How did you get on?

[john step]

Weather forecast was rain subsiding at 11 Am which was actually correct so that when I arrived at the pool with moving water running through it.
You have to go where you can get bites in these flooded times.
Worm on bomb over sprayed dead maggot produced 6 carp and a chub. The biggest carp was a low double.

Tucked behind the brolly it was quite warm(ish).

 

[The Runner]

Had a long weekend staying with old friends near Doncaster and me and mate managed two days out. Original plan was for a day on the Trent and a day on the Don but that was a pretty obvious non starter.
Took a gamble on the Saturday and went down to the upper Witham at Long Bennington (with a commercial very handy if river was too bad) and found it well up, heavily coloured and running like a train but fishable . Started on a swim about 100 yards down from the access , Ken about 50 yards above me, tanking through across but some slightly steadier water on the inside although with an occasional big boil.

Set up 9 no 4 stick and a small maggot feeder, stick went through well enough, quite a bit slower than the surface pace with a bulk of two thirds, but no bites on either. River had come up an inch or so, speeding up even more and boil becoming continuous so decided on a move. About 200 yards further down, heaviest flow on the inside and slower across without too much boil.

Wind too bad to even think of stick across, so little feeder went over about a yard off the far side. Eventually after an hour came back with a smashed maggot, hadn't seen the bite with tip being hammered by the wind (and having to fish with tip high to clear the fast water on the inside) but at least something there. Gradually started to get the odd indication and winkled out a few although missed a couple and didn't see a couple more, bites only little rattles of the tip apart from one drop back which resulted in a lost chub about 2 lb (hook pulled when had it on the top). A couple of the roach looked a bit flood battered...

Not a lot in terms of numbers but really enjoyed it, one of those days and conditions where every fish feels like a little victory.
Mate had had a single roach with a few gudgeon and also something very unusual ; pretty sure it's a roach-chub hybrid (seen about half a dozen of them between us in fifty years of fishing)

Lovely little river, hope my next visit is in better conditions

 

[The Runner]

So on to Sunday.
Decided to stay local and just have a short day on a small stillwater a couple of miles from where they live, pretty little place tucked away at the back of a newish housing estate.

Only set up two pole rigs, one for 3m just over the ledge and one for 7m, 4x12 and half gram respectively. About 5ft deep on the closer line and 7ft on the further. Not going to go longer as forecast was for wind to get up strong again late morning (and it did...). Fed 2 balls of GB with dead maggot on the longer line to start, loosefeed only close and alternated between the two. And basically got bites steadily all day, quality of the fish getting better on longer line when started introducing more groundbait rather than loosefeeding over the initial balls. Closer line a bit patchy with mostly perch .
But not a bad 4 hours catch without really having to work too hard

Mate had a bit more than me with three of the better skimmers/ borderline bream as well as a perch about 1-12 and some quality roach on his close line.
Nice day out again and adjourned for the rugby and some beer.

 

[S-Kippy]

Bored witless at the moment but the thought of yet another day rattling around the house filled me with horror. So....despite almost terminal apathy I decided to get out for a few hours. I really didnt fancy it at all and I certainly didnt fancy the M25 so it was off down the Colne with a pint of the rankest maggots youve ever seen...or smelt !

Eventually found a swim that wasn't full of dog turds and proceeded to basically get rid of the stinking old bait through a feeder. An hour and a half and two roach later the rod flew round and I was attached to a mad thing which turned out to be this


4lb 6oz and it completely trashed the swim. An hour later with only a dace for my efforts and the bait nearly gone I decided to try something a bit more substantial and even smellier...on with a boilie hoping for a barbel. First chuck and the tip rattled then pulled round. Not the hoped for barbel but a very respectable chub



5lb 4 oz. I was happy with that. Stayed for another 40 mins or so until the threatened rain started and as I needed to be somewhere else fairly soon I gave it best.

Quite pleased with that for a few hours. Got rid of the old bait and managed ( I think) to avoid all the turds. I'll know for sure next time I get my boots and chair out.

Mrs S was delighted. Not that I broke my run of blanks but that the maggot that has been stinking her fridge out for a month have gone.Still some pinkies in there but pinkies dont seem to smell....they last for ever too.

 

[peter crabtree]

11 codgers fished yesterday at Berkhamsted on a cold and windy GUC.

Wagg and magg as usual and the gudgeon were on the feed, had one virtually every chuck. I must have had around 100 along with skimmers some roach and a decent sized perch.

Came 2nd with 4:12:0 . Winner had 5 good perch and bits for 7:12:0

 

[Molehill]

Wagg and magg as usual and the gudgeon were on the feed, had one virtually every chuck.

A dam good fry up there then - gudgeon and chips when you got home :wh

 

[john step]

Today I fished a commercial. Yes Yes I know !!!
I had a rece as I will be fishing a match there this coming Sunday to back the club match secretary up as he is trying something new .
It was certainly not easy fishing with the lake a chocolate colour and the water freezing cold

The bites on a fine pole bristle were really delicate. It took a while to get my head around how fine I should fish especially after a winter on pike and carp tackle. I managed a small mirror, several F1s and the smallest barbel I have ever seen. One of Peter Crabtrees gudgeon could beat it up!

Certainly out of my comfort zone which is a good thing sometimes.

Oh yes and it chucked it down with hail and sleet. Joy.

 

[sam vimes]

It feels like months since I got out fishing, but I finally managed it today. All in all, it was a bit of a struggle. The venue concerned has been poor for me this winter compared to previous ones. I can only assume that it's a lack of settled conditions that is the issue because it's the sort of place that good catches happen even if you have to clear ice.

As it was the last time I ventured here, it was a bit of a struggle. The bites were cagey as hell, the fish seemed spooky and they tended to want to drift out of range all the time. Things did improve marginally over time, but it wasn't exactly all action.

Ended up with an OCD inducing 29 roach. Until the last hour, I didn't think that the better fish were going to show. Thankfully, four around the pound mark eventually put in an appearance and a couple of hours after I got home, my feet have finally thawed out.

 

[steve2]

Well done to all those out fishing. A couple of years ago I would have been like you out in all weathers.
Funnily John I been thinking about fishing one of my local commies once the weather changes just to go fishing again.
Trying to find one that as a good head of roach.

 

[108831]

Went yesterday to the stretch where i had fished my last two outings and came down with a bang,I fished what apparently is a good barbel peg that had some good roach in it,not a bite,on float or feeder,I was the only person there not to catch,out of six,everything looked good to me,apart from the cold,hey-ho....

 

[peterjg]

Monday: fished a stretch of the K&A canal new to me. Normally it is still but today it was gently flowing. Layed-on both flake and dead maggots - had only one bite which I bumped off. Snapped the tip off of a favourite rod when packing up (no not my Acolyte) - gutted. An old rod but irreplaceable.

Yesterday: fished the Thames which was tanking through. Arrived at first light, first choice swim was underwater! The level had obviously dropped leaving plastic bottles and rubbish stranded on the bank in places. Managed 6 roach to 15ozs and lost what felt like a goodun in a snag, had one very fat chub of 4lbs 15ozs. Water temperature 44F.

Tomorrow: where to go?

 

[peter crabtree]

Hail stones, wind and rain hammering upstream on the Colne this afternoon. Had to go heavy with a 5BB crowquill and balsa Avon float to 6lb line.

The river was the highest I’ve seen it this year, creeping up the gardens opposite..

17’ Accy did its job controlling the float nicely in the upstream wind. Around 8’ of water on the far side where I was concentrating my loose fed maggots with double maggot on a 16. Trotting down to the blue fence on the landing stage.

What could go wrong?

Fished for 2 hours without a single bite, that’s what.

 

[tigger]

Looks like leger tactics would have been more suited Peter. When the water is coloured up like that i've found a moving bait a bad tactic, unless fished way overdepth with the float held back so the bait creeps along the deck.
At least a size 14s and fill it with a dozen maggots .0

Just noticed your using one of George Lockhearts floats!

 

[108831]

Went back yesterday,fished a different swim again,next swim downstream from where I blanked on Wednesday,it rained and rained and rained,the wind blew across and upstream at me,second trot a 7lb barbel,a while later I foulhooked another which ran upstream and never stopped to say hello,then I had another around 6lbs,I noticed the river was rising,making it boil,to much for the float,so out came the 1.25lb tc Bob James barbel rod and feeder,again i'm not going to mention numbers,but a very good catch of barbel between 4 and around 8lbs,with most being over 6,one rogue common carp around 8lbs added to the end result,another brilliant day and another swim I wont be going into again for a while,on return home I had to wash my coat,bib and brace,waterproof pillow cover(which I rest my deryair on)and fishing towels,all soaked and caked in mud,good job i'm not fishing again till Wednesday,lol....

 

[Alan Tyler]

Well done, Alan, that'll teach them to all hide in the same place!

I was out the same day and fishery where Whitty blanked last week, and almost suffered the same fate, but in my case, through fishing like a pondside grden gnome with St.Vitus' Dance. My thumb had completely forgotten what to do, and I spent almost as much time unpicking tangles as I did fishing. A gusting wind that seemed to come from three points of the compass at once didn't help...
I was fishing to a cunning plan, but someone must have tipped those sneaky fish off, for in the spot where the eddy peels off, and food should settle out, there were no roach; and whre the eddy returns to the main flow, and in the main flow itself, were no barbel. There were, however, horrendous snags there, that ate two of my legers - on ten-pound string! As part one of The Plan was to fish a big bait in the main flow while I set up the roach kit, that flopped.
After an hour of thrashing the eddy to a foam with neither roach nor gudgeon, to keep hope alive, the float buried and something big went nod, nod, nod just off the rod-end, then sauntered off into the nearside weeds to find a disgorger. It was kind enough to pick a twig which actually came back to me, so i got my hook back and was sure the culprit was a chub. Tiny bit of bread on a 16.
About three hours later, a trot ran on and on without finding the shallows, and some way past the next peg (empty, of course) it vanished, and a chub came very grudgingly to the net; it was just over four pounds, and I wasn't sure it wasn't a bearded wonder till I saw it. That was the end of roaching for me; on went a waffling float and a mussel, which waffled down to the spot I'd expected to produce roach and, later, sank; another very grumpy chub of just over four, but a different pattern of spots on its face, so not the same fish.

My float got beaten up in the scrap, so I took up the roach set again, and got the worst overrun I've seen since my beach gear got retired; five stray loops of ten-pound stuff will eventually surrender, but two dozen in three-pound gossamer ain't gonna play nicely. I had fifteen minutes left, but couldn't have set up a spare reel in time, so s@dded orft 'ome, grateful for the two chub, but in need of 'pinhead rehab for my stoopid thumb.

Note to self: cheesepaste for the next trip, and pack an egg-beater in case of moody breezes and a dumb thumb.

 

[mikench]

At least a size 14s and fill it with a dozen maggots

Only a dozen: in a rush Ian.

 

[tigger]

Only a dozen: in a rush Ian.

I did say at least Mike :biggrin:.

 

[108831]

George made me a few Avons to my specs,brilliant floats and a nice bloke to boot...

 

[john step]

The match on the commercial was cancelled by the owner "due to weather conditions". Cannot work it out! The only thing I can think is he didn't want a dozen hairy Ar$ed anglers squelching his precious sodden grass. I am glad he doesn't need the money.

It was switched to our our water which is hard at the best of times. I was tucked out of the way of Storm Jorgey ( if thats how its spelt) and got 3rd out of a dozen or so for some coin. That will pay for tomorrows beer!

 

[peter crabtree]

Club fixture today on the GUC at Marsworth.

Didn’t get a bite.....


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