How did you get on?

[rob48]

I don't know if I'm posting in the correct thread but I've just returned from another stay here:

Bank Cottage - Detached Cottage on banks of River Severn - ideal for fishing - UPDATED 2023 - Holiday Rental in Hanley Castle - Tripadvisor

3 Bedrooms, 2 bathrooms holiday rental in Hanley Castle with 24 reviews on Tripadvisor

www.tripadvisor.co.uk

It's a lovely place in an ideal setting for anyone who enjoys fishing and appreciates the countryside and is thoroughly recommended.

 

[nottskev]

I've blanked at the woodland pond twice this year, so I was tempted to go and fish somewhere more consistent, but i like the place and I wanted to try fishing pellet instead of the "natural" baits I've always used. Getting to a water and finding nobody there is a pleasure - I was thinking as I drove up of that post where the angler described fishing in a melee of kids, mums, rats and bicycles. I went round to the far side. I fancied the full woodland experience and the strange scum on the water was less congealed over there.

You wouldn't think, looking at that pic, that it would be pouring rain and even darker a while later. I had enough space to fish 10m at 10 and 2 o'clock. 10 got fed with dead reds; 2 with 3mm krill pellets and 4m expanders. As is usual here, not a sign in either swim for an hour. Then, a bite on the expander pellet. A foot of elastic out. It's a bream. Two feet. It's a carp. 8 feet and travelling. Wtf is it? I should have guessed

I was late to adopt puller kits - I prefer to use the right elastic for the job with roach, tench etc - but with the weird mix of fish in some waters,
I'm becoming a fan. I'd never have got this out with a .12 hooklength and a no5, 6 or whatever,

The maggot swim produced nothing but little perch. Back to the pellet, and the next bite was one of those without which no sessions is complete

Still only perch on the maggot side, but after patiently dripping pellets in, the first of what I was fishing for turned up

The skies opened. Luckily the tree cover spared me some rain, but I got plenty. My bait was swimming. But I was determined to catch a few more to make up for the blanks. I finished up a couple of hours later with 4 more bream like that one and another carp. Along the way I lost a fish that stretched the elastic out of sight. Surely not that barbel again? And a bream of 4 or 5lb fired itself out of the water on being hooked and shed the hook.

It's a funny place. You get very few bites, sometimes none, but the fish are of great quality.

 

[silvers]

victory is mine!!! (That’s spoiled the rest of the story!!)

2nd round of the Barford Summer League on Saturday ... same format as last time (6 sections of 9 anglers, 3 above the weir and 3 below). I was allocated by the captain to the same section - Barford old bridge down to the Sherborne confluence.
The Warwickshire Avon was painfully clear again ... but at least there was cloud cover all day (as I’d drawn the peg with the least cover and depth on the whole length). I was pegged for the day on the first one below the bypass bridge ... which necessitated wading out to nearly midriver and fishing in to the (max 3 ft) gully that runs down the far bank. Luckily the forecast rain amounted to little more than occasional drizzle throughout the day, so I was quite happy with my bait apron on and trickling casters and hemp in to the gully. I’ve never drawn this peg before in a match. Normally it’s a chub flier for the first couple of weeks of the season, then they disappear.
So my approach to the day was to feed very sparingly for the first 3 hours, to eke out any small fish .... then ramp up the feed for the last two hours to see if mr Chub was around. I just used a light stick float (3 no. 4) all day and played around with shooting patterns to see if I could get a run of better quality dace. the answer was that I couldn’t ... they would just occasionally grab the caster bait faster than their tiny brethren! Mostly I was catching 3 to the ounce micro dace ... interspersed with ounce fish. The monotony was broken by the occasional sub ounce roach as well! In the last hour I also snared a few chublets of a slightly larger size (perhaps two ounces!). And also caught two mini barbel in the last half hour (3 and 4 ounces) which are always a delight to see. No chub of any size put in an appearance, despite me feeding nearly 3 pints of casters and a pint of hemp.
By the all-out I was cream crackered ... not regained full fitness yet! I weighed in 12 pounds and 15 ounces ... which was good enough for a section win - and in fact was top weight on the downstream (faster flowing) section. the overall winner caught 3 good size bream for twenty pounds, so I was second overall ... not that it matters, as all the pools money is now paid to section winners and teams. Our team (matchbox) was second again, by one point, so are now leading the league by one point from Cadence Superteam ... which is a great foundation but ... so far we’ve had some good draws and some bad ones, but the strength of the league is such that you can properly “blow out” if you draw all duff pegs.

 

[peter crabtree]

Neil’s latest snap from last Monday….

 

[chevin4]

Went last Tuesday to a small club water situated near the Chilterns. It was a fairly dismal start and felt very autumnal the surrounding hills were blotted out by mist. It remained cool and cloudy all day and managed to catch 4 x tench up to 4lb plus and perch up to 1lb 8oz. I purchased a guest ticket for an old friend who was using his new Cadence 13ft float rod for the first time unfortunately the last 12inches of the tip snapped whilst swinging in a small rudd. Although the rod was classed a no2 it seemed very light in action. Although the tench don't go big on the venue the perch do with fish over 4lbs reported. I like the fishery as it lends itself to traditional float methods either fishing on the drop or in my case using the lift method in a well raked swim.

 

[mikench]

I decided to visit my favourite water; what a surprise I hear you cry. I wanted to catch a few carp and to do some floater fishing if the conditions were appropriate. I succeeded on the former but failed on the latter. Carp were taking from the surface on occasions but they avoided my bread and other floating baits; shame the moorhens and mallard didn't do likewise as I was plagued by them all day on and off.

I had the lake to myself in the morning and i stuck to the feeder. I ended up with 5

common , 1 mirror and 2 crucians. The crucians / brown goldfish were small but cute. The largest common was about 8lb. I enjoyed the day and saw a red kite again hotly pursued by two oyster catchers. The sun shone and there was a pleasant breeze so I was glad I went. All were caught on 8mm cell pellet except one carp on meat.

 

[silvers]

Went last Tuesday to a small club water situated near the Chilterns. It was a fairly dismal start and felt very autumnal the surrounding hills were blotted out by mist. It remained cool and cloudy all day and managed to catch 4 x tench up to 4lb plus and perch up to 1lb 8oz. I purchased a guest ticket for an old friend who was using his new Cadence 13ft float rod for the first time unfortunately the last 12inches of the tip snapped whilst swinging in a small rudd. Although the rod was classed a no2 it seemed very light in action. Although the tench don't go big on the venue the perch do with fish over 4lbs reported. I like the fishery as it lends itself to traditional float methods either fishing on the drop or in my case using the lift method in a well raked swim.

I’m assuming that your friend has contacted Cadence already ... but i’d Expect a positive response to this event.
The no.2 at 13ft is the rod that I use 95% of the time for floatfishing ... I’ve had chub to 6 pounds on it. soft tip, but a lot more power lower down.

 

[Pete Shears]

Another trip to the big reservoir with a good mate - grey and murky which developed into drizzle,rain, back to drizzle and then stopped. The bites were slow in coming to start with ,ended up with bream and roach taking the bait on the drop before they moved on. Finished up with 21 bream between about 1lb to 4lb and 7 pristine roach ,worth getting up for.

 

[John Aston]

How did I get on? Well, you did ask, and yesterday will prove to be an unforgettable day , no matter how hard I try to forget it.

It didn't start well as I realised I'd left the net at home 6miles into my journey .. Get to the river- on its bones and unaffected by the heavy rain on Saturday. Lose car keys as I prepare to wander off downstream - hunt the many pockets in my waistcoat - twice - before finding them under a coat. Cuss some more ..

I am fishing my Moors trout river, but on an unusual section which runs dead straight for half a mile, most of which is wadeable in chest waders. It's lightly fished - and that is why I am here - but the flow is nearly completely absent so location is really hard , with no runs, pools or stickles . Nowt showing apart from the very odd sub surface rise . This calls for an alternative tactic - covering lots of water with a streamer fly , a bead headed Woolly Bu**er on a 12 . Fished slowly , they are superb leech imitations - and I know from invertebrate sampling that there's no shortage of leeches .

Five chub in 30 minutes was a good start , even if only one was big enough to trouble the net . Then a brace of grayling, both netters and a lost bigger grayling . This is more like , and follow that with two good wild browns , one about 1- 8 and the other pushing two . Result .

A walk upstream to by pass a long series of shallows of under a foot deep, devoid of fish. Now in the gloom under a high bank blotting out the sun and with dense tree cover.

The low light was the reason I trod into the wasps nest. They weren't happy , and set about the clumsy angler with a vengeance . I dropped my rod, and fled , pursued by a cloud of furious wasps . I stuck my net over my head in a pathetic attempt at protection. After about 100 yards the squadrons of wasps decided to return to base. Mission accomplished - I was stung on arms , chest, hands , wrists , face head and neck . Even a long sleeved shirt hadn't protected me - they just clung to the shirt sleeves and stung , and stung and stung .

Now realise I'd knocked my glasses off when I put the net on my head . Panic about reaction ( I do get allergic reactions to some foods) Try to eat an antihistamine , but mouth dry. Near sewage works ., low water - do I risk Weils disease too by drinking river water ? Err, no. Stumble up 6 foot high bank , nearly ripping waders on barbed wire - everything a blur because I cant bloody see without glasses.

Calm down , ring my beekeeper chum . He's in , and twenty minutes later we are both togged up in protective gear . Forget exactly which pool I'd encountered the wasps. Bumble around until bingo - rod , reel and cap found . And glasses !


Painful night , I reckon I've been stung at least 20 times but am ok .

Moral - be careful out there ...

 

[no-one in particular]

I didn't mean like because you got stung, but good fish, good thinking and fishing. However, how we suffer for our bit of fun. I have two big insects bites still itching on my arm from the other day. However, that was a walk in the park compared to your day.

 

[theartist]

Popped out yesterday for a few hours trotting with the best spot left above some seriously tanned dude, at first I thought it was George Peppard from the A-Team but it turned out to be the lesser spotted Whitty fresh from his hols down in Dorset. It was good to catch up with Alan and we spent as much time chatting as catching fish, although we caught enough to both have a pretty decent day.

I was tired and went home at around 5ish leaving Alan who had been there since early still fishing away hooking a nice barbel as I left, the stamina of the man, I had to double check BA Baracus wasn't in the car park

 

[108831]

A seriously knackered member of the A-team doesn't feel like he has a lot of stamina,also I suggest you go to specsavers as I don't recall George Peppard being a fat bastard,lol....

A great day,with good company and a lesson in 'match' fishing,lol...I will leave you to explain that.

My day seemed slow,hahaha, in comparison to my holiday it was bloody frantic several barbel to eight pounds,several dace,similar amount of fair roach,similar numbers of gudgeon(on punched meat),plus lots of chublets up to a pound,no wonder i'm knackered.lol.

 

[mikench]

Wow some very interesting posts there which, particularly Grayson's , make the following tale rather mundane. Anyway Gordon and I returned to the almost lost venue to try our luck again. Gordon on the float, just for a change , and yours truly on the feeder. I was trying a new ( to me ) PI Carbonactive Asaki 11'-13' rod which I was impressed with even though the fish didn't really enter into the spirit of the occasion.

Gordon the meanie had a bite first cast which turned out to be the best of the day. He landed a superb common a little over 10lb on an 18 hook and with a single red maggot. While Gordon was occupied I caught a nice mirror of about 6.5lb and with honours even I had a couple of skimmers. Gordon however was on a roll and he ended up with 58 fish. Most were very respectable roach and Rudd approaching at least 8oz. A few small Percy perch were included and I caught my fair share when I switched to the float. However I knew I had been beaten hollow when Gordon asked to borrow my clicker as his was mechanically exhausted. We had a very enjoyable day. I finished up with 3 carp, and 15 odds and sods plus one take that cost be a feeder as the fish buried itself in tree roots. The sun didn't shine much and the breeze was a chilly easterly. We did as well , if not better than the other 15 anglers trying their luck.

We enjoyed it so much we plan to go again on Friday weather permitting. Gordon has promised not to bait his hook next time.??

 

[bullet]

First trip out this year after Bass yesterday.
Went to a favourite spot and the plan was to fish lures and live prawn.
I arrived about half way through the Ebb, and it was still too high to get onto the reef to do some prawning, so I started with one of my favourite lures, the 125 Patchinko.
I was getting swirls and hits at the lure straight away, and soon hooked up on a small Bass which certainly had eyes bigger than it's stomach ( they all do) !
After a couple more of these I switched to it's bigger version, the mighty 150 28 gram one, in the hope the little ones wouldn't hit, and a decent one might commit, but they still went for it, although less got hooked.
The tide had dropped now, so out with the net and I soon had a good load of Prawns in my aerated bucket, so started fishing them under a small pike bung and it was a fish a chuck for a while, with some better ones showing once the flood got going. Still small fish but feisty, and all nicely hooked so easy to release.
I got a couple of keeper size in the end, but they were both very lightly hooked and it seemed a shame not to return them, much as I like Bass.
The left over Prawns didn't go back, however, and came home to be prepared into Salmon baits. The larger ones got eaten by me !

 

[Pete Shears]

The local reservoir was shrouded in mist this morning and a large full moon hanging in a clear sky,didn't last long,it soon clouded over from the NE.
Set up the feeder rods and then helped a mate with his kit into the next swim.Plenty of perch hammering the fry and small fish rolling but could only manage four roach and one skimmer,the tench must have gone on holiday.Spent a few minutes watching a kite circling effortlessly,a great white egret and four common egrets prowling the margins,over a hundred canada and grey lag geese flying in off the stubble and a pair of mystery waders,mainly brown and white,very noisy whistle, flying back and forth for a few minutes,not forgetting a kingfisher flying the full length of the reservoir just above the water like a missile.

 

[bullet]

Green Sandpipers?

 

[theartist]

A great day,with good company and a lesson in 'match' fishing,lol...I will leave you to explain that.

Haha You can't beat the 'match' approach. This old blog post explains it best.

trottingdowntheriver.blogspot.com The Best Float Money Can Buy

 

[mikench]

Could have been Whimbrel Pete. Juveniles are brown and white but adults are black and white. A bit like curlew but smaller. Ringed plovers spring to mind as well.

 

[S-Kippy]

Sound like sandpipers to me.

 

[chevin4]

Haha You can't beat the 'match' approach. This old blog post explains it best.

trottingdowntheriver.blogspot.com The Best Float Money Can Buy

Loved the article ?