How did you get on?

[mikench]

After the disappointment of yesterday i felt the need to catch and so , with the sun shining and little wind , I embarked upon a trip to my current favourite venue full of confidence. Thankfully it was not misplaced and I caught regularly.

The sun was hot until about 11.00 am and I discarded my warm jacket and fishing boots in favour of shirtsleeves and trainers. I ended up with 12 or so roach to 8 oz, 20 bream to 3lb and finally 2 mirror carp of 9 and 5lb respectively. The former really fought and bizarrely I had caught it whilst practicing my casting before going home. I had cast a distance of about 50 yards across the pond( oh that sensor!) with a 11 mm halibut pellet on a hybrid feeder and that little carp fought all the way. It was the first occasion when I really put a bend in my Hardy Marksman feeder and we both coped admirably

After my titanic struggle( all relative I know) I recast and almost immediately caught the second. All in all a very enjoyable day. I have just ordered a curry and am enjoying a nice glass of Sauvignon blanc who said life's a bitch and then you die:wh

 

[nottskev]

The photo on top is a lake that's not being swept by a biting wind. I added it for those of you who've forgotten what one of those looks like. I certainly appreciated doffing the woolly hat, the neckwarmer and the windstopper fleece, and fishing without hanging on to an 11 metre banana.
I sneaked down to the deep lake at 1pm, hoping to get a few hours in before the weekend carp guys took possession, and the fish were happy with their all-you-can-eat corn and micro-pellet banquet. So much so that I packed up at 4pm, before getting the net up the slightly raised bank would start posing risks to my temperamental back. I suppose I could do without the keepnet, but I always feel undressed without one when after bream, roach etc.

Thanks to Binka, by the way, for the guide to getting photos up.

 

[flightliner]

Scanned your pik Kevin, looks like a"pure" catch, no other specie got in your way!.

 

[nottskev]

Nearly all bream, for sure, but there are a couple of F1's (they're everywhere these days) and a couple of roach hiding in there somewhere.

 

[john step]

This HDYGO thread is getting a bit depressing. Due to commitments and promises of decorating I havn't been out for a couple of weeks or so. Started getting the shakes.

 

[dorsetandchub]

Wouldn't go doing any decorating, there's, like, insects in the walls, man......

Go fishing instead.....

 

[mikench]

Came home early to placate Swmbo who was feeling neglected but in truth it had become very windy and the lake was distinctly choppy. It was also cold so, whilst I will not prejudice my brownie points by admitting that, I was quite happy to leave early! I had a plan of sorts relying on Murphy's law/ S***s law and the general contrariness of fishing and so I decided to fish for bream

I figured if I went after bream I would catch tench Guess what I caught 22 er bream I can hardly believe I am now a little disappointed at catching 22 bream. They were all caught on a pellet feeder with corn on the hair rig. A hybrid feeder with a variety of hook baits produced nothing! I decided at the death to switch back to the pellet feeder and corn and had two more bream

It was almost as if the fish decided they much preferred this manner of bait presentation to the others.

I do wish I wasn't so ham fisted as I lost two quick change beads entirely and the little bit to which the line and hook length are attached to two more

I really hate the wind but do like the fishing.

Ps SWMBO is most apologetic and has gone off the gym for an hour so whilst my sacrifice was in vain she feels guilty so I can fish tomorrow as well! Tench and crucians tomorrow !

 

[peter crabtree]

What a difference a week makes. The canal fished hard today, bites were few but the weather was nice enough..



Wagg and magg same as last Saturday but a different swim with overhanging trees. Just 13 fish in 4 hours so packed up early...

 

[103841]

A last minute decision and I was scampering for whatever bait was to hand, a tin of luncheon meat amd some worms that seem to be living forever in my fridge.

Arrived about 10am at my local lake, normal service......no other anglers but plenty of visitors.

Bites were few and far between, a Robin kept me company throughout the session and was rewarded for his bravado.

The bream moved in and a few were caught before a different sort of bite resulting in a proper fight with a tench to 4lb.

The remainder of the session was more about enjoying the surroundings than catching fish, at one point I thought the Michelin man was free falling from the skies above.

 

[binka]

I had a plan of sorts relying on Murphy's law/ S***s law and the general contrariness of fishing and so I decided to fish for bream

You asterisked out the wrong word there Mike

Now that's...

Sod's law!

 

[peter crabtree]

Just noticed this is the 6950th post, thanks for your support folks, keep it up and we could make 10,000 .....

 

[binka]

I was beside the water by 05:30am this morning, feeling quite cocky about my recent run of nice perch and in true style I paid the price with a blank!

Not one of those soft blanks either, with tales of missed bites and lost fish.

Oh no!

This was a proper one without a single bite for ten hours of fishing.

And…

I flooded one of me wellies whilst putting a bank stick in!

At least I have the satisfaction of creating the world's first underwater worm sanctuary, I'm absolutely sure they are safe there given the level of interest they received throughout the day.

I need (another) drink… :w

 

[mikench]

I am sure you will not take this the wrong way Steve, but it is reassuring to an old incompetent that even the experts struggle occasionally

Suddenly when I blank I am in good compay its tench or bust tomorrow!

 

[rubio]

Well I must be getting to be quite an expert then, as I've managed to blank 3 times in a row.
Did at least get a bite. I put out a float in the hope of summat, and of course it was one of the carp that took off deep into weed and broke the hooklength.
Next time I might persuade them to engage in a fair fight on stronger gear.

 

[sam vimes]

I grabbed a few hours on one of the local small scale commies. I just didn't fancy another biteless session on either of the waters that wouldn't have cost me the price of a day ticket. I was rewarded with a reasonable number of decent roach. Only a couple weren't netters on light tackle. I also managed a small bream and a small chub. Only one carpy interloper popped in. It stitched me up like a kipper in some marginal weed growth.

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I can't really be bothered with spring stillwaters in my neck of the woods. I appreciate that some get good results in spring. However, the waters I fish are far more miss than hit, especially in a relatively cold spring. Only the reported blanks on here and Peter's GUC struggles keep me bothering at all. No wonder I resort to worming for trout on the rivers.

 

[mikench]

I understand your comments Sam and agree that fishing natural waters is hard particularly for someone like me. I had a plan which I followed to the letter! I arrived at a new pool at about 8.30 am and I had it all to myself. I picked the first open peg at the deeper end of the pool and set up a swing tip and a float rod. Almost first cast with the float I caught a small perch and assumed it was going to be a good day. Two other members arrived at about 9.00 and disappeared further down the pool on opposite sides.

The setting was idyllic ; a 3 acre pool in woodland and literally surrounded by trees which sheltered me somewhat from the very strong wind. However even with supercrush green etc etc gb, corn, maggots, hemp and pellets I could not catch a tench! In fact that small perch was my sum total for the day

There were no fish rising but plenty of bubbles. I tried everything I know( ok not a lot) to no avail: it was as though that perch had warned off every fish in the lake. I tried the feeder, method, pellet, banjo, open end but not a sniff!

When I packed up at around 4.00 pm I wandered down the pool to see how the other two had got on so as to evaluate where I had gone wrong! Neither had had even a bite,one on the pole and float and the other on feeder and float. The latter was a new member like myself to the club and was yet to catch on any water. It was disappointing as the setting and preparation deserved better but the fish were not playing ball

At least I had a practice with a bubble float using bread, floater pellets and some oozing floaters( sounds like something needing medical attention) but whilst I was casting accurately and gaining good distances, there was no sign of any rising fish. It is still April so perhaps as the water warms up things will improve! I hope so

 

[binka]

I personally think that April can be the trickiest month of all in terms of avoiding a blank.

At least January and February you know where you stand and have a better idea of how to approach it but with things so up and down, with the fish trying to adjust, it can make it tricky to say the least.

I think I've picked up more blanks this month than the accumulative total for several months preceding it mg:

 

[mikench]

I draw considerable comfort from your words Steve and hope that is indeed the case! it is so infuriating to do certain things one day with success and then do the same the next and draw a blank!

I am glad I did not use the 14 ft and pin because I would have blamed my technique ( or lack of) and not the fish. It is definitely fishing not catching

 

[peter crabtree]

Drove up to Tring this morning in a bit of a hurry as I was running late for the draw on an open pairs match. Got there in time and met my partner for the day who had driven down from Liverpool this morning, he left home at 1:30am
The event was spread onto 2 venues, both on the Aylesbury arm of the GUC, one angler on each venue. Luckily I chose the closer venue as upon arriving at the car park I realised to my horror I'd forgotten to bring my bag containing bait, flask, food etcmg:
One hour round trip home and back and I arrived at my peg at 9:45 with the all in at 10:30 I had time to set up. This was when I realised cock up number two had happened. As I opened the tube holding my topkits I realised I'd bought the wrong tube, all I had was 3 carp power kits with 8,12 and 16 elasticmg:
The air turned a nasty shade of blue as I kicked my self up the towpath.
My immediate thought was go home and stay home but I had a partner to consider so I set up with the 8 elastic and hoped I could get away with not bumping any fish off...
I then reached for my catapult bag and the lighter of the two was missing, I nearly cried, then to cap it all I didn't get a bite for the entire 5 hours.....
I tried everything to no avail...




TBH everyone struggled and there were other blanks too. Back at the pub I waited for my partner to arrive from the other venue and he'd struggled too weighing in just 6oz.

An expensive day out all told and definitely one to forget....

 

[mikench]

And i thought I had had a difficult time! It is nò wonder I fill the car with everything just in case and even then I sometimes forget my phone or flask. I hate myself sometimes