How did you get on?

[jon atkinson]

Another early [by my standards] start saw me at the Ribble just before 06:00 in suitably overcast conditions with just a gentle breeze. When I'd asked John at the tackle shop how it had been fishing when I called in for a pint of red yesterday morning he'd told me that the river was too low & very little had been coming out but I arrived at the same time as a couple of lads & there were another 3 vehicles that had obviously been there overnight; perhaps my feeling of pessimism was misplaced? [It wasn't].

I went for a little wander to check out the available swims - taking care to avoid the Giant Hogweed which was rather too abundant for comfort - plenty of dew in the grass as I walked along - it didn't take long to discover that my waterproof walking shoes are no longer waterproof - so with very soggy feet within minutes of arriving I checked out the first swim to discover a neatly tied up bag of rubbish that had been 'considerately' left by the previous occupant - who are these plonkers? Didn't fancy that one but chucked the rubbish in the back of my van as a walked past on to the next swim, which I settled on. The river was the lowest & clearest I've seen it, although I am in no way a regular visitor, but it looked pretty splendid none-the-less.

I started with a 14mm pellet haired on a 12 with a pva mesh bag of micros straight out about half way across on the 1.75lb Barbel rod with a maggot feeder with 3 red on a #14 about 1/3 across & downstream. Suffice to say that it was slow - I decided to scale down to a smaller maggot feeder in conjunction with an 18 on a 4lb hook length which resulted in a bite within 3 minutes - OK, not the leviathan I'd hoped - a small chub of perhaps 1/2 lb but the blank that I'd envisaged had been avoided at least .

Within 5 minutes I had a more serious twitch on the Barbel rod - another chub, obviously :wh but of a better stamp - around 3lb I'd say but it slipped the hook at the net dagnabbit... & that was it on that rod - no further interest despite switching things around to varying degrees. I had a further couple of small chub & very small Roach on the maggot feeder, oh & this little fella, which I'm guessing is a minnow?

How the hell it managed to scoff two maggots & a caster let alone register on a 3oz tip I'll never know, but it did put a smile on my face at least! So another non-red letter day, I think that I'll be back to Blackbrook Basin next week end & wait 'til we've had a little rain before a head back to the Ribble - keep the faith & tight lines y'all :w...

 

[mikench]

Beautiful little fish Jon! It is a minnow.

 

[binka]

Following a very enjoyable stillwater interlude I returned to the river this afternoon but to be honest and knowing how low and clear it was I didn’t fancy it at all, I could have taken it or left it but I decided that the river would be as good a place as any to spend a few relaxing hours.

The bait drawer gave me an option of pellet, pellet or pellet so I went with the pellet… There was a tin of sweetcorn but things haven’t got that desperate yet.

I went on the light side of things with the set up, a 1lb Ultralite Avon and the ‘pin with the 6lb line on it tied to a long 6.4 flouro hooklink of around five feet with a size 10 hair rigged 14mm pellet and a small 3/8oz running bomb.

After settling in and underarming out the rig I fed a couple of handfuls of 8mm pellets over the top and sat back to enjoy a lazy afternoon, I thought there might be a fish in it for me but not until the evening had set in and so I was quite surprised when the tip walloped over after barely ten minutes and a nice barbel of around 6lb lay in the net shortly afterwards.

I was then denied my rest over the next few hours after taking eight barbel in total, three around the 5lb – 7lb mark and the rest around 8lb – 9/10lb and to say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.

I'm not putting great dollops of effort into it but I just don’t seem to be able to put a foot wrong with the barbel so far this season…

Still, it makes a nice change to pictures of shopping trolleys… :w

 

[103841]

Lovely fish Steve, can you send a few down South, you've far too many.

 

[jon atkinson]

Lovely fish Steve, can you send a few down South, you've far too many.

My thoughts exactly - that was the sort of session I had in mind when I rocked up at Elston this morning...

 

[sam vimes]

I decided to scale down to a smaller maggot feeder in conjunction with an 18 on a 4lb hook length which resulted in a bite within 3 minutes - OK, not the leviathan I'd hoped - a small chub of perhaps 1/2 lb but the blank that I'd envisaged had been avoided at least .

I'm pretty confident in suggesting that your small chub is actually a big dace.

 

[jon atkinson]

I'm pretty confident in suggesting that your small chub is actually a big dace.

I'll bow to your judgement & quite happily take that all day long! Cheers Chris...

 

[mikench]

I think i recognise that barbel Steve

Were you in the same swim by any chance? Cracking fish by the way. You are doing well and deservedly so!

 

[greenie62]

.... I arrived at the same time as a couple of lads & there were another 3 vehicles that had obviously been there overnight; perhaps my feeling of pessimism was misplaced? [It wasn't]....
......
... I checked out the first swim to discover a neatly tied up bag of rubbish that had been 'considerately' left by the previous occupant - who are these plonkers? ....

Hi Jon,
Elston is a good stretch and the riverside 'car-park' is very handy - just beware of trying to get down the track to it (and back!) after a heavy downpour!

The 'overnighters' you refer to might not have been fishing - just 'resting' between a late evening and an early start - since it's clear in the W&DAA rules that NO Night Fishing allowed I've been told that it's the same on the StHelens (co-lessee) Card - but the farmer doesn't seem to object as long as he gets his 'supplementary parking fee'mg:

The bagged-up rubbish you found is not a unique experience there - last season I found the same - on (I think) the same peg! I blame those scruffy Snelens b*ggers meself!

Watch out for snigs on that peg too - particularly if ledgering! Beware of slugs attacking your pellet supply and in your tackle bag/bait bucket - they particularly seem to like halibut flavour!

 

[jon atkinson]

Hi Jon,
Elston is a good stretch and the riverside 'car-park' is very handy - just beware of trying to get down the track to it (and back!) after a heavy downpour!

The 'overnighters' you refer to might not have been fishing - just 'resting' between a late evening and an early start - since it's clear in the W&DAA rules that NO Night Fishing allowed I've been told that it's the same on the StHelens (co-lessee) Card - but the farmer doesn't seem to object as long as he gets his 'supplementary parking fee'mg:

The bagged-up rubbish you found is not a unique experience there - last season I found the same - on (I think) the same peg! I blame those scruffy Snelens b*ggers meself!

Watch out for snigs on that peg too - particularly if ledgering! Beware of slugs attacking your pellet supply and in your tackle bag/bait bucket - they particularly seem to like halibut flavour!

I know what you mean about the track - I parked in the yard & walked down the previous time that I fished there, which with the ridiculous excesses of gear that I carry around with me is no joke mg:

I think that you're right about the farmer - he said that there had been a couple on overnight when I paid for my parking. I'm pretty sure it's no night fishing on the St Helens card too, but there was a camper van parked up pretty much on the bank complete with awning & a kettle BBQ sat beneath it. He was obviously kipping but his rod rests were still out. I didn't hear him go but his van wasn't there when I glanced along around 10:00...

The rubbish situation was better than on my previous visit but still unacceptable, and unnecessary - I do wonder whether the 'dual' fishing rights is actually part of the problem? I don't fish there often, but I've never seen a bailiff - do you know whether the stretch is jointly 'policed' as well?

 

[nottskev]

I think my season has started a bit later than most people's. But at least it has started! After several river trips consisting of scorching sun, blue skies, and slow-moving tap-water I was starting to get nostalgic for the close season.

Saturday's 4pm to 7.30pm session on my nearest Trent stretch cheered me up a bit. Having been bitted out by little dace a couple of times, on stick and waggler, I thought I'd try the method that's been winning the evening matches in the area. I really couldn't see how waving a pole over a clear, shallowish – 3' or so – swim was going to be an improvement on running line, but I didn't complain when good size roach and dace – the fish that wouldn't play on stick or waggler – immediately lined up under the feed and I caught 30 or so for about 10lb. It proved an efficient method, but a bit of a faff. The banks are super-steep and wooded behind you, so shipping back 4 or 5 sections to your 4 section rig is a bit fraught, and the pace of the river just here is brisk, so you can't relax. Still, nice to catch a few, and food for thought.

On Sunday, I thought “I'm not doing that again” - even if it does work well. So I drove west to see if a lazier option would pay off. My luck was in, as my armchair comfort peg turned out to be full of roach. It was one of those days when you're never sure just how deep your peg is . It's something like 4', but I set the 2AA waggler at 2', and didn't change it as it never stopped going under. Once again, the roach were right under the feed and holding the float up for the second before it drags under or offline got the bite. The stamp of roach was unexpectedly big, with lots of 10 and 12 oz fish. Oddly, they wouldn't take tares, though, only casters. I fished 4 – 7.30 again, and this time the bigger roach took the catch to high teens.


I'd have liked to have taken a pic to post, but just as I was packing up, a bloke burst through the trees into my peg and demanded to know what I'd caught. Some cracking roach, I replied and pulled out the net. He glanced at the roach and said “Haven't you caught any barbel? It's full of barbel here”. It isn't, and as he moved on swiftly to tell me he won lots of matches, I returned the roach to the water and myself to the car.

 

[greenie62]

.....The rubbish situation was better than on my previous visit but still unacceptable, and unnecessary - I do wonder whether the 'dual' fishing rights is actually part of the problem? I don't fish there often, but I've never seen a bailiff - do you know whether the stretch is jointly 'policed' as well?

The 'car-park' and adjacent swims seem to attract a ridiculous amount of litter - on my last visit I filled 3 carrier bags - including 2 broken (stepped-on?) bait tubs - and a disposable bbq!
Other anglers I have spoken to on the water also complain about the rubbish and collect it up - who are these dead-heads who do the littering?mg:

I know from conversations with committee members of both clubs that they are frustrated by this and recognise that they have problems in bailiffing the stretch - part of the problem of is that the water is distant from either of the 2 clubs home-towns! One would have hoped that a solution is being sought. - before the farmer gets too annoyed

See ya up there sometime Jon:thumbs:
Mike.

 

[neil1970]

Had a nice day on Saturday down the Quay - mostly Blennies and Gobys with the odd Corkwing thrown in.
Really hot and kind of wish I hadn't worn shorts now!

 

[mikench]

We love seeing your fish Neil even though they are ugly blighters but your boat is a bit too much!

 

[dorsetandchub]

Boat as in Boat Race? That's fightin' talk, Mister

 

[mikench]

I don't do rhyming slang unless i have to do a Lionel!

I meant Neils' little fishing boat in the background!

 

[dorsetandchub]

Surely, I totally appreciate that. It made me smile and I hope it did the same for you.

---------- Post added at 13:25 ---------- Previous post was at 13:21 ----------

Sunseekers for a fishing boat? That's when you know you've made it, I guess

 

[mikench]

It sure did How the other half live !

 

[barbelboi]

After all that stalking and getting stung lark on Friday I decided for a relaxing session trotting for dace – I even took the X-lite with me. I chose where a backwater meets the main river – a bit of flow although a maximum of 18 inches of gin clear water over gravel. On arrival I could see plenty of fish (with or without the polaroids) and crept down the steep bank and positioned the X-lite with the front legs full down and the rear legs folded under the seat to compensate for the steepness.

Having restocked the bait fridge with some reds I took around half a pint and arrived at 10am. Bright sunlight and gin clear water – great fun watching the fish take your maggot. It was virtually non stop dace about this size with a few smaller but none much bigger – I lost count on 50 something.

I also had 3 roach (most of the visible roach were in the deeper part of the back water a few yards upstream) – 3 gobios and a few chublets. After the miniature barbel on Friday I landed another miniature of it’s species today.

I ran out of reds at 3.10pm which was a good time to head home - a most enjoyable dace session...............

 

[tigger]

I'd have thought you would have just risen from the pit at 3.10pm BB.....

Nice pic's bud, oh and the miniature chub ain't as good as the barbel.