How did you get on?

[Pete Shears]

Seven more bream from the local reservoir this morning, all between 4 & 5lb, before the bites dried up.
Plenty of bird life: buzzards,red kite,kestrel,kingfishers,a pair of small waders on the wing prboably sandpipers and no cormorants but wasps,loads of them pestering me all morning.Strange that all the coots,moorhens and great crested grebes have disappeared along with the grey lags and canadas but it is quieter.

 

[maggot_dangler]

Well fished the local pool again today

Had some very nice very Bright Mirror Carp these are Pale Gold in colour i have photos once i can work out just how to upload them again , I have never see carp so golden in colour really nice fish .

Lost one that fell into the class of Mini Submarine just got the net close to it for the 5th time and it got off almost got the float in my face , Next time pal you will come out .

PG ...

 

[mikench]

I couldn't agree more Alan. I have a few and know of a few more.

 

[john step]

Another failure. Well it is How Did You Get ON not always how did you bag up!
48 hours on my club lake for a big carp without one. I did get tench and bream but they are not the same on hefty carp gear. I shall try again some time after a revenge session or two on easier places.

Anyway I can feel the barbel calling me.:wh

 

[Philip]

Very Interesting evening on the big river. As I happened to be passing a stretch of the river in the early evening I took the opportunity to throw in a couple of tins of corn in a swim with the intention to fish there for a couple of hours after dark. It’s the sort of place were literally anything can turn up although my principle target was to be Roach.

I arrived after dark & crept into position. It did not take too long for the Isotope to knock and pull round and a reasonable Roach came in. This was good news as if the Roach are there then there is always the chance of a really good one.
With this in mind I went back to the car which was behind me to get a few more things but as I scaled the bank I noticed right in the edge a large Koi Carp. These river Koi are very sought after having grown up in the river and this one was clearly in a catchable mood as it slowly tilted in a foot or so of water right in the edge to browse on something. The Roach had to take a back seat and I grabbed a suitable rod from the car boot and hooked on a large lump of bread.

For the next couple of hours I was totally absorbed trying to stalk this fish by the light of the street lamps on the road that ran next to the river. It was clearly visible patrolling the margins and I followed it up and down. Each time I thought I had a chance it ether drifted the wrong way or a piece of vegetation or weed foiled my chances. Finally I had it in the perfect position. Having clambered down a steep bank I found myself behind a bush just a few feet from it as it ambled in a hole in the weed a foot from the bank. I over cast and tweaked the bread into position close to the fish and let it sink. The fish slowly turned towards the bread –it had seen it- and started to inch forward towards it …my heart was in my mouth. The fish moved right up to the bait, its nose right on it. Then suddenly the bread disappeared, I struck and the rod hooped round, I was in!…however looking down the Koi was not struggling …it was still drifting along as before. For a few seconds I was totally confused but then it became clear as a substantial Ide came struggling to the bank. Being much darker in color than the Koi I had not spotted it & it must have literally snatched the bread out of its mouth. I was rather miffed and as you can imagine the Koi not surprisingly disappeared into the depths after the commotion.

Licking my wounds (literally as I was stung and cut to bits on nettles & brambles) I made my way back to the Roach swim. It was now into the early hours but I decided to have a couple of casts all the same as I contemplated my misfortune. The tip again tapped round and a really good Roach came to the net. It was now after 3am, I was very tired so made do with a quick snap of it on my hand with the phone rather than go through all the rigmarole of weighing and taking proper photos. I knew it was a nice fish but it’s not until now looking at the photos that I realize I really should have weighed it!!

Still it was some compensation for the nights events.

 

[Jelster]

So yesterday I tried a local day ticket water "Two Counties Lakes" which is less than 5 minutes from home (I didn't even realise it was there until the landlord of my local told me a couple of weeks ago). Two lakes, a small one with Tench & Crucians, the main lake with a bit of everything, but mainly carp up to mid doubles but mostly 4-8lbs.

I took my light carp rods, some old Sundridge 1.75 TC units with a pair of small bait runners, set up with size 10 hooks with Robin Red pellets on one, and 16mm Krill on the other. All I got was "half runs", twitches and line bites. After a couple of hours I pulled in both rods, went up to size 8's, new short soft braid hook links and running leads.

Well that worked. 4 fish in just over an hour, 2 mirrors, 2 commons, best about 8lbs. Not sure why the rig changes had so much of an effect but clearly something was wrong.

Will be a handy water as it's so close, although it's a day ticket, one of the local clubs can also fish it, so it may be worth me joining.

 

[Pete Shears]

Another 12 bream between 3lb & 5lb this morning from the same swim at the local reservoir ,must be doing something right but would have preferred a tench or two - windy,mild with the bonus of no rain.

 

[mikench]

A result Pete. I've got some esterberry boilies so will have a go for tench next time out.

 

[bennygesserit]

Went to AstWood Fishery in Bromsgrove ( thought it was called Ass Wood when I searched for it on the net [ had to burn that computer ] ) was a really great place , lovely scenery , great fishing , had a couple out of the margin on a method feeder about 15 lb plus numerous other fish

Had another GREAT day with my lad

We going back next week might do an all nighter - 2 rods 25 quid 6pm till 6 pm

 

[sam vimes]

The semi-regular, post football, dabble on the river yielded six trout, four grayling, nine dace and the inevitable horde of minnows. The only thing particularly unusual about this session was the aggression of the trout in the swim. They were chasing almost anything. My float, olivette and bait got hit on the retrieve. They even managed to eviscerate a couple of minnows. Perhaps not surprisingly, it wasn't until I'd cleared a few of the trout out that the dace even turned up.

 

[108831]

What a difference a few days make,I went back to catch a few more nice roach and that's exactly what I did,very few,eight in fact,from three ounces to a pound,the lake was totally dead,with hardly a fish moving,in what I thought were ideal conditions,mainly overcast,nice wind and around 22degs,whether it's the nights cooling and getting longer making the water a little clearer,you would hardly think there was a fish on the lake and it's full of them....

 

[theartist]

Time for a day trip with the missus back to the coast as it had been a month since the last Seaside adventure. Everything changes and we were greeted with a crystal clear dock full of weed, in fact it could have been a gravel pit were it not for the industrial workings and boats the size of tower blocks. Even a kingfisher zoomed by a couple of times, I had never seen one here before and given the nearest freshwater was miles away I was very surprised to see a saltwater variety.

It was very very windy, the wind was blowing a hooley straight from the sea and even the lock gates didn't stop the waves from being a foot high, despite this I was still going to tackle it with a float, now where's that 'mad' emoji.

This was the scene just as I packed up weather beaten


Earlier in the day it was a little less windy, when I say little I'm being relative and it was a case of using a heavy waggler and every cast saw a massive bow in the line as the wind was full on right to left, I aimed for a spot nowhere near where I wanted it and cast like a boomerang, how the bread stayed on was anyone's guess. But it did and I managed a few small bass as the sun came out to make the fishing even harder. After a while I hit into something better which screamed off twenty yards of line as I tried to keep it above the weed



It then decided to do it again, I was using 6lb straight through with the clutch set perfect. The way this fish cut through the wind and chop was amazing, I can still feel it now.



I thought it was a mullet the way it went but the culprit was another beautiful bass,it wasn't even that big, maybe around 2lb but pound for pound one of the best scraps I've ever had. It finally nestled in the net in the clear water like a bar of silver



I stopped for coffee and in the time it took to drink it the wind had got up even more and made it unfishable, it was a good time to pack up

 

[DeanoJ]

The son and myself had our first day fishing yesterday. Was at Bleakhills Fishery in Mansfield. 5 min walk for us.
He loved it and had nine catches whilst I had none! But I'm chuffed he loved it and wants to do it again.

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[mikench]

What is it with small boys and maggots in the mouth? I remember my son doing it but he soon stopped after swallowing one.

 

[peter crabtree]

Club fixture today on the Thames at Little Stoke near Wallingford.
One of my favourite venues.

Set up today was 15’ ultralight, Daiwa TDX 3012 reel and a sliding waggler. It was 10’ deep out towards the middle of the river with a slow, steady flow.
Balled it in at the start with 2kilos of dark super roach gb with half a pint of casters mixed in.
Double caster on a Drennan wide gape size 18.
Roach first chuck followed by a couple of small chub and a skimmer.
As the hours ticked by it was a bite a chuck, quality roach to 10oz mainly, all on double caster.
Halfway through I fed another kilo of gb which kick started the swim again.
It was frantic fishing, if I didn’t get a bite there was something wrong, bait off or hook hung up. The slider is so effective for deep water rivers, when you strike it goes straight through the float to the hook.
At the end (6hours) the scales arrived, it was a struggle to lift my net out on the high bank.
The scales went round twice and overshot the 20lb maximum. Had to take some out and weigh them separately...

In total I had 23lb:14oz:0 which secured a win.

]

Second had 11lb and 3rd 10lb..

10 fished.

 

[108831]

I take it it's clear Simon?

 

[peter crabtree]

Do you mean the water Alan? If so no, it was nicely coloured..

 

[mikench]

Well done Simon!

 

[108831]

Must be boat traffic keeping the colour up,the Ouse at Bedford is like tap water...

 

[no-one in particular]

High tide at 1pm yesterday so time for a spot of sea fishing on the jetty. First off I drop to the bottom and immediately the rod tip started to rattle with little fish and I reeled in 2 mins later and the bait had been stripped. I was using sardines which I don’t recommend, too soft, mackerel strips are better. To avoid the little fish I went on the float to come higher in the water. Not a bite-the lads next to me fishing with their dad caught a nice little blenny.
The bloke the other side of me was fishing for live bait using tiny cut down feathers on a tiny 14/12 hook on a whippy rod and he caught plenty. He said they were pout whiting but they looked like small Pollack to me (photo). He put one on a big sea float after bass but he did not catch one. I would try this but not sure I like live baiting but as my float kept drifting in the little fish on his was taking his float out to the sea where I know the rocks are so tempting to try it myself one day.
I fished for 3 hours and not a bite except for the tiny fish earlier. My timing as usual was impeccable, all week I have been hearing about mackerel all over the place, throwing them-selves up the beach all along the coast. Loads of people feathering but did not see one caught while fishing yesterday. The sea had become a little bit choppy and murky with a breeze blowing and I put it down to that.
However, just as I packed my gear away a shout went up and one of the featherers pulled in 4 mackerel and I bet hundreds more were caught for the rest of the day. I walked off in disgust muttering something unprintable and contemplated throwing my gear in the drink. not really, the great one law of fishing is sods; I have known this all my life.

However, I had a lovely day, enjoy the bonhomie on the jetty, everyone enjoying them-selves families and kids having a great day and everyone interested in what everyone else is doing and catching, always learn something, I like this sometimes, not on the river though!!. I might go back today or tomorrow to see if I can miss the mackeral again!

Footnote, lots of snap offs and gear lost by the casters, day trippers and visitors who dont know where the rocks are, I urged the council 2 years ago to put a sign up with a little diagram/map showing were these rocks are, its pollution and dangerous for boats (there is a harbour right in front of it) and swimmers with all that line going in the drink but they have done nothing, no money in it for them! No problem with hundreds of expensive litter and parking "fine" signs. I have nothing but contempt for them.