How did you get on?

[thames mudlarker]

And so it goes on.....The Comedy of Errors that is my annus ( or ****) horribilis.

Bury Hill for a zander today. I should have smelt a rat when I flew round the M25 without the slightest hint of a jam. Quelle Horreur ! It's Wednesday you Muppet and the pole gnomes are out in force again. Howl , howl and howl again. So... its the trans Himalayan trek for you again Skippy my boy. Arrived at chosen spot which is just about as far from where I wanted to be as is possible.

Howl ! I thought that chair looked a bit odd. It's the little river chair not the zander recliner. Once set up the rod butts are roughly level with my hat ! No fun sitting with your knees round your earholes. Right..... time for a cuppa.

Howl and double howl ! Forgot the milk !mg:

Come on....It's warm, cloudy and there's a blow on. It's got to fish.

At 4-15 I had a beep beep 2 inch lift and that was the only indication I had . I didn't even bother waiting for the 10 to 8 mugfish as by then I think I had more chance of catching a newt than a zander.

That's 4 trips for 1 fish......Phil's average is slightly better at 3 trips for 1 fish.

Should have gone crucian fishing !

Oh... and naturally it rained and equally naturally I didn't take an umbrella or coat .

I think you should of gone Crucian fishing aswell to be honest but hey ho nothermind Skip, always another day.

Last time I fish bury hill blimey must of been somewhere in the region of 28 years ago when I lived back in Croydon

Done 9 zander sessions there, yea I caught alright, all blimmin pike and 2 zander in fairness I think is why I never bothered going back for Zander, I just stuck with the Crucians

 

[S-Kippy]

I'm not sure there will be another day. For reasons I cannot work out it's just not fished this year and there's only so many blanks that I can put up with.

And I am utterly fed up with getting wet when no rain is forecast.

 

[peterjg]

Re Skippy's post, I too am having an Annus Horribilis. Since Xmas I have been really struggling with my roach fishing. From the Kennet I have had a few chub and bream by accident, I have tried different areas, fast, slow and snaggy swims but have been unable to locate the roach.

Yesterday, for a change, I fished a club lake, arriving before dawn. I set up two rods, not a bite in the clear water. About 11am two bailiffs turned up and said I was wasting my time and that there was a match on Sunday and no one had had a bite! So I packed up and moved to a slightly coloured stretch of the Basingstoke canal. Caught two small roach and two snotties of about 3lbs each. However; I did see five carp, one of which probably weighed 25 plus cruise under my rod tip.

The Kennet has been running fast and clear, I think that the roach are only feeding at night at the moment. Is there anything I can do to stimulate the roach to feed in daylight at present?

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Hi Peter.

I don't know if you are a member of Wasing but an area that I always found roach and dace was fishing the canal and river section just above the wooden bridge downstream from the pub (can't think of the name) I fished from the other bank. British Airways then. Also the gravel run immediately below it. This was only a couple of years ago.
Very good perch also. And chub.

Also they would sometimes show just above the weir at Lower Benyons.

 

[tigger]

I think you should of gone Crucian fishing aswell to be honest.
I just stuck with the Crucians

Yeah, deffo stick with the crucians, there's so many of 'em around these days, i'm fed up with 'em they're becoming a proper nuisance fish, especially the 3lbers .

 

[peterjg]

Graham: thanks for your reply. Yes, I am a member of Wasing and RDAA and three other clubs, I will try the spots you mention. I was doing really well up to Xmas catching up to 40 roach in a day, some of which were gooduns, but have struggled since. I think that in the now very clear water that the roach are hiding during the day and just feeding at night? Thanks again.

 

[Tee-Cee]

This is not to talk about fish caught yesterday, but more to inform those (who live in southern climes - sort of M4 area) and consider such facts as pertinent, that the water temperature at two still waters I frequent has risen from 44 degrees to 48,5 degrees in something less than a week......
The figure is correct regardless of depth (2' or 20') and to my mind a change that could bring large roach into feeding mode (if past experiences are anything to go by) but such thoughts can only be justified if said large roach ( or one on any size) end up gliding over the rim of the net.

I made it quite clear that this report was not about fish caught, so nobody can be disappointed in that regard................

ps What is more galling is the fact that diaries for '15 and '16 seasons had me catching good fish up to 1lb+ in a bag sometimes reaching 20 fish in mid Feb. Not every session I admit, but I WAS catching!!! The silliness around the 'settled weather' theory means nowt - IMHO!


Grrrrrrrrrr...

 

[thames mudlarker]

Re Skippy's post, I too am having an Annus Horribilis. Since Xmas I have been really struggling with my roach fishing. From the Kennet I have had a few chub and bream by accident, I have tried different areas, fast, slow and snaggy swims but have been unable to locate the roach.

Yesterday, for a change, I fished a club lake, arriving before dawn. I set up two rods, not a bite in the clear water. About 11am two bailiffs turned up and said I was wasting my time and that there was a match on Sunday and no one had had a bite! So I packed up and moved to a slightly coloured stretch of the Basingstoke canal. Caught two small roach and two snotties of about 3lbs each. However; I did see five carp, one of which probably weighed 25 plus cruise under my rod tip.

The Kennet has been running fast and clear, I think that the roach are only feeding at night at the moment. Is there anything I can do to stimulate the roach to feed in daylight at present?

Of late the Kennet has been rather difficult to locate any decent roach or any roach for that matter, has become a bit like the Avon in places

All I can surgest is to travel light and just keep on the move roving in between swims light ledgering with bread, I personally like to use popped up flake or crust, for every swim you fish introduce just a nugget of mashed bread but not two much, just basically a taster

It's hard going but probably got more chance in finding a few roach by roving as you'll be covering a lot of water,

I can easily cover 2 miles in one day

 

[peterjg]

Thames Mudlarker: thanks for your post - I'll just have to try harder!

 

[thames mudlarker]

yeah, deffo stick with the crucians, there's so many of 'em around these days, i'm fed up with 'em they're becoming a proper nuisance fish, especially the 3lbers :d.

Funny PMSL......

---------- Post added at 19:08 ---------- Previous post was at 18:55 ----------

Graham: thanks for your reply. Yes, I am a member of Wasing and RDAA and three other clubs, I will try the spots you mention. I was doing really well up to Xmas catching up to 40 roach in a day, some of which were gooduns, but have struggled since. I think that in the now very clear water that the roach are hiding during the day and just feeding at night? Thanks again.

Hi Peter,

Surprised that you couldn't find any roach on the Wasing syndicate as I remember fishing there a few years back and were some cracking roach to be found along some of the beats but I suppose times change

Incidentally mate on the RDAA you've got that small 600 odd yard stretch of the Kennet at the end of fisherman's lane, Aldermaston,

The river here as you may no is quite deep and doesn't get fished that much because it is a bit of a walk and only enough spaces for a couple of cars but may be worth the effort :thumbs:

 

[peterjg]

Thames Mudlarker: thanks for your reply. I was doing really well on the bits of the Kennet I fish. Since Xmas though the roach have turned right off; this is due to the very unusual low temperatures we have had (water temperatures down to 36F at times) and it seems less rain this winter (here anyway). Low water temperatures and clear water equals no roach - and that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!!

I sometimes think that my enthusiasm for roach gets the better of me and that I should fish for chub - no that's too easy!

The roach, as per usual, have shoaled up somewhere or are feeding at night. Quite often I am fishing before light and staying on for a while after dark without success (yet?). At least now things are warming up!

 

[thames mudlarker]

Thames Mudlarker: thanks for your reply. I was doing really well on the bits of the Kennet I fish. Since Xmas though the roach have turned right off; this is due to the very unusual low temperatures we have had (water temperatures down to 36F at times) and it seems less rain this winter (here anyway). Low water temperatures and clear water equals no roach - and that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!!

I sometimes think that my enthusiasm for roach gets the better of me and that I should fish for chub - no that's too easy!

The roach, as per usual, have shoaled up somewhere or are feeding at night. Quite often I am fishing before light and staying on for a while after dark without success (yet?). At least now things are warming up!

Like the efforts that yer putting in Pete, sounds a bit like me not giving up easily

I've got the same scenario here on a little local chalk stream, brilliant during the summer and autumn but come winter they just virtually become near enough impossible to track down and locate, for over a 1/4 mile stretch I've covered every bit of water and can I find em ....nope

I've been tracking river roach all me life and without a problem but this particular little river has really baffled me
And the annoying part is that it's me local little suburban chalk stream and does have some real big roach and the river hardly gets fished

Maybe one day I'll crack it during the winter,

If all else fails maybe I'll be chubbing aswell

Speak soon

 

[rubio]

Been without means to submit posts recently but have been inspired by others tales to get out and give it a go. This years batch of cheesepaste has been to the liking of chub. Bread has got me a few decent bags of decent size roach, and half a pint of somewhat manky casters brought me a few small ones yesterday. I found a relatively sheltered spot with diminished likelihood of falling branches. Bites a plenty to be had if I could keep the float still. No way of keeping a quivertip still.
I hadn't brought the big float box and made do with a waggler with too fine a tip to hold bottom in a serious undertow. Eventually cobbled together a drift beater by removing insert and replacing it with a dibber pole float. With a no 1 shot on the deck lift bites became identifiable amongst the waves. Nothing great caught by way of size but did get a PB. Not that I weighed it, but it was my first ever albino grass carp!

 

[thames mudlarker]

Been without means to submit posts recently but have been inspired by others tales to get out and give it a go. This years batch of cheesepaste has been to the liking of chub. Bread has got me a few decent bags of decent size roach, and half a pint of somewhat manky casters brought me a few small ones yesterday. I found a relatively sheltered spot with diminished likelihood of falling branches. Bites a plenty to be had if I could keep the float still. No way of keeping a quivertip still.
I hadn't brought the big float box and made do with a waggler with too fine a tip to hold bottom in a serious undertow. Eventually cobbled together a drift beater by removing insert and replacing it with a dibber pole float. With a no 1 shot on the deck lift bites became identifiable amongst the waves. Nothing great caught by way of size but did get a PB. Not that I weighed it, but it was my first ever albino grass carp!

Albino grass carp hey and a PB, that's brilliant mate,

I've seen some truly massive grass carp in my time especially up on the Horton church pool syndicate and in fact are possibly one of me favourite of all carp species, very elusive fish

But an albino....well done mate :thumbs:

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

There are certainly some very large ones in Summerleaze Lake. The old trout fishery one. Now also full of tench around 3-5lb and some large pike. Just in case someone fancies a go.

 

[Keith M]

There are certainly some very large ones in Summerleaze Lake. The old trout fishery one. Now also full of tench around 3-5lb and some large pike. Just in case someone fancies a go.

There are also some large ones in one of my clubs waters not far from Whipsnade zoo where there is a shoal of around 20 all between around 17lb up to around 22lb-ish and they are very hard to catch.

The whole lot of them can be seen just lolling around just below the surface and it can be very frustrating trying to tempt them to take a bait.
They are occasionally caught but not very often on this lake.

I have often thought I would try having a go with artificial insect Zed rigs one day but the call of the Tench has always seemed to take precedence when I'm there Lol.

Keith

 

[sam vimes]

Grass Carp are not a species that loom large on local horizons. Naturally, I've read a bit about them and seen plenty of photos. I don't recall ever seeing one in the flesh, in the water or on the bank. What do the damned things actually eat? All the reports I see is of people catching them by accident rather than design. I understand that they will take a variety of normal baits at times, but this doesn't seem to be their normal form of sustenance. Is this the case, or are they just damned cagey eaters?

 

[peter crabtree]

Could make an interesting new thread?

 

[theartist]

Grass carp are just Mullet in a pond! as the classic chant goes

 

[thames mudlarker]

Grass carp are just Mullet in a pond! as the classic chant goes

I like it.....lols

---------- Post added at 17:19 ---------- Previous post was at 17:12 ----------

Grass Carp are not a species that loom large on local horizons. Naturally, I've read a bit about them and seen plenty of photos. I don't recall ever seeing one in the flesh, in the water or on the bank. What do the damned things actually eat? All the reports I see is of people catching them by accident rather than design. I understand that they will take a variety of normal baits at times, but this doesn't seem to be their normal form of sustenance. Is this the case, or are they just damned cagey eaters?

There suppose to be known as weed eaters but evidence has provern that this isn't strictly true as they've taken most anglers baits in the past, when I was a syndicate member a good few years back on the Horton church pool this is where the record breakers were, Del smith the balliff and Mark from the Tackle box have both had British records from Horton at over 40 odd pounds :thumbs:

From memory I can remember that grasses are rather partial to sweet corn of all baits