How did you get on?

[binka]

The weather here has been dismal all day, after a belly full of work and the sun breaking through towards late afternoon I decided I'd had enough and broke out for a couple of hours.

I decided on the lazy approach and sat behind one of the light Avons with freelined pellet and had two bites which resulted in two nicely conditioned barbel...

I was happy to fish on until later but called it a day around half eight as I wanted to catch the chippy on the way home... :w

 

[maggot_dangler]

Had a few too many problems recently to devote time to fishing including lack of water at the club pool working to trying to get a bore hole in now but the cost is prohibative for a smal club like us .

Anyhow fished my local cut this evening had 3 nice Tench firt one was only around 1lb ish but the next 2 were each in excess of 6lbs and fought well problem was as usual only using light line 3lb straigh to the hook with the weeds there it was fun as some of you who saw the photo i posted will know lots of weed last fish was a bream around 2lb not bad for 1.5 hrs on 2 week old maggots .. hope we get some rain soon only had very light showers here ..


PG ...

 

[barbelboi]

Where does one start – As the wind was somewhat ‘windy’ I decided to return to where a backwater meets the main river a have another session for some dace in the shallows over the gravel at low level. The idea here was that it is somewhat sheltered from the ‘white horses’ on the main flow and I might just get away with it. Now this was some real wind, the sort that makes your eyes water when you get both barrels on the exposed bank walking down, with the nettles and other vegetation giving you a whack in the face for good measure.

Anyway, I left at 9am and after a fifteen minute walk I set myself down and, although the wind was really huffing there the surface of the backwater was pretty calm – until I set up. Then a hell broke loose, the wind intensified and the gusts were ripping up the surface and dumping the spray on me. Trotting a shallow stick with the wind often lifting the line and trying to land it a couple of metres in front of the float wasn’t ideal was for presentation. This made many of the bites quite tentative with a half sucked maggot more often as a hooked fish – and even a few of those came off the micro barb.

I’d had enough by 11.30 and decided to go to the pub for breakfast – it’s not often I admit defeat but after untangling the third monkey’s breakfast and being constantly battered by the virtually horizontal nettles enough was enough. The end result was some 12 dace (around the 6-7oz mark) 1 gobio, a couple of ‘lets and a percy.

 

[103841]

Glad I'm not the only one suffering wind.

After a nightmare of a day Wednesday I thought it best to get straight back on the horse so muggins returned to Stonar for a morning session. A beautiful sunrise over a serene and very still lake.

I'm still after the large Rudd and it was a fish a cast on the whip, after about thirty I stopped counting but not one required a net. still they are feisty little blighters and great fun on a whip.

The weather did a repeat performance of Wednesday with a strong wind whipping up the surface into a frenzy, the Rudd didn't seem to mind and still obliged. I tried depths varying form 12 inches to 12ft trying to find the older fish but no joy, however having found bottom I was met with some different action with three beautiful small tench in quick succession, possibly a result of recent restocking.

Having just the one major tangle and one lost float I called it quits at midday.

 

[Pete Shears]

Nine or ten white egrets were prowling the shallows of the reservoir this morning,the level had dropped a little since my last visit and the wind a strong southerly gusting towards the dam.
Found a firm area of the exposed bank instead of mud over ankle deep and set up the two method feeder rods and settled back behind a firmly anchored brolly to shelter from the very cool gusty wind - I hadn't realised how used to hot & muggy weather I had become.
A fast bite taking line signalled a brilliant fight with a male tench of 3lb 12oz which was in perfect condition.Later a bream of around 4lb and a a skimmer fell to the other rod cast much further out,plastic corn being successful again.Spotted a hobby chasing the few swallows over the reservoir.
With all the recent rain I think a trip to a small river chasing chub is on the cards for next week.

 

[skov]

Popped down to the river for a few hours the other evening.
Took my rod out of the quiver only to find the tip had broken off

I was not amused. The only other rod I took was a quiver tip, and the conditions looked perfect for a spot of stick float... mg:

 

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Loading up this morning for a friendly contest at Woodlands View when I trod on a stone and subsequently discovered I have re-fractured a bone in my right foot. Explains why it's been giving me some grief the last month or so :doh:

 

[barbelboi]

Loading up this morning for a friendly contest at Woodlands View when I trod on a stone and subsequently discovered I have re-fractured a bone in my right foot. Explains why it's been giving me some grief the last month or so :doh:

Not a problem Ian - about 4 months before the LIF.......................

 

[103841]

Popped down to the river for a few hours the other evening.
Took my rod out of the quiver only to find the tip had broken off

I was not amused. The only other rod I took was a quiver tip, and the conditions looked perfect for a spot of stick float... mg:

I share your pain.

 

[jasonbean1]

Acolyte ultra?

 

[tigger]

Popped down to the river for a few hours the other evening.
Took my rod out of the quiver only to find the tip had broken off

I was not amused. The only other rod I took was a quiver tip, and the conditions looked perfect for a spot of stick float... mg:

Was your rod in a tube or just a cloth bag, or was it in a made up sling?

 

[skov]

Mine was a Darent Valley - I would have been super upset if it was an ultra!
I'd left the rod made up in the quiver and I think the line must have caught on something in transit and pulled the tip round.
Even so, the Tackle Box offered to send me a replacement top section for the price of postage, so can't complain too much!

 

[Tee-Cee]

That is pretty good service from Tackle Box IMO............I suppose they could've just said 'tough' and not our problem..

 

[103841]

I'd expect nothing different from Tackle Box.

 

[sheffields12]

Went to my local pond Yesterday. I've been twice before, both giving me great success, with some nice carp (Nothing massive, but good for a novice), and a few tench.

However, Yesterday it wasn't so good. Few bites but nothing seemed to hook. I was worried about coming out with a blank, but managed two little roach towards the end.

Not sure if it was the recent weather we've had or not, but others around me didn't seem to have much luck compared to a few weeks ago!

Off to the river tomorrow to see if I have any more luck there.

 

[The Runner]

Evening session down the Colne today with a float rod- just as a few weeks ago, decided to go down there as have a match on our club lake at Wraysbury tomorrow where there's a pretty good chance of a blank. No double figure barbel on inappropriate hooklength this week but still not a bad evening.
Walked down there after the worst of the rain and got there 4 30ish. Peg I was aiming for had a branch down in mid river making it untrottable so walked a bit further to the "evergreens " swim. Last nights rain had put a tinge of colour in (although still gin clear by most river's standards)
Set up a 3 no 4 stick with a 20 to 0.11, went to set up landing net. Which wasn't there, or rather, the handle was but not the net which was still sitting in my carryall in the cellar....
Oh well , couldn't be arsed to walk the three quarter mile home and back, so its land fish in keepnet time ( landing them is the easy bit, unhooking them when they are trying to swim to the bottom of the net isn't.)
Started fishing at 5, about 4ft of water, most flow under my feet and slower across. Fed both lines, started on inside and straight into nice dace - would have been netters in a match, or possibly even today if I'd had one. Dace began to slow after half an hour, had one grabbed by a pike about 4lb which I landed, so switched to a line about 2/3 over that had kept fed. A couple of quick small roach and then a proper thug chub which I thought was a barbel at first the way it headed straight upstream. Only roach and dace for the next half hour and then another chub a little smaller than the first, and another about a pound. Still at least one more chub there as saw it come up among the loosefeed but couldn't get it to make a mistake and things gradually got quieter until at around 8 there was a huge explosion of bubbles where I reckoned the loosefeed was hitting bottom .Barbel time ! ? Deepened off, moved shot down and held back hard where the bubbles had come up, float dipped under and added a 5lb bream to the collection... Gave it another fifteen minutes but light was getting very bad for the float (really dark swim under a lot of trees) so called it a day.
Two chub probably just short of 10lb between them and overall including the pike would have had around 25 lb. Not a bad three and a half hours work.Strange lack of perch, only had one, and no idea where these bream have appeared from- that's three times in a row that I've had one here, all from different swims, and have heard of a few more as well- if they have come from downstream they must have come through the shallows below Longbridge on their sides like flounders...

 

[john step]

Few bites but nothing seemed to hook. I was worried about coming out with a blank, but managed two little roach towards the end.

Not sure if it was the recent weather we've had or not, but others around me didn't seem to have much luck compared to a few weeks ago!

It happens to us all . That's fishing..

 

[mikench]

Mine was a Darent Valley - I would have been super upset if it was an ultra!
I'd left the rod made up in the quiver and I think the line must have caught on something in transit and pulled the tip round.
Even so, the Tackle Box offered to send me a replacement top section for the price of postage, so can't complain too much!

They did the same with me a year ago when I broke my tip! Great service which pays off as I have bought another rod from them and various other bits!

I mentioned in the post about envy how I got on yesterday. You would imagine that catching 17 fish on the feeder would have had me feeling happy! Strangely though I was distinctly underwhelmed and I am not sure why I later switched to a waggler rod after my carp experience and fished 4, 6 and 8 mm pellet on a pellet band with a waggler float. Not a nibble from anything ! To say I was (still am) disappointed is an understatement and whilst several of my fellow anglers suffered the same fate, I draw little comfort from that! I couldn't get a bite even with corn! Should I take up golf?

 

[binka]

I had a few hours out recently but with the river likely to be a mad house I headed for the peaceful setting of a quiet stillwater and back to a bit of my favourite worm fishing for old stripey.

With rain forecast for late afternoon I decided I would be more comfortable getting the brolly up early and fishing the light 1/2oz glass tip on the 10’ Ultralie bomb rod at the bottom of the nearside ledge.

In went the dead maggots and chopped worm feed and from the word go I was getting hammered by sprat sized perch, there must have been thousands of ‘em down there!

Nothing I tried made any difference and the tip was just constantly jagging round with small fish the culprits and so I decided to rig up the largest size maggot clip, hair rigged to a size 10 B911X, and stuff the damned thing solid with whole worms.

It looked more like something you’d see flying off of Chesil Beach attached to a cod rig…

It certainly didn’t solve the problem of the smaller fish constantly pulling and nipping at the worms but it was a more robust bait which would last long enough for a better fish to get a chance, a sit on yer hands policy and ignore everything but the rod flying off the rest did finally pay off with a bite that stabbed around and continued well into the middle section of the blank as the rod strained against the rest.

A simple lift of the rod and a good fish on, landed shortly afterwards. No need for the scales at around two and a quarter to two and a half pounds…

Shortly after that the rain set in and boy did it rain, if there had been a brief let up I might even have considered using it do a quick pack away but it was relentless and so I stuck it out for a few more hours, taking a couple more better fish on the cod rig, before finally biting the bullet and enduring the inevitable pack away soaking.

The roads were flooded in parts during the journey home and the wheel arches were in need of a good jetting out so all in all quite good fun… :w

 

[103841]

Lovely perch Steve, a well engineered catch!

Yesterday I caught a number of perch similar to the size you were catching prior to the big one.

Fished the weir pool in Canterbury and sat on a wall dangling a float below into 8ft of gin clear water that was teeming with dace and a few roach. Fascinating watching the dace snatch loose fed maggots but as soon as they snatched the hooked maggot, rejected it, such sneaky little blighters.

A case of trying to get the bait on the deck before it got smashed which resulted in a few fish. Just a about to leave when the reigning Drennan champ turned up on his bike and asked if he could "have a go" before I left. He caught a couple but more importantly I'm hoping some of his DNA was transferred through the cork into the rod.

PB's all the way next week.