How did you get on?

[sylvanillo]

Noone out today??

Well I was, for a very short while. One of the closest streams was my choice, just because it's close... but also because I was repeatedly successful in the same places over the past months.

The river is high but much better now, even it's been raining again recently. The water runs fast and an even 70 gr didn't hold (I've still not understood the "bow" method!).

I couldn't verify whether the fish are feeling as worried as humans or not, because there was no one in the river! Not even one movement of the tip.

That's the last session of the season but I'll keep going with the canal, and perhaps trout in a few weeks

Now busy with something different:
:hungry: :w

Have a good evening!

 

[S-Kippy]

After an exceptionally succesful summer I have had an absolutely shocking winter. Ok...the weather has been appalling but even so when I have managed to get out I have struggled to get a bite, let alone a fish.

More of the same today. Thought I'd have one last go at the zander before the predator season at OBH ends tomorrow. Got the spot I wanted which has produced a few fish recently. .....and packed 8 hours later having not had a run. The nearest I got were two single bleeps mid afternoon and a couple of very half hearted pick up and drops at dusk and an hour into dark. In my defence it was very bright and the water was as coloured as I've ever seen it.....even so they should have been able to find my baits.

Anyway....the temps and water must surely warm soon and then things should pick up. In the meantime I can clean and put away my zander and river gear and dig out the trite rods !

I plan to do a lot of self isolating this spring. Even Mrs S agrees the safest place for me to be is bankside.

 

[Clodhopper]

Yes, Sylvanillo, I was out blanking today. For some reason I still persist in trying to get my first chub on cheesepaste.

The birds were busy twitterpating so maybe the fish were too.

Sent from my SM-A705FN using Tapatalk

 

[108831]

Noone out today??

Well I was, for a very short while. One of the closest streams was my choice, just because it's close... but also because I was repeatedly successful in the same places over the past months.

The river is high but much better now, even it's been raining again recently. The water runs fast and an even 70 gr didn't hold (I've still not understood the "bow" method!).

I couldn't verify whether the fish are feeling as worried as humans or not, because there was no one in the river! Not even one movement of the tip.

That's the last session of the season but I'll keep going with the canal, and perhaps trout in a few weeks

Now busy with something different:
:hungry: :w

Have a good evening!

No mate,im self isolating at home with my cough as company,I think ive just got a cold as im producing phlegm,but a phone appointment with my GP was far more informative than 111...

 

[no-one in particular]

Had a walk up the pier yesterday, it has been closed for a while for some reason. Just 4 anglers on the end, the usual little group who I have a chat to. They had caught 1 bass about 1.5lb and quite a few dabs but they were small. I like a dab if they are sizable but the small ones can be a nuisance. They said they hadn't caught many plague small whiting so that's one good thing. Could be moving into the school bass next month, they often appear in April and May and maybe some Plaice.

 

[tigger]

I had my last cast of the season on the river this afternoon. The weather was pretty dire, quite powerful gusting donstream wind and threatening clouds above....but at least it wasn't raining. Anyhow, the river was up a couple of feet and didn't look good for trotting, or ewt else for that matter. It took about half an hour before the float went under and I hooked a chub. I trotted in the same place for another 20 min's before the incoming tide started to knock the river back and make it rise at speed.
I decided to make a move a couple of hundred yards back upstream to another of my favourite spots. Within a couple of trotts in the new swim i'd hooked an old nettle stalk or similar under my feet and I wrecked my end tackle tugging at it . I re-tackled but kept the same float and because the river was now flowing upstream and rising fast I attatched a loop of line above my dropper shot and added some AAAs to it ....a link ledger. I float ledgered for several min's before the float sailed away and I had another chub. I hooked another chub which bolted off at some knots before the hook pulled out mid river. It had been raining quite heavily for some time now and my hooded top was soaking and my back and shoulders were cold through being wet and having that bloody wind on my back. My hands were wet and getting knumb with cold.....I'd had enough, so wrapped up and hoofed off home for a warm drink and change of clothes.

 

[john step]

My last chance to have a go at the perch challenge. Blank. Not even a bite on lobs. To cap it all my chair collapsed. What is it with these chairs nowadays. Its only about 3 years old and wasn't a cheap one. Grrrrrr.

 

[tigger]

My last chance to have a go at the perch challenge. Blank. Not even a bite on lobs. To cap it all my chair collapsed. What is it with these chairs nowadays. Its only about 3 years old and wasn't a cheap one. Grrrrrr.

Maybe your going fatter lol.

 

[108831]

Ian,are your chub lean and if so is it because of the exceptionally high water this winter?

 

[tigger]

Ian,are your chub lean and if so is it because of the exceptionally high water this winter?

I'd say they're about same as usual Alan, some are fat un's and some arn't as fat.

 

[108831]

Must be a variation in the look of chub countrywide,our chub on all the rivers ive fished down here are more weighty below the gills,especially in March...

 

[dicky123]

I've had three trips since my last post, two in gale force wind, and the other was quite normal? Sadly the Trent was over the banks almost, and raging, so stick float fishing was out, so I made a decision it would be my last river attempt, this season.

The little commercial was open at last, and a day was used to try the new Acolyte Ultra out with a waggler. To be honest I did not buy the rod for this, but it coped with small F1s with ease, and every roach felt a good one. I'm still unsure how it will cope with the power of the Trent, and a big bream on, but we will see?



I did manage a nice run of decent roach to 8oz one day, keeping away from the carp by fishing just off the bottom. The little lake surprisingly had a massive tow on it, on trip, but it made it all part of the fun. I'm going to start after the big bream and tench next week. It may seem early to start, but this lake is so clear in summer, the weed is starting to grow now. So I'm wanting to clear a patch some 50/60 meters out the fish can keep clear with groundbait and particle.

 

[lambert1]

My last trip of the season yesterday and my first since January. The banks and fields still very squelchy but no longer dangerous unless you are being very silly indeed. I had to walk for quite some distance to find a swim that looked promising and I settled down to self-isolate for some hours. Having been through the madness of the panic buying in the supermarkets in the morning, it was nice to see that nature was getting on with things as normal. I had bread and cheese paste with me and liquidised bread in the feeder and was getting knocks on both which was pleasing. Only one fish though, a Chub of about 3 pounds on bread. The river was very high still and very coloured and there were several unseen snags which deprived me of 2 feeders! I know that in June it will be weed choked and infested with Crays, but it would be hard to imagine that yesterday.

 

[Shmoobies]

Last day of the season yesterday so decided to head back to the River Eden for one last go, accompanied by my mother as she hasn't fished in years! :')

I caught a nice chub of about 3 pounds almost straight away, and what I think were alot of dace, but there was one species of fish we were catching over and over but I have no idea what it was. I'm sure you experienced bunch can help me identify, as Google isn't even helping...



Apart from the one nice chub it was basically those all day, but my mum enjoyed catching them as she hasn't had the buzz for years.

Tight lines, Joe

 

[john step]

They are minnows. They make great perch and chub bait!

 

[flightliner]

I had a last trip on the Don in Sheffield for some Greyling.
Sadly it was pushing thro hard with extra water from the previous two nights.
We started off on a favourite swim and length but it wasn't at all easy but I managed a few fish but my friend was suffering so we moved on back downstream.
A similar scenario there so on back downriver but despite several more swims we both suffered.
Finally we decided to go back to our original spot for the last hour , I ended with nine Greyling but my friend had a hard time in every swim he tried but still enjoyed his day out.
That was it, we left in time to beat the rush hour.
Sorry there are no piks but post image is acting up!

 

[nottskev]

The last time I wrote anything on this thread was November. After a personal close-season laid low with a mysterious respiratory problem, I felt well enough to brave the infected world out there and give it a go.

I wasn't taking any chances - I'd be fishing two miles off a main road, the last half mile down a dirt track, in the middle of a wood in a corner of a huge estate where visitors don't go. Apart from another person I've fished with - hi Steve - I've never seen another angler. Today, I got there to find someone sat in the peg I planned to fish.

Taking self-isolation literally, I walked round the pond behind an island where I couldn't even see them.



Well out of practice, I shaped up like someone who had found some fishing gear and was trying to figure out what to do with it. Eventually, I had two light rigs set up, one at depth, one off bottom, fed a few pinkies and a couple of maggots, and dropped in.

The little float - 4 no 12 home-made peacock dibber - cocked and buried, and my first fish of the close season turned out to be this barbel. What it was doing in a pond in a wood is a good question, but I was pleased to see it



The day was mild, but the water was very cold, so the bait I fed could probably have been brought in a matchbox. The next fish was a bream of about 3lb, followed by some little perch, and another similar bream. I'd started after 12, and by then it was 1pm. I caught one more bream, but I missed the keepnet, and that was that. I couldn't get another bite, whether that spooked them, I don't know.

The angler I'd been isolating myself from packed up and walked around for a chat. When he got to about 10m away, I said, careful, I've got a cough. So we had a chat from there, and when he left I wrapped up.

It was nice to be back on the bank. But I have a feeling that fishing, like everything else, is going to feel weird for a while.

 

[103841]

Good to see you out and about again Kev.

 

[mikench]

Ditto Kev. Rather than stay indoors surrounded by bog rolls, pasta and spam, Gordon and I went fishing. We sat 30 yards apart which made conversation almost as difficult as the fishing. There was a strong breeeze but it wasn't really cold. I reckon the Fish were self isolating as they only came in ones and twos and then nothing for ages. I ended up with 8 small roach and Gordon had an eclectic mix and he was thrilled with a skimmer.

No pics as it didn't occur to me to take any. It was good to be out though despite all the doom and gloom.

 

[John Keane]

First outing of 2020 today to our club lake. Didn’t take any photos of fish but, on a positively balmy day, I fished my 2 Darent Valley Specialist 0.75lb rods on a couple of little bite alarms.

Set up a 12mm Nash Squid & Krill Boilie with a small PVA mesh bag of 4mm pellets glugged with Squid & Krill liquid and on the other rod a drilled 8mm Source pellet with the same mesh bag and glugged in Activ8.

These combinations accounted for a couple of decent, deep F1s, a 2lb tench, a small common and a 5lb ghostie.

Couple of changes of bait to a Candy Nut Crush Boilie and a very strong smelling 8mm Garlic pellet saw a few more fish brought to the net.

All in all a nice start to the year on a positively balmy day that bodes well for the coming months.