How did you get on?

[nottskev]

Well back to the public lake for me today. No carp or tench today, became a little challenging getting through the small roach until I came off the float and onto a swim feeder and started to pickup some better fish, had about 4 to almost a pound. Even more fun as I used a swing tip. Every time I go there, there are rats that live amongst the reed beds and the rats aren't afraid of a dip too. There were 3/4 young ones that kept popping their heads out, trying to get the 'spilt' bits of ground bait, I think this is how they survive. Children at the lake can be a bit trying, I suddenly turned round to a voice behind me and it was a mother standing literally a foot behind me. 'I want to take a picture of you catching a fish please'. At this point her two children rode their bikes into the area where I was fishing, got off them and just let their bikes to the ground almost breaking one of the rods. I didn't want to show annoyance, and was thinking how to get them away, so I mentioned 'there are rats in these reeds you know'. The mother retorted 'Well I can't see any'. Someone must have been smiling at me from above, as the moment she said this, all of the rats popped their heads out of the reeds and started coming out. Exit very quickly one hysterical mother and children............ .

That is a great post! Fishing amongst rats, kids, mums and bikes, and maintaining sanity and sense of humour! I was thinking, these days, if I go to fish somewhere and there's another person on the water, I feel a bit disappointed. Thanks for the reality check.

 

[john step]

Nice fish Pete! What bait did you use?

Dynamite 15mm Tiger nut boilies done to a t in light tiger nut juice!

 

[john step]

Now that is a truly gorgeous looking carp.

You beat me to it there. I think our Lincolnshire correspondent has nailed a most iconic carp pic. I've saved it, and it's not as if I'm a big carp fan.

Its our own fishery and the stock are sourced carefully and the numbers allowed to fish for carp are strictly limited. Dead mens shoes etc.

 

[Ray Roberts]

Today I played a blinder. I fished a water that my club has access to and is a fantastic place to fish. I fancied a day for silver fish and I didn’t stop catching for the entire day. It was a bit breezy so I opted for a closed face reel and Floatmaster rod. That was a mistake, as the ABU 507 mk2 is an absolute piece of garbage and broke down mid session. I think I will get it repaired then sell it. I’ve had it for about three years and I’ve only used it about five times max. Despite the lack of use it has now packed up three times in five trips. I don’t think I can trust myself not to stamp it to death if it packs up again. It would get the full Basil Fawlty treatment. Lucky I had a spare reel in my bag and normal service was resumed. I caught on; tares, caster, corn and pellets. Most of the fish were either Rudd or roach except one bleak and one skimmer. Eighty percent of the fish were net jobs and in absolutely top nick.

There were plenty of rowing boats and pedalo’s on the lake but I must have had my grumpy face on as none came within about a hundred yards. The owners have seeded a few areas with wild flowers and it looks fantastic. Another bonus is that I was the only person fishing there. I think I can honestly say this was almost certainly the best weight of silvers I have ever had.


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[mikench]

Some great posts there which made an enjoyable read. Pete you make those boilies sound almost appetising!!!


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[peter crabtree]

Hmmm prawnmayo..

 

[mikench]

Wrong thread! ??

 

[Pete Shears]

An early start on the big reservoir had me kite watching while waiting for that first bite. Had some scale perfect roach to just over a pound taking plastic corn ,the bream were taking a pink krill pop-up on the other rod. Lost count after 30 bream between one pound and 5lb,still no tench.
Seven white egrets moving round the reservoir and kites appearing and then moving on and suddenly lots of swallows low over the grass along the bank after an obvious insect hatch.

 

[Steve Arnold]

Tried another new swim on the Lot yesterday. Busy time on the river as it's coming to the end of the main french holidays, everyone is at the river for a last boat ride, swim, fish, canoe etc!

I had a heavy rod out with a double boilie bait for carp, used a distance cage feeder as a carrier for a stiff method mix of scalded pellets. A fifty metre cast put me on the edge of the main current, just past mid-river.

Within 20 minutes I had a screaming run, I knocked the baitrunner into gear and the fish took off towards the opposite bank trees against heavy drag. This was a big fish and was going under four boats that had just exited the lock - I managed to put the brakes on it! But then it headed downriver following the boats, eventually it stopped just before my line was in the trees. Then it decided to head into the bank on my shore and would not head back out into the deeper water, eventually it found the sunken tree and would not leave! After a few minutes there was no movement when I tightened the line, when I pulled out the hook was gone!

The only answer this side of the river is to take a boat! But I have a plan for fishing the lock the other side of the river, that gives me a straight line to this swim and enough open water to fight the fish on my terms!

Later I had two barbel on my feeder rod, both about three pounds. My chance of a big carp had been blown!

 

[Roger Johnson 2]

Well after 3 years of making a fool of myself chucking bits of fluff around and catching very little, it eventually came good last night with a grayling of 40 cm and brown trout of 35cm (16” and 14” in old money) on consecutive casts. 2 PBs for different species in consecutive casts from the back garden! I think I’ve died and gone to heaven! ( I still dont think I can call myself a fly angler, yet).


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[mikench]

Gordon and I revisited an old favourite today and one I visited a lot but stopped when a pollution incident killed off most of the silver fish, covid entered our lives and the fishery owner sadly died.

Gordon can be seen concentrating hard. It was nice to be back. I started and finished on the feeder but with no joy. I switched to the float and had 25 assorted skimmers, roach and perch with most needing a net. Gordon fared similarly but with a carp which after an epic struggle( 18 hook to 3lb hooklength) only for it to shed the hook at the last moment. I had a chat with the farmers wife and offered condolences ; we both shed a tear at the loss of a lovely man with whom I had many a long chat. The carp eluded us all day despite best efforts. Two nice lads further along the bank had a great day catching on a bomb and pellet. I asked one of them( he is a member of one of my clubs) what pellet he was using and he didn't know. He simply filled a bucket with AD's 10mm pellets that morning. They showed us how it should be done. There were a few other young lads doing well and behaving impeccably. I think we will return.

 

[john step]

Attacked an easier water today with a good stock of carp. The stock are old battlers and not very pretty.
I raided my bait freezer and found a left over bag of sticky micro pellets .
I rummaged in the bait store and found a half bag of halibut mini boilies.
( They have been there some time as I recall telling Crow about them and he has been gone a while now).

Some on hybrid feeder. Some on float. 3 Biggest 17/13/11. Nine in all.
I took a photo of a small one with a spot the reel theme..... Reference to the JB article!

 

[john step]

PS to the above photo. I seem to have saved myself a lot of ackers. My photos of late have been coming out rather dark. I discovered a menu button on the camera and seem to have adjusted it for brightness. N o need to buy another camera. Tech savvy or what...Doh..........

 

[Hugh Bailey]

From someone who doesn’t fish that often but loves to read reports, some great reports recently and good to see you guys in France are doing well. Keep them coming!

 

[nottskev]

Yesterday I thought tomorrow would be Saturday - says it all, doesn't it - so I thought I'd leave the river and my current favourite carp pool to the poor blokes who have to work all week. By the time I realised today is Friday, there was only time to nip up the road to the old canal. Ironically, the canal/pools car park was packed with retired anglers' cars. Still, I found a peg between two other anglers and set up

The plan was to fish maggot shallow for ide and perch to the lilies 11m in front, while waiting for the bream, F1's, crucians and carp to home in on the swims I fed at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock with casters, corn and pellet. So much for the plan. Instead of the forecast cloud and light wind, the afternoon weather was scorching sun and flat calm. That's my excuse anyway. Apart from one 12oz skimmer from the "big fish" (ho ho) swims, the only bites came from the maggots fished 18" deep in 5' of water under a 20yr old home made dibber shotted with 3 no 12.

The bigger fish were a write-off, but I had an enjoyable couple of hours catching small versions of everything - roach, perch, ide, skimmers, chublets - on a 20 hook, .08 line, and a no 3 elastic through a top section as skinny as a float rod. These days, you can catch a double figure barbel or carp every time you go out, if you set your mind to that, and I do like catching the kind of fish that just weren't there when I started fishing, but I still like fishing for whatever comes along with the kind of canal gear I started on. This little crucian also took a single red 3'6" off the bottom

With very few exceptions, I could have left my landing net at home but I enjoyed it even so.

 

[no-one in particular]

Mission yesterday was to catch my friend a 1lb+ fish so I went to a day ticket water I had only been once before but I knew it held a lot of small carp and some other fish. Lots of carp swimming about and I hooked into one after half an hour but lost it. Lots of little fish nibbling the bait which was a problem, mainly luncheon meat but we tried sweetcorn and bread as well. I caught 3 little Rudd on the sweetcorn but my mate didn't catch a fish, that's 4 times I have taken him including a bit of pier fishing and he is getting a bit glum. It didn't help he insisted on using this float because he liked it and it reminded him of when he fished as a kid or as is more likely, the only thing he can see, he is 73. A trying day but we enjoyed it regardless of the lack of fish.
Nice venue, £10 for the day and only 4 others fishing, a little egret and a kingfisher seen but not much else other than a couple of swallows flitting through, probably on their way back to Africa..

 

[mikench]

Successful or not , super catches or disappointing ones, at least we are able to go fishing. I too enjoy reading people's posts and including my own mundane efforts for balance. We all appear to have come through an unexpected pandemic relatively unscathed. We can still pursue our sport and derive pleasure from it. Life ain't all bad.??

Even PC is getting into the food thread albeit whilst off topic.??

 

[no-one in particular]

Successful or not , super catches or disappointing ones, at least we are able to go fishing. I too enjoy reading people's posts and including my own mundane efforts for balance. We all appear to have come through an unexpected pandemic relatively unscathed. We can still pursue our sport and derive pleasure from it. Life ain't all bad.??

Too right, and I don't forget that, believe me I am grateful just to be looking at nature and a nice bit of water with fish swimming around on a nice day even without a fish, still nice to catch one though My friend and I are both old blokes and life is very sweet.

 

[wetthrough]

Another enjoyable day yesterday thanks Mike. Gutted or what? The one chance I got all day of a sizeable fish and I screw it up I'd done my usual thing of an 18s running through the baits to see what's working and Mr Carp takes the sweetcorn. If I'd had a 16s on I'd have stood a better chance. As it was it just slipped the hook after a prolonged battle. Not much idea of how big it was but from other tussles I've had I'd say around 9lb.

Mike waiting for his turn.

 

[terry m]

A two hour wander along the Hampshire Avon yesterday evening armed with a couple of lure rods yielded 3 pike to about 9lb and the last swim produced 2 5lb + chub on top water jitterbugs.

Enjoyable.