How did you get on?

[chub_chaser]

Difficult to say without knowing how big a chap you are but from the photographs I would say around 3 lbs, nice fish though.

True, another angler on the bank said 3, 3 an half so you're most likely correct.
Thanks man, its a pb either way. Ordering some digital scales later so I guess I'll have to recatch it

 

[Pete Shears]

After scraping frost off the car windows and sitting in the morning rush hour,was I glad to get to the upper Soar near Narborough this morning.
A nice stroll across the fields in brilliant sunshine,the river up about 8" and nicely coloured not very low and clear as on the last visit.
Settled down on a flattened reed bed and trotted a float with bread flake around a bend - not a tremor of a bite so over to the cage feeder and quivertip.
Second cast into a back eddy and the quiver bent round and lifting into the fish,it shot out of the water like a tarpon clearing nearly three feet straight up - a brown trout of 1lb 12oz followed by another of 10oz - no more bites so walk upstream to a spot which has produced chub in the past.
Quivertip,light cage feeder and flake cast upstream,several strikes at fresh air with the feeder empty but flake still on the hook.
Next bite a drop back,struck and a chub of 1lb 8oz,recasting produced another chub at 1lb 14oz then the bites dried up.
Tried two more spots before ambling back to the car,stopping only to phone a mate who is still recovering from norovirus and couldn't make it - brown rain he called it.

 

[john step]

I am beginning to dislike January. Another blank. The Lower Trent this time for zander. Everything looked good with levels and flow. However there was a distinct lack of life in the river. Normally at dusk at this spot there is silver fish topping activity.
Yesterday, nothing.
Roll on Spring.

 

[skov]

I stopped by the river briefly this morning to see what sort of shape it was in.
Didn't have time to wet a line, but did spot a fish or two while I was there:

(Check out the black shadows along the bank)

 

[mikench]

Made it to my current favourite venue at about 11.15 having had to take my wife for physio. There were around 10 other anglers there but it was cold and grey and dark!

I had a few knocks and quite a few drop backs all of which I missed. By 3.30 I was ready to accept a blank and go home. I was frozen despite multie layers, hand warmers and thermal socks. I then caught my first roach of about 12 oz . 4 more followed of similar size if not bigger! I ended up with a small perch to finish off. All were caught on maggots!

Only 3 people caught all day so I was obviously doing something right if only displaying patience.

 

[binka]

It was good to get out today for the first time in a week but boy was it cold!

Despite arriving in the early morning darkness everywhere looked quite light due to the hard frost that was covering everything, a bit of freezing fog was hanging around and the air temperature was one degree!

Suffice to say it took a couple of hours of light but regular feeding before I got my first bite around two thirds of the way down a deep and steady run and it turned out to be a chublet which had snaffled the single maggot on a size 20 to 0.09 bottom.

At least the blank had been avoided.

I had a couple of other options to explore if need be but I kept to the same plan for the remainder of the day and added another five fish, all decent ones too…



I really wanted to flog it for the final thirty minutes of fading light but over eight hours of bitter cold was beginning to tell on me and so I called it a day.

A very pleasant one at that… :w

 

[103841]

^^^^^^^^ that is one poncy posy photo.



Love it.

 

[chevin1]

Binka, are those floats homemade or are they repainted shop bought ones; I really like the orange to black contrast. Don't know how you use them, should be hung and framed in the man cave.

 

[jon atkinson]

First post for what feels like an eternity (although I've enjoyed all your accounts & have been liking away feverishly in the background!). In truth, although I've been getting out regularly & catching plenty, I've had a feeling of going backwards for the last 12 months or so in terms of quality of fish caught A couple of PBs but nothing to get really excited about; a roach just over a pound and an eel going on 2lb were the 'high' points of 2016

- an enjoyable yet frustrating year in equal measure. So, on to bigger & better things in 2017; I don't really do New Year's resolutions, bar the unwritten rule about avoiding blanks, so having got that particular 'monkey off my back' on only my second trip out of the year at a mostly frozen over Leg o' Mutton Dam (St Helens AA) I headed off to Brookfield Fishery in Aughton last Sunday knowing that I'd most likely have the place to myself (misanthropic? moi?). The forecast was pretty much bob on, so obviously I got wet :wh. The drizzle was interspersed with the occasional sunny spell and there was plenty of birdlife to keep me entertained. I even clocked a stoat bounding up the steps of one of the adjacent swims.

I fished the far end peg into 8' of water using twin caster on the feeder to my right and then proceeded to get into a right mess with the waggler aiming for straight out in front; tangles, knots in the line Etc. Then having finally got through all of that I was just fine tuning my shotting when something took my bare hook and took off. I was on a 3.6 hook length so played it carefully for about 3 minutes and then PING! My terminal tackle flew out of the water & lodged firmly in an overhanging bush to my left & wasn't budging Had it not been winter & more significantly 8' deep I might have contemplated a rescue but as it was all I could do was pull for a break & hope for the best.

In the meantime I had a wobble on the quiver which resulted in a roach of 5 - 6 oz. I recast & then set about redoing my waggler rig. A couple of minutes later and the tip went again. This felt a better fish and indeed it was; rather anaemic looking for a roach but at 2lb 1, pretty much double last years PB I'll take that all day long! [tried to put a picture in but got a message about a 'security token was missing'?]

EDIT: Simon kindly offered to post a picture of the roach & it transpires that it was a hybrid. Still a nice fish but I preferred my version when it was a roach!

That was as good as the day got, with a string of small roach & skimmer on the waggler but nothing of note thereafter.

Going on my first river trip of the year tomorrow; our local river north of Liverpool is the Alt... and this will be the first time I've fished it! I've always had something of a mental block based on its former condition in my youth when it was pretty much an open sewer! I'm reliably informed that it is worth a go - I'll know for sure this time tomorrow...

 

[Tee-Cee]

Very nice report Jon Atkinson, and an even better roach.....

Great stuff!

 

[binka]

Binka, are those floats homemade or are they repainted shop bought ones; I really like the orange to black contrast. Don't know how you use them, should be hung and framed in the man cave.

Neither chevin, they're Dave Harrell sticks in the standard form that they come in.

The orange tips that is, the black I had to black out myself and I use them more often than the orange as I fish a wide river with little far bank reflection on the water hence having two identical sets bar the tip colours

A couple of minutes later and the tip went again. This felt a better fish and indeed it was; rather anaemic looking for a roach but at 2lb 1, pretty much double last years PB I'll take that all day long!

Brilliant!

What a fish Jon, well done fella

 

[davebhoy]

2 days on the Bristol Avon at lacock. Absolutely nothing on the stick, a few small chub and roach on the maggot feeder on Thursday, a 3lb chub on Friday. Baltic cold but the aldi socks, snood, gloves and bib and brace did the job, absolutely stunning sunset yesterday

 

[chevin1]

Neither chevin, they're Dave Harrell sticks in the standard form that they come in.

The orange tips that is, the black I had to black out myself and I use them more often than the orange as I fish a wide river with little far bank reflection on the water hence having two identical sets bar the tip colours

Wish you'd have said home made, now I've got to buy something else.

 

[john step]

^^^^^^^^ that is one poncy posy photo.



Love it.

He doesn't use them. They are just for a prop

Actually I realise you do use them Binka, just jealous of the ordered neatness. You should see my float box, sorry I meant mini builders skip!!

 

[mikench]

Cracking fish,kit and photo Steve! My hands were so cold I dispensed with photos on my phone! Must try harder



I did take one before I had frostbite!!!!

 

[mikench]

Well written Jon! I doubt I would recognise a hybrid ( roach bream I guess) but who knows! I am always grateful when I catch a roach and feel the need to use my landing net; always a good sign! I am now catching bigger and better fish but have no idea why.

 

[jon atkinson]

First river trip of the year today - the Alt at Formby is no more than 10 minutes from my house but this is the first time I've fished it! It's not a big river, less than 20 miles from source to mouth & where I fished would be no more than a mile from the Irish sea, but isn't tidal. I had a quick chat with John at Neptune Angling yesterday who advised that it hasn't been fishing well with the level up a bit but that roach, dace, perch & the occasional chublet could be on the cards.

My main reservation about the Alt is access; there are very few accessible swims to a clumsy ****** like me [I lost an acoustic nerve during an op years ago & my balance has been all over the shop ever since]. However, after a quick recce I found a couple of swims that I could get to without too much risk of a dip so grabbed my gear & set to.

I've not really ever trotted before, but as I'm heading north in pursuit of grayling next Sunday I wanted to get a little practice in. I fished very light tripping bottom in about 60cm. Red maggot, white maggot, caster... not a sniff, moved swim, again nada - no sign of fishy activity what-so-ever. Moved again to a rather more muddy / slippery swim right on a confluence.. zip. After about 3 1/2 hours I decided that enough was enough. Hopefully next week on the Ure will be more fruitful :wh

 

[theartist]

First river trip of the year today - the Alt at Formby is no more than 10 minutes from my house but this is the first time I've fished it! It's not a big river, less than 20 miles from source to mouth & where I fished would be no more than a mile from the Irish sea, but isn't tidal. I had a quick chat with John at Neptune Angling yesterday who advised that it hasn't been fishing well with the level up a bit but that roach, dace, perch & the occasional chublet could be on the cards.

My main reservation about the Alt is access; there are very few accessible swims to a clumsy ****** like me [I lost an acoustic nerve during an op years ago & my balance has been all over the shop ever since]. However, after a quick recce I found a couple of swims that I could get to without to much risk of a dip so grabbed my gear & set to.

I've not really ever trotted before, but as I'm heading north in pursuit of grayling next Sunday I wanted to get a little practice in. I fished very light tripping bottom in about 60cm. Red maggot, white maggot, caster... not a sniff, moved swim, again nada - no sign of fishy activity what-so-ever. Moved again to a rather more muddy / slippery swim right on a confluence.. zip. After about 3 1/2 hours I decided that enough was enough. Hopefully next week on the Ure will be more fruitful :wh

If youre using that river as a test and the results are poor then it's just a case of Control Alt Delete :wh

Sorry just couldn't resist that one

 

[peter crabtree]

Yesterday I was hoping for a slightly milder day today which turned out to be just as cold as the last 6 days. By 3pm this afternoon I was itching to get out on the banks of the Colne so I drove down and did a recce just to see how the river looked. I walked down to my target swim and found it very low and clear in the margins but coloured out in the main flow. It was that dark almost sooty colour which is normal for this month, run off from salty gritted roads and motorways...
As the light faded I lingered on the bank trying to imagine myself fishing, sat there in the gloom at this most likely time for a bite was so chilly my hands and feet began to go slightly numb. At this point I decided wet hands would be numb within minutes and all thoughts of fishing quickly turned to getting back on my sofa pronto...
The SE has been really bitter for the past week and much colder than some of our Northern counties for a change...

Still some interesting reports filling the pages on here despite the conditions,
Keep them coming folks.....

 

[maggot_dangler]

It was good to get out today for the first time in a week but boy was it cold!

Despite arriving in the early morning darkness everywhere looked quite light due to the hard frost that was covering everything, a bit of freezing fog was hanging around and the air temperature was one degree!

Suffice to say it took a couple of hours of light but regular feeding before I got my first bite around two thirds of the way down a deep and steady run and it turned out to be a chublet which had snaffled the single maggot on a size 20 to 0.09 bottom.

At least the blank had been avoided.

I had a couple of other options to explore if need be but I kept to the same plan for the remainder of the day and added another five fish, all decent ones too…



I really wanted to flog it for the final thirty minutes of fading light but over eight hours of bitter cold was beginning to tell on me and so I called it a day.

A very pleasant one at that… :w

That is one spiffing float box there Binka make my bits of plastic tube look very sad mg:.

PG ...