What are your plans on the 16th of june?

[O.C.F.Disorder]

Anyone care to share their plans for the beginning of the open season?

I am currently bed bound for a few months due to slicing a tendon in my leg but I was planning to go down to a little place called Stroud and take advantage of its GREAT (FREE) wild trout fishing! If you haven't tasted fresh trout wrapped in wild garlic YOU HAVE NOT LIVED!!

 

[binka]

I'll be on the river somewhere, probably in the afternoon until dusk.

I won't be too fussed with the barbel to begin with as they're usually slow starters in my neck of the woods and to take account of this I've booked a fortnight holiday a little later in mid July although I would be surprised if I don't encounter one or two on opening day.

Either way I shall be trotting maggots for whatever turns up and that alone will be good enough for me

 

[Alan Tyler]

If the O.P. really has got free, wild trout fishing on his doorstep, would it not be wise to keep shtum and put them back?
Otherwise next season he'll be shoulder-to-shoulder with hoi polloi, with only fingerlings to fish for.

My club rivers will be packed, so if I go (I usually give weekends a miss anyway) it'll probably be to a free stretch - Tidal Thames, or maybe at Walton, or the Gade near Watford.

 

[lambert1]

Trotting maggots for me too. I always seem to start with that one. An anything with fins day! I will have the bonus of a few casters later in the week from my waistcoat due to my unerring ability to misfire with the maggapult and end up covered in them:wh

 

[flightliner]

Two scenarios for me, either a day on a stillwater hoping for a few fish on feeder gear or . If the tides are very low on the Trent, a session on a very shallow stretch stood in my chesties midriver running a stick float downstream hoping for a good net of dace.

 

[103841]

Stalking chub on the Great Stour hopefully.

 

[PH]

I will be making use of a one way ticket back to UK on the 16th, to start my retirement…………..whoopee!

 

[Another Dave]

Despite it being my first chance to get on the river i am actually planning to fish a commie for the first time on the 16th. Meeting my mate tomorrow at the pub to discuss the details.

I might get on the river for the 17th, depends on the Boss.

 

[steve2]

See that the 16th is a Saturday and I never fish weekends so I will be out shopping or gardening. Looking at my diary I can’t see me fishing a river till August but because my local streams are very low and over grown the at the moment possibly winter.

 

[markluker]

Planning for either a day on the Kennett at Sulhamstead or the Thames at Staines.

 

[rich66]

I work all day Saturday so the 16th is out, but I’ve got a week off booked from the 17th so I’ll be back on my club waters.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

I'll be back in France so no plans to fish at all . . . . . .

 

[steve2]

If the river close season goes the 16th will just be another date in the calendar. The looking forward with anticipation of a new season will be gone.

 

[O.C.F.Disorder]

If the O.P. really has got free, wild trout fishing on his doorstep, would it not be wise to keep shtum and put them back?
Otherwise next season he'll be shoulder-to-shoulder with hoi polloi, with only fingerlings to fish for.

I believe in sharing the love! I hate how anglers keep everything secret! I think the main reasons people do this are A) to "stop" poachers. B) selfishness. C) paranoia/stupidity. I think B&C are pretty self explanatory really but I will expand on A.
I am rather new to fishing and I must admit I am fascinated by this whole poaching situation. Most poachers would be legally taking fish if they would just buy a bloody licence. Its so stupid! There are a many that use illegal means of fishing (mainly nets) and steal fish from commercials but these tend to be the poachers that dont get seen/caught. They are clever criminals stealing stuff just as clever criminals always have and should be treated as such. I am a strong believer of "the more people on the banks, less poachers giving thanks" hence me presenting such a beautiful opportunity to you fellas.

As for "fingerlings"... Foraging for food is all about understanding your surroundings and only taking from sustainable sources. E.g only picking one leaf of each plant or only taking a couple of small trout (as opposed to taking one of the older guys).

 

[xenon]

won't be fishing on the 16th, but will wait till the following Monday. Planning to have a go at the Colne on Stanwell Moor, near Staines. Had some good chub last winter, hoping to find some of the barbel reputed to by in that stretch.

 

[Another Dave]

I believe in sharing the love! I hate how anglers keep everything secret! I think the main reasons people do this are A) to "stop" poachers. B) selfishness. C) paranoia/stupidity. I think B&C are pretty self explanatory really but I will expand on A.
I am rather new to fishing and I must admit I am fascinated by this whole poaching situation. Most poachers would be legally taking fish if they would just buy a bloody licence. Its so stupid! There are a many that use illegal means of fishing (mainly nets) and steal fish from commercials but these tend to be the poachers that dont get seen/caught. They are clever criminals stealing stuff just as clever criminals always have and should be treated as such. I am a strong believer of "the more people on the banks, less poachers giving thanks" hence me presenting such a beautiful opportunity to you fellas.

As for "fingerlings"... Foraging for food is all about understanding your surroundings and only taking from sustainable sources. E.g only picking one leaf of each plant or only taking a couple of small trout (as opposed to taking one of the older guys).

There's a handful of brownies in my local stretch. Bear in mind i only restarted fishing last summer but i used to fish the same stretch and i never heard of trout. The smallest i've seen is about 10oz, the largest 2lb - i caught that fish twice last July and saw another (decent) angler catch it in October. That says to me there is a very low number of trout and you go half a mile downstream and the river isn't suitable.

Bumped into another decent angler in the winter and his theory was that the EA stock a few trout as a kind of 'canary in the mine'. The theory being that if the trout start floating belly up then they know there's a problem. I don't know if this is right but i have never seen a fish smaller than 10oz which does suggest that they don't form a breeding population. It's certainly worth further study.

When i wandered down with some bread in the week i saw 2 europeans cheerily walking my stretch with tackled up rods. I'm not too fussed because their setups looked a bit noddy but yes i did feel a bit selfish and paranoid.

For the record i know lots of europeans and on the whole they are a great bunch of lads, the young guys in particular are better behaved than their english counterparts in my experience, so i have no political axe to grind here.

 

[john step]

I won't be on a river on the 16th as its a weekend. The week after that all depends on the weather. I have a feeling it might be some river tenching. This will require my weed drag and a pole with strong elastic.

 

[Alan Tyler]

I believe in sharing the love! I hate how anglers keep everything secret! I think the main reasons people do this are A) to "stop" poachers. B) selfishness. C) paranoia/stupidity. I think B&C are pretty self explanatory really but I will expand on A.
I am rather new to fishing and I must admit I am fascinated by this whole poaching situation. Most poachers would be legally taking fish if they would just buy a bloody licence. Its so stupid! There are a many that use illegal means of fishing (mainly nets) and steal fish from commercials but these tend to be the poachers that dont get seen/caught. They are clever criminals stealing stuff just as clever criminals always have and should be treated as such. I am a strong believer of "the more people on the banks, less poachers giving thanks" hence me presenting such a beautiful opportunity to you fellas.

As for "fingerlings"... Foraging for food is all about understanding your surroundings and only taking from sustainable sources. E.g only picking one leaf of each plant or only taking a couple of small trout (as opposed to taking one of the older guys).

I admire your optimism, but common sense is now so rare as to be re-badged as a superpower.
I really hope it goes your way; I see some urban fly-fishers have already made it public. Do keep us posted, please.

I must also confess to being puzzled why you'd wait until the 16th; if you're fly-fishing , surely the season's already open?

 

[Tee-Cee]

In my neck of the woods I will probably have a quick look at weed filled (likely as not) low water rivers and head for a still water until conditions improve. I might just float a crust or two down a glide for some very large Loddon chub on one or two evenings, though..

Good luck to all who fish rivers on the 16th!! It's been a long wait..................

 

[GT56]

I fully intend to be on the Trent and I've given three of my favourite pegs a real close cut with a strimmer during a work party today but the weather and river levels will all play a big part in the final decision.
I can report the river was running slightly high with some colour but looked splendid. close season my ar$e.