The Biggest Fish

[marcus ballam]

Just got back from two days at the Royalty.

No Barbel for me (my mate had two to 7.14), though i did catch a 22lb salmon that grabbed me boilie whilst i was reeling in!!! Shame it was a kelt, but, still, it was me first salmon.

Also, the stick float works a treat at the moment. White maggot on the hook, feeding hemp, fish a chuck.

I would recommend the royalty to anyone, its not just about barbels....

 

[alexander laurie]

Marcus,

Are you sure it was a kelt? I've never heard of a kelt this late in the year. On our local rivers kelts have all but gone by May.

Well done anyway, kelt or not. You are right about the Royalty. I've had great days there after the whole range of species.
I've seen bass caught and had some great days after mullet and sea trout, not to mention the wonderful coarse fishing.

Alex

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

My thought exactly.Too late to be last years kelt.Too early to be this years perhaps?Not sure though when the big springers spawn?

 

[marcus ballam]

The fish was a yellow/ bronze colour, the eyes were buggered too...will post a pic when i get em of me mate. No fight in the fish either.

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

If it looks like a kelt,talks like a kelt...!

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Well, here is an extract from last week's Royalty Report
<quote> The Royalty now has grilse throughout all the regular lies and seven fish were seen off the Point alone. The sea trout have also appeared in even greater numbers and catches are now starting to pick up on the Main River. <unquote>

The same report notes 109 Barbel taken in the first 6 weeks of the season.

The Roach, Dace and Perch are active all through the fishery too.

 

[john ledger]

Nice one Marcus
I love a bit of smoked salmon,will send you my address on,couple of quid should sort it you can pay PP

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

Bit big for a grilse Peter though?

I can vouch for the number of small fish in the Royalty after having had a session on the float last month.I even caught a Rudd!

 

[marcus ballam]

So did i!!!!. A bloke lost a massive tench too.

The fish species in there are amazing.

i tried to catch a mullet to get a full set (coarse, game, sea.), not a chance!!!!

 

[Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)]

Marcus, the mullet in there are nigh on uncatchable IMHO.

If you fancy a day after them on Christchurch Harbour wherethey are certainly catchable let me know.Be warned though that everyone who has ever come with me has failed to catch so you might be better off on your own.PM me for advice if you want.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

Nigel, your'e right altogether too big, I only put that extract up for information.

You didn't tell me that you caught a Rudd on the Royalty, what next?

I've had Tench from the Britford stretch that were probably washed in there from the lakes downstream when they flooded, but I've never had one from the Royalty.

Marcus, two things,

1) let us know next time you are down on the Royalty and,

2) Mullet fishing is an oxymoron

 

[marcus ballam]

lol.

i think the next visit will be at the end of october, maybe you can put me on the barbel?

 

[alexander laurie]

Guys,

There are (or certainly used to be)loads of tench in the backwater above the bypass bridge. I've also seen them in the main river.
I used to try for the mullet every summer about 30 years ago. They aren't impossible, but they are bloody hard!
My best went 5lb 4oz and took floating crust intended for chub. I lost a few that day too.
I had plenty of intentional captures of mullet too, from the lower water. I had quite a few from the mouth of the sidestream/drain that runs in just above the rapids. Also did well just below the rapids on the Christchurch bank and from the tail of the island above the telegraph swim. They fight like things possessed, but do drive you nuts though.
I'm looking forward to hopefully fishing the Royalty in October for the first time since around 1979.

p.s. Marcus, I still think your salmon was not a kelt. Sounds like it may have been diseased though. I've seen the same thing happen to summer salmon on the R.Orchy in Argyll. Did it have white patches on it?

 

[marcus ballam]

yes, across its back, only visible in the water though.

 

[alexander laurie]

Marcus,

Sounds like the early tages of UDN (Ulceral Dermal Necrosis, if my memory is correct).
You see a lot of salmon with UDN around spawning time in Autumn and afterwards during the Winter. I used to think of it as a cold water disease, but as I said earlier, I have encountered it in really low water, hot conditions like we have been getting.

Hope you get your Royalty barbel in October.

 

[marcus ballam]

Thanks Alexander.

Is it a disease specific to salmon, or can other salmonoids catch it? (or indded coarse fish?). Should i disenfect my net?

 

[Mark Wintle]

Nigel
I seem to remember that when we went mullet fishing I had one and you....didn't...

The rudd are something to do with a shed-load that somehow got into the tidal Stour about 4 years ago and went exploring.

As for the salmon, I suspect it ran a little way up the river a few weeks ago hence the colouration but the high temperatures caused it to drop back, might explain the infection too.

 

[alexander laurie]

UDN is a migratory fish disease only. I've never seen a brown trout or grayling with it.
As far as I know the virus attacks the fish at sea and the symptoms become apparent in fresh water. There should be no danger of cross infection.

To be on the safe side, however, it may be a good idea to wash your net anyway(I'm sure no-one in your household will object).

I did a wee bit of Googling on salmon diseases and came up with...

"Furunculosis. The furuncles or boils, which are usually fatal, are most likely to appear in wild fish in warmer months when river levels are low".

This sounds as if it may be what I have seen in summer and assumed to be UDN. It sounds the most likely suspect.It seems that this is passed between fish which are cooped up tightly waiting in pools. So yes, I would wash my net if I were you. Normal washing up liquid will do fine.

Nigel,

You are probably right about the salmon being in the river for a while. I seem to remember that the big Royalty salmon are early runners, but I could be wrong.

Alex

 

[marcus ballam]

Thanks Mark and Alex. It was a shame to see such a beautiful fish in such a state. I would have loved to have caught it when it was well.

 

[Chris Bishop]

Still an impressive capture Marcus, well done.