You do like to punish yourself with that M25 dont you.
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
A blank on the Trent yesterday. They say its wrong to go back to past glories as things are never the same. I gave my new Power Upgrade to my barrow a good trial though and it dealt with all my junk up the steep flood banks and transport to the swim of my memories.
Sadly the spot has been trashed. Its a very deep bend with trees on the far bank and no matter the time of day I used to get a barbel or two.
The trees have been hacked away and there are bare earth spots all along the far bank and a mushrooming of bivvies.
Its got the air of being thrashed.
I did however use weights of clay as recommended by Nottskev with success being able to drop a bait into the snag pit under the rod without loosing leads. That was a success and a thing to use again.
I shall lick my wounds and target a quiet and private lake on Monday for absolutely whatever comes along.
Sadly the spot has been trashed. Its a very deep bend with trees on the far bank and no matter the time of day I used to get a barbel or two.
The trees have been hacked away and there are bare earth spots all along the far bank and a mushrooming of bivvies.
Its got the air of being thrashed.
I did however use weights of clay as recommended by Nottskev with success being able to drop a bait into the snag pit under the rod without loosing leads. That was a success and a thing to use again.
I shall lick my wounds and target a quiet and private lake on Monday for absolutely whatever comes along.
markcw
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I took 8 year old Finley to Lodge Farm at Fritwell, his mum and grandma came along as well .
Finley has been fishing with his mum but never caught anything, I said before we went he would catch his first fish today .
Finley has Sensory perception deprivation, so I took my time explaining how to set the rod up and check that all the rod rings are in a straight line and what may happen if they are not . He put the reel on the rod and threaded the line through the rod rings, .
With the pool being shallow we chose a small Drennan Chrystal waggler, which I explained why we chose it and how we shotted it , a ready made hooklength completed the set up.
Next step was showing him how to cast, I cast out a few times then he had a go, After a few mistimed casts which has happened to us all ,he got the hang of letting the line go at more or less the right moment .
A few pouchfulls of maggots were fired out to get the fish interested , as we baited the hook . I kept the bait simple , Dynamite Baits silvers groundbait with softened 2mm pellets mixed in , half a pint of white maggots and half a pint of red maggots in separate tubs .
After a couple of casts he had his first fish , He was over the moon , laughing and grinning like a Cheshire cat .
A few more maggots went in ,feeding white maggot and fishing red on the hook seemed the best combination with the occasional golf ball size of groundbait going in .He baited his hook himself and unhooked a.few fish
He had a fair few roach and a few perch , he also missed a few being excited his float was going under.
Then he caught a carp of around 3lb which I netted for him .
By the look on his face you would have thought it was a world record .
A few more silvers followed before we packed up as the heavens opened .
He really enjoyed today and it was good showing him what to do .
Hi mum sent sent me a text earlier, saying how much he enjoyed it and not stopped talking about .
The photos taken of him with his catch are being emailed to his school to go on the " what did you do at the weekend." board his class has.
Finley has been fishing with his mum but never caught anything, I said before we went he would catch his first fish today .
Finley has Sensory perception deprivation, so I took my time explaining how to set the rod up and check that all the rod rings are in a straight line and what may happen if they are not . He put the reel on the rod and threaded the line through the rod rings, .
With the pool being shallow we chose a small Drennan Chrystal waggler, which I explained why we chose it and how we shotted it , a ready made hooklength completed the set up.
Next step was showing him how to cast, I cast out a few times then he had a go, After a few mistimed casts which has happened to us all ,he got the hang of letting the line go at more or less the right moment .
A few pouchfulls of maggots were fired out to get the fish interested , as we baited the hook . I kept the bait simple , Dynamite Baits silvers groundbait with softened 2mm pellets mixed in , half a pint of white maggots and half a pint of red maggots in separate tubs .
After a couple of casts he had his first fish , He was over the moon , laughing and grinning like a Cheshire cat .
A few more maggots went in ,feeding white maggot and fishing red on the hook seemed the best combination with the occasional golf ball size of groundbait going in .He baited his hook himself and unhooked a.few fish
He had a fair few roach and a few perch , he also missed a few being excited his float was going under.
Then he caught a carp of around 3lb which I netted for him .
By the look on his face you would have thought it was a world record .
A few more silvers followed before we packed up as the heavens opened .
He really enjoyed today and it was good showing him what to do .
Hi mum sent sent me a text earlier, saying how much he enjoyed it and not stopped talking about .
The photos taken of him with his catch are being emailed to his school to go on the " what did you do at the weekend." board his class has.
S-Kippy
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I hate it....but if I want to catch something other than carp or bits I dont have much choice.You do like to punish yourself with that M25 dont you.
wetthrough
Well-known member
I'd more or less written of the rest off last week after the session with Mike on Tuesday, forecast was grim for the rest of the week. By Thursday I was in need of my 'fix'. Checked the weather for where I was least likely to get either soaked or electrocuted, or both. Thursday evening that was where Mike and I have been the last few sessions. Dunham where I ended up had thunderstorms forecast. First thing Friday morning and all had changed. The water I'd settled on had rain forecast all day, Dunham was mostly clear with a heavy shower forecast for around 2pm. Arrived around 7am, picked a peg where what little wind was forecast would be behind me. Setting up I realized I'd forgotten to retie my hooklengths. I had enough 3lb to 18s but no 16s. Picked up a couple of small Rudd (loose feeding maggots and caster) put some sweetcorn on and had a Crucian in the net. 18s a bit small for sweetcorn so have to start tying hooklengths on the bank, not something I like doing as I test them all when I do them at home which gives me confidence. I lost a sizeable fish later when the hooklength snapped. Not quite sure why but the spool I have in my tackle box is a little on the thin side although I could have got an overhand knot in it without noticing. Ended up with 4 Crucian to corn, a Mirror and a Common both around 3:4lb to Mainline pellet and two skimmers both to a 5mm cube of luncheon meat. Foul hooked a lump of some sort which opened the hook up, a 16s Guru LWG and came off. Had to tie another hooklength up Ended up with 13 on the clicker almost all caught before the heavens opened at around 2pm which didn't last long, maybe 40 minutes. Put the brolley up and stayed more or less dry. Didn;t get much afetr the downpour, just a couple of small Rudd. Not a bad day if a little slow in the afternoon.
Quite a high backed Crucian which I thought they developed as a response to the presence of predators maybe that includes Herons and Cormorants.
Thought this was a Common when I landed it but looking at the picture I'm not quite sure. You can see the barbules in the full size pic so maybe it is a Common.
Ended up with 13 on the clicker almost all caught before the heavens opened at around 2pm which didn't last long, maybe 40 minutes. Put the brolley up and stayed more or less dry. Didn;t get much afetr the downpour, just a couple of small Rudd. Not a bad day if a little slow in the afternoon.Quite a high backed Crucian which I thought they developed as a response to the presence of predators maybe that includes Herons and Cormorants.
Thought this was a Common when I landed it but looking at the picture I'm not quite sure. You can see the barbules in the full size pic so maybe it is a Common.
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That second one isn't a chub - it's an F1. Sorry if I've read your post wrong.
I met up on Tuesday with Andy (Skoda) who'd come up to try the Trent. Andy had a four pound chub on his first cast, but it was all downhill after that on a stale, low river with a gusting cold wind thrashing the trees. A couple of banker swims produced nothing else, and the bailiffs (they're keen round here) confirmed no-one was doing any better. Still, we had a good day, found we had lots in common fishing here and in Ireland, and we'll meet up for another go, hopefully with better results.
Had a couple of hours this afternoon on the lake with the ban on floats. I wanted to try the idea that came out of discussing alternatives on here. A couple of stop-knots from a thick floating line and a blob of coloured pole float bristle grease made a visible "float" that stayed up pretty well in the windy weather.
The carp evidently had other things on their minds, so only the barbel were interested. I had three small ones like this
And one that had me wondering if I'd hooked a decent carp
The weather was foul again, grey skies, cold wind and squally showers, so I wrapped up after 3 hours. But I was happy enough with the float alternative.
Had a couple of hours this afternoon on the lake with the ban on floats. I wanted to try the idea that came out of discussing alternatives on here. A couple of stop-knots from a thick floating line and a blob of coloured pole float bristle grease made a visible "float" that stayed up pretty well in the windy weather.
The carp evidently had other things on their minds, so only the barbel were interested. I had three small ones like this
And one that had me wondering if I'd hooked a decent carp
The weather was foul again, grey skies, cold wind and squally showers, so I wrapped up after 3 hours. But I was happy enough with the float alternative.
Trent unbelievably low, clear and stale. Met up with Skoda on Tuesday on a top stretch. One fish between us. No sign of significant rain, either - forecast quite the opposite. I'll be on a lake like you.
i tried to put a bank stick in the ground yesterday on the upper Great Ouse (”above Bedford”). The ground is like concrete and it’s only June!!! Ok ... it was 2nd July ... but all the same! The river, however, had a good colour and pace
some sanity restored ... after A few weeks of struggling on canals.
I just did my normal thing ... alternating between a down the middle line and an across line ... feeding sparingly with hemp,and caster. the peg that I drew is probably the worst on “the shallows” ... but I’m pretty confident that I have this venue sorted.
Not many dace around on my peg and the roach were invariably tiny (biggest maybe 2 oz). But I did catch lots of barrels (chublets) from fingerlings to 3oz ... with a couple that I had to slide to my hand in the water (perhaps 8oz?).
I caught pretty much all day, to weigh in 17:5 ... beaten in to third by an 18 pounds and a 17:14. The 18 had three big bream, whilst the big 17 had mostly dace (as did the peg above me).
strangelu didn’t feel gutted at missing out whilst coming so close ... TBH not sure where I’d have found the extra 12 ounces
I attacked my new lake today with a method feeder after my debacle on the Trent. I had some rod bending with 12 carp the biggest 10 and a half.
They seem to like "fruity squid wafters". Who invents these names?
I am known for clumsiness. I lived up to that today by standing on the top section of my feeder rod
I have just dashed off an email to Daiwa in the hope of a replacement part. They are known for very good customer service so fingers cross they can supply one.
Another carpy picture. My foot still seems intent on getting in the photo!
They seem to like "fruity squid wafters". Who invents these names?
I am known for clumsiness. I lived up to that today by standing on the top section of my feeder rod
I have just dashed off an email to Daiwa in the hope of a replacement part. They are known for very good customer service so fingers cross they can supply one.
Another carpy picture. My foot still seems intent on getting in the photo!
I attacked my new lake today with a method feeder after my debacle on the Trent. I had some rod bending with 12 carp the biggest 10 and a half.
They seem to like "fruity squid wafters". Who invents these names?
I am known for clumsiness. I lived up to that today by standing on the top section of my feeder rod
I have just dashed off an email to Daiwa in the hope of a replacement part. They are known for very good customer service so fingers cross they can supply one.
Another carpy picture. My foot still seems intent on getting in the photo!
Keep it in there - it's like a signature. What rod was it, Pete?
barbelboi
Well-known member
Traffic? - Ah yes, I remember now..................
.lakhyaman
Well-known member
“Agar Firdaus bar roo-e-zameen ast
hameen-ast, o hameen-ast , o hameen-ast ”
“If there is Heaven on Earth
It is here, it is here, it is here.”
Those lines (the initial gibberish is in Persian) have been famously attributed to the Moghul Emperor Jahangir (the father of the one that built the Tajmahal) when he first set eyes on the vale of Kashmir. He wasn’t far wrong in my view.hameen-ast, o hameen-ast , o hameen-ast ”
“If there is Heaven on Earth
It is here, it is here, it is here.”
If you are a fisherman there can be no finer place to fish. You will forget your fishing as you stare at the mighty Himalayas as they tower over the little valleys from behind what would be mountains anywhere else.
Dark brooding forests, home to Leopard and Himalayan Black Bear sweep down the slopes to sunlit bottoms where roaring rivers of snowmelt beguile you with their winking waters and you pick up your rod again.
The fish is the trout, both rainbow and brown. Introduced by the British, one Scotsman in particular, to help while away the ennervating heat of the summer in the Indo-gangetic plains in the beautiful coolth of the valleys of Kashmir. For those interested the story is well told here:
https://www.ozy.com/true-and-stories/the-scotsman-who-imported-imperial-trout-to-kashmir/87626/
I am no fisher of trouts. Indeed, this was my first acquaintance with the fish except on a plate. I was, in fact, a little fearful having been told of the almost witchcraft like arts involved in fishing for trout with a fly. It was with some trepidation that I invested in a couple of travel fly rods and fly reels. Floating lines and tippets were acquired and a dear fly fishing friend in Malaysia tied up a collection of recommended flies and couriered them to me. I persuaded a couple of schoolmates and a professor of engineering to join me. One was no mug, for he owned access to and fished two beats on the Test, despite now being settled in Dehra Dun, India, and was our group’s insurance against failure. However, since he disappeared at dawn and appeared just in time for whisky round a much appreciated bonfire ( the nights were splendidly cold - the plains were 45 centigrade plus) he wasn’t much use to the rest of us.
To the rescue came Dr. Faisal Shah! The good doctor has given up the medical profession to be a doctor of trout fishing and who
is the owner of the perfectly wonderful fishing lodge where we put up. He and his team know their stuff and nothing is too much trouble.
We spent the first morning learning how to cast. But it was all for naught. At the riverside the good doctor announced we would be “indicator” fishing. This is, to all extents and purposes, trotting a fly below a float! The float, in this case, was a polystyyrene square, so aptly called by the Americans, a “bobber”. We took to this like the proverbial ducks to water and the Professor promptly celebrated with a double hook up - a fish each on the point and the dropper.
The permit allows six trout above 10 inches in length to be kept by each angler each day. The Kashmiri ghillies have a somewhat startling habit of trying to fill each limit everyday. It took some persuasion to get it through that we did not really need 24 large trout each day. But some would be taken, indeed often killed before you could react.
The fish handling was somewhat novel as well.
For those who are really looking for big fish there are some of reasonable size as well.
Doctor Faisal Shah with a reasonable trout!
Eventually we learnt to swing a wet fly across the stream. We even tried our hand at euro-nymphing and caught fish. The dry fly apparently catches fish as well, but we were not so bold.
We fished the Liddar and Bhringi valleys. The Liddar runs through Pahalgam which is the local tourist hub and the road in on weekends and holidays can be tailed back for miles. There are some superb and picturesque beats along the Liddar. The fishing is done from the side opposite the highway, which is bordered by a black bear reserve. Apparently they are quite often down by the river but we did not meet one. The roar of the Liddar prevents one from hearing the slightest sounds of the vehicular traffic and it can be quite ethereal to fish by a Grade III rapid and occasionally look up and across to this endless but silent snake of traffic on the other side.
I have not the words to describe the beauty of the place. The fish are plentiful. The local people charming and utterly unobtrusive, even when I fished right through their little villages. There are beats and beats some as wild as you can possibly want and others a two day trek.
You will be bewitched by the beauty of the terrain, the charm of the people, the wonderful rivers and fishing and every now and again you will raise your eyes up to the towering snows and agree with the Kashmiris - the Gods truly live there!
All the best
Lakhyaman
I have added a few extra pictures for those who wish to have a look.
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markcw
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Brilliant write up @lakhyaman and some great pictures . 
mikench
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While your posts are few and far between Lakhyaman , they are always excellent and well worth the wait. Lovely photos and what a backdrop to the fishing. Well done to you and please do carry on delighting us.
A Daiwa 11 foot Powermesh. Casts 50gm and quite a beefy rod. Not the end of the world as it was a sale job from Bobco . I may be able to glue an inside sleeve from the rod it replaced............................a Shakespeare feeder rod I SAT ON LAST YEAR!! There seems to be a running theme here.
What a smashing write up. Your photos capture the beauty of the place. I always enjoy your posts. I remember your literacy won you the story competition a while ago.
S-Kippy
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Absolutely. What a beautiful place to fish and so eloquently described. Best of all... not a hint of the M25 anywhere.
lakhyaman
Well-known member
You could visit S-kippy, but there is the M25 to Heathrow.....
Well, someone's got to follow Lakhyaman's wonderful report. You can't see the mountains from where I was sitting, but there was a good two feet more of the island showing than when I was there on Saturday. The farmer has had the pump running - it doubles as an irrigation reservoir - for a couple of weeks, so I was sitting where my bait sat a while back. I only came here because the river is painfully low, but the water shortage is general.
Usually I'm hiding behind the bushes, so I felt a bit like a sore thumb perched down on the exposed bank. The bailiff came down, looked around and pronounced it unfishable. He's of the school of carp anglers who only go near the water to net a fish, whereas I'm only really happy with my toes in the water. Some big carp were cruising on top, but since the rule after No Floats is No Floating Baits, they were safe to swim past and laugh. I managed 3 bites in 3 hours, 2 on the greased stopknot and 1 on the rod I chucked down the margin on the other side. I intended to put it on a buzzer, but the battery was flat so I was listening out for the baitrunner.
Usually I'm hiding behind the bushes, so I felt a bit like a sore thumb perched down on the exposed bank. The bailiff came down, looked around and pronounced it unfishable. He's of the school of carp anglers who only go near the water to net a fish, whereas I'm only really happy with my toes in the water. Some big carp were cruising on top, but since the rule after No Floats is No Floating Baits, they were safe to swim past and laugh. I managed 3 bites in 3 hours, 2 on the greased stopknot and 1 on the rod I chucked down the margin on the other side. I intended to put it on a buzzer, but the battery was flat so I was listening out for the baitrunner.
The Sogster
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@lakhyaman fantastic report and pictures.
so jealous having spent some small time in the himalayas your post made me remember how great the scenery really is.
so jealous having spent some small time in the himalayas your post made me remember how great the scenery really is.