How did you get on?

[mikench]

Well done John. You had a good day and a lovely roach to show for it. I'll keep my eyes open for rods.

Such a super perch deserves more than a mere like Ian so well done. Well worth the effort. I hope Warford might yield a similar specimen for me one day.

 

[markcw]

It wasn't Mark to be fair they are all along the Severn , just that not that many people target them . I've given up my Lymm card as PAAS has so much of the Severn I just didn't really use it , only really fished the canal at Grindley brook

Even though I am based iin Oxford now,I am still a Lymm bailiff, I go up to warrington once a month and if time bailiff the Stillwater around whitley, I was going to do the Shady Oak stretch of the shroppie one day last year, I would have needed an interpreter, I was on my own so I left them to it. Pinged it through on bailiff app what was happening and got no replies.

 

[bullet]

Even better!

 

[ian g]

Even though I am based iin Oxford now,I am still a Lymm bailiff, I go up to warrington once a month and if time bailiff the Stillwater around whitley, I was going to do the Shady Oak stretch of the shroppie one day last year, I would have needed an interpreter, I was on my own so I left them to it. Pinged it through on bailiff app what was happening and got no replies.

Mark
I bailiff on the Severn for PA , I haven't really had many issues mainly due to the locations but you always need to put your own safety first .

 

[john step]

Another outing for my Light Lure Rod. Instead of lures today I rigged up a small dead roach and fished it sink and draw and settle and twitch style.
At first I had a jack pike then this 14lb+



Then using the same small roach (what a tight wad :wh ) I moved along a bit and had this one at 23lb+



All despite the gales.

 

[103841]

Well done John. You had a good day and a lovely roach to show for it. I'll keep my eyes open for rods.
.

Thanks Mike, keep em peeled as Shaw Taylor use to say, Mick is on the case and thinks he may know of an AWM 13L....somewhere.

 

[theartist]

Then using the same small roach (what a tight wad :wh ) I moved along a bit and had this one at 23lb+

All despite the gales.

Haha close to 40lb of Pike in Storm Brenda, that's the spirit - Get in! Top dangling :thumbs:

 

[peter crabtree]

The prospect of a wet and windy day deterred a few codgers from turning up yesterday. 7 including myself (organiser) did brave it.
The GUC at Berkhamsted the venue once again.
Most of us opted to fish further up than usual, hoping to obtain some shelter from the impending gales forecast for later in the day.

Plumbing up in this new to me area I found the deeper track was very close to my bank. Beyond that the shelf was very shallow. I marked my rod for both depths on my waggler. Double squat on a 22 511 down the track and bites were instant, the infamous Berko gudgeon were there in droves.
All the while I was pinging pinkies across to the shallow water. After a while I shallowed up and tried a cast across, immediate bites and yes you guessed it, more gudgeon.
Eventually I hooked something bigger which headed for the sunken branch to my left before coming off...
A few small roach and a skimmer provided some respite from the constant stream of gudgeon but not enough to build a decent weight.
The wind and rain arrived bang on cue around 1pm but didn’t disrupt proceedings too much.
Typically the heavier rain arrived just as I’d got my gear on the barrow and the scales etc ready to do the weigh in.
I had around a hundred gudgeon and some bits for 3lb:5 which got me 3rd.

Winner had 2 sizeable perch + bits for 6lb dead.

 

[tigger]

My last session was last wednesday, after all the hiking I had no more than an hours trotting before the sun went down and the float was impossible to see. The hour was pretty much solid fun though and I lost count of the fish...

 

[rich66]

After yet more rain, I decided to give the idea of the river a miss and went to my club lakes at Frisby. The weather was pretty decent a bit breezy but the sun was out.
I arrived about 11am with the intention of fishing bread punch on the waggler. But changed my mind and went for a hybrid feeder approach. Groundbait and a sprinkle of micros, a few 4mm pellets. Which had sat in my freezer for a couple of months. Tried a few different lines but all my bites came from about 2 foot from the central margins. Had a small mirror carp about midday, lost a couple more and on what was my last cast of the day, caught another mirror slightly larger then the first. First was on 8mm bloodworm pellet , 2nd on 8mm Robin Red pellet. Had a few half hearted bites on peparami but I can never be sure if it’s not the blinking crays.

 

[hague01]

thats what I married!

 

[mikench]

Gordon(Wetthrough ) and I have a plan to at least try as many venues as possible of the club card we both now enjoy. As a result we met up at a small pool which was new to me but which had experienced the wizardry of Gordon's float fishing. He has clearly learned from Mr Crabtree.





I alternated between the float and the feeder while Gordon relied on the float. The water has too many hanging branches which restrict casting and short rods are the order of the day. I set out for roach and Rudd with a 10' puddle chucker and Abu 501. Small hooks( 20 were the most likely to induce bites and pinkies proved the most popular. Gordon had around 30 roach and perch with the odd Rudd whilst I could only manage 4 roach and a perch. I did have a take from something much larger which led me a dance for a while on a size 20 hook and 2lb hooklength until the hooked pulled and straightened. A B911 if I recall. It was fun while it lasted.

We had a brief shower contrary to the forecast and it was cold but very enjoyable. I used the rod rest designed and built by Gordon which is a brilliant piece of kit and perfect for wooden pegs. Thanks again Gordon for the rest, your company and a good day.

Ps Cracking fish Ian, I'm envious.

 

[hague01]

thats pretty

 

[john step]

An afternoon on the light lure rod again. This time with soft mini lures. Had fun with two jacks before sundown and cold got to me.

 

[wetthrough]

We had a brief shower contrary to the forecast and it was cold but very enjoyable. I used the rod rest designed and built by Gordon which is a brilliant piece of kit and perfect for wooden pegs. Thanks again Gordon for the rest, your company and a good day.

A most enjoyable day Mike, thank you. Shame about the hook pull Mike. One sizeable fish between us and the hook straightens out I would expect the venue to be more productive once it warms up a bit.

From the other side:

 

[S-Kippy]

I forced myself out today. I didnt fancy it but with the weather on the turn I thought I ought to get out on the one day this week where I might not get washed off or blown away.

Club water with a reputation ( quite old) for producing good roach. The fishing was unspectacular but I met an old friend on the bank and had a great chat and catch up....even better a little later I met someone who specifically targets the roach there and learned an awful lot. They are still there and I now know when, where and how to fish for them.

I had one roach of about a pound and lost what I'm pretty sure was a respectable carp but the trip was worth it simply for what I learned. Oddly enough there was only me and the roach specialist on the water....I'm not normally that lucky,I hope its an omen.

As Arnie said...." I'll be back".

 

[sylvanillo]

Earlier today, I've been on the Oxford canal for a very short - but quiet, sunny and promising - session, lasting 90 minutes only. Also the idea was to apply Mark's tips!

A short but enjoyed moment with some new little friends.

All tips were applied! Main changes compared to my previous attempts were:
1) A lighter rod: I tried a feeder rod that I had got for free a few years ago, it's an Ultra Light Feeder 300-330 from MS Range. In the past, I discarded it because I found it too light for fishing on the Meuse. It is supposed to cast a max of 50 gr (feeder + bait). It comes with 4 thin carbon tips, from 0.5 to 1.5 oz.

2) A 0.75 oz tip
3) Smaller hooks - found cheap Animal nº18 from Go Outdoors
4) A thinner hooklink (down from 0.30 to 0.16)

Conditions were wet (this is UK!), cold (this is Winter!), cloudy (this is the contrary to Met Office's forecast!).

The rig is simple, an 8 inches hooklink, a running rig with 2 stops, the first one to adapt the hooklink length from 8 inches to any length, the second one to stop a run, a 20 gr Decathlon cage feeder. In the feeder, liquidised bread mixed with cinnamon; on the hook, bread "pellets".

Settings are basic in order to move easily:

Well it worked quite ok. I fished close to the house boats, where it seems roach was quite present. I had about a dozen of small fish but did enjoy the light but fast action.

The rod blank has such a great action, much better than the Drennan one.

Then, I moved to different places to no outcome at all other than learning. This is when it actually became pleasantly sunny but very windy as well.

Does it have something to do with the change in the fish behaviour? Maybe, no idea. Anyway that was time to be back for lunch: the Prime Minister I have at home is more obstinate than any UK PM and is very demanding with cooking quality.

 

[peterjg]

Sylvanillo, I enjoyed reading your post. From your photos the canal looks nicely coloured, always good. I do lots of canal fishing for roach - can I suggest you try bigger hooks say sizes 14 to 10 with bread flake. I have never fished the Oxford Canal but apparently there are some big roach there. Good luck.

 

[steve2]

Another outing for my Light Lure Rod. Instead of lures today I rigged up a small dead roach and fished it sink and draw and settle and twitch style.
At first I had a jack pike then this 14lb+



Then using the same small roach (what a tight wad ) I moved along a bit and had this one at 23lb+



All despite the gales.

Well done, good to see someone using what is now classed old fashion the method of sink and draw instead of just sitting it out and waiting.

 

[sylvanillo]

Another outing for my Light Lure Rod. Instead of lures today I rigged up a small dead roach and fished it sink and draw and settle and twitch style.
At first I had a jack pike then this 14lb+

I had missed this. Wonderful pike, well done. 10 years ago after a lot of lure fishing I switched to wobbling deadbait and then used it all year round for pike, perch, zander using sprat mainly, as it's so effective and involves limited equipment while adapting to any venue. Used it on the Thames, city cuts, canal..... I miss it!!!