How did you get on?

[nottskev]

Back to the old canal mid-afternoon. There were a few on, but I was happy to try the vacant peg where the canal funnels into an old lock cutting. I had about 7m in front of me

widening out to my left and a cutting that looked suspiciously carpy to my right.

I decided the job called for some delicacy, so I set up with a home-made dibber, circa 2000, shotted with a grand total of 3 no 12 stotz.

Even though I live these days 5 minutes from the barbel rich Trent, I love this dinky stuff. The rest of the gear was equally dinky: a Middy 3-5 elastic, a .09 hooklength and a 20 hook. I decided to fish maggot over in front of me, and caster down the track to my left. I've spent a couple of afternoons at a pond where, pretty as it is, you can count the bites on your fingers, so it was really enjoyable to get bites every put in. There were plenty of ide

A couple of dozen perch

Two decent bream that turned up when I started to add micros to the casters

Some roach

And even a couple of chublets

But I wasn't wrong about the suspiciously carpy cutting to my right. Twice I had carp on. One that was big but a bit dopey - I could have got the net under it had I been smarter, before it woke up and powered off to the right, breaking the hooklength. The second one didn't bother with the dopey bit, it went straight into the lock and took the entire rig which broke, I don't know why, at the loop to the little stonfo. The result is that one of my antique home-made floats is MIA. Still, I've always been a big fan of putting a few big carp in mixed fisheries, so I didn't mind at all.

 

[peter crabtree]

I haven’t reported recently due to the extremely poor fishing conditions we have had to endure. The GUC and Aylesbury arm have been gin clear for weeks on end due to the frosts and lack of boat traffic. My codgers matches have been continuing throughout but with poor weights and blanks. The town pit is also gin clear, despite many attempts I have yet to catch a single bream or tench.
Yesterday I fished a club match on a Stillwater in Greenford, W. London. Had 2 carp on the method feeder with gb and meat, a few roach on the waggler and maggot. It was quite novel to actually see my tip go round and have a tussle with a couple of boisterous fish, but not really my cup of tea.. At least it was warmish but a tad windy....

 

[mikench]

It’s reassuring to know that poor results and catches are common place and not down to my ineptitude necessarily. Everybody I speak to says the same thing and most fish haven’t even spawned yet. What a spring!

 

[Pete Shears]

Just a few small but perfect roach and a skimmer,all on corn this morning at the local reservoir but there were swifts with the swallows but still no cuckoo. The wind strengthened bringing a massive shower in with the rain hammering down,hanging on to the brolly. After it had passed and the sun had dried the brolly and other kit out,time for home.

 

[jon atkinson]

Had a most enjoyable afternoon session on our new 'silvers' pond yesterday. Fished the same swim as last time and bizarrely my first take was a 1.5lb blue Orfe, exactly the same as the start of my previous session. I was fishing single red on the waggler and finished with 2 blue Orfe, 6 Roach, one about 6 oz, the rest all 10 - 12 oz, 5 small Crucian, a baby Mirror carp and 7 Tench, all between 1lb & 2lb. A largely pleasant afternoon weather-wise with hares lolloping around the field, a pair of Greylag Geese with 3 gozzers in tow swimming around and Swallows & House Martins sweeping accross the pond. One thing I'd not seen before - a crow swooping and grabbing a small Roach off the surface - those birds seem to adapt to all manner of feeding techniques!

 

[jon atkinson]

Ha! Just looking at photos & realised that the Blue Orfe that was first to take my maggot yesterday was the same dopey g!t that was first to the net the previous time that I fished this pond in April! Good to see that its wounds are getting better though...

 

[peterjg]

Oh well it's not just me then! I have done lots of fishing but have really struggled. In previous weeks I have caught a few roach, rudd and one crucian and one tench.

Today I started (fishing by 5.15am) on a normally really good stretch of the K&A canal. Not a bite so moved to a gravel pit, caught two roach and a common of about 7lbs. However; I had a lovely sleep in the afternoon in the warm sunshine. Saw some swifts and heard cuckoos.

 

[Another Dave]

Just got back from a couple hours at my local pond this evening, the plan was to floatfish corn for the so far 100% elusive tench in there. I kept it fairly light with 3.2lb line through to a fine wire 16. This way if I failed again at with the tench there was still a chance for a roach, rudd or baby crucian.

I got set up with my chair nearly at the water's edge and in no time noticed a clump of bubbles coming up close in. I brought my float in a few turns and chucked out a dash of crumbly groundbait, mostly made of shop bought golden breadcrumbs. In no time I had a positive bite and struck into a fish of 2 to 3lb and couldn't believe my luck. Except it wasn't a tench, it was a carp, and it was on for over 20 minutes before the hook hold gave way. Throughout the fight I kept thinking it must be foul hooked because there was no turning it, but on the occasions when it was possible to catch a glimpse everything looked normal.

Well that was my swim thoroughly chewed up but it was early days and so out went a bit more crumby groundbait and a chance for my arm to recover. Except the very same thing happened immediately. Similar fish and it would not break the surface for anything. This one was more powerful and proceeded to take me on a tour of the local snags. I lost.

I've managed bigger carp than these on light tackle so I really don't understand what happened.

Lovely evening though.

 

[peterjg]

Off subject but connected:- if someone wrote a book on how to catch roach in daylight from cold, clear, natural venues I'd buy it!

 

[theartist]

Why not start a thread Peter?

 

[nottskev]

I'd had an afternoon with bites from start to finish on the canal, so I thought I could muster the patience for a late afternoon on the woodland pond. I keep going back there as it's such a beautiful pond and 9 times out of ten you're fishing in complete solitude. But it does need patience and I'm an impatient angler.

A good start. Nobody there and it's not raining.

I set up a 12' rod to fit under the trees and started to fish about 12m out. I'd spent some of the hours waiting for a bite on earlier occasions getting the rig right to make a light float crawl slowly through the swim in the tow, so I set up like that. The water pushed, by the feeder stream and any breath of wind, revolves like a wheel around the island.

With all the reflections, you'd think it was coloured, but when I threw a golf ball of groundbait, I was surprised to see the cloud bloom and hang visible for a couple of seconds. I thought a) that was a mistake b) this doesn't look good. I was so surprised to get a bite second cast I nearly missed it

Another three of these followed, one after another and I had delusions of catching more than the previous best of 6 bream (the ide, chub, tench and barbel have ben awol since fishing resumed). I'd better feed these hungry bream, I thought, and cattied out some micros and a few maggots. Which was the signal for one of the ponds odd couple residents - a swan and a Canada goose who hang out together - to burst into action.

Nine or ten dives later, he'd cleared up all the feed and cleared out all the fish. I had a half-hearted go for a while longer, but the writing was on the wall and I packed up.

 

[bezzer]

I've been out 4 times to my local Tench water (A deep reservoir) and blanked 3 times. I managed an 8oz Roach the session I didn't blank.
The last time I was there I took the water temperature and it was still in single figures.
Hopefully now that we've had a few warmer days and no frosts the water temperature should rise and the Tench awaken from their slumbers.

2 years ago on the same water, by the end of May I'd have 40+ Tench!

 

[103841]

Had my second jab on Sunday and was totally floored yesterday, not surprised as I was rough for a week after the first one, had a few trips in mind this week which looked like being dismissed.

However, felt a lot brighter this morning, arm still aching but headaches and lethargy fortunately gone, I had planned a trip to Samphire Hoe but thought better of it in case I took rough again, so a short trip to my local beach for my second attempt this year with the lures. T shirt and shorts weather and armed again with a LRF setup using a 1 to 11g HTO rod, a 1000 Rarenium reel loaded with 6lb small game braid. Took a variety of 5g slow jig lures.

Given It was a glorious sunny day with temperatures nearing 20 degrees I was pleasantly surprised the beach wasn't that busy with very few swimmers about. Wasn't really expecting anything but managed three micro sized bass which for their size still put a bend in the tiny LRF rod.

Soon realised I wasn't back to full strength so called it a day after just over a hour, a short but confidence boosting trip. The May weed hasn't appeared yet, can't be too far away.

The wind farms are marmite with the locals, I rather like them.

 

[no-one in particular]

Had my second jab on Sunday and was totally floored yesterday, not surprised as I was rough for a week after the first one, had a few trips in mind this week which looked like being dismissed.

However, felt a lot brighter this morning, arm still aching but headaches and lethargy fortunately gone, I had planned a trip to Samphire Hoe but thought better of it in case I took rough again, so a short trip to my local beach for my second attempt this year with the lures. T shirt and shorts weather and armed again with a LRF setup using a 1 to 11g HTO rod, a 1000 Rarenium reel loaded with 6lb small game braid. Took a variety of 5g slow jig lures.

View attachment 14791

Given It was a glorious sunny day with temperatures nearing 20 degrees I was pleasantly surprised the beach wasn't that busy with very few swimmers about. Wasn't really expecting anything but managed three micro sized bass which for their size still put a bend in the tiny LRF rod.

View attachment 14792

Soon realised I wasn't back to full strength so called it a day after just over a hour, a short but confidence boosting trip. The May weed hasn't appeared yet, can't be too far away.

The wind farms are marmite with the locals, I rather like them.

View attachment 14794

Must have been 30 odd bass caught off the pier today John, not all small either, some were over 42cm; plus 20 odd dogfish, dinner sized dover soles, dabs, and one small plaice. I had a go and caught nothing but more about that tomorrow, I am just useless Mcdoughnut me..

 

[103841]

Compared to the channel we are poor relations here in the North Sea Mark. If I can catch them, you certainly can!

 

[john step]

A day carping on the float. Gently gently firing maggot and fishing worm and maggot on the hook. I managed 8 to just shy of a double. Plenty of perch as well which is a good sign. Suntanned face AM. A good soaking PM!

 

[Another Dave]

Had another crack at the pond this evening with a beefier setup. I took my assistant who wasn't impressed when we blanked.

 

[mikench]

Pete how do you get the sun in the dark???

 

[108831]

Went yesterday,armed with my newbie rod,fished a local lake and caught six tench from just under three pounds to the two biggest which weighed 4lbs 15ozs and were different fish,one short and stocky,the other a normal shape,lost two foul hookers off the hook and one good sized fish that fought like a bream,that came straight to the surface shaking it's head coming straight to the net,then coming off just short of the net,a lovely day,with jays,crows,green woodpeckers,ducklings and red kites swooping around very low all day...oh and the rod performed admirably...

 

[no-one in particular]

A lot of fish caught on the pier yesterday, amazing what a change of conditions can do, a blow and a change of wind, SW instead of NE. About 50 fish caught, bass, dover soles, dogfish, and dabs mainly. The two old boys next to me had the most, they measure and put all their fish in a diary and they had already had quite a few before I got on there. I had some good knocks but couldn't hook anything. First I changed to smaller hooks but I was still missing fish. The old boy reckoned it was because I was using too light a weight, it was holding bottom but it wasn't holding enough to hook the fish; most sea fish hook themselves but they were not getting enough resistance with my light weights. I think he was right so I am going to see if I can get some light breakaway leads to go with my carp rod. Most of the fish were caught off the end and I had to fish on the inside of the pier so, those are my other excuses but, what a great day seeing so many fish, makes a nice change. Hope to get some more in over the weekend all being well.