How did you get on?

[theartist]

First trip of the year to the Severn and boy was I looking forward to it. People find out where I come from and often ask why I come so far for a day, well a picture paints a thousand words and when I'm greeted with views like this I need not answer. I just point.

The water was a bit coloured for my liking but I walked up and down trying to find a vacant spot as it is a popular stretch before settling on a fast run where I could christen my new waders and run a float through, I was the only one using that tactic as usual. It didn't take long before a succession of decent chub put a bend in the rod before a really good roach easily over a pound signalled things could be better than I had hoped. Another couple followed, slightly bigger which prompted me to dig out the scales and give one a weigh - 1lb 8oz of pristine perfection then a few chub later and another gorgeous roach is landed this time going 1lb 15oz and once again pretty good condition. For every 'two' you're likely to get a couple of close calls so I wasn't disappointed at all, especially when they are in this sort of condition

Then the barbel turned up as they usually do, it was either the dozens of canoes finally stopping going by or the steady feeding suddenly bought them on, either way they took their time and I was thankful I'd already had some serious roach action before things went brutal, the barbel weren't big and I lost a couple but it was serious arm aching fun in the fast water on the float

I managed to lose a good roach amongst the barbel action and they are usually the big ones, it was the only one I lost all day and it's spin on the surface just whetted the appetite for further adventures.

 

[103841]

I’d travel far for a day on a stunning river that holds fish like that Rob, looks magical, maybe one day.

Is it a day ticket?

 

[mikench]

Looks lovely Rob! Are you on holiday?

 

[theartist]

Permanent vacation guys

No seriously just went up there for the day, it takes three hours but so what, you can spend 10 hours fishing this time of year easy. BAA don't do day tickets anymore but I think Kidderminster AA still do besides the BAA ticket is only £40 Per annum

PS it takes a bit of learning to know the right swims, like any river. I know I've had over a dozen 2lb roach over the last three seasons but I've sure put some legwork in to it, oh and it sees a lot of kayakers/canoeists on the weekends

 

[108831]

That looks familiar to me,opposite bank to the pumping station(where you were standing) and upstream,or diversely a long way down from Eardington brook section,three quarters of a mile from the brook???

 

[barbelboi]

I enjoyed a few hours earlier today managing to locate one of the few elusive barbel that reside in a local stretch of river. Bait was a bunch of casters fished over caster and hemp.

 

[seth49]

Early start yesterday, up at four and away just before five, on the new fishery again, I hoped to get on the best carp peg, but micks brother had beat me to it.

Mick chose the peg across from him, and I thought plan B, I’ll have a go for the tench, I’d brought some mussels just in case, I couldn’t get the peg I wanted, so the peg I wanted was vacant so I set up there, set my pole up for this, as I wanted to fish close to the irises, had one about three pounds soon after starting, then a small one and another about three pounds.

Then it went quiet for a while, so set the tip rod up with a small method feeder, and had a few casts further out, had a couple of bream but nothing else, so back on the pole and had a couple of roach bream hybrids, and a roach, and a couple of smallish perch, plus best tench of the day at four pounds two ounces.
View attachment 7102
View attachment 7103
Then it went quiet again, and started raining again,sat under brolly thinking I wouldn’t mind a carp or two, they didn’t seem to want mussels so I knocked up some paste, swim stim green, and tried that, had a carp of just under ten pounds, good fun on the pole.
View attachment 7104
I then got smashed with another carp, which I couldn’t stop,I was using a twelve pound hook length, and sixteen to twenty red hydro elastic, it just kept going till the hook length snapped,might have to use a rod and reel for these,
Good day out enjoyed it, nice to catch a few tench as well, had more in a day than I catch most seasons at other fishery.

 

[Lark]

Okay... River Thames roach 'hotspot'.... Check!
Perfect weather.... Check!
Perfect flow.... Check!
9ft of water over nice, clean sand and gravel.... Check!
Casters, maggots, hemp, tares and dendrobena.... Check!
Perfect swim position.... Check!
Excellent pole set-up.... Check!
E mail to roach to make sure they remember to turn up.... Er, hang about. Wasn't Dave in logistics supposed to send that?...... Arghhh!!
Annyhoo, ground it out for about four hours without a bite. Absolutely happy with presentation, bait, method etc.
Tried several subtle changes with baits, hooks, hooklengths but kept coming back to the set-up I was totally happy with. Just a case of no customers.
Eventually caught a lonely, hungry, dim 3oz perch that also probably didn't get the memo but got caught anyway.
Did the "shall I put my keepnet out" thing.... And did. Soon to be convinced that it will definitely be the only fish that it sees all session. Managed to snare another perch of about 6oz on a dendra tail.... Probably out looking for it's 3oz offspring. Gave it another couple of hours and decided to bring in my net and get it dried as it seemed unlikely it was going to entertain any further inmates. Decided to give the feeder a few casts in the hope of a rogue chub, still no business.
Knowing that the Thames can do this, I decided to stay later than planned, packed up the feeder and went back onto the pole.
By about 5:45pm, the weather/water did that totally calm thing it does at that time of day in summer when the surface appears to look like a dark green glass table-top. A few blips started to appear on the surface.
Kept at it, feeding a small drip of maggot, caster, hemp with a few tares occasionally at around 10 metres.
About 6:00pm the roach finally appeared and gave me a marvellous one-a-chuck final 90 minutes of action. Virtually every one of them needing the landing net from about 10oz to just over a pound, all of them in perfect condition. Very happy!!
The skimmers and bream moved in and did what they do.... Came straight to the surface on their sides and covered everything in snot.... But it's what they do and they were welcome after such a long day wondering if there was something wrong with your approach, set-up, presentation etc.
Sometimes you just have settle on the fact that there are periods when they just ain't there!
So I packed up around 7:45pm having had, eventually, a pretty good Thames pole session, my first in about five years.

 

[peterjg]

I also fished the Thames yesterday. The swim was about 10ft deep with little flow. I started laying-on with my 20ft rod caught a couple of roach on sweetcorn. I later started float fishing hemp and tares and caught another 15 roach to 12ozs and 1 small chub. BUT - I MISSED SO MANY BITES?! I tried different depths and shotting patterns ànd dotting down the float but it made no difference? Was it small fish just mouthing the bait or was it roach being difficult?

 

[108831]

Went yesterday to the local deep lake,fished slider and pellet,17 roach,all netters with a couple of 12oz plus fish,had a disaster though,I'd been throwing some bait in the margins all day,and shortly before I was going to pack a couple of tench appeared,I quickly put a shot from the bulk to lock the float and lowered a bait into there feet of water,was a tench acting strangely,then my float wobbled under behind it,I struck,fish on,then wtf,I couldn't give line properly,then bang,it broke me,somehow the line had tangled between the top two rings,bu99er....

 

[Lark]

BUT - I MISSED SO MANY BITES?! I tried different depths and shotting patterns ànd dotting down the float but it made no difference? Was it small fish just mouthing the bait or was it roach being difficult?

Could have been dace Peter - Ninja-quick on the Thames. Even the larger ones.
Sounds like a really good session though.

 

[theartist]

Or bleak? I remember fishing at Old Windsor in a shoal of them for hours thinking it was roach underneath that were biting. Could I hit a thing? Caught nothing until I finally hooked one of the bu**ers, had to go down to feeding three or four grains a cast. Once the fish are feeding the less you feed with hemp sometimes makes them bite bolder as they have to take what's on offer

 

[rayner]

Had a usual busy day with paste yet again.
What really makes me envious are the pictures on view in this corner of the forum. Interestingly not the fish but the shots of rivers and canals. Unfortunately rivers are inaccessible for me.

 

[no-one in particular]

After sorting out my gear the other day (I found 22rods) I rediscovered my fly rod so went for a bit of fly fishing for mullet. I started by free lining some pellets in the margin just to sit by the river and watch for an hour and did not spot one mullet. It’s warm enough and there should be some but I now have concluded the mullet fishing is ruined here. Despite assurances from the EA and the lock keeper they are not getting past a new sluice gate they put in a few years ago. There is no fish pass and the lock keeper is supposed to let them in but I am sure he doesn’t. I have tried in vain to get to the bottom of it but it’s a waste of time. Don’t want to take it up on this thread but I am angry about it, such a shame and the EA want shooting.
However, I did manage a couple of small chub on the fly. Not proper fly fishing but dapping from a road bridge. I don’t know what fly it was, one of a few I bought earlier from a box of second hand flies, they were .50p so topped up with a few. It was small with black under body and a silver main body. I chose it because mullet like something silver as I have had them chasing bits on silver paper on a hook before and a friend of mine used to catch loads on a small silver spinner tipped with marsh worms but these chub liked it enough. Plenty of small fry (maybe chub)swimming on top chasing the fly but ducking off at the last minute, maybe too big for them. They looked like chub and I enjoyed catching the two bigger chub of about a lb. Nothing quite like a take on the fly whatever the fish.

 

[theartist]

Popped out for the afternoon yesterday on what is now a very low stretch of river. Decided to give the barbel and roach a break and try for the carp instead. Been having a bad run of tackle losses lately and for someone who is a bit of a tackle tramp that's not good. First my wader, then the butt of my net handle and now the first ring of the rod I took for the carp was broken upon taking it out. The art of superbodge will never die so the net handle butt was chocked with some tissues and the rod ring, well that was a temporary fix involving some silicone tubing.

Seems all the crazies were out too as I was told the carp wont want to know close in and folk shouldn't be fishing for other species in 'barbel' swims by someone who was peeved he couldn't get in an easy barbel swim despite others being available - After he asked for the second time when I would be leaving I had fun with some small perch whilst he loitered

As for the carp well as usual they were canny, wise and cautious and most of all it was a whole lot of fun watching my freelined bait quietly under my rod tip, striking at thin air and seeing the funny side of cheeky little stripeys getting amongst the carp. Did they want to know? Well this one did, it's not a River Monster nor was it a Monster Carp but it was a powerful, fine looking river carp.

 

[seth49]

Later start yesterday, as we wanted to fish till dusk for the carp in the margins, so probably about one o clock before we started, fished pellets on the pole for a start,6mm Sonu expanders with a splash of robin red oil.

Plenty of skimmers and the odd bigger bream, and then the roach arrived and had a good few, not sure exactly as I’d forgotten my clicker, plus my towel and my bait tray, senior moment or what, all morning to get ready and forgot all that.

Any way about five o clock put the pole away, and rigged up two carp rods in the margins and fed some pellets to bring the carp in, that’s when the fun started, the carp are very line shy, and I place the baits by hand and bring the line up by the leg of the platform out of there way.

But the flaming bream kept dragging them out of position, so a carp would come in touch the line and bolt out of the swim, so apart from catching four more bream, no carp.
Oh and I forgot to put my camera back in my waistcoat after drying it, so no photos, ah well suppose it can only get better, I hope so anyway.

 

[peter crabtree]

11 codgers fished yesterday at Bourne end on the GUC.
It was a nice day, not too hot and partially overcast.
Our intended venue nearer Berkhamsted was chock full of boats, which was disappointing but this was ok.

Rod, reel and float only as usual on these fixtures I set up a light 3bb Middy canal grey waggler.
4no 10 ‘shot shirt button style and started on punch halfway across.
Roach a chuck for the first hour before they vanished as usual. I had been pinging pinkies across to the boat meantime so I shallowed up and cast across. Skimmers, chublets, gudgeon, dace, hybrids and roach aplenty over there on double pinkie.
Others were catching too and the winner had 9:15:0 of bream and good roach, fishing banded 4mm pellet on a waggler..
That’s a method that’s unusual for the canal but seems to be catching on with local anglers. I’ve not tried it myself yet but will give it a go soon.
Once again our nonegarian codger Joe excelled himself coming second with skimmers and chub on manky old casters across by an overhanging bush.

I came 4th with 4:15:0...

 

[Molehill]

First trip of the year to the Severn and boy was I looking forward to it. People find out where I come from and often ask why I come so far for a day, well a picture paints a thousand words and when I'm greeted with views like this I need not answer. I just point.
View attachment 7096
The water was a bit coloured for my liking but I walked up and down trying to find a vacant spot as it is a popular stretch before settling on a fast run where I could christen my new waders and run a float through, I was the only one using that tactic as usual. It didn't take long before a succession of decent chub put a bend in the rod before a really good roach easily over a pound signalled things could be better than I had hoped. Another couple followed, slightly bigger which prompted me to dig out the scales and give one a weigh - 1lb 8oz of pristine perfection then a few chub later and another gorgeous roach is landed this time going 1lb 15oz and once again pretty good condition. For every 'two' you're likely to get a couple of close calls so I wasn't disappointed at all, especially when they are in this sort of condition
View attachment 7097
Then the barbel turned up as they usually do, it was either the dozens of canoes finally stopping going by or the steady feeding suddenly bought them on, either way they took their time and I was thankful I'd already had some serious roach action before things went brutal, the barbel weren't big and I lost a couple but it was serious arm aching fun in the fast water on the float
View attachment 7098
I managed to lose a good roach amongst the barbel action and they are usually the big ones, it was the only one I lost all day and it's spin on the surface just whetted the appetite for further adventures.

A question on the Severn roach, which I have yet to get to grips with in size or numbers. What sort of water are you getting these good sized fish from, regards pace and depth, you mention a "fast run" for trotting?

Hopefully I'm going early week (hemp and tares soaking now), Buildwas area probably though not 100% decided. Wondering if I have been targeting the wrong swims and should concentrate on faster waters for my trotting?

 

[theartist]

A question on the Severn roach, which I have yet to get to grips with in size or numbers. What sort of water are you getting these good sized fish from, regards pace and depth, you mention a "fast run" for trotting?

Hopefully I'm going early week (hemp and tares soaking now), Buildwas area probably though not 100% decided. Wondering if I have been targeting the wrong swims and should concentrate on faster waters for my trotting?

I don't want to go too off topic on this thread, but I'm using pellets the same way as hemp and they work best in the shallower,faster swims as they sink so fast, the roach beat the barbel to it(some of the time) These swims are too fast for hemp to even reach bottom without a bait dropper - 2-4ft and blasting through. I've found even with maggot the faster shallow swims hold far more than anywhere slower and deep this time of year. The best bit of advice I could give anyone is never underestimate how shallow you can get big roach on any river in summer.

Good Luck, let us know how it goes.

 

[barbelboi]

Being a warm and sunny day with the local flowing water not flowing very much and being very clear it was decided to fish the edges of some white water and have a lazy few hours. This involved both of us sitting side by side on the bank (no chair) with a lot of chatting, putting the world to right, and trotting sticks for a bit of ‘Crabtree’ fishing. The idea was to see how many different species we could catch in a four hour session – size didn’t matter and bait was to be reds or bread.

A the end I just shaded it with a baby barbel making the difference with both of us taking plenty of dace and roach, a few half decent perch, a few small chub (and very small chublets), bleak (managed to avoid most of 'em), minnows and some gudgeon in the slacks.



And the match winner.......................