How did you get on?

[S-Kippy]

Off to Bury Hill today with the Big Feller for a go at the crucians on Milton Lake. Bit windy for the pole but that's our preferred way of fishing for them down there. It's also generally the most effective way of catching the little fusspots.

Strangely,there was only one other angler on the water so swim wise we were spoiled for choice but with the wind forecast to get worse during the day we picked swims that were a bit sheltered and in an area we don't often fish. Straight out,open water [ to avoid the lily lurking tench] and at about 9-10m....again to avoid too much pole waving about in the wind. The OBH crucians can be a bit fussy bait wise. 4mm expanders can be either deadly or completely useless, likewise corn,worm or little bits of meat. Often the humble red maggot will outfish them all and on some days its all they'll have. Today it was one of those days.....they wanted the maggot and ONLY the maggot. I had one bite on an expander....Phil had one tench. Every other fish fell to a single red maggot on an 18.

The fish fed steadily though we both had periods where we struggled for bites but that could have been the groundbait which I think we might have overdone. After a while I stopped feeding micro pellets as they can get pre-occupied on them and impossible to catch.

I had a nice rudd, a single perch, 3 tench [all around 2-8] and around 25 crucian...of which only 2-3 were under a pound,most being between 1-4 and 1-12. Not massive fish but fantastic lookers and great sport on light gear. Phil had around the same number of crucians though he backed this up with 2-3 nice roach and twice as many tench as me which will teach him to keep feeding pellet and fishing nearer the lilies.

Fished from around 9 am until 2-30 by which time we'd had enough of holding poles in the bloody wind. If we'd stayed any later I have no doubt we'd have continued to catch but why spoil a good day out by staying on and getting stuck on the M25 ?

Really enjoyed it. The wind was a constant pain but the fishing was great.

 

[103841]

That's a nice haul of cru"s Skip. I fished Bury Hill as a lad back in the seventies, don't recall ever catching a crucian, do remember the bailiff though! I think his name was Graham Rowles or something similar, I wonder if he's still alive?

 

[nottskev]

The Crow is very photogenic!! I sounds like you and Graham had a good time and endured similar weather to me! I must be stupid because after the heat of last week, I decided that thermal lined waterproof trousers, thermal socks and layers could be consigned to the wardrobe until next winter! How wrong I was ! I know it is still April but today was cold and miserable like the fishing!!

Have a word with the tench Kev about next month!!:wh

Don't cast a clout til May is out. I'll have a word. But bring the socks anyway.

 

[S-Kippy]

That's a nice haul of cru"s Skip. I fished Bury Hill as a lad back in the seventies, don't recall ever catching a crucian, do remember the bailiff though! I think his name was Graham Rowles or something similar, I wonder if he's still alive?

Not a name I recognise but I wasn't fishing there back then. I love fishing for the crucians down there not least because you can actually do that with some success. There are some huge crucian in the main lake but they are so few and far between they arent really fish you can specifically target....probably have to catch about 2000 bream before you got one too. Milton is full of them and its produced a couple of 4 pounders though realistically the fish are mostly between 1 and 2 lb. Fantastic lookers though and a joy to catch. I love em.

 

[103841]

Is it membership only now?

 

[thecrow]

The Crow is very photogenic

It was only my bulk that hid the skimmer from view but I am dieting veeeeery slowly I have to add

A very enjoyable day with Kev what he didn't say in his post was that the long rod was his as I had picked the wrong rod up this morning very nice it was to, I coupled it with my Berwick pin which balanced it nicely.

Its a nice water with trees all around, well kept and spotless, if you look at Kevs picture you can just see my ashtray behind my bag, I hate fag ends in swims.

Had a go with Kevs pole for all of 60 seconds before I had to hand it back I just haven't the knack of holding it correctly but I just might look into them as presentation is so much better in some circumstances.

Good fishing with good company and the odd interval of nice sunshine I look forward to the next time.

 

[S-Kippy]

Is it membership only now?

Yes and no. If you "join" as a full member [£25] you can get a discounted day permit. Its a couple of quid cheaper per rod plus you can get on a bit earlier etc. At the moment you can still get a day ticket but I think the intention is that these will be phased out eventually but I dont know when. Its all a bit odd and difficult to understand tbh and I dont really know what he's trying to do with this or why. I do wonder if these changes are why the place was so unusually quiet today as the "blurb" he sent out explaining it all was very confusing. I wonder if a lot of regulars have either voted with their feet or mistakenly assumed that day tickets are no longer available to non-members.....which they currently still are. Its very odd and extremely confusing but I fish there a lot so I'll easily recoup the £25 "membership fee" via the reduced day permit fees.

I think its probably about saving him tax rather than any great benefit for the "members" .

 

[Tee-Cee]

I also love 'em to bits, especially when they turn up out of the blue and make a very enjoyable day that little bit special...

I left home at 5.45 this morning expecting a pleasant mornings fishing with a few roach to show at the end of it and basically that is what I had up until 10.30 or so, when, for some inexplicable reason, they stopped enjoying red maggots, hemp, tares and just sulked.
The only bait I hadn't tried up to that point was bread, but rather than faff around changing hooks etc for flake I used punch on the 20 hook and fished slightly over depth over a minimal amount of liquidised bread. (This was in a small bay in the same swim, but the opposite side from that previously fished as I'd considered it too shallow at around 4' of clear water).

I cast out some 6' from the bank and stuck the rod in the rest for a tea break. Within minutes the float vanished and a very nice roach of some 10ozs dropped into the net. Ditto the next two bites but with smaller returns....

After 20 bite less minutes I then came up off the bottom and cast out again and within minutes the float slid away after bobbing around and I hit a very solid weight that just didn't move. Straightaway I thought 'carp' and with the rod well bent I actually gave line and allowed the fish to move out of the bay, expecting the usual tug of war on very light tackle, but it didn't happen and I found myself bringing the lump toward the waiting net. Only then did I realise it was a crucian and not a bad fish at all, going 1lb 14ozs on the scales (might've been 15ozs!)

Cut a long story short; I cast out again and 15mins later I was into another of the same species but this a little smaller at 1lb 6ozs. Needless to say ziltch after that, but who cares!!

As I say, it made the morning very special simply because I just didn't expect it, and for that reason I shall remember it for a long time. I took photographs and they looked a real treat in the bright morning sunshine......

What a day...................

ps Chomping at the bit to go again and after consulting with the wife (she likes to see me excited!) I think Saturday is looking good!

 

[wetthrough]

Fished the top end of Lymm Dam yesterday. Lovely day if a bit windy and I've never seen so much crud (seeds I think) and all blowing my way. Quite a tow on the water as well which all made the waggler a bit challenging at about 20M. It's quite shallow at the top end of the Dam, 4ft on the day which if it's a bit windy makes life on the waggler a bit easier. Steady catch of Roach in great condition. Nothing huge the biggest being about 6oz but after recent outings I'd have been happy with a stickleback. It went quiet around 1pm when Mr Pike paid a visit but it didn't stick around and picked up again about 2. After that it was a bite a chuck. Anything from micro Roach to 6oz but mostly in the 2:4oz range. Wonderful day. Even had to get the sun tan lotion out in the afternoon

I didn't empty the Dam but had a dam (ho ho) good try

 

[wawaw1867]

5th trip out this year and 5th blank - Are there actually any fish out there? Lol. Yesterdays blank came at Butterley reservoir. The water was almost clear as a bell. The last two hours in my peg involved a stare out with a good sized pike, right at my feet - he was waiting for me to reel his tea in I think so he went away disappointed too.

 

[nottskev]

5th trip out this year and 5th blank - Are there actually any fish out there? Lol. Yesterdays blank came at Butterley reservoir. The water was almost clear as a bell. The last two hours in my peg involved a stare out with a good sized pike, right at my feet - he was waiting for me to reel his tea in I think so he went away disappointed too.

That must be getting a bit tedious I drove out to take a look last year - beautiful place, and really unusual, with that causeway down the middle. I don't know if you were after the carp or the bream, but it would be interesting to hear when you catch some.

 

[thecrow]

5th trip out this year and 5th blank - Are there actually any fish out there? Lol. Yesterdays blank came at Butterley reservoir. The water was almost clear as a bell. The last two hours in my peg involved a stare out with a good sized pike, right at my feet - he was waiting for me to reel his tea in I think so he went away disappointed too.

I see from the clubs website that they feed the fish in there with pellet on certain dates, maybe finding out what pellet they feed and where will help also not fishing after they have fed the fish might also help.

Look at the dates of matches on there and go down to see who is catching and where, Butterly is a big water and location is paramount, I don't know what it is like now but when I fished it the fishing was never easy.

 

[steve2]

I think his name was Graham Rowles or something similar, I wonder if he's still alive?

I think that when I last fished Bury Hill back in around 1970 Graham Rowles owned the water.

 

[Bobnewboy]

Hi All, got back to the laptop again...

Went fishing at Apps Farm Match lake on Monday and Thursday just gone. It is quite local to me, and has recently re-opened after a period of being closed for maintenance. Two trips in a week was allowed as I had a lot of brownie points with 'er indoors.

On Monday the weather was quite good, bright and dry but still not that warm. I got there a bit late as I wasn't intending to go that day, and needed to buy bait (maggots) beforehand. Unfortunately the swim that I wanted to try was already occupied and I had to take a second choice close by, but one that is overhung by trees. I fished for most of the day, but couldn't settle, just couldn't get into the groove. My casting isn't that good yet, and so I lost a few hooks and one or two basic floats in the trees trying to cast towards a nice wall of reeds, where I could see a couple of fish. Needless to say, the results weren't much to write home about - a few small roach and rudd. In the end I had taken about a half dozen small fish, and then while I was re-tackling for the last (!) time, I left my hookend in the water with some bait on, and when I went to set the float depth and found I had picked up my first ever eel! A complete surprise, but another species ticked off my imaginary list:

On Thursday the weather was still bright and dry, but overcast and colder if anything. I arrived a bit earlier and took up the swim that I had wanted on Monday. I was in a much more positive frame of mind, and the more open peg location would allow me to cast without too much worry. I also decided that as well as my usual match rod with a float, I would try simple ledgering (3x SSG and a hook) using my much bigger and heavier Shimano rod and reel. I set that up and cast out to the edge of a likely looking patch of growing lilly pads, and let it ride. I setup my match rod with 8lb mainline, size 14 hook to 5lb nylon (wide gape Drennan HTN), and a home made float. The float is of sarkanda reed and bamboo, with a plastic eye. It carries quite a bit of shot to cock it:

I also decided that rather than casting further away with the float, I would fish the margins that were close by as there was a short section of reeds which looked promising. After about 15 mins of adding a few loose maggots over the float every few minutes, the float dipped, and I had a fight on. The fish ripped my rig around the small area of water in front of the peg, and eventually I landed it. It was a nice mirror carp (please correct me if I'm wrong!) of 5lb 2 ounces:

As it seemed that my presentation was working, I left it alone and rebaited/recast. Then in the next hour two more fish came along - two common (?) carp, of 3-12 and 3-15:

After that, things went very quiet for a couple of hours. During that time I tried casts to differing areas and depths, but apart from some 'single bob' bites that weren't followed by a proper dunking, there wasn't much going on, so I decided it was sarnie & coffee time.....

Suitably refreshed I thought I would add groundbait to the nearby margin and go back to fishing that again. After about 20 minutes the float twitched and then sank out of sight. My strike was met with a strong pull followed by a flash of a good sized fish's flank as it rolled. Then the fight was on Mindful that I was on a light rod and 4lb hooklength we fought it out over quite a few minutes, with the fish racing for the snags to either side, then digging down into the shallowish water. Thankfully the hooklength and hook held, and I pulled a good sized common into my basic landing net:

Perhaps I should have brought my bigger landing net:

As can be seen in the picture, the fish weighed in at 12lbs and 10 ounces. That is the biggest fish that I have landed at Apps Farm so far. I celebrated with another cuppa coffee, to let my heart rate settle down again......Maybe I will bite the bullet and try a day on the specimen lake at Apps when it reopens?

After that high point, anything else would be a bonus, so I was very happy to land a further very strong fighting 6lb 9 oz common, and then before packing away, a final 4lb 8oz common.

What a day! I know its a commercial fishery, but for a beginner like me, this is the kind of bigger fish pleasure that makes up for the past months of cold, wet small fish angling!

Cheers, Bob

 

[mikench]

The fact that I am posting at 3.30pm and I have already cut the lawns and washed the car tells its own story; a blank and the most boring blank to date! I set off for the large shallow mere naively thinking the recent warm weather might have provoked activity from its inhabitants! I was wrong. There must have been 30 bivvies around the lake and other anglers in between! Nobody caught and a couple of carpers had had nothing in 3 days!

I just felt I wouldnt catch if I stayed there till midsummer so I packed up! I so very nearly carried on up the road to the smaller pool but decided to stay faithful to my original plan! I toyed with going there after but decided one can have enough excitement for one day- not!:wh

 

[103841]

Have you not got somewhere local that's not bivvy city Mike?

 

[nottskev]

The fact that I am posting at 3.30pm and I have already cut the lawns and washed the car tells its own story; a blank and the most boring blank to date! I set off for the large shallow mere naively thinking the recent warm weather might have provoked activity from its inhabitants! I was wrong. There must have been 30 bivvies around the lake and other anglers in between! Nobody caught and a couple of carpers had had nothing in 3 days!

I just felt I wouldnt catch if I stayed there till midsummer so I packed up! I so very nearly carried on up the road to the smaller pool but decided to stay faithful to my original plan! I toyed with going there after but decided one can have enough excitement for one day- not!:wh

Sounds like hard work! Is Border Fisheries still on your club card? It was known to be a place with plenty of fish and variety when I lived nearer you. I wouldn't know how good it is now. Some of your local places sound a bit all-or-nothing.

 

[stillwater blue]

It was a nice mirror carp (please correct me if I'm wrong!) of 5lb 2 ounces:

No Bob, that's not a nice mirror but a stunning mirror.

Nice write up and good fishing

 

[peter crabtree]

Took my neighbour to a new to him venue this morning, it was cold and drizzly when we arrived but dried up a bit soon after. He had a roach first chuck on bread, as did I but that was it, he soon decided it was too cold and went.

It was really cold, my hands were freezing but I was there for bites and a change to single red maggot got me a few. Skimmers, a dace, 2 chublets, perch and a few chunky gudgeon followed until the drizzle returned and things started getting soggy.



I thought brolly up or go home, 2 more boats in the lock and the swing bridge siren announcing the impending arrival of another from the other direction made my mind up, I went.



I knew it would be hard work after the cold rain overnight but was happy to see my waggler dip a few times...

 

[mikench]

Have you not got somewhere local that's not bivvy city Mike?

This is a big lake (17) acres so there is plenty of room!View attachment 4484View attachment 4484

I have been to 3 different locations this week and have loads more !! Kev border is still part of BM and I will have to pay it a visit one day!!!