How did you get on?

[Pete Shears]

Yet another piking trip to the local reservoir on Saturday as Storm Malik was gathering pace resulted in a jack of about 3lb to a toby type lure. However a colleague caught the one we were all after - a 23lb pike in perfect condition expertly netted first time by yours truly.
This morning ,a chubbing trip on the upper Soar - first cast and first bite a chub of 3lb 8oz and then nothing for the next three swims - not surprising as the level was low,the bottom easily visible in many places.
A strong breeze slowly warmed up sending three buzzards circling after each other. I eventually managed a brown trout of 1lb 8oz before heading home to get the kit ready for another piking trip tomorrow. A mate managed two brown trout just under two pounds each but I think a good flood would benefit the river as old ,dead & rotting reeds and other vegetation is still hanging on.

 

[peter crabtree]

Out Sunday on the Colne and Tuesday my weekly canal match.

Blanked both days so here’s some pics…

 

[john step]

Simon. If you can blank two days running it must be grim!

I had a blank on the lures on Monday so today I went in search of a few bites on worm/dead reds.
I fished a deep small club pool high on the Wolds and braved the wind.
Favourite method, long rod/centre pin/ pole float.
After a slow start I managed about 30 roach and small perch and 3 interlopers (mirrors) .
A better day than I envisaged with the water so cold.

 

[no-one in particular]

Out Sunday on the Colne and Tuesday my weekly canal match.

Blanked both days so here’s some pics…

I had an hour on my canal Peter, not a sniff, no movement- zilch. That's why I packed up after an hour. It is shallow, for some reason they drop the level in the winter and the water was very cold. A warmer few days so might give it another go over the next few days.

 

[108831]

Had this fella today,plus a few mates,10lbs 11ozs.

 

[markcw]

I decided to take a pint of pinkies for a day out today ,along with some soft hooker pellets.
Went to Newlands for a few hours, Arrived there at around 11 am ,Two others on the water both fishing sweetcorn .They hadn't caught anything before I arrived .
. I set up a few pegs away, Out with the margin pole, one margin fed with pinkies ,the other with soft hookers and a swim in front at 5 metres with pinkies .
I won't go into details of rigs ,hooks elastic etc because I didn't catch, neither did the other two I was with .
The pegs we were on are normally bankers in cool weather or similar sounding words .
It was that dire ,even the grebes couldn't catch anything,
We are planning another session on there next Wednesday, on the other side of the pool.
For me next week it will be a feeder and float session ,no margin pole .

 

[chevin4]

Went back to the small stream last week although it was fairly mild the stream was still low and clear. I started off trotting using my recently acquired Drennan 11ft Matchpro Ultralight as the trotting range was only about 20 yards I found the rod ideal although I do prefer rods with a more through action. Apart from a few chublets and gudgeon the action on the float was slow to say the least. I had more success using a small Drennan feeder link in conjunction with my converted fly blank quiver rod and had a couple of nice roach just under a pound and a few reasonable chub. Monday saw me back on the syndicate lake pike fishing. It was very windy but bright and sunny the wind dropped later in the day so much do that the lake was virtually flat calm at dusk. Despite my best efforts and trying several different tactics on 3 rods including trying out a new Savage Gear pike replicant lure it was another case of blanket black.

 

[peterjg]

Last Monday: fished a new swim that I had previously cut out on the Kennet. Caught a bream and a chub both about 2lbs and a decent dace. Used too big bits of flake, smaller bait would have been better, a bit too ambitious!
Yesterday: actually fishing an hour before light on the Thames, two rods feeder fishing - no bites so at 10am drove to the Kennet and had a perch and a decent roach. Water temperature of Thames 43F and WT of Kennet 47F. Both rivers a bit too clear, need some rain, fished until dark.

 

[wetthrough]

Fairly mild yesterday so decided to have a go on my local pool, arriving at around 11am. A little blustery at timeas but it's fairly well sheltered so not too bad. Picked a few small Roach up to maggot, couldn't get them interested in caster. Switched to bread punch and got a decent tug from this which I think is a Crucian.

had four more which were definitely Crucian through the day. Not a bad day. Five Crucian, two Goldfish.

19 altogether the rest being small Roach with a couple around the 4oz mark, one small skimmer and a hybrid, the last cast bringing me a surprise Tench of around 1lb, maybe a bit more. Packed up around 4 when it started to get a bit chilly.

 

[john step]

Nice to get bites Gordon but if I can stick my head up above the par. I would say there might be something other than crucian in the big pic?
Mouth looks suspect?

 

[wetthrough]

Yes, I wasn't sure at all but no idea what it could be. It doesn't have the stepped dorsal of an F1. Some of the fish have recently been stocked from a Water World that was closing down which might be where the goldfish have come from. There was one goldfish in there but it's quite a bit bigger than either of those two.

 

[Keith M]

Nice to get bites Gordon but if I can stick my head up above the par. I would say there might be something other than crucian in the big pic?
Mouth looks suspect?

Plus the tail fin is too forked and there’s not even a hint of red in its fins either; so I’m in agreement with John; and that’s without doing a scale count.

Nice fishing though Gordon

 

[nottskev]

Six weeks and 9 medical appointments since I last got out, I drove up to meet Mick (Flightliner) on the Don in the middle of Sheffield. Mick trained apprentices on a site next door, way back, and I lived in Sheffield for four years in the 70's. Neither of us imagined it would ever hold fish, let alone grayling and trout. It's a lovely stretch now with trees on both banks.

Mick's more for fishing a few swims, which suits the water, but I was happy to make it to a comfortable peg with a long 2-3' glide below and stay there.

I was feeling a bit rusty, to say the least, and even setting up a simple rig - a little stick of around 3 no4 and a 16 hook - was a bit of a Mr Bean performance involving trees and bankside foliage. Last time here, the fishing was prolific. But then I was in practice and it was autumn, not mid-winter. Today it took 15 mins to get a bite, even though I could see odd grayling swirling under the few maggots I fed. Ok, maybe they're not as daft as I said they are.

I'd left home in pouring rain and started fishing in bright sun, but then the wind started to whip downstream, the rain came down and things got uncomfortable.

With a few mod's - I back-shotted the float, sunk the line at times and put a smaller hook on - I ended up with 10 or eleven little grayling like this

And a couple of trout like this

Mick had walked down a couple of hundred yards, having caught similarly, to try a spot under a bridge and around a bend. I decided to join him there, but, trying to get my made-up rod out through the trees and foliage I managed to trash the lot, so I wrapped up and joined Mick for a chat in a welcome sheltered spot.

I noticed Mick's ingenious blob float - you can see it in the pic - was working well in these shallow, quite pacey swims.

Leaving Sheffield, the sky turned black and I drove to the motorway with headlights on peering through hail and rain. On the motorway, I had to root out sunglasses with low sun in a cloudless sky. Thanks Mick - I enjoy fishing in your company, and we did ok on a challenging day.

 

[The Sogster]

@nottskev looks like the stretch below Stevenson Road at the top the 'cliffe. There used to be some big perch in that stretch before they removed the island below the weir.

 

[nottskev]

@nottskev looks like the stretch below Stevenson Road at the top the 'cliffe. There used to be some big perch in that stretch before they removed the island below the weir.

Close, but a bit upstream of there, from the map.

 

[The Sogster]

Yes I know now, entrance is on the five weirs by the knocking shop. The banks give it away used to fish there and behind the engineering shop on the wooden platform above the weir.

 

[nottskev]

Yes I know now, entrance is on the five weirs by the knocking shop. The banks give it away used to fish there and behind the engineering shop on the wooden platform above the weir.

Knocking shop? I saw a place called Floors and Doors, but didn't notice Pause for Whores. You know the area better than me.

 

[108831]

Went yesterday to the stretch of the Ouse I looked at last week(with the surfing waves),conditions were slightly better,but still windy,now I know the stretch has a good stock of fair quality roach,but on arrival a gin clear lowish river basically put oaid to those I set up with a Dave Harrell 2gm bolo float in 9ft of water with moderate flow,trotted for three or four hours with no bites,feeding very little,then decided to up the feed slightly and move the bulk up around 18" and spread three droppers,after several trots the float dipped and my only client of the day was on,a chub of over three and a half pounds,a beautiful looking fish who fought like a demon on a 22 hook and 0.10mm hooklength...though hard an enjoyable,cold day where I saw sparrowhawk,kestrel,red kite,green woodpecker,greater spotted woodpecker,long tailed t it,great t it,blue t it,cormorant,swan,canada geese,pink footed geese,robins,blackbirds,lesser spotted paddleboarders and kayakers....

 

[flightliner]

Six weeks and 9 medical appointments since I last got out, I drove up to meet Mick (Flightliner) on the Don in the middle of Sheffield. Mick trained apprentices on a site next door, way back, and I lived in Sheffield for four years in the 70's. Neither of us imagined it would ever hold fish, let alone grayling and trout. It's a lovely stretch now with trees on both banks.

Mick's more for fishing a few swims, which suits the water, but I was happy to make it to a comfortable peg with a long 2-3' glide below and stay there.

View attachment 19386

I was feeling a bit rusty, to say the least, and even setting up a simple rig - a little stick of around 3 no4 and a 16 hook - was a bit of a Mr Bean performance involving trees and bankside foliage. Last time here, the fishing was prolific. But then I was in practice and it was autumn, not mid-winter. Today it took 15 mins to get a bite, even though I could see odd grayling swirling under the few maggots I fed. Ok, maybe they're not as daft as I said they are.

I'd left home in pouring rain and started fishing in bright sun, but then the wind started to whip downstream, the rain came down and things got uncomfortable.

View attachment 19387

With a few mod's - I back-shotted the float, sunk the line at times and put a smaller hook on - I ended up with 10 or eleven little grayling like this

View attachment 19388

And a couple of trout like this

View attachment 19389

Mick had walked down a couple of hundred yards, having caught similarly, to try a spot under a bridge and around a bend. I decided to join him there, but, trying to get my made-up rod out through the trees and foliage I managed to trash the lot, so I wrapped up and joined Mick for a chat in a welcome sheltered spot.

I noticed Mick's ingenious blob float - you can see it in the pic - was working well in these shallow, quite pacey swims.

View attachment 19390

Leaving Sheffield, the sky turned black and I drove to the motorway with headlights on peering through hail and rain. On the motorway, I had to root out sunglasses with low sun in a cloudless sky. Thanks Mick - I enjoy fishing in your company, and we did ok on a challenging day.

Well put Kevin?
A pity it was so cold tho.
One of those heated jackets would have been handy! ?.

 

[nottskev]

Well put Kevin?
A pity it was so cold tho.
One of those heated jackets would have been handy! ?.

We were layering up in the car park, and Mick said, Haven't you brought your heated jacket?
Forgot I even had one! Next time....