How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
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For quite a while I have been doing quite well but yesterday normality resumed: I started on the Thames at first light on a stretch where previously has been great, anyway yesterday it was dead. So I drove several miles to the K&A canal and fluked one small roach on bread flake which hooked itself while the water was swishing to and fro due to the locks opening because of the boats - no other bites. Got fed up with the boats so packed up once again and walked upstream to the Kennet and there I trotted punched bread for another small roach and a gudgeon. No bites at all on hemp? Funny how some days can be so different?
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I'm not well up on carpy type rods at all, but from what i've seen this latest 2020 version is the best so far....were your ones this years model?
The pin in the pic is a youngs BJ, nice reels, i've had that one for many years and used it a lot but usually for trotting. Just thought i'd use it for a still water session. I do like the okumas for that also.
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Yes I bought them during lockdown but quickly realised they weren't for me. Probably OK as a single rod set up but when carting 2 made up rods around PITA. Just a quickie, if you don't mind how long is the handle length from butt to front of 1" cork above reel? 25"??
mikench
Well-known member
I can only report, tongue in cheek, of my foray to the beach.
The sun shone and it was very warm. Lots of other anglers catching nothing like me so I had a swim. The bass rod was nice to use and the baitrunner plus break away canon worked well. I practiced my casting and on one retrieve discovered a small fish hanging on the mackerel bait. It looked like a skimmer but fell of/ let go as it exited the surf so I couldn't say what it was. I enjoyed it though so will go again soon .
The sun shone and it was very warm. Lots of other anglers catching nothing like me so I had a swim. The bass rod was nice to use and the baitrunner plus break away canon worked well. I practiced my casting and on one retrieve discovered a small fish hanging on the mackerel bait. It looked like a skimmer but fell of/ let go as it exited the surf so I couldn't say what it was. I enjoyed it though so will go again soon .
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Did you see me waving Mike? I doubt it, a very damp foggy morning when I arrived at Hythe this morning, possibly my last sea fishing trip of the year which has been a big disappointment, just one baby bass and a couple of dozen mackerel, I wouldn’t persevere but being on the beach is such a nice feeling, especially when it’s early before civilisation has woken up.
I spent two hours fishing the flood and one hour the ebb, the fog and mirk replaced with blue sky and sunshine, spinning for bass that resulted in two undersize mackerel that went back. Got desperate enough to throw out a bait on my pike rod, used both prawn and sandeel on a circle hook, the crabs were well fed!
Not quite the hues of the Azure.
I spent two hours fishing the flood and one hour the ebb, the fog and mirk replaced with blue sky and sunshine, spinning for bass that resulted in two undersize mackerel that went back. Got desperate enough to throw out a bait on my pike rod, used both prawn and sandeel on a circle hook, the crabs were well fed!
Not quite the hues of the Azure.
Most probably a Pout, Mike.
Decided to fish the maggot feeder today,had 3 chublets,2 nice roach,a roach and two small barbel,2lbs and 3.8,could see good chub lined up behind my feeder,tried smaller hooks,lighter line,nothing,just after midday I decided to try the float,had 40 roach between 4 & 14ozs,several dace,one over 8ozs,several perch to 10ozs,along with the obligatory chublets and gudgeon and right at the end I pinched a chub around 4lbs,very entertaining day...
I really wished i'd weighed this dace,I don't know why I didn't,it was really wide across the back,long and solid,i've got electronic scales with half ounce accuracy and a plastic bag,what a muppet,it has been so long since I've had big dace i've become small species ignorant...
I really wished i'd weighed this dace,I don't know why I didn't,it was really wide across the back,long and solid,i've got electronic scales with half ounce accuracy and a plastic bag,what a muppet,it has been so long since I've had big dace i've become small species ignorant...
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With rain forecast from tomorrow and into the next week or more, and with conditions being spot on for me today, I jumped at the chance to get on the river.
It turned out to be a good trotting session, I had one decent chub and nine barbel with a few small chub also. I reckon at least two of the barbel were well over 10lb, one might have been 11 or more. Not worth going to the trouble of weighing them as I know they didn't threaten my PB.
I lost another two barbel, one foul hooked in a peck fin and one hooked correctly which I had a few feet away from me and missed it with the landing net, it turned and swam away and my rod tip was low and I actually saw my line touch a stone and "ping", I lost the fish which was no big deal, but it will have a foot of line and half a dozen bb's hanging from it's mouth which is the sickening thing. The shot are only lightly nipped on the line so will pull off if they get trapped somehow so the fish will not get tethered. The hook was only a superspade 14's so shouldn't be a big hindrence for it....not good though !
I have a few pic's and will post them if postimage lets my mrs upload them. For some reason postimage isn't downloading tyem and has been playing up for a while now, keeps wanting me to upgrade/pay....cheeky scrotes lol.
It turned out to be a good trotting session, I had one decent chub and nine barbel with a few small chub also. I reckon at least two of the barbel were well over 10lb, one might have been 11 or more. Not worth going to the trouble of weighing them as I know they didn't threaten my PB.
I lost another two barbel, one foul hooked in a peck fin and one hooked correctly which I had a few feet away from me and missed it with the landing net, it turned and swam away and my rod tip was low and I actually saw my line touch a stone and "ping", I lost the fish which was no big deal, but it will have a foot of line and half a dozen bb's hanging from it's mouth which is the sickening thing. The shot are only lightly nipped on the line so will pull off if they get trapped somehow so the fish will not get tethered. The hook was only a superspade 14's so shouldn't be a big hindrence for it....not good though !
I have a few pic's and will post them if postimage lets my mrs upload them. For some reason postimage isn't downloading tyem and has been playing up for a while now, keeps wanting me to upgrade/pay....cheeky scrotes lol.
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S-Kippy
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Another afternoon of casual carping on the club "runs" lake. A lot less busy than last week....almost ( but not quite) spoilt for choice as to where to fish. My favourite spot was vacant but there was a bloke in the next swim and its quite open so I didn't fancy that. Wandered off up the road bank with the BF but only found the one free swim, which he fancied so I had to flog back round the lake to a spot I've always liked the look of but never fished.
The lake was flat calm which is never good there but the odd fish was showing....even so it was a good hour before I had any interest and I promptly missed the run which shouldnt be possible but there it is. 40 minutes later and I'm off and landed a blank saving 12lber....shortly after the other rod was away and this was a little bigger at 13-01 and though below average size for this lake a very handsome fish.
The BF had also missed a run but had banked a lovely fish of 15-10. Went a bit quiet for a bit until around 5 pm my lh rod absolutely roared off though it proved to be the smallest fish of the day at 11lb exactly. Very quiet for an hour or so then signs of a fish in the margins over a spot I'd been baiting for later. Popped a bait in the edge and a few minutes later I'm off and into what is clearly a better fish. Great scrap and a nice fish exactly an ounce shy of 21lb
I was more than happy with that as the lake wasn't fishing terribly well. It did its usual trick of going a bit steely at dusk and as neither of us wanted to be late we packed earlier than usual and headed for an unusually well behaved M25.
Once again a fairly pleasant few hours for a handful of bait and a decent fish to finish off with. I'd have taken this before I left home.
The lake was flat calm which is never good there but the odd fish was showing....even so it was a good hour before I had any interest and I promptly missed the run which shouldnt be possible but there it is. 40 minutes later and I'm off and landed a blank saving 12lber....shortly after the other rod was away and this was a little bigger at 13-01 and though below average size for this lake a very handsome fish.
The BF had also missed a run but had banked a lovely fish of 15-10. Went a bit quiet for a bit until around 5 pm my lh rod absolutely roared off though it proved to be the smallest fish of the day at 11lb exactly. Very quiet for an hour or so then signs of a fish in the margins over a spot I'd been baiting for later. Popped a bait in the edge and a few minutes later I'm off and into what is clearly a better fish. Great scrap and a nice fish exactly an ounce shy of 21lb
I was more than happy with that as the lake wasn't fishing terribly well. It did its usual trick of going a bit steely at dusk and as neither of us wanted to be late we packed earlier than usual and headed for an unusually well behaved M25.
Once again a fairly pleasant few hours for a handful of bait and a decent fish to finish off with. I'd have taken this before I left home.
flightliner
Well-known member
I decided on a day Trent side yesterday, the lower tidal always pulls me back so off I went armed solely with hemp n tare.
The tide topped at 10ish so I was there at 9-30 where I was disappointed to find another angler in the swim I was hoping for, surprisingly he was packing away having been there since first light and only having two small fish to show for his efforts.
I didn't hesitate settling in. The swim as he would have had little effect on it as he would have been fishing with the river heading up to Newark most of the time he was there, another tide is another day on the Trent in my opinion!
Gear set up with a J Dean stick float shirt buttoned with sixes down to eights with a size 18 was soon on its way downstream just as the rivers pace had picked up saw me taking 7 roach in the first hour, not hectic considering how low and clear it was but promise of things possibly picking up was on the cards later on.
It was a little lean then but eventually the roach came back on but much smaller than the first ones suggested that fresh fish had moved in, but coming to the freebies and my baited hook was encouraging.
It went like that most of the day, fish would start and Finnish followed by a lean spell then off they'd go again.
Around two pm I hit a purple patch where I had some dozen or so better fish, almost one after the other where on one occasion when lifting one out a pike made a great lunging roll towards it giving me a start but gladly it missed its target!
After that with the river lowering much of the pace in my swim became less and less giving me a less effective presentation and only the odd fish to show for my efforts, it was disappointing as by the end of the day my 11. 5 lbs of roach and the odd Dace could possibly have been a little better by a few more lbs--- still, it was better than catching crabs while cod fishing for Barbel lol!
The tide topped at 10ish so I was there at 9-30 where I was disappointed to find another angler in the swim I was hoping for, surprisingly he was packing away having been there since first light and only having two small fish to show for his efforts.
I didn't hesitate settling in. The swim as he would have had little effect on it as he would have been fishing with the river heading up to Newark most of the time he was there, another tide is another day on the Trent in my opinion!
Gear set up with a J Dean stick float shirt buttoned with sixes down to eights with a size 18 was soon on its way downstream just as the rivers pace had picked up saw me taking 7 roach in the first hour, not hectic considering how low and clear it was but promise of things possibly picking up was on the cards later on.
It was a little lean then but eventually the roach came back on but much smaller than the first ones suggested that fresh fish had moved in, but coming to the freebies and my baited hook was encouraging.
It went like that most of the day, fish would start and Finnish followed by a lean spell then off they'd go again.
Around two pm I hit a purple patch where I had some dozen or so better fish, almost one after the other where on one occasion when lifting one out a pike made a great lunging roll towards it giving me a start but gladly it missed its target!
After that with the river lowering much of the pace in my swim became less and less giving me a less effective presentation and only the odd fish to show for my efforts, it was disappointing as by the end of the day my 11. 5 lbs of roach and the odd Dace could possibly have been a little better by a few more lbs--- still, it was better than catching crabs while cod fishing for Barbel lol!
wetthrough
Well-known member
Had a day on the Bridgewater east of Lymm yesterday. A perfect day, a misty start at around 7.15 with the Kingfisher flitting to and fro, the swans displaying their regal elegance and a few Moorhens paddling about. The water is as still as a stillwater should be and barely a breath of wind, waggler heaven, just the odd fallen leaf here and there. Fishing 2lb to 20s two rods, one for near drop off and one for the far shelf which is quite wide at this point, about 7M. GB in while I set up to start at the bottom of the near drop off picking up some nice Roach and Perch, almost all to maggot, not much interest in anything else. Tried caster, tares, corn and bread, very little interest.
It was a perfect waggler day until the council decided this was the day to mow the verges
Pain in the bum but thankfully the lack of wind meant sinking the line wasn't absolutely necessary and I carried on catching until it died around 1:30. From then on just picking up the odd one here and there. Got piked again at around mid afternoon which might account for the slowing off. Had a half hearted attempt at spinning to see if I could pull the Pike out but no joy. Ended up with 51 on the counter, 50:50 Roach Perch and no micro fish. A good day. Maybe if I'd spun for the Pike when it went quiet rather than waiting for an attack I might have pulled it in. Something to think about for next time.
It was a perfect waggler day until the council decided this was the day to mow the verges
Pain in the bum but thankfully the lack of wind meant sinking the line wasn't absolutely necessary and I carried on catching until it died around 1:30. From then on just picking up the odd one here and there. Got piked again at around mid afternoon which might account for the slowing off. Had a half hearted attempt at spinning to see if I could pull the Pike out but no joy. Ended up with 51 on the counter, 50:50 Roach Perch and no micro fish. A good day. Maybe if I'd spun for the Pike when it went quiet rather than waiting for an attack I might have pulled it in. Something to think about for next time.
mikench
Well-known member
Pike it shall be Gordon next time on the canal or Dam; well for me at any rate. Nice posts.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
13 codgers fished yesterday at Leighton buzzard town centre GUC. A stretch that is always coloured and fished rarely according to the Bailiff.. Strange as the place fishes really well, even in the depths of winter.
It was bites from the off on single red maggot. I fed a sparing amount of gb and pinged casters over on the far shelf which was 3’ deep. I could see there was a predator over there as fry were scattering. Next moment I hooked it. It dived deep into the track and pinged my 0.07 hooklink. Then I had a decent run of fish, roach, gudgeon and a couple of big skimmers. It died a bit towards the end as the boats, some very wide berth, came through.
Weighed in 6:8:8 for second place, with 11:7:0 winning.
It was bites from the off on single red maggot. I fed a sparing amount of gb and pinged casters over on the far shelf which was 3’ deep. I could see there was a predator over there as fry were scattering. Next moment I hooked it. It dived deep into the track and pinged my 0.07 hooklink. Then I had a decent run of fish, roach, gudgeon and a couple of big skimmers. It died a bit towards the end as the boats, some very wide berth, came through.
Weighed in 6:8:8 for second place, with 11:7:0 winning.
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I have always pesterd my mrs to post them. I suppose that's why i'm computer illiterate, I just rely on her instead of doing it myself...same as washing me clothes etc, ain't got the foggiest how to fire up the washing machine?.