How did you get on?

[nottskev]

I had a teatime session on the river yesterday. With an extra 5cms on after a bit of rain, it was, relatively speaking, sparkling through and the fish were obviously perked up. I tried an unfamiliar section and got caught out by rocks on the bottom, losing 2 hooks in two chucks. Luckily the modelling clay weights are dirt cheap. I couldn't really see where to cast to avoid snags, so I settled for baitdropping a few handfuls of small pellets under the rod end, and luckily the fish were happy to come into the shallow water

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I'm really enjoying the new pin and I've used nothing else for the last 4 of 5 sessions. This afternoon I put a spicy pork and chickpea casserole in the oven on low, set the football to record and went back to the estate lake for a few hours. I reckoned my answer to the float ban - thick line stopknots coated in orange bristle grease - could be improved, and I tested a bunch of different pole elastics to see which floated. Some sank, but Matrix Slik floated like a cork so today this was the float. Much more visible than line stopknots.

There was nobody on the lake and the carp were all on the surface. Surface baits are another thing that's banned, so I wondered if any would come down for the mussels or meat over hemp and meat feed. It didn't look like it at first

Surely there must be something else in there? There was

Just as I was giving up hope and the sun dropped below the trees, the carp homed in on the feed they'd been ignoring

 

[maggot_dangler]

Well nothing today but i put in a few hours on the canal yesterday trying liqudised bread and bread on the hook guess what Dang Gudgeon on the plus side it did land me a few nice Rudd as well was planning on hitting the river today but every time i stuck my nose out the door it rained so spent the day trying to learn Q Cad instead

 

[maggot_dangler]

I had a teatime session on the river yesterday. With an extra 5cms on after a bit of rain, it was, relatively speaking, sparkling through and the fish were obviously perked up. I tried an unfamiliar section and got caught out by rocks on the bottom, losing 2 hooks in two chucks. Luckily the modelling clay weights are dirt cheap. I couldn't really see where to cast to avoid snags, so I settled for baitdropping a few handfuls of small pellets under the rod end, and luckily the fish were happy to come into the shallow water

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I'm really enjoying the new pin and I've used nothing else for the last 4 of 5 sessions. This afternoon I put a spicy pork and chickpea casserole in the oven on low, set the football to record and went back to the estate lake for a few hours. I reckoned my answer to the float ban - thick line stopknots coated in orange bristle grease - could be improved, and I tested a bunch of different pole elastics to see which floated. Some sank, but Matrix Slik floated like a cork so today this was the float. Much more visible than line stopknots.

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There was nobody on the lake and the carp were all on the surface. Surface baits are another thing that's banned, so I wondered if any would come down for the mussels or meat over hemp and meat feed. It didn't look like it at first

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Surely there must be something else in there? There was

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Just as I was giving up hope and the sun dropped below the trees, the carp homed in on the feed they'd been ignoring

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I did read that right did i Float ban as in floats not floating baits whatever next

 

[nottskev]

I did read that right did i Float ban as in floats not floating baits whatever next

That's right - not allowed to use a float.

 

[mikench]

Lovely fish Kev, as usual.

 

[john step]

I did read that right did i Float ban as in floats not floating baits whatever next

There was quite a thread on it a couple of months ago. After various suggested ways round it Kev settled for the method described.

 

[riverman]

Just got back from spring end farm in Leeds and I thought another frustrating day was in store after hordes of roach were intercepting all the different baits I tried.then the waggler shot under and the strike the connection and a 7lb 3oz mirror carp fell to a mussel.fished from 07.30 till 14.00.finished with 19 roach and the mirror.

 

[Philip]

With a full day at my disposal I decided to travel a little further afield & have a bash after some Barbel. The venue was a river with a good head of them that I have fished a few times but there is a lot of water to go at so I really have only scratched the surface of the place. However its such a nice place to be that I enjoy the challenge.

As is often the case I spent more time driving around looking at different areas than actually fishing but as there is not much information available you have to do the ground work yourself. The flip side is that it does make any captures all the more rewarding.

A nice place to be although with miles like this, its sometimes difficult to know were to start...

Despite flitting around & never settling on any one area or tactic I still managed to get amoungst the fish which were obliging. The best going just over 9lb which I know barely raises an eyebrow in the UK but it’still a very good fish in France & I feel sure the venue has the potential to produce something special. With some new areas earmarked for a future reference and a few fish under my belt I returned home happy.

I'll be back..

 

[markcw]

That's right - not allowed to use a float.

Instead of knotted elastic, have you tried threading a small piece of micro bore elastic on the line using a diamond eye threader . ?

 

[nottskev]

I thought of various things like that Mark. The big green spider is easier to see than a small piece of hollow. It also floats, and I tested several kinds of elastic that didn't.

 

[mikench]

Kev I have some amnesia 18lb mono here in a bright orange colour if you want some.

 

[nottskev]

I'm trying to imagine what you use that for Mike! Does it float? Thanks, but I think the elastic is thicker and easier to see

 

[mikench]

I don’t Kev .

 

[Steve Arnold]

Another short trip with the camper-van a little over an hours drive down the Lot valley. This time to a little campsite, near Prayssac, where each pitch backs on to the river.

There was the most minimal of flows so I was not expecting barbel to be feeding. Our neighbours talked of a big silure being caught the day before so I stuck it out with the heavy rod and a 24mm boilie.

No silure for me! But after many small bites tangling my trace I eventually attracted a single fish with a big enough mouth, I was chuffed just to get this one barbel and save a blank!

 

[seth49]

on my own again yesterday, the other too were busy with other things, so early start arriving just after six am, just one more there but he was in his camper van after fishing overnight, so pick of the pegs and I went to one I had done a bit of trimming on, as it gave good access to both margins.

usual tactics Margin rod in on alarm, and just fishing top kit in front with paste over groundbait, had a good mixed bag on the paste, usual skimmers to start then tench and a couple of crucians with the odd barbel as well as F1s also, nothing on the margin rod though.

did lose a few fish though so changed the hook from a 12 to a 10, which improved things and the paste stopped on better as well as it was a bit softer than I usually mix it.

took my keepnet out at 3pm for a quick photo, and then fished the margins for carp etc, and managed to catch 3 plus another barbel and a F1, total catch was 9 tench, 2 crucians, 4 barbel, 4 F1s, around a dozen skimmers with the carp.

so a good day again, nice and warm with just one light shower and plenty of cloud cover, lots of damsel and dragonflys about and did see a couple of painted lady butterflies as well, plus a greater spotted woodpecker making lots of trips to the bird feeders.

 

[wetthrough]

Back on the Dam again yesterday. Toyed with the Bridgewater canal as the conditions were right, it's on the way. Downside being it's still school holidays, it would be like the M6 for boats and other craft. Pleasant day weather wise with a gentle wind coming from the south which would blow most of the Dam crud towards the Dam head, away from where I was fishing. Set up a margin rod with 2lb to 20s which I soon changed to and 18s as they were taking Tares quite readily. I'd put GB in at around 9M, the plan being to fish the margin until I saw some activity over the groundbait. In an attempt to get down to the bottom at 9M I put all the shot 10" from the hook (16s > 3.3lb) with about 6" on the bottom. Sort of the lift method but not quite. Didn't really work. Still got tiddlered with a maggot on. Not bad stuff coming out of the margin, mainly Roach with a couple of Perch thrown in from about 3 to 6oz, did get one around 8oz later on. Had about 7 or 8 for the net and a few that should have been. The 9M rod produced a few more Roach and a skimmer of around 1lb mostly to corn and a cuple of small hybrids. Tried pellets but not much interest, just the one Bream on pellet that came in like the proverbial sack of spuds. They're lethargic at the best of times but particularly so from the Dam. At 4lb 1oz still worth catching. No sign of the Tench sadly. Just a couple of brief showers otherwise very pleasant weatherwise. 43 on the clicker.

It looks like its tail has been chopped off in the photo. It's underneath a fold in the net.

 

[nottskev]

This afternoon's session got off to a bad start: I was halfway around Nottingham's notorious ring road when it dawned on me why there was no rod bag poking me in the ear. My neighbour made a number of amusing comments about my short trip. When I finally got to the lake, with a rod, I wasn't too encouraged to see there was an extra 2' on the level compared to Sunday. It's an irrigation res, and water is pumped out and pumped in. My bait would be sitting close to where I was sitting on Sunday. How would the fish respond?

I fed the usual hemp/shredded meat mix and went in with my elastic stopknot float rig and either mussel or punched meat on the hook. Despite rumours to the contrary, I like fishing for decent size carp, but today I couldn't get past the barbel. Since I'm lucky enough to live near a river full of them, I don't expect much sympathy for this problem. Here are the first five fish

I'd fed a similar amount - maybe a pint of hemp and a cupful of shredded meat - under the trees to my right, and for some reason I'd brought a few slices of white bread. A big piece of flake in this second spot by-passed the barbel (and the bream and the ide) and the next five fish were the ones I was after

At 5pm the forecast thundery showers arrived, and I packed up and fled.

 

[maggot_dangler]

Evening folks well i did not intend to go out today but the weather turned out far better than forecast so off i went this time to a club pool Goldstone top pool i only had a few maggots when i left so pop in picked up some sweetcorn and some chic peas , Boy what a day althou i have to say it did cost me a rod and reel bit peeved about that had landed a good carp of i would say around 7 lbs or so put him backin the water acidently knocked the hook with the mangled sweetcorn remnants on it back in bang rod was off like a darn shot just hope it reapears and the fish manages to shake it off it was a nice shakespere carbon rod as well i like that rod doubt i will find another one the reel was an elcheepo so not bothered bout that drat still went on to land another 7 carp around the 6 to 8 lb region and 2 huge things one got to be 25lbs then the big one broke my landing net so wound up kneed deep in the water u8nhooking it half in the net easily 30lb thou huge thing , i will be back there in the morning hoping my rod is recoverable althou it is quite a deep pool in places we will see .

 

[maggot_dangler]

This afternoon's session got off to a bad start: I was halfway around Nottingham's notorious ring road when it dawned on me why there was no rod bag poking me in the ear. My neighbour made a number of amusing comments about my short trip. When I finally got to the lake, with a rod, I wasn't too encouraged to see there was an extra 2' on the level compared to Sunday. It's an irrigation res, and water is pumped out and pumped in. My bait would be sitting close to where I was sitting on Sunday. How would the fish respond?

View attachment 22957

I fed the usual hemp/shredded meat mix and went in with my elastic stopknot float rig and either mussel or punched meat on the hook. Despite rumours to the contrary, I like fishing for decent size carp, but today I couldn't get past the barbel. Since I'm lucky enough to live near a river full of them, I don't expect much sympathy for this problem. Here are the first five fish

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I'd fed a similar amount - maybe a pint of hemp and a cupful of shredded meat - under the trees to my right, and for some reason I'd brought a few slices of white bread. A big piece of flake in this second spot by-passed the barbel (and the bream and the ide) and the next five fish were the ones I was after

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At 5pm the forecast thundery showers arrived, and I packed up and fled.

Yes as i am finding out decent carp on a center pin are good fun fortunately it was not a pin that i lost just a cheap fixed spool job

 

[maggot_dangler]

Well back to the pool again today in the hope my rod had surfaced somewhere the lads are watching for it . could not buy a bite today same as yesterday sweet corn but today was an el-cheepo brand and not the jolly green giant i used yesterday even dropped a piece straight into a carps open mouth ran it round his mouth and phut out it cam dont expect me to eat that junk pal bloke 2 pegs down fishing on the corn but jolly green giant fish after fish lesson learned carp there have standards you know hum oh well some you lose