How did you get on?

[john step]

Not a million miles away from me,that,never fished it,it's nearer to Arlesey isn't it?

A short walk to Arlesey train station. There are two small well stocked "kiddies" type waters and I believe a bigger lake at the back somewhere with a section of a river/stream called Hiz.
I suspect its not your sort of place!

Its a good place to recommend when someone wants a break with accommodation and somewhere to get youngsters started on fishing. You can walk to the station and the things that some people call "London attractions" are a train ride away.

 

[bennygesserit]

The two most interesting fish I caught over the last 3 sessions

 

[peter crabtree]

Went down to the Colne late afternoon today, my quest to catch a barbel. It’s been a while since I tried. Set up the Suveran with 8lb mainline to a 7lb trace and size 12 hook with a band on a hair.
8mm pellet and a cage feeder with groundbait.
I tried 2 pegs giving each an hour before settling on one near the gate for a quick getaway.

The water level was down and there was barely 3’ depth down the middle.
Nothing much happened until I picked up the rod to wind in, a fish was on! Line was being taken off the clutch during a spirited fight, was this a small barbel?

No!

Bloody thing!

I banded a fresh pellet and recast, now I was getting lots of twitchy pulls and tugs which I struck at but couldn’t hit? Crays abound in the river and I suspected they may be the culprits?
Then I managed to actually hook a fish after a few twitches, it didn’t put up much of a fight.
As I got it near netting distance I was surprised to see it was a roach, a good one at that.

I weighed it and was surprised it went 1:8:0, the biggest roach I’ve ever caught from this river..

My plan now is to return and use more appropriate roach tackle, maybe tomorrow...

 

[wetthrough]

I'd more or less written off Friday for fishing on account of the threatened thunderstorms but I'd prepared bait just in case. Pai**ting, dec****ing some float making done and thunderstorms no longer a threat the temptation was too great. Last minute decision saw me on the club pool, a favourite of mikench's at 3:30pm. Some GB in, a bit of loose feed, two rods, one on the bottom at 10'6" and one for the margins or catching up in the water. The swim was alive, bubbles coming up all round, and it stayed that way until I left at 8:45. Could I catch them? Could I heck. One tiny Perch and one small Roach on the drop. Tried everything I had. Bread, punch and flake, caster, maggots, tares, hemp, soft pellet (I don't have any hard) on the bottom, off the bottom up in the water, nothing. The guy on the next peg arrived shortly before me apparently didn't do much earlier on but had three good Carp on hard pellet and feeder around 7pm. He came over to chat as he was leaving around 8pm and it was then I got my one and only bite on the bottom (of the pool!). A nice Bream of around 4lb. I've guessed Bream weight badly before so I'm being a bit conservative there but it was a nice big slab and saved from a near blank. A really nice day all the same despite the lack of fish and a pleasant change fishing into the evening, although it did screw up my sleep and eating routine. Couldn't get to sleep for love nor money. Probably down to eating late or drinking coffee on the bank.

The Canada geese seem to have decided how far they'll allow you to cast a feeder.

 

[mikench]

I'll soon scatter those geese Gordon.

 

[108831]

Well I went to Bedford,started fishing at a little after 10.30am,raining steadily so rather than float fishing decided to try the feeder for bream,to celebrate Jerry's birthday after all,well I had five between two and four pounds,with a roach just over the pound,so not too bad,unless your Jezza...

 

[maggot_dangler]

I'll soon scatter those geese Gordon.

Thats where a Blunderbus would come usefull dang canada sewerage pumps .


PG ...

 

[103841]

Monday’s seem to be becoming my go to day for some rudd fishing on Stonar lake, today being my third Monday running.

A break with tradition and headed over to the opposite side of the lake which has an industrial landscape courtesy of Pfizer.

Knowing that this area is a favourite patrol for the carp I chose to leave the whips at home and fish with rod and reel

Bait for today, pellet, corn and chick peas.

Between 6 and 7am the rudd were active, the third being the best of the day weighing 1lb 15ozs.

As a gentle breeze became a strengthening wind the bites became fewer and far between. A gratuitous action selfie.

The landscape could have been a lot better but one joy of this jungle of concrete and steel is the sight of the resident peregrine falcons, but I saw only one all day, I wonder what has happened to its partner?

My phone takes some good photos but this is just beyond its capabilities, I think you’ll just be able to spot this amazing bird of prey.

Over the next few hours I managed a few very acrobatic bream leaping clear of the water, one getting a ten for three leaps. The choice of using a rod instead of a whip was justified when this carp snaffled a chick pea

The Rudd went on the missing list but the sixteen I had were of a good size and made the day an enjoyable one.

 

[john step]

Visited my reservoir fishery to christen my new Acolyte float rod. I have to say its in a different league from what I am used to.
Lots of rudd, roach and a solitary bream.
The line pick up is amazing and the action is very cushioning. Only weighs about 5+ ozs they say.
I don't feel guilty about that outlay now.

 

[rich66]

Back down on the pond today, started off on the float wasn’t really doing a lot, krilled luncheon meat, prawns etc. couple of bream and a few perch on the prawns. Swapped to a cage feeder on my feeder rod and missed a few knocks put a float stop just behind the cage turning it into a bolt rig of sorts. Thought if it snapped the float stop would slide off and free the feeder.
Hair rigged some meat, had a tench, carp and a crucian. Nice day a little cooler with the breeze had to put a fleece on.

 

[Pete Shears]

Another early start at the local canal feeder reservoir this morning. Last week two visits resulted in roach and skimmers to the float and corn,no tench but watching ospreys and red kited compensated.
Back to today,plenty of roach to corn on the float one just short of a pound,all in good condition except the one snatched by a pike. The method feeder rod roared off and after a fantastic scrap I netted a female tench of 4lb 2oz in perfect nick .As the sun rose higher the bites dwindled away but watching a red kite and the antics of two white egrets passed the time.

 

[mikench]

Great post John as usual and great photos. I'm glad you like your rod Pete. It was a day for acolytes it appears. Today was my first days proper fishing for a month and you would have thought it was a year as I thought hard about what to do next. My well practiced routine went out of the window.

I have just returned from a thorough enjoyable afternoons' fishing with Tigger. He decided to slum it and come to my neck of the woods to try out a new club water familiar to me but not to him. It's always enjoyable fishing with Tigger as he is so enthusiastic about fishing , tackle and tactics.

I used my new Acolyte plus and whilst the number of fish was down on previous visits I still had a Chub of about 4lb, a carp of similar weight a few nice roach and a roach bream hybrid. Ian fared better with a few super roach around 1.5lb and a carp of 8lb.

I completely forget to take any pics of the fish but this is the venue.

View attachment 7234

The weather was glorious and likely to be the only dry day for a while. Thanks Ian for an enjoyable afternoon and you were so right about the Acolytes.

 

[bullet]

Has Tigger got fed up here, Mike?
Always enjoyed his posts, and notice he is still posting elsewhere.

 

[mikench]

You could say that. He had a disagreement with the" management" but I do hope he returns as he is sorely missed. I will continue to try and persuade him.

 

[The Runner]

Went back to the North side of The Aird again today, lovely day, warm with a nice light breeze and best of all by adding a few hundred yards to the walk in managed to get there with dry feet for the first time. Nice and colourful as well with the heather just coming into bloom and along with a lot of marsh orchids breaking up the yellow of all the Tormentil and Bog Asphodel. A few lobster pot buoys dotted about but all too far out to cause any problems. Started at Rubha na Tragha, opposite tide to my last visit arriving there just at the end of the ebb. Looking West along the cliffs...


and east towards Trodday island...


and unfortunately that's all the pics you're going to get as spotted that phone had about 3% charge left.

Anyway, nothing for an hour and a half, tide beginning to run and carrying lure round into a shallower and rocky/ kelpy area so moved along to Rubh' an t-Sailleir (which I've managed to spell and punctuate correctly this time), the further of the rocky outcrops in the second pic, where the main tide run was hitting the end of the rocks. Nothing for twenty minutes or so, then things livened up. Throwing a small roach paddletail on a ten gram jighead uptide with a slow retrieve had seven pollack in the next 90 minutes, all sizes from a pound up to four, lost another four to hookpulls, one of which was a proper one , looked 7 to 8lb which I had on top when it decided it had one big dive left.....

Tide slowed fractionally and it switched off. One more flurry of activity an hour later when a load of small fish started scattering on the top, put a small Toby over them and retrieved fast and had four coalies about half a pound each in 4 chucks. Other than that, one short take an hour or so before high tide and that was it. Tried float with limpet for half an hour in a little bay out of the tide but seemingly no wrasse around.

Wildlife ? Flock of twite on the croftland at the start of the walk in, quite a few gannets around (had a couple diving only about 30 yards out ) and a flock of waders of some sort, Dunlin probably, heading East and then presumably South. And large numbers of Painted Lady butterflies. I'd read that there had been a massive influx to Britain this year, and saw a few on the hills here two or three weeks ago. They are obviously still spreading out as a lot of them today were heading straight out to sea towards the Western Isles.

 

[sam vimes]

Out on the river for scratch about with a past their best pint of maggots. It wasn't the easiest or more prolific days, but I ended up with twenty three dace, ten chublets, three trout and a horde of minnows. It says it all when some of the dace were smaller than the biggest of the minnows.

 

[wetthrough]

Really hard day on the Dam yesterday. Two rods, 13' at ~12M and 10'6" for margins or up in the water at 12M both with 3.3lb fluoro to 16s light hook. Started fishing around 6am on the bottom and got the first fish around 9am from then on it was a bit more than one an hour til 5pm. Had Mr Pike for company as usual, parked right under the peg waiting for his dinner. Couple of guys chatting near jumped out of their skins when it crashed out in front of the peg. 15, all Roach, had a couple of just about netters, on, wait for it... freezer burnt maggots, mostly up in the water. It was the only thing I could catch with. It was also the first time I've seen Carp cruising about this year. Tried casting in front of them to no avail, just ignored the flake completely. Not sure why it was such hard work but the water was very coloured and 11" higher than normal. I even tried going down to 20s hook and some sewing thread for a hook length (breaks about 1.6lb and very soft) but it didn't make any difference.

 

[mikench]

Yesterday was the same on a water where I've always caught dozens of fish. They were not really feeding yesterday and water levels were well up so that may explain it. More rain to come.

 

[rayner]

Last week I promised myself a day whip fishing, I fished the specie pond at Kiveton. Wheat for the hook and feeding hemp, had Roach, Rudd, Gudgeon and skimmers. Within half an hour fish were too big for whip fishing and had to change to pole. A very good day, Gudgeon was a surprise on a grain of wheat, really enjoyed it even though it turned a little too hot.

 

[The Runner]

Back out today, hadn't really expected to be given that waiting for one of those unspecified delivery times, but it turned up at 9 15 so decided to have a look this afternoon for a wrasse or two close to home at Scorrybreac. Got to the worm beds about an hour before low tide at 11 15, warm and humid not quite the best for exertion

but quickly got half a dozen rag and some mussels for the wrasse and twenty five or so lug for the other rod. The rag seem limited to a very small area of the bay so only take a few as don't want to overexploit them even though I seem to be the only person who ever digs here. Idea was to just fish well out on beachcaster for a couple of hours (wrasse here generally only show for last two of the flood) and then leave the out rod as a sleeper and fish float close in. Home for a coffee and to pick up rods etc and walked out along the Scorrybreac path. Set up in one of the usual spots and quickly apparent that the sea-spaghetti was going to be a real pain

This side of the loch is fairlyy shallow and as well as in the edge could see big patches of it growing in a lot of places further out.
No bites at first as expected as usually only catch here from half tide up but a lovely view, which I've posted pics of before but none the worse for that

Right on cue at around half tide, had two dabs in quick succession but undersized

Nothing after that, float went out twenty minutes later but quickly changed to light running ledger as weed getting in the way too much. Alternated mussel and rag, no sign of a wrasse but only three codling , even more undersized than the dabs

Added another similar sized codling at range on lug and fished on an hour and a half into the ebb until had used the bait up but nothing else apart from another 50 yards or so of spag. Some of which is now in a pan, will see if its as nice as reputation suggests (one of the restaurants here has occasionally served it as a starter)

Nothing interesting on the wildlife front at all, even the resident ravens were AWOL