my rig ended up in the trees above me but I managed to retrieve the float minus hook and one of the bb’s. Good job, I didn’t fancy landed it and I packed up after that. I don’t know what it is with eels, they love me and I definitely don’t love them, all I caught last time I went sea fishing was an eel; I must carry an eel attraction under my armpits.
I caught it on bread hovis 2 in one. I like this bread, has little flecks of wheat germ in it. For the roach/bream I used flake but the eel took one of my sausage type bread shapes. I take a 1 to 2 inch square of bread and roll it round the line above the hook as tight as I can and squeeze it hard making a sausage, then I pull the hook up into it leaving a bit of a tail and the hook exposed. This does not come off the hook very easily and swells up a bit once in the water for a spell, it can just sit on the bottom for a long time; I like this when going for the big fish but not eels, bread is my usual avoid them bait.
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Another Dave
Well-known member
Sounds like the big eel may have bitten through your nylon Mark.
no-one in particular
Well-known member
Probably Dave, it was cut just above the second shot which was about 2inches from the hook.
theartist
Well-known member
It had been a magical season so far, lots of cracking chub and barbel, a big roach and lots of adventures, what could possibly go wrong today?
I set off to the south coast on a day everyone else had the same idea and it seemed the phrase of the day was "Why is that idiot sitting in the middle lane doing 60?" You could tell it could be a long day but we got to the river in one piece and I was hopeful of a mullet or bass.
Even though I knew it would be hard today I had a cunning plan to beat the crowds as there was three slipways - one was public, one a private sailing club and one RNLI only so I chose to fish near the Lifeboat one as no public would be using that and the others would be busy. Yeah right! how wrong was I as every Tom, **** and Harriet launched from there, threw stones from there, threw dogs from there, you name it, it went in. It was silly season down the coast and I was fishing in the middle of it. Bites came in small windows of inactivity from the boaters and dogs but I managed to lose the only fish of the day a decent bass, so there ends the catch report but read on if you want a laugh.
By now I really had enough of the commotion so we went slightly further up the foreshore away from the crowds even if it was a bit choppy and a little bit muddy, I left the missus up top whilst I walked along with my gear to fish. It was firm under foot but with a little bit of bad luck and a huge lack of concentration the next step went from gravel to soft mud and I was down to my knee with one leg. With the other foot stopping me from going over I soon had both legs knee deep in mud. I was in a bit of trouble and the irony of the RNLI getting called out for a numbnut stuck in the mud 100 yards from their boathouse would not be lost especially as I was fishing near their slipway just minutes earlier. I'd had mudscapades in the past but this was a good one.
I was fairly calm compared to the missus and I didn't want to be the novelty bit in the excellent Saving Lives at Sea program that we both watch on TV. I knew I could try and get out but it was going to get messy. The boots were going nowhere but I had my gear with me so out came the net bag to sit on, mud is so tiring so I also had a drink, unclipped the waders and slid out of my right, I managed to get that boot out so put it back on. I repeated this with the deeper left leg which by now was well in and I was relieved to get that leg out as the mud was about three inches from the top. I was finally out of the mud but that left boot wasn't coming out no matter how hard I tried. It was a huge wake up call but I had to see the funny side especially when the crowd that had assembled started clapping.
My left wader was now part of the the estuary but I had saved a boot from a pair last year where one had a split sole so it was a 50/50 chance that I wouldn't even need a new pair, clever or what, I thought as I limped stupidly back to the car with one soggy sock and my surviving boot.
I suppose it would be cheeky to ask for two left boots at the tackle shop? Yep you've guessed it I've now got two rights sitting in the shed
I set off to the south coast on a day everyone else had the same idea and it seemed the phrase of the day was "Why is that idiot sitting in the middle lane doing 60?" You could tell it could be a long day but we got to the river in one piece and I was hopeful of a mullet or bass.
Even though I knew it would be hard today I had a cunning plan to beat the crowds as there was three slipways - one was public, one a private sailing club and one RNLI only so I chose to fish near the Lifeboat one as no public would be using that and the others would be busy. Yeah right! how wrong was I as every Tom, **** and Harriet launched from there, threw stones from there, threw dogs from there, you name it, it went in. It was silly season down the coast and I was fishing in the middle of it. Bites came in small windows of inactivity from the boaters and dogs but I managed to lose the only fish of the day a decent bass, so there ends the catch report but read on if you want a laugh.
By now I really had enough of the commotion so we went slightly further up the foreshore away from the crowds even if it was a bit choppy and a little bit muddy, I left the missus up top whilst I walked along with my gear to fish. It was firm under foot but with a little bit of bad luck and a huge lack of concentration the next step went from gravel to soft mud and I was down to my knee with one leg. With the other foot stopping me from going over I soon had both legs knee deep in mud. I was in a bit of trouble and the irony of the RNLI getting called out for a numbnut stuck in the mud 100 yards from their boathouse would not be lost especially as I was fishing near their slipway just minutes earlier. I'd had mudscapades in the past but this was a good one.
I was fairly calm compared to the missus and I didn't want to be the novelty bit in the excellent Saving Lives at Sea program that we both watch on TV. I knew I could try and get out but it was going to get messy. The boots were going nowhere but I had my gear with me so out came the net bag to sit on, mud is so tiring so I also had a drink, unclipped the waders and slid out of my right, I managed to get that boot out so put it back on. I repeated this with the deeper left leg which by now was well in and I was relieved to get that leg out as the mud was about three inches from the top. I was finally out of the mud but that left boot wasn't coming out no matter how hard I tried. It was a huge wake up call but I had to see the funny side especially when the crowd that had assembled started clapping.
My left wader was now part of the the estuary but I had saved a boot from a pair last year where one had a split sole so it was a 50/50 chance that I wouldn't even need a new pair, clever or what, I thought as I limped stupidly back to the car with one soggy sock and my surviving boot.
I suppose it would be cheeky to ask for two left boots at the tackle shop? Yep you've guessed it I've now got two rights sitting in the shed
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mikench
Well-known member
Well done Rob! Don't you feel a drawing coming on?
theartist
Well-known member
Well done Rob! Don't you feel a drawing coming on?
What? 'Idiot in the mud' not sure that's going to sell loads
theartist
Well-known member
I've got another good photo of me trying to get the wader out, It's amazing how stretchy those things are, oh and I'm covered in bites from something I disturbed, more bites than I got fishing, can't win 'em all
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Had my first lure fishing trip going into the dark hours last night with a HT at 11-15pm at Westgate Bay.
Started an hour before high and fished for two hours battling a stiff onshore breeze and a lot of weed without a touch. My pal was bait fishing and didn’t catch either.
The only thing I caught was a glorious view of the sunset.
Started an hour before high and fished for two hours battling a stiff onshore breeze and a lot of weed without a touch. My pal was bait fishing and didn’t catch either.
The only thing I caught was a glorious view of the sunset.
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neil1970
Well-known member
Pics from a recent session after silver fish on the lure.
I've half heartedly tried for Roach on a soft plastic for the last 2 or three years.
Today was the day. Bonus bleak as well
I've half heartedly tried for Roach on a soft plastic for the last 2 or three years.
Today was the day. Bonus bleak as well
mikench
Well-known member
Well done Neil. It's amazing how such small fish try and swallow such a large bait. You'll forgive me if I don't try and emulate your achievement as I don't have 3 years to spare.
S-Kippy
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Another go at the big Godalming crucians today.....only they didnt want to play.
Bloke sat on the swim the BF blanked on last week did really well. He'd overnighted and already had a few tench by the time I rocked up. Interestingly he had most of his fish on a rubber caster T rig fished with a groundbait feeder so, as the crucians werent playing, I thought I might as well try and catch a tenchor two....plus I've never really given artificials a proper go.
So I rigged one rod up with a gbait feeder and 2 rubber casters T rig stylee. One sinking,one not and I have to say they lookd terrific in the margins...perfect neutral bouyancy. I was even happier when the rod roared off.
After a very slow start I finished with 8 tench...best 2 both scraper 5's and the rest between 4 and 4 and a half. Add to that a few rudd including another one of around 1-4 and I was reasonably content albeit I didnt manage to snaffle a crucian. A bloke dropped onto my neighbours spot almost before he'd put his rods away but when I left at about 3 he'd not had a single fish of any sort. Difficult there when the sun gets up in the shallow water but they certainly seemed to like those rubber casters...or at lest 4 of my 8 fish did.
I will certainly be trying that rig again even though I dont really fancy it for the crucians who seem to prefer bog standard sweetcorn.
Bloke sat on the swim the BF blanked on last week did really well. He'd overnighted and already had a few tench by the time I rocked up. Interestingly he had most of his fish on a rubber caster T rig fished with a groundbait feeder so, as the crucians werent playing, I thought I might as well try and catch a tenchor two....plus I've never really given artificials a proper go.
So I rigged one rod up with a gbait feeder and 2 rubber casters T rig stylee. One sinking,one not and I have to say they lookd terrific in the margins...perfect neutral bouyancy. I was even happier when the rod roared off.
After a very slow start I finished with 8 tench...best 2 both scraper 5's and the rest between 4 and 4 and a half. Add to that a few rudd including another one of around 1-4 and I was reasonably content albeit I didnt manage to snaffle a crucian. A bloke dropped onto my neighbours spot almost before he'd put his rods away but when I left at about 3 he'd not had a single fish of any sort. Difficult there when the sun gets up in the shallow water but they certainly seemed to like those rubber casters...or at lest 4 of my 8 fish did.
I will certainly be trying that rig again even though I dont really fancy it for the crucians who seem to prefer bog standard sweetcorn.
Over the last two weeks I have been out six time. There were three unproductive visits to Chesil Beach in an attempt to further my initiation in to Sea Fishing. Unproductive but instructional. On the last visit I had the satisfaction of seeing a family of stoats, five in all, cross the lane I was driving down at 04.30am. Great sight. Instructional, because I learnt what the BBC Weather App described as "A fresh breeze at Abbotsbury" means a full on hooley with rollers on the rising tide that will knock you flat. Back on more familiar ground I had a nice three hour stick float session on the Stour.
Nothing big but plenty of them, I took 71 fish, roach, dace and chub, all "swingers" and the only down side was that I dropped my camera into the water at the start and after the first two photos it would not work for some reason. So a modest start to the river season and a few fish in the bag, can't fault that. Next came a trip to the Frome. Normally coarse fishing on the Frome, classed as a game river, is not allowed until November to allow sole access to the multitude of salmon and trout anglers. This year my club has extended the season to begin 16th June. I arrived at the river bright and early and made my way along the bank following in the footsteps of the hordes of previous game anglers:
That's what annoys me. No one has walked this bank for months. Trying to find somewhere to drop a float in, settled for this one:
There was a fast run around two foot six deep on the far bank where a float would run through nice, with just the odd weed patch. Everything looked right and conditions were perfect, which was a dead cert cue for nothing to happen and it didn't. Three hand sized brownies a slack handful of struts and that was it. I did have a interested female audience though.
I didn't mind them, couldn't stand the flies so time to go. Pete.
Nothing big but plenty of them, I took 71 fish, roach, dace and chub, all "swingers" and the only down side was that I dropped my camera into the water at the start and after the first two photos it would not work for some reason. So a modest start to the river season and a few fish in the bag, can't fault that. Next came a trip to the Frome. Normally coarse fishing on the Frome, classed as a game river, is not allowed until November to allow sole access to the multitude of salmon and trout anglers. This year my club has extended the season to begin 16th June. I arrived at the river bright and early and made my way along the bank following in the footsteps of the hordes of previous game anglers:
That's what annoys me. No one has walked this bank for months. Trying to find somewhere to drop a float in, settled for this one:
There was a fast run around two foot six deep on the far bank where a float would run through nice, with just the odd weed patch. Everything looked right and conditions were perfect, which was a dead cert cue for nothing to happen and it didn't. Three hand sized brownies a slack handful of struts and that was it. I did have a interested female audience though.
I didn't mind them, couldn't stand the flies so time to go. Pete.
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Only my second trip in a couple of months, and, as usually seems to happen when I have one of these health-related lay-offs, I can't face organising all the usual paraphernalia and go for some back-to-basics stuff. So I ended up on the river at about 3.30pm with next to no tackle, a piece of cheese and a bag of defrosted Spam chunks.
I set up in a mouthwatering swim, with a raft of foam jammed against a half-submerged willow just below me. First cast with some spicey Spam on a leaded hook, and something whipped the rod around, ploughed under the tree and carried on downstream. I can't remember the last time I was broken on 15lb line, but there are a range of suspects in this river, including big carp and catfish.
Tackled up again - not hard, just tie a hook on - and another bit of Spam rolled under the raft fetched this nicely coloured barbel that had a good go at following the previous... whatever it was.
I'd sent a text to Steve with a pic of that one, and he'd mentioned that he'd found fish right under the bank in this swim, so I set up a float leger with a couple of those foam blobs - I tried one first but it wouldn't quite hold up - and and an 1/8 bomb. Before long it disappeared and this barbel was responsible.
That caused a bit of commotion close in, so I went back to rolling baits under the raft, this time with a piece of Sainsbury's mature cheddar on the hook. I must have missed 4 pulls on this, which was frustrating, before hooking a chub of around 3lbs. By then it was 7.30, and even though I though the better fishing might be later on, I thought I'd be wise to quite while I was ahead, since I was the only angler on a fairly remote stretch.
I set up in a mouthwatering swim, with a raft of foam jammed against a half-submerged willow just below me. First cast with some spicey Spam on a leaded hook, and something whipped the rod around, ploughed under the tree and carried on downstream. I can't remember the last time I was broken on 15lb line, but there are a range of suspects in this river, including big carp and catfish.
Tackled up again - not hard, just tie a hook on - and another bit of Spam rolled under the raft fetched this nicely coloured barbel that had a good go at following the previous... whatever it was.
I'd sent a text to Steve with a pic of that one, and he'd mentioned that he'd found fish right under the bank in this swim, so I set up a float leger with a couple of those foam blobs - I tried one first but it wouldn't quite hold up - and and an 1/8 bomb. Before long it disappeared and this barbel was responsible.
That caused a bit of commotion close in, so I went back to rolling baits under the raft, this time with a piece of Sainsbury's mature cheddar on the hook. I must have missed 4 pulls on this, which was frustrating, before hooking a chub of around 3lbs. By then it was 7.30, and even though I though the better fishing might be later on, I thought I'd be wise to quite while I was ahead, since I was the only angler on a fairly remote stretch.
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Found a lovely small pond in the woods last week. Couldn't wait to see what was in it!
It reminded me of places I used to bunk off school and fish when I was a kid.
Fished a small waggler, 5lb line straight through to a barbless size 16. I alternated between bread flake, lobworm and sweetcorn on the hook - groundbait was liquidised bread based.
I braved the rain and ended up banking ten fish in a couple of hours. Two nice commons were the highlight, a small but handsome mirror at the end of the day, and a variety of small roach, bream, tench and hybrids provided plenty of enjoyment.
A perfect day spent in solitude on a cracking little water.
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Found a lovely small pond in the woods last week. Couldn't wait to see what was in it!
It reminded me of places I used to bunk off school and fish when I was a kid.
Fished a small waggler, 5lb line straight through to a barbless size 16. I alternated between bread flake, lobworm and sweetcorn on the hook - groundbait was liquidised bread based.
I braved the rain and ended up banking ten fish in a couple of hours. Two nice commons were the highlight, a small but handsome mirror at the end of the day, and a variety of small roach, bream, tench and hybrids provided plenty of enjoyment.
A perfect day spent in solitude on a cracking little water.
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