I think it's catching, Mike. Actually, that's the wrong expression. At about 4pm I opened the beer/bait fridge in the lean-to conservatory to get out the bait, and a 660ml bottle of lager jumped the rail on the door shelf. I did a bit of keepy uppy, but only got to two, and it hit the tiles and shattered. I had to do a bit of unscheduled mopping, brushing and hoovering to save the cats getting glass in their paws. I got to the river, well up as you can imagine, and picked a swim with a 10' slack inside while the main flow was running off like a train. I filled a baitdropper with hemp, pellets and chopped meat, stood up to swing it out and somehow knocked the lever against my leg, which opened the door and dropped the lot down the top of my wellie. I got some bait in the swim, got snagged twice (no joke on the gear I had on), didn't get a bite, and watched as several barbel crashed out 50m out in the middle where you'd have needed beachcasting gear to hold out. Two hours of this, and I gave it up. Things come in three's, they say, so I'm going to be careful for the rest of the evening.
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
Took a trip to the local duck pond this evening. Took a pint of mixed red and white maggots and some crushed hemp groundbait, also my 2 youngest kids.
Spent huge amounts of time sorting out the huge birds nest tangles the kids seemed to generate on every cast!
Started off slowly but then began hitting fish regularly.
View attachment 7274
Roach, perch, small bream and lovely little golden rudd kept us busy all night.
View attachment 7275
View attachment 7276
Float fishing treble maggot on 16 barbless hooks worked a treat, lost count of the number of little fish we pulled out.
Now got to get some smelly and slime encrusted kids clean, fed and to bed!
Spent huge amounts of time sorting out the huge birds nest tangles the kids seemed to generate on every cast!
Started off slowly but then began hitting fish regularly.
View attachment 7274
Roach, perch, small bream and lovely little golden rudd kept us busy all night.
View attachment 7275
View attachment 7276
Float fishing treble maggot on 16 barbless hooks worked a treat, lost count of the number of little fish we pulled out.
Now got to get some smelly and slime encrusted kids clean, fed and to bed!
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
I’ve had a week of mixed fortunes, Sunday a club fixture on a lake, I had roach and small tench on pole and maggot...
Came nowhere..
Monday, a blank on the town pit trying for tench.
Tuesday, the last of the evening series matches on the GUC. Came 5th and secured 4th place in the final evening league table... A few £ coming my way soon....
Thursday, codgers fixture on the GUC near Berkhamsted. I didn’t do too well but our octogenarian codger Brian did what he does best and won the match with a fine net of roach.
Fishing hemp and tares down the track he had 3 roach over a pound and one clonker of exactly 2lb..
Tonight I fished hemp and caster off the wharf of a town supermarket, had plenty of good sized roach and some perch.
Used a pole rig on 11’ rod a rod length out.
I do like these Dino floats, absolutely spot on ...
Came nowhere..
Monday, a blank on the town pit trying for tench.
Tuesday, the last of the evening series matches on the GUC. Came 5th and secured 4th place in the final evening league table... A few £ coming my way soon....
Thursday, codgers fixture on the GUC near Berkhamsted. I didn’t do too well but our octogenarian codger Brian did what he does best and won the match with a fine net of roach.
Fishing hemp and tares down the track he had 3 roach over a pound and one clonker of exactly 2lb..
Tonight I fished hemp and caster off the wharf of a town supermarket, had plenty of good sized roach and some perch.
Used a pole rig on 11’ rod a rod length out.
I do like these Dino floats, absolutely spot on ...
theartist
Well-known member
A 2lb roach out of the grand union. That's some achievement
steve2
Well-known member
What a great catch of roach from a canal. These canals sections you fish seem to have far more fish in them than what I remember from my match days.
wetthrough
Well-known member
New club water for me yesterday. It's a club water but it's more like a well kept commercial than the club waters I've been to before. The verges look better than my lawn, not that that's saying much. Nice enough place it just felt a bit sterile for my taste and quite busy. You can't see it in the photo but all the pegs to my left and right as far as you can see had someone on by the end of the day. Carp were in abundance cruising around. I don't think there was a minute all day when there wasn't at least one in front of me and usually several. No floating baits, controller floats and a gazillion other things you're not allowed to do.
40 minute trip arriving about 7am. Someone I met on the Dam bank recommended the match lake so I just set up there. I should maybe have investigated the others, there are seven. Glorious day although I was a little over dressed. No shade and ended up a rather sweaty blob. Two rods one layed on 5" on the bottom at 45" (prefer a bit more water under my float personally) and one for up in the water, which didn't get used much. I've had a few foul hookers so put a No8 at 6" but it seemed to scare them off, nosing at the bait but not taking it, so moved it up to 12". Loose feeding hemp (gb not allowed) casters and maggots with the odd bit of corn. The hemp seemed to keep them nosing around on the bottom judging from the bubbles but they wouldn't take it on the hook. Taken mostly to corn, one F1 (I think), maybe 6 or seven skimmers one around the 2lb mark, one small common around 11/2lb, two Mirrors, one around 3lb, one 5/6lb the rest being Rudd and Roach, mostly small with one Rudd around 4:5oz. Not a bad days fishing, 30 plus a handfull of micro fish. I always enjoy fishing but a bit more back to nature suits me better.
40 minute trip arriving about 7am. Someone I met on the Dam bank recommended the match lake so I just set up there. I should maybe have investigated the others, there are seven. Glorious day although I was a little over dressed. No shade and ended up a rather sweaty blob. Two rods one layed on 5" on the bottom at 45" (prefer a bit more water under my float personally) and one for up in the water, which didn't get used much. I've had a few foul hookers so put a No8 at 6" but it seemed to scare them off, nosing at the bait but not taking it, so moved it up to 12". Loose feeding hemp (gb not allowed) casters and maggots with the odd bit of corn. The hemp seemed to keep them nosing around on the bottom judging from the bubbles but they wouldn't take it on the hook. Taken mostly to corn, one F1 (I think), maybe 6 or seven skimmers one around the 2lb mark, one small common around 11/2lb, two Mirrors, one around 3lb, one 5/6lb the rest being Rudd and Roach, mostly small with one Rudd around 4:5oz. Not a bad days fishing, 30 plus a handfull of micro fish. I always enjoy fishing but a bit more back to nature suits me better.
John Keane
Well-known member
Had a day on the pole at my club lake on Thursday, feeding hemp & micros and using hard banded pellet and meat on the hook. Didn’t take any photos but outfished my mate who had 2 rods out on the tip by 12 - 4.
However the depressing reality of the whole thing was that, approaching 70, I can no longer sit on a box and fish a pole for 5-6hrs at a stretch. Comes to us all I suppose.
However, all is not lost, as I invariably take a Shakey box with Octoplus and a chair, I can rotate between the two and continue to enjoy a bit of pole fishing. More tackle to carry and pack away but I suppose that’s a small price to pay, really.
However the depressing reality of the whole thing was that, approaching 70, I can no longer sit on a box and fish a pole for 5-6hrs at a stretch. Comes to us all I suppose.
However, all is not lost, as I invariably take a Shakey box with Octoplus and a chair, I can rotate between the two and continue to enjoy a bit of pole fishing. More tackle to carry and pack away but I suppose that’s a small price to pay, really.
Another Dave
Well-known member
Another little perch from this afternoon's spinning.
mikench
Well-known member
You can tell me more Gordon when next we meet. The multitude of rules always put me off too. I returned to my current favourite in warm sunshine and high humidity.
View attachment 7282
Fished float and feeder consequetively with equal success or failure dependent on your point of view. Had about 30 fish including several crucians with this one Going 1lb 13 oz or thereabouts.
View attachment 7283
An enjoyable few hours. I left early because of the threat of rain which didn't materialise.
View attachment 7282
Fished float and feeder consequetively with equal success or failure dependent on your point of view. Had about 30 fish including several crucians with this one Going 1lb 13 oz or thereabouts.
View attachment 7283
An enjoyable few hours. I left early because of the threat of rain which didn't materialise.
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The Runner
Well-known member
Up to Staffin today, probably not the best idea as would be fishing the tide down when it usually fishes far better on the flood but , nothing ventured etc, and also fancied a shorter walk (it's the only decent pollack mark I know of that's less than a mile walk and there's even a faint path to follow). Here's the walk in looking back from about just past halfway..
Nice swell running and got a few spray soakings when dropped down onto the middle of the three ledges where I started, no sign of fish though so after working back and forth along the ledge moved back a couple of hundred yards to a gully that I've always liked the look of but which had so far only produced smaller fish
After only about ten minutes hit a decent pollack on the usual paddletail lure which did me in the kelp, transferring the hook to the stem in a way that would make any chub proud, half an hour after that another one that I was determined to keep out of the weed, gave it a bit of stick and the hook pulled. Nothing after that and the gully looked to be dead water after the tide dropped below the outside rocks so moved back along. Put a Toby on for extra distance, nothing, back on the paddletails and hit pollack no 3 very close in. Too close in, straight into the kelp and that was 3-0
As the tide bottomed out finally landed one, only about a pound but at least blank was saved. And then a better one, hooked well out this time which I got in without too much trouble, very deep hooked, didn't fancy its chances, so now filleted and in the freezer
No activity after that
Would have been a far better result than expected if I'd manged to land everything...
More quality than quantity to the wildlife. Steady procession of gannets well offshore heading North, a couple of rock pipits hanging round all day , and the quality being added by a whale (Minke I assume) doing a full breach about 300 yards out. Had camera ready for the next ten minutes in case of another showing but it never reappeared
Nice swell running and got a few spray soakings when dropped down onto the middle of the three ledges where I started, no sign of fish though so after working back and forth along the ledge moved back a couple of hundred yards to a gully that I've always liked the look of but which had so far only produced smaller fish
After only about ten minutes hit a decent pollack on the usual paddletail lure which did me in the kelp, transferring the hook to the stem in a way that would make any chub proud, half an hour after that another one that I was determined to keep out of the weed, gave it a bit of stick and the hook pulled. Nothing after that and the gully looked to be dead water after the tide dropped below the outside rocks so moved back along. Put a Toby on for extra distance, nothing, back on the paddletails and hit pollack no 3 very close in. Too close in, straight into the kelp and that was 3-0
As the tide bottomed out finally landed one, only about a pound but at least blank was saved. And then a better one, hooked well out this time which I got in without too much trouble, very deep hooked, didn't fancy its chances, so now filleted and in the freezer
No activity after that
Would have been a far better result than expected if I'd manged to land everything...
More quality than quantity to the wildlife. Steady procession of gannets well offshore heading North, a couple of rock pipits hanging round all day , and the quality being added by a whale (Minke I assume) doing a full breach about 300 yards out. Had camera ready for the next ten minutes in case of another showing but it never reappeared
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Pete Shears
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
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- 883
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- 2,495
Thick mist over the fields this morning,cattle just visible about 100 yards away as I walked to the river Wreake.Set up on the big deep pool with a quiver tip,light cage feeder and crust on the hook.
The tip went round after about two minutes and managed to land a pristine 3lb 8oz chub. Two white egrets on the next downstream pool,kingfishers up and down the river,a kestrel carrying breakfast flew by as for fishing ,no more bites at all,not even minnows ravaging bread flake or attacking worms and sweetcorn totally ignored.Higher than normal summer levels with a steady pace but clear water with very small fish dimpling the surface,plenty of moorhens and ducks which indicates no recent mink or otter. Strange.Pleasant to see the mist melt away but by 9.30 it was getting clammy and with no more action,time to go.
The tip went round after about two minutes and managed to land a pristine 3lb 8oz chub. Two white egrets on the next downstream pool,kingfishers up and down the river,a kestrel carrying breakfast flew by as for fishing ,no more bites at all,not even minnows ravaging bread flake or attacking worms and sweetcorn totally ignored.Higher than normal summer levels with a steady pace but clear water with very small fish dimpling the surface,plenty of moorhens and ducks which indicates no recent mink or otter. Strange.Pleasant to see the mist melt away but by 9.30 it was getting clammy and with no more action,time to go.
theartist
Well-known member
Yesterday I went down to the south coast for a spot of fishing on the docks, it was more of a day trip thing with a few hours fishing. I would be happy to get a wrasse as I haven't had one this season so l went to a spot where I had done well for them in previous seasons.
Peering into the clear water I couldn't see any wrasse, but the odd goby, sand smelt and small bass were in view as I fed a handful of prawns down the edge as the wrasse literally live in the holes in the wall, still nothing was in view and my bait stayed untouched once it got through the sand smelt up top. I hope the wrasse return as there was none here today.
A pop round the corner revealed a few small mullet so I quickly sorted out the bread and crept round and lo and behold they were gone, the bread did of course tempt many small bass so a blank was avoided. Just when I was about to suggest a move further round a few bigger splashes signalled something better was taking the bread even if I couldn't see what in the hazy reflection of the sun. The pulse rate increased but they were taking every bit of bread but mine which gave away the fact they were bass. I was being lazy leaving the float on so off that came along with every single shot and it was a freelined bit of bread that went out, what could be simpler?
First cast bang, snap! Head in hands, I couldn't believe it, 6lb main 5lb hooklength yet there was not that much pressure and the clutch was set right. I think we've all had an unexplainable snap offs but this place seems a jinx for me with big fish. I got a couple of sea venues where everything seems to go wrong and a few where it goes right, that's part of the learning curve and a whole lot of fun even if I wasn't thinking that right then. Often you get small windows of feeding during the day so thinking the opportunity was gone I flicked some more bread out with little optimism, I was really surprised when something else was still crashing through the bread. It doesn't get more exciting as I shakily tied on a another hook straight through on the six.
Next cast Bang! I strike but this fish has already gone a good six feet, I had also adjusted the clutch a click too much and the pontoons were now in play so I quickly tightened up a bit, then the pontoons the other side came in play as I gave it some. Finally I drew the net under 3lb of solid silver muscle, not the biggest bass in the world but I had finally broken my hoodoo for the place and was over the moon.
[url=https://postimg.cc/2VbgYy6Q]
[/URL]
Peering into the clear water I couldn't see any wrasse, but the odd goby, sand smelt and small bass were in view as I fed a handful of prawns down the edge as the wrasse literally live in the holes in the wall, still nothing was in view and my bait stayed untouched once it got through the sand smelt up top. I hope the wrasse return as there was none here today.
A pop round the corner revealed a few small mullet so I quickly sorted out the bread and crept round and lo and behold they were gone, the bread did of course tempt many small bass so a blank was avoided. Just when I was about to suggest a move further round a few bigger splashes signalled something better was taking the bread even if I couldn't see what in the hazy reflection of the sun. The pulse rate increased but they were taking every bit of bread but mine which gave away the fact they were bass. I was being lazy leaving the float on so off that came along with every single shot and it was a freelined bit of bread that went out, what could be simpler?
First cast bang, snap! Head in hands, I couldn't believe it, 6lb main 5lb hooklength yet there was not that much pressure and the clutch was set right. I think we've all had an unexplainable snap offs but this place seems a jinx for me with big fish. I got a couple of sea venues where everything seems to go wrong and a few where it goes right, that's part of the learning curve and a whole lot of fun even if I wasn't thinking that right then. Often you get small windows of feeding during the day so thinking the opportunity was gone I flicked some more bread out with little optimism, I was really surprised when something else was still crashing through the bread. It doesn't get more exciting as I shakily tied on a another hook straight through on the six.
Next cast Bang! I strike but this fish has already gone a good six feet, I had also adjusted the clutch a click too much and the pontoons were now in play so I quickly tightened up a bit, then the pontoons the other side came in play as I gave it some. Finally I drew the net under 3lb of solid silver muscle, not the biggest bass in the world but I had finally broken my hoodoo for the place and was over the moon.
[url=https://postimg.cc/2VbgYy6Q]
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theartist
Well-known member
I get all my bass on bread, it is weird at first when they are in the perch family, but after a while you think perch are the weird ones for NOT eating bread. Bass have a reputation for eating almost anything though, bread, cheese, chips, pork pies you name it there's a chance they'll eat it in certain areas
I don't do matches much anymore. However yesterday a few of us had a friendly at the syndicate reservoir. Guess who won!
9lb Odd of rudd, roach and skimmers. I did also land a mirror of 8lb plus on my new Acy ultra not that its meant for that.
9lb Odd of rudd, roach and skimmers. I did also land a mirror of 8lb plus on my new Acy ultra not that its meant for that.
Another Dave
Well-known member
Went to the little pond to try some dusk fishing for the tench that are supposed to be present but have eluded me so far. Saw two birds i think were sparrowhawks fighting, with a woodpigeon joining in. I cast out about 6:30, with the birds still crashing and screeching around the trees. I used my trusty 8ft Darrent Valley and 3lb line straight through to a 14, floatfishing corn with some homemade groundbait.
I fished a couple of rodlengths out and also fed a second closer line, and after half an hour i noticed crazy fizzing coming up from the margin line, so i tried fishing there. Lots of bites from the little rudd, and plenty more fizzing wherever i threw in bait but after an hour of this i had a roach and a small rudd to show for my efforts. Then some lads decided the track past the pond would be great for motorbike practice. With no chair my backache was starting to kick in too. Stick with it, i'm here now.
The sun began to set, the lads went home and i had another roach. I gave it a little longer, happy to catch roach into the darkness when my float shot off and i hooked what i first though was a tench but when it was still going nuts 5 minutes later i knew i had a carp on, despite no one ever mentioning there were any in here. Brilliant bit of fishing.
I fished a couple of rodlengths out and also fed a second closer line, and after half an hour i noticed crazy fizzing coming up from the margin line, so i tried fishing there. Lots of bites from the little rudd, and plenty more fizzing wherever i threw in bait but after an hour of this i had a roach and a small rudd to show for my efforts. Then some lads decided the track past the pond would be great for motorbike practice. With no chair my backache was starting to kick in too. Stick with it, i'm here now.
The sun began to set, the lads went home and i had another roach. I gave it a little longer, happy to catch roach into the darkness when my float shot off and i hooked what i first though was a tench but when it was still going nuts 5 minutes later i knew i had a carp on, despite no one ever mentioning there were any in here. Brilliant bit of fishing.
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- Joined
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- 6,172
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- 1,950
Getting very frustrated with time wasted visiting the sea for some spinning, conditions seem to be against me all the time, either cloudy water, weed or swimmers, that’s the weekend trips taken care of.
Today I fancied a bit of stick fishing for roach and with a high tide expected at 6am headed for Grove Ferry on the Stour a few miles outside Canterbury. The tide was late! didn’t turn til gone 7 so didn’t have many bites in the first hour.
Budget fishing today with a Darent Valley float rod and an Abu 501m, a combined cost of approx £65!
The roach were few and far between, it was the preds firmly in charge of my swim and a succession of perch were landed with the occasional roach in between. Plenty of pike activity too with my keepnet being savaged a few times.
Best of the stripeys weighed in at 1lb 14ozs.
Packed up at lunchtime when the river became the playground for canoeists.
Today I fancied a bit of stick fishing for roach and with a high tide expected at 6am headed for Grove Ferry on the Stour a few miles outside Canterbury. The tide was late! didn’t turn til gone 7 so didn’t have many bites in the first hour.
Budget fishing today with a Darent Valley float rod and an Abu 501m, a combined cost of approx £65!
The roach were few and far between, it was the preds firmly in charge of my swim and a succession of perch were landed with the occasional roach in between. Plenty of pike activity too with my keepnet being savaged a few times.
Best of the stripeys weighed in at 1lb 14ozs.
Packed up at lunchtime when the river became the playground for canoeists.
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