Well fishing looks like a thing of the past,the new medication I started on Sunday morning is making me feel a little yuk and with the forecast suddenly changing to a frost tonight and top temperature of 4 or 5° I think I will give the early start required a miss,sod it....???
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
flightliner
Well-known member
A busy week ahead but a small window to fish today popped up last night. So small that it would only be some 3 to 3*5 hrs, so I decided to pop down to the Don in the centre of Sheffield for a few greyling.
I found it with a little extra water, maybe 6" max but pretty clear that gave me confidence I would catch— a few at least.
The winter has denuded lots of the vegetation revealing a few more areas to try, one in particular drew me to it, a nice smooth glide at the end of a long riffle with a suggestion of depth but it failed to produce a single bite on my maggot baited 18 hook, so I moved upstream to a swim that seldom fails to produce a fish or more.
It did, some 9 nice Greyling up to an estimated 10 or 11 inch in some 95 minutes of trotting.
Slow by Autumn standards but I was happy with them and if I had no more I wouldnt be dissapointed.
Light was fading so I made my way downstream to a mainroad bridge for a last attempt for a few more, it did, two to be exact that were much the same stamp as the others.
Light levels had almost gone by then so a kwik breakdown of my gear to go home before the evening rush hour traffic!
I found it with a little extra water, maybe 6" max but pretty clear that gave me confidence I would catch— a few at least.
The winter has denuded lots of the vegetation revealing a few more areas to try, one in particular drew me to it, a nice smooth glide at the end of a long riffle with a suggestion of depth but it failed to produce a single bite on my maggot baited 18 hook, so I moved upstream to a swim that seldom fails to produce a fish or more.
It did, some 9 nice Greyling up to an estimated 10 or 11 inch in some 95 minutes of trotting.
Slow by Autumn standards but I was happy with them and if I had no more I wouldnt be dissapointed.
Light was fading so I made my way downstream to a mainroad bridge for a last attempt for a few more, it did, two to be exact that were much the same stamp as the others.
Light levels had almost gone by then so a kwik breakdown of my gear to go home before the evening rush hour traffic!
What is extra water,we havent had much all autumn/winter and when we do because of water tables obviously being a bit lower than they should be our rivers drop quickly back to a low,clear,cold state,rubbish for fish to happily feed in....
I had a short session on the river Blackwater yesterday. Started trotting dead maggots, stopped and slid the float up the line to lay-on while I had a sandwich, down went the float and I caught a chub of about 21/2lbs. I tried two other nice spots but no more bites, cold in the light east wind. No other anglers (as usual) there.
flightliner
Well-known member
Alan, the Don is heavily influenced by the penines, it starts up in the last of the summer wine countryside area.
Lots of hills, peat bogs and such that hold lots of water, its pretty much a spate river like those in north yorkshire I suppose.
When I was there yesterday I had to stand in water where its normally dry margins..
Still poxy cold tho Alan ... external thermometer still reading less than 1 degree centigrade.
hope it warms up for the weekend ... but fear it will be too late. Oakley Main and/or Biddenham are the destination ...
hooe the new meds settle down for you soon ?
Im getting a phone appointment from the nurse from the hospital on Thursday about these meds,I have several questions for her,these meds are not at all good,so b.tests need to be done every two weeks at the start,then monthly....
As for the weather I went out to buy some fluorocarbon for mullet spinners and it was showing between 1 & 2°,went for a walk on my return and was frozen on my return,had a tin of chicken soup to warm me up....
John Aston
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On a roll at the moment . Today I fished a normally slow (in action ) piece of river , where a dropshot/jig session producing 3 or 4 perch to a pound would be a result . I missed takes on my first two casts in my first swim and hit the third - which took a static creature lure as I was reading a text .. 90minutes later I had had 26 perch - mainly 12oz- 1lb , one about 1-12ish and this lovely chap of 2-7. Add in a little jack pike and it was a hell of a session - all from one totally unremarkable and featureless swim . The more I have fished for perch the more unpredictable I discover they are. It would not remotely surprise me if I blank next time I fish the swim .
All on 7g dropshot, size 2 hook , 10lb flouro and braid reel line and fairly small , vaguely signal crayfish looking lure.
Bloody fab day.
All on 7g dropshot, size 2 hook , 10lb flouro and braid reel line and fairly small , vaguely signal crayfish looking lure.
Bloody fab day.
mikench
Well-known member
What diameter braid did you use?
Pete Shears
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Another dull cold day but guaranteeing a blank by staying at home it was out on the Wreake this morning. One bite on legered crust, a chub at 2lb 10oz. Yesterday using the same logic one bite, a chub from the upper Soar at 2lb. Switching swims at both venues did no good.
Last Saturday a pike of around 5lb saved a blank with another smaller one falling off the hook and on the Wreake last Friday in just the same conditions another glorious blank. Reckon this v.high pressure and bone chilling cold does not help.
Last Saturday a pike of around 5lb saved a blank with another smaller one falling off the hook and on the Wreake last Friday in just the same conditions another glorious blank. Reckon this v.high pressure and bone chilling cold does not help.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Grayson, your 2:7:0: will probably frame in my BIG Perch Challenge XI thread in the predator section if you post it along with a photo and a brief description of the method and the type of venue you caught it on..
BIG PERCH CHALLENGE XI
Yes! it's that time of year when our attention turns to big predatory fish. BPC this year will be the 11th annual challenge in the series. Please report on this thread your big perch caught WITHIN the TIMESCALE BELOW. Please also try to take a photo of your catch even if you're unable to post...
fishingmagic.com
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peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
9 hardy souls fished the GUC near Berkhamsted today. Barely 4 degrees all day.. By 1pm nobody had had a bite. After feeding some small balls of Sensas black roach groundbait 2 rod lengths out with single flouro pinkie on a 22 Kamasan B511 hook to 1:4oz trace just over the near shelf, my float vanished and a 2oz roach went into my keepnet. Feeding golf ball sized balls of gb I had 16 more roach and a tiny gudgeon for 1:7:0 total weight. None of the other 8 competitors had a single bite all match, so I took the entire pools pot ..
happy days…
happy days…
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Steve Arnold
Well-known member
After two weeks of freezing nights, where some stretches of river have not seen the sun for a month, I did not expect to catch fish!
But it can be very warm here when the sun appears, so I chose to fish from a landing stage that faced it full-on for a few hours.
50k upstream the Entragues dam had been letting out a mass of water for the last 24 hours. I was pretty sure it would be snow-melt and the river temperature very low.
The river was up a couple of feet, strong flow and the water temperature just 2c. Looked like chunks of ice floating down the shady side of the river!
Caught nothing! But that is what I expected!
Good to be warm, sitting in the sun with that view.
But it can be very warm here when the sun appears, so I chose to fish from a landing stage that faced it full-on for a few hours.
50k upstream the Entragues dam had been letting out a mass of water for the last 24 hours. I was pretty sure it would be snow-melt and the river temperature very low.
The river was up a couple of feet, strong flow and the water temperature just 2c. Looked like chunks of ice floating down the shady side of the river!
Caught nothing! But that is what I expected!
Good to be warm, sitting in the sun with that view.
John Aston
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I think it was Berkeley Whiplash 0.06mm (20lb bs ) or something similar . I have used the stuff for over a decade now and had no problems at all- hardly a wind knot (maybe 2 or 3 a winter) and totally reliable. Some prefer lighter braid but I don't like it - it is less visible to me(important when lure fishing ) and will wind knot easier . I always use a wire or flouro leader , so diameter is irrelevant really.
I know you are not a fan but I love using it, and do so for lures , piking and for most of my barbel fishing. Lost of stuff online about need for special knots - I use a tucked half blood and have never had a slip, even when breaking off snagged 30lb traces with my pike braid
markcw
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I went to Newlands yesterday .
The water was bone cold and very clear,
It has deep margins and you could see a fair way down.
There are 2 gravel pits on the part I fish with the specimen water behind them.
There was no one specimen water and one angler pike fishing on one of the gravel pits, He hadn't caught anything and said not seen any signs of fish activity.
There is a water called the lagoon across from the gravel pits ,another large water, there were no cars on the car park .
So had a walk round all 3 waters , all 3 were clear, Then went back home .
Possible visit to Fritwell today or tomorrow,
In Warrington for long weekend from Friday so may take some tackle up with me .
The water was bone cold and very clear,
It has deep margins and you could see a fair way down.
There are 2 gravel pits on the part I fish with the specimen water behind them.
There was no one specimen water and one angler pike fishing on one of the gravel pits, He hadn't caught anything and said not seen any signs of fish activity.
There is a water called the lagoon across from the gravel pits ,another large water, there were no cars on the car park .
So had a walk round all 3 waters , all 3 were clear, Then went back home .
Possible visit to Fritwell today or tomorrow,
In Warrington for long weekend from Friday so may take some tackle up with me .
mikench
Well-known member
It was warmer this morning than yesterday so I decided I would venture out and , if nothing else, give my heated gilet a try. I arrived at my favourite water about 9.00 am and chatted to a guy who had also just arrived. Apparently both waters were frozen over last week but the absence of any rain meant the walk from the car park wasn't a muddy and difficult one.
It wasn't a bad day and whilst cold at 4c it didn't feel it. The gilet is brilliant and even on medium it kept me warm if a little bulky. I hadn't fished since early December and my system of packing the barrow was awry but I got there in the end. I set up a feeder rod with pellets and whilst that remained dead as a dodo I prepared my float road with a size 20 and maggots as bait. For the first time in ages I had no interest at all on the float either with maggots, expander, worms or bread. It was the feeder which produced the first and only fish of the morning ; a skimmer of about 1.5lb. The guy I had spoken to set up in the next peg but he had nothing so moved to the adjacent water to try his luck.
In the early afternoon I had another 4 skimmers all around this size on pellet.
Chocolate orange wafter was the favourite today. I enjoyed getting out again and catching anything was satisfying particularly when the 3 other anglers all blanked. I am glad I made the effort.
It wasn't a bad day and whilst cold at 4c it didn't feel it. The gilet is brilliant and even on medium it kept me warm if a little bulky. I hadn't fished since early December and my system of packing the barrow was awry but I got there in the end. I set up a feeder rod with pellets and whilst that remained dead as a dodo I prepared my float road with a size 20 and maggots as bait. For the first time in ages I had no interest at all on the float either with maggots, expander, worms or bread. It was the feeder which produced the first and only fish of the morning ; a skimmer of about 1.5lb. The guy I had spoken to set up in the next peg but he had nothing so moved to the adjacent water to try his luck.
In the early afternoon I had another 4 skimmers all around this size on pellet.
Chocolate orange wafter was the favourite today. I enjoyed getting out again and catching anything was satisfying particularly when the 3 other anglers all blanked. I am glad I made the effort.
I am beginning to click with this light soft lure mullarky ...at last. I had 3 perch on the Fos today. Biggest 2lb 15 ozs which may just frame in the Peter Crabtree competition. Ned rig/braid to florocarbon.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
Frame on BPC is top 5 as usual, Pete.
Bad day on Tuesday. Fished the river for two hours and took 5 decent trout but only three hand sized grayling. Home by 11.30. Unlike me it was two hours before I unloaded my gear from the car only to find I'd left my holdall in the laybye where I had parked. Had a trip back but it had gone. So goodbye to a much cherished Mel Storey feeder rod, a recently purchased 15ft Drennen acolyte plus and the usual bits and pieces. What a right prat. Pete.