How did you get on?

[peter crabtree]

Just 2 days after breaking two sections of my pole and ordering replacements from Daiwa I was amazed to receive a call from my local tackle shop today informing me both new sections have arrived.

 

[markcw]

Just 2 days after breaking two sections of my pole and ordering replacements from Daiwa I was amazed to receive a call from my local tackle shop today informing me both new sections have arrived.

Daiwa more or less do a turnaround service.
I get what I need delivered to my home address.

 

[Mark Wintle]

After a decent day at the start of the week I had a couple of sessions on the Stour that turned into tiddler snatching but the enjoyment was there. Yesterday it was good to see signs of spring with skylarks singing and the first butterfly and queen wasp of the year.

This gudgeon, one of three of similar size, made my day. Quite how it got the bait in front of the ravenous small roach - I had over 50 - isn't clear!

 

[peter crabtree]

Mark Cw, I always get deliveries sent to the shop, especially poles and pole sections. If anything arrives broken I don’t have the hassle of sending it back…

 

[john step]

Just 2 days after breaking two sections of my pole and ordering replacements from Daiwa I was amazed to receive a call from my local tackle shop today informing me both new sections have arrived.

I have had to contact Daiwa a few times and always found their customer service 5 star.

 

[Ray Roberts]

I dropped my Jerk bait rod off to the Tackle Box. They are sending it back to Free spirit for me. I may try the river Eden tomorrow for a last go on the river, mainly for chub.


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[S-Kippy]

Proper bull gudjin that. Excellent.

 

[barbelboi]

With the end of the season creeping up I took a stroll over the back fields again yesterday and today for a couple of short stick trotting sessions. Yesterday was calm and a bit warmer than today as the wind increased this afternoon and when it brought with it some light rain I was pleased that I was almost home.

Both sessions provided some roach (and a few chub) on either flake or caster on the Microlite2000/pin and fished from approximately 12-3.30pm both days.

 

[tommos16]

It’s been a while since I posted an update… and that’s because it’s been a while since I last caught anything of interest if indeed, had any fishing of interest. But finally today I caught a fish that had bizarrely been nigh on impossible for me to catch - the humble Tench (and it was a humble one)

I can’t imagine there’s many people who’ve had a Zander before a Tench, but I got there in the end. And I am absolutely over the moon! Two and a half long years later..

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[Pete Shears]

Yesterday saw the last outing on the upper Soar before seasons end. Level a little lower still and a lovely green colour and a steady pace,I was hoping the fish were of the same opinion.
Quite cloudy to start with the constant blustery wind but as it was blowing over my shoulder, trotting a float would be a pleasant way to start the day - absolutely nothing on flake or worm so switching to a quivertip and crust soon had trout in the net which I last caught on Monday,easily recognised with multiple fin damage from an otter but still going strong at 1lb 12oz.The next bite saw a solid chub at 4lb in the net.
Hearing a buzzard call,I looked left and there were three circling in the wind and further away a magpie with a beak full of nesting material.
Managed two more trout with worm on the hook before the swim went quiet - time to move. A kestrel flew overhead.
Trying three more swims proved fruitless as the sun had come out and the fish seemed to have vanished, still a kingfisher flew by and in the last swim I tried a big bumble bee came to investigate my bait bucket.

 

[Ray Roberts]

Yesterday saw the last outing on the upper Soar before seasons end. Level a little lower still and a lovely green colour and a steady pace,I was hoping the fish were of the same opinion.
Quite cloudy to start with the constant blustery wind but as it was blowing over my shoulder, trotting a float would be a pleasant way to start the day - absolutely nothing on flake or worm so switching to a quivertip and crust soon had trout in the net which I last caught on Monday,easily recognised with multiple fin damage from an otter but still going strong at 1lb 12oz.The next bite saw a solid chub at 4lb in the net.
Hearing a buzzard call,I looked left and there were three circling in the wind and further away a magpie with a beak full of nesting material.
Managed two more trout with worm on the hook before the swim went quiet - time to move. A kestrel flew overhead.
Trying three more swims proved fruitless as the sun had come out and the fish seemed to have vanished, still a kingfisher flew by and in the last swim I tried a big bumble bee came to investigate my bait bucket.

Interesting about the bumblebee, I was sure that I saw one last week, but thought it was far too early, obviously not.

I also saw what I thought was a butterfly or possibly a moth, again I couldn’t believe my eyes and thought I was mistaken. I don’t recall seeing either quite so early in the year.


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[Kirky_1]

I seen a bumblebee the other day... Only seen it cause my dog was chasing it ?

 

[silvers]

I’d not been out for a month, what with other commitments, weather and flooding ... but the Avon had gone down to 1.23 (Warwick gauge) so I toddled off to the weekly Barford open. being last weekend, there was a healthy turnout of 31, and a few turned away as well. hoping for a draw “behind the houses” i was disappointed by drawing 86 (again) just below the Sherborne confluence. I drew it in January and caught just 4 tiny fish ... so didn’t expect a lot better. I’ve not drawn above the bridge since late October ... not the best run of draws!
The river was still carrying some colour and flow, but really not bad conditions apart from a strong and gusty upstreamer.

I started by chucking a lump of luncheon meat on a straight lead ... and second put in I had A Chub about 3 pounds! I fed maggots and hemp to the far bank line ... and threw the lead to approx where I though the bait would be hitting the deck ... but that early chub was before any bait would have gone down! After an hour or so I had another, about four pounds on the meat again ... things were looking up! I was trying the waggler and maggots as well, but no joy on that method. After two hours I impaled a lobworm on the straight lead, and second cast caught a barbel around 5 pounds, which gave a decent account of itself and is the biggest that I’ve caught this season.
sadly that was the end of the interest for the day ... apart from a pike that also snaffled a lobby. It was about 3 pounds, but as they don’t count I walked it a few bends up the Sherbourne (about 150m) before releasing it unharmed.
At the end I weighed 12:2 for a section win and 7th overall.

3 of the top 4 came from behind the houses, topped by the best weight off that stretch of river this season ... 56 pounds of chub. Well done John Stockton ... he’s well into his 80s and can only see out of one eye these days ... but he can still catch a fish or two! that peg has been first or second in every match since Christmas ... bit of a flier

 

[ian g]

No perch for me yesterday on the Severn but a barbel took me a run around on a float fished lob worm

 

[mikench]

Lovely fish Ian; no wonder you have a grin as wide as the river.?

 

[ian g]

Mike, I don’t like those reflective pictures you see with a big fish.I go to enjoy myself ?. 9.4 that barbel so worth a smile

 

[Mark Wintle]

I thought that last week would be the end of it on the Stour due to the weekend floods but I got on there today. The last two seasons I have blanked on a dirty Stour on the last day of the season.
Today I fished another river for a couple of hours for a few small dace so at least I hadn't blanked before trying my luck on the Stour at Wimborne for an hour or so. It is fining down but pushing hard with a lot of colour so I put a little cage feeder out with liquidised bread and flake on a 10 and also fished a big Avon float with punch over groundbait.
Three bites on the tip and two roach with this the best at 1-4, and a tiddler roach on the float.

I also got out last week three times and made a short video of the best day: Bowing Out on the Stour

 

[jon atkinson]

Technically el blanko on the canal yesterday afternoon - did have a take on a soft plastic but it was released before it got to the hook and had a small jack under bridge 24 which did me the courtesy of unhooking itself just as I was about to slide the net under ?‍. Much though I've enjoyed my foray into lure fishing, I am looking forward to getting the waggler rod out again!

 

[flightliner]

Last day, last chance of my hoped for bigger than my normal Zander.
I was up by 6am and on my way by 7.
The journey along the A57 was not a good one, two holdups had me in long queues on it and the A1 near Retford, frustrating as all holdups are but tbh I was surprised they only put 15 minutes on my journey so not as bad has they seemed.
I was on the bank at 8—30am and was chatting to an aquintance from up in north yorkshire who had been there for a couple of days or so and was due home in the afternoon.
He had done ok with the BB but not as good as usual on account of tge seal I mentioned last week which was frustrating for him.
Anyway I decided to fish at the top end of the reach, a swim I'd fished last week, so inside 45 minutes I was all set up with one paternostered 5"natural on a downstream rod and a 4"one on the upstream one.
It was quite for a while, the odd recast and a twitch on the line to try to entice any nearby zed to "have a pop" prooved fruitless but persaverance tgey say is the key to success so I carried on.
I was having a coffee when the upstream rod indicator flew upwards and tho quicker to respond than last week I failed to connect with the culprit, rebaited, rod on rest and indicator rehung the one on the other rod was away with the vaitrunner purring, a lift of the rod and I was in contact with what felt like a powerful fish.
I remember thinking that if it was a pike it could be mid doubles, if a zed possibly a small double.
Eventually near the bank I saw it was a zed a nice one too but but one of the hooks was a "flyer" hanging outside the mouth, my heart was in mine when I saw it but gladly it went over the rim of my landing net.
I made it safe and rang my friend who came up to take the obligatory foto's after my weighing it at a healthy 10lb 2oz.
I was really pleased with the result after all the effort it had taken.
Last gasp, last chance, last effort, last day of the season.
Dead chuffed— at last!

 

[Philip]

Cracking Zander and so well deserved after all that effort. Well done. ?