Alan Whitty
Well-known member
Look nice.
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
Islandbear
Well-known member
Thank you all on float.Look nice.
Steve Arnold
Well-known member
I managed a few hours at the river this afternoon. The Lot has finally dropped a little and I could fish this magical little private haven for the first time in months.
The fish were not exactly obliging, but I scraped out a couple of little barbel.
The fish were not exactly obliging, but I scraped out a couple of little barbel.
Tench fishing dawn. Mist rising off the water at 5am..... Probably, but I didn't get up til 8.30 and waited til late afternoon to drive out to the tench pit. It's a late starter some years and this year has been cold and wet. It was looking pretty, but there was nobody else there and there was 18" of water where I'd usually put my box so I sat with water up to the top of my wellies
The hordes of small to medium tench live in the masses of soft weed that grows in the 6' margins. I plumbed around without picking up a single bit, and it looked like they'd still be out in the deep water. You can catch them on a small groundbait feeder when it's like this, and I'd brought a bomb rod, but I wanted to float fish so I settled for trying to catch one or two 2.5 rods out.
After half an hour of dripping in bait and twitching the bait around the first little tench of the year was welcome
Between 5 and 6pm, they switched on and another 15 or so of this stamp resulted
But just as quickly they stopped feeding and I couldn't tempt another for the next half hour. I decided I'd wrap up and go and watch the football. A bloke who stopped to chat said he'd fished here on Friday with a friend and neither had caught a tench, so it's clearly just starting to warm up.
Water bird life was in full swing, with mallards, moorhens and grebes busy and bird song ringing around the pit. The five young coots getting fed next to me were at the stage where, in the bright sun, their heads looked on fire, like little punks. At one point a ferocious bleating broke out behind me. It was a girl with a pet sheep on a lead. She told me the breed, but I've forgotten
The hordes of small to medium tench live in the masses of soft weed that grows in the 6' margins. I plumbed around without picking up a single bit, and it looked like they'd still be out in the deep water. You can catch them on a small groundbait feeder when it's like this, and I'd brought a bomb rod, but I wanted to float fish so I settled for trying to catch one or two 2.5 rods out.
After half an hour of dripping in bait and twitching the bait around the first little tench of the year was welcome
Between 5 and 6pm, they switched on and another 15 or so of this stamp resulted
But just as quickly they stopped feeding and I couldn't tempt another for the next half hour. I decided I'd wrap up and go and watch the football. A bloke who stopped to chat said he'd fished here on Friday with a friend and neither had caught a tench, so it's clearly just starting to warm up.
Water bird life was in full swing, with mallards, moorhens and grebes busy and bird song ringing around the pit. The five young coots getting fed next to me were at the stage where, in the bright sun, their heads looked on fire, like little punks. At one point a ferocious bleating broke out behind me. It was a girl with a pet sheep on a lead. She told me the breed, but I've forgotten
jon atkinson
Well-known member
Nice looking reel Ray - it reminds me of the Biomaster to look at but in a different (nicer) colour scheme!
jon atkinson
Well-known member
Lovely Tench Keith but those look like Brown goldfish to me, but Mark Wintle will give you a definitive answer. One of our ponds is fairly stuffed with them and they are extremely popular with the majority of the membership, self included!The first Tinca I’ve had for a long time as they’ve been fairly absent since the pollution incident in the estate lake that I usually fish; which happened a few years ago.
Only a couple of pounds (not weighed) but a great result never the less.
Caught while testing out my new Drennan X-Tension Specialist float rod with a light waggler.
I also had a few Small Crucians plus quite a few hand sized Roach and Rudd, but this Tench was the icing on the cake as Tench are my favourite species regardless of their size.
Keith
mikench
Well-known member
Gordon and I met up at the same venue as last week in warm sunshine and flat calm conditions. The Float police checked my gear and once satisfied I was going to float fish , we set up our 15’ rods. Gordon had his Cadence and I brought the Map Parabolix black edition.
we know the forecast was for rain from midday onwards and it was bang on. We carried on regardless and into the afternoon despite the rain. It was obvious that the carp had other things on their mind and this was ratified by a casual chat to a couple of anglers on the other lakes. I didn’t blank and had 10 fish . Apart from a tiny perch the rest were respectable roach and Rudd. Gordon had 20 which included a couple of ide and a few hybrids. We packed up during a lull in the rain having thoroughly enjoyed the day. I am most impressed with the Map rod. It’s light with a lovely action and casting a float 40 yards or so accurately was effortless. Note to self, use it more often. Cheers Gordon and thanks for your company. We both missed a good few being restricted on the strike under our brollies. At least we could pack up in dry conditions.
we know the forecast was for rain from midday onwards and it was bang on. We carried on regardless and into the afternoon despite the rain. It was obvious that the carp had other things on their mind and this was ratified by a casual chat to a couple of anglers on the other lakes. I didn’t blank and had 10 fish . Apart from a tiny perch the rest were respectable roach and Rudd. Gordon had 20 which included a couple of ide and a few hybrids. We packed up during a lull in the rain having thoroughly enjoyed the day. I am most impressed with the Map rod. It’s light with a lovely action and casting a float 40 yards or so accurately was effortless. Note to self, use it more often. Cheers Gordon and thanks for your company. We both missed a good few being restricted on the strike under our brollies. At least we could pack up in dry conditions.
Keith M
Well-known member
Jon you must have just returned from your weekly wine tasting night as I only showed the picture of the Tench in my post
Keith
Ray Roberts
Well-known member
I think the photos are of Alan’s fish. They look like brown goldfish to me too.Jon you must have just returned from your weekly wine tasting night as I only showed the picture of the Tench in my post
Keith
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
They may well be if scientifically tested Ray, but the scale counts all fall into crucian 32-34 along the lateral line, I check every goodun, its a minefield and no mistake....
@Clive
Well-known member
It is Alan. Even the books on fish species identification confuse the matter and there are fish in Sweden that have been confirmed as crucians using dna that have the more pointed snout. Also, none of the earliest books and manuscripts concerning fishing, fish keeping for food and cooking mention crucians. And all the illustrations of carp are of common carp, not crucians.
They are not mentioned until the 18th century.
They are not mentioned until the 18th century.
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
I went yesterday morning to the club lake where these crucian things are, arriving at 9.50am, started raining as I walked to the swim, so quickly setting the gear up under the brolly and prepping expanders, micros etc I started fishing around 10.45(I hate setting up in the rain), fishing punched meat, I am a bit worried, I'm thinking I might have Scottish or Yorkshire blood in my veins as I've made this tin of meat last five or six sessions, anyway, the crucians were very cagey indeed and although I ended with eight of them I caught half of them in the last half hour (packed at 4.30pm), no bigguns, best around 1lb 8ozs, but the strange thing was I ended up with 15 tench, all but two being 12ozs-1lbish, best being around 3lbs and 3lbs 8ozs, plus one skimmer... a pleasantly challenging day, I will be moving off of this venue soon to try the new deep lake, a new adventure looms....
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Keith M
Well-known member
Where’s the new deep lake Alan, is it a ‘new’ VAC water that I don’t know about?
Keith
Keith
Alan Whitty
Well-known member
No Keith, I've joint a club I haven't been a member of for 35-40 years and I only fished it once then, things have changed on the water for the better in that time...
Islandbear
Well-known member
Well lovely day bankside. Sadly no Tench today, but 12 Bream and a lil Perch. Just getting outside, catching or not, just cant beat it.
@Clive
Well-known member
Had a day on one of the big lakes.
Or rather, one corner of one of the big lakes. This is one of the first places I fished after coming to France in 2012. Until last year I only fished it using sweetcorn, but in the last 12 months I have used red maggots more as they produce more bites. One of the features of the swim that I usually fish is that the roach are always right on the edge of my float casting range. In my case by the time I have submerged the mainline that is about 20 to 25 yards dependent on conditions. I can usually catapult maggots and sweetcorn that far and am fairly accurate with groundbait at that range. There were nightingales and orioles calling and they were accompanied by the sweeter sound of a Mitchell 440A Match at full chat.
I started with a home made 4SSG waggler, sliding at about 9 feet deep. The initial rig was set up to catch roach on the drop. As the contrary wind grew stronger the rig was adjusted to avoid tangles and latterly to avoid bream. Bait was double red maggot on a 16 to 2lb hook link.
I started catching from the off and was joined by a French chap who had seen my car and come for a nosey. He was delighted to see that I was fishing 'Anglais' as he wanted to learn the method. I had to explain the set up and the baiting method whilst reeling in roach after roach. The wind was all over the place and at times I struggled to see the float. Bites were very tentative until I changed from double to treble red maggots when they were easier to see. Nothing took sweetcorn.
Eventually the roach became scarcer and bream more common. I changed the rig and reduced the depth to no avail.
One notable fish was a dace! The lake is fed by a tiny stream so presumably the dace came from there some time during the last 30 odd years. The net was only used twice, both times on roach / bream hybrids.
I got rained on three times despite the forecast and had to sit it out under my brolly waiting for it to end so I could pack up.
Or rather, one corner of one of the big lakes. This is one of the first places I fished after coming to France in 2012. Until last year I only fished it using sweetcorn, but in the last 12 months I have used red maggots more as they produce more bites. One of the features of the swim that I usually fish is that the roach are always right on the edge of my float casting range. In my case by the time I have submerged the mainline that is about 20 to 25 yards dependent on conditions. I can usually catapult maggots and sweetcorn that far and am fairly accurate with groundbait at that range. There were nightingales and orioles calling and they were accompanied by the sweeter sound of a Mitchell 440A Match at full chat.
I started with a home made 4SSG waggler, sliding at about 9 feet deep. The initial rig was set up to catch roach on the drop. As the contrary wind grew stronger the rig was adjusted to avoid tangles and latterly to avoid bream. Bait was double red maggot on a 16 to 2lb hook link.
I started catching from the off and was joined by a French chap who had seen my car and come for a nosey. He was delighted to see that I was fishing 'Anglais' as he wanted to learn the method. I had to explain the set up and the baiting method whilst reeling in roach after roach. The wind was all over the place and at times I struggled to see the float. Bites were very tentative until I changed from double to treble red maggots when they were easier to see. Nothing took sweetcorn.
Eventually the roach became scarcer and bream more common. I changed the rig and reduced the depth to no avail.
One notable fish was a dace! The lake is fed by a tiny stream so presumably the dace came from there some time during the last 30 odd years. The net was only used twice, both times on roach / bream hybrids.
I got rained on three times despite the forecast and had to sit it out under my brolly waiting for it to end so I could pack up.
S-Kippy
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Down at Bury Hill in the fog this morning….a beautiful still day but I am so out of practice I really ought to have done better than I did. I overdid the 2mm micros which are great to get them started but if they get preoccupied then the bites are a nightmare to hit.
Anyway….I did get a few fish on 4mm expanders, I tried maggot but got bitted out and should have tried corn but was too lazy. I packed early because my hernia does not get on with seat boxes and poles and once the sun got on the water the decent fish retreated to the lily beds. I ended up with a dozen nice crucian to about 1-8 and 3 tench 2 of which were good uns for there
I’ve not missed the M25 at all…..2 hours to get home. I’ll never tire of catching fish like these
Anyway….I did get a few fish on 4mm expanders, I tried maggot but got bitted out and should have tried corn but was too lazy. I packed early because my hernia does not get on with seat boxes and poles and once the sun got on the water the decent fish retreated to the lily beds. I ended up with a dozen nice crucian to about 1-8 and 3 tench 2 of which were good uns for there
I’ve not missed the M25 at all…..2 hours to get home. I’ll never tire of catching fish like these
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First time on the disused canal since last May. I only had 3 hours or so to play with, and it's only 5 mins away, as opposed to 50 mins to the tench pit. It was bursting with greenery and the lilies were growing.
Usually I set up to fish shallow for bites from anything on maggot and fish the bottom for the bigger species on corn or pellet, but this afternoon I just set up one topkit. When we first imported poles from France they tried to sell us their perfidious wire-tipped pole floats. As tricky to shot as you can imagine, so we responded by inventing the great British dibber - a little flat topped float that could fish casters overdepth on the cut and not drag under. Little versions are also perfect for fishing shallow and I'm as pleased with my home-made creations - this one takes 3 no 12 shot - as the blokes who paint bird feathers and miniature pics of the Taj Mahal on theirs.
A few maggots fed 9m out soon had fish swirling around and fishing between 12" and 18" deep, I had a bite every put in for the next 3 hours. With the exception of a handful of little perch, one roach and a skimmer, every fish was an ide of this kind of size
While I was fishing I dripped maggots in at the side of my keepnet. Every now and then big perch chased the little perch that were taking them and I dropped in to see if I could hook one, but it didn't happen. At the end of 3 hours I was still getting bites as quickly as when I started so heaven knows how many ide were in the shoal. Whatever I go for next time out, it won't be little ide. But when you haven't fished much lately it's great to get loads of bites.
Usually I set up to fish shallow for bites from anything on maggot and fish the bottom for the bigger species on corn or pellet, but this afternoon I just set up one topkit. When we first imported poles from France they tried to sell us their perfidious wire-tipped pole floats. As tricky to shot as you can imagine, so we responded by inventing the great British dibber - a little flat topped float that could fish casters overdepth on the cut and not drag under. Little versions are also perfect for fishing shallow and I'm as pleased with my home-made creations - this one takes 3 no 12 shot - as the blokes who paint bird feathers and miniature pics of the Taj Mahal on theirs.
A few maggots fed 9m out soon had fish swirling around and fishing between 12" and 18" deep, I had a bite every put in for the next 3 hours. With the exception of a handful of little perch, one roach and a skimmer, every fish was an ide of this kind of size
While I was fishing I dripped maggots in at the side of my keepnet. Every now and then big perch chased the little perch that were taking them and I dropped in to see if I could hook one, but it didn't happen. At the end of 3 hours I was still getting bites as quickly as when I started so heaven knows how many ide were in the shoal. Whatever I go for next time out, it won't be little ide. But when you haven't fished much lately it's great to get loads of bites.
Ray Roberts
Well-known member
Can you still fish Milton on a day ticket Skip? I had some nice roach out of there, I just had a look back at some photos and was shocked to find that it was ten years ago. The best one was 1lb 12oz. Like most people I mainly fished it for crucians.
S-Kippy
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Its members only at BH now Ray…..but in addition to the membership cost ( £20 for Old Boys like me) you have to buy a day ticket (£12) and pay in advance. It’s all online now
Frankly, it’s a bit of a con but it’s such a lovely place I can’t not fish it.
Frankly, it’s a bit of a con but it’s such a lovely place I can’t not fish it.