All change yet again.

[rayner]

I've decided to yet again drop fishing for carp.
It used to be carp, then I decided I wasn't enjoying my fishing as much has I liked so turned to silvers.
I turned back to carp last year, now I fancy silvers again. I was put off fishing for roach because the bigger roach simply weren't there.
My last escapade was fishing for bream, had a really nice day catching skimmers. Unfortunately a distinct shortage of roach. I wasn't surprised at the lack of roach, they had been removed. The EA said it was to make more room and more oxygen for the bigger fish. The roach had been taken for breeding purposes said the EA, the fish belong to them so it's their choice to do has they please.
They are also supposed to be restocking the silvers like with bream later this year.
That's a laugh because they stuffed the silvers lake with carp last year.
So through the colder days that are not too far away it will be dominated by silver fish. The main match lake holds a good head of bream, with the silverfish lake getting a stocking of bream there will be plenty of choice.
There is also a specimen lake that holds plenty of tench, roach and bream.
Fishing int half exciting. See how long this change lasts.

 

[David Gane]

In my opinion there is always a danger that fishing can become a bit like Groundhog Day if you always fish in the same places for the same species of fish. I fish a lot - most days if the weather is okay - so I've made it my mantra to try to become competent at just about every style of fishing there is. Yes, it gets a bit expensive when you're kitting yourself out again for yet another style or species, but it guards against boredom and keeps things fresh. Also it makes it easier to find something to fish for throughout the entire 12 months of the year. If you're into setting yourself challenges I think this is a good one.

 

[sam vimes]

I dropped the idea of repeatedly targeting a single species. I find that I get fed up with fishing unless I mix things up (venues, species, and sizes). I much prefer to target whatever is likely to be most prolific on a given day. If nothing is likely to be particularly obliging, I stay at home in preference to banging my head off a brick wall. All of it is subject to the waters available to me.

The annual rotation isn't set in stone, but will usually revolve around tench in the spring/early summer. Onto the rivers for dace and chub (while they are there) from mid-July. Once we are into September it's rivers for the last of the dace and the first of the grayling, maybe the odd bonus perch. Into Autumn proper and Winter, it'll be grayling all the wa,y with the odd foray after some stillwater roach. Much of that vague routine will be interspersed with trips fishing for anything with fins, or, very occasionally, barbel.

There will be curveballs and anomolies along the way. I rarely target carp these days, but I've no problem if they turn up. I simply make hay whilst the sun shines. Whatever presents the best local opportunity will be what I'm fishing for.

 

[d.owens]

I think it's good to have variety in your fishing. Personally I will never fish on a commercial and have no interest in modern carp fishing, but I still enjoy catching them, in most stillwaters nowadays they can't be avoided. I've fished the same small lake a lot recently but will be on the canal soon. As the weather turns colder, I'm going to try and improve (ie actually catch something) at drop shotting and using small jig heads.
There appears to be a lot less mixed fisheries than I used to remember, carp are dominant, I enjoy the challenge of the canal and still get a buzz from wondering what species I could catch next.

 

[Keith M]

Like Sam, I like to vary what I fish for during the year.

Spring is the time I tend to go for Tench, Crucians and large Carp (in that order of preference)

Summer is the time I tend to target Barbel, Chub, Crucians, Dace, Rudd and large Carp (in that order of preference)

Autumn is the time I tend to target Barbel, Large Roach and Dace, Perch and Chub. NB: The Barbel are putting on weight now to help them through the colder months ahead and the days are getting shorter.

Winter is the time I to target Pike, Roach and Chub and also start to fish a local small club water which has warm springs erupting from its bed where the fish (smallish Carp, Roach, Rudd, Bream and the occasional Crucian) often take advantage of the slightly warmer spring water, and tend to feed even when there is ice on the surface and snow coming down.

I spent quite a few years back in the 1980s fishing almost exclusively for big Carp on the Colne Valley lakes to the west of London and other lakes in Kent like Darenth to the east of London; however although I used to catch some really nice Carp back in those days I just started to yearn for the Barbel Chub and Roach fishing and the Tench and Crucian fishing that I had experienced in the years before I had turned to fishing almost exclusively for Carp, and I just went back to catching them and didn’t look back.

Although I still can’t get excited over catching small Roach, Rudd, Dace or Bream, and I’d rather be doing something completely different than spend my time catching small stunted fish, unless I’m fishing in a team match in the depths of winter where a couple of tiny fish could mean points of course.

Keith

 

[108831]

I think that hooking bigger fish on lighter tackle is THE most exciting thing in fishing,especially when you know it might happen,this year I've had several double figure carp to 25lbs,a 30lb plus cat,several decent tench,pike to 12lbs plus(in the mouth on double red maggot)whilst fishing for roach on 4lb line,I still change around a bit mind,barbel,chub and bream fishing....been good to have a play LRF on holiday too....

 

[bracket]

I emperthise with all the comments so far. My philosophy is relatively simple. I go on the rivers when they are right, stillwaters when their are not. My prime objective is to fish for a bite. If I achieve that I'm happy for it to be as repetitive as you please. Pete.

 

[john step]

Agree with others here that variety is the spice of life.
Sometimes its the weather or wind that causes the choice of venue. Sometimes the time of year. Sometimes the species. Aint life grand.

 

[rich66]

I’ll add my two pence worth and just say I’m happy if it’s got fins. Usually if I target something in particular I get something different.
Tomorrow I’ll venture down to the lakes, and I’ll see what sweetcorn and pellets bring me.
Variety is the spice of life, if the weather improves I’ll be on the Soar with a pint of maggots later in the week.

 

[peterjg]

Now I only fish for roach, preferably bigger ones. The only problem is that I still catch chub, barbel, tench, dace, carp, snotties (yuk), perch, minnows, trout, grayling, bleak, rudd, gudgeon, ide, crucian, etc, etc. Yes, no doubt about it I'm a roach specialist ..........

 

[flightliner]

I enjoy all types of fishing, specimen roach, chub, Barbel, Bream, Tench, Pike, Perch, zeds (still waiting on that one). Whatever takes my fancy at various times of the season.
Often, on account of my match angling background I will put big fish on the back burner and have a few sessions trying to put a good bag of roach in the net.
I ometimes fish for trout on the odd big reservoir that makes a nice change coming on the end of a hard winters fishing. Seeing new growth and warming conditions is always a pleasure .
If I lived much closer to the sea I would also enjoy the extra dimension it would offer me, sadly I don't, living in South Yorkshire makes it difficult in time and effort tho I have in the past had numerous trips out of Bridlington fishing for cod way back back when I was much younger.
It's nice to keep changing tack as the angling year moves thro the months. Change is good, bringing fresh challenges, not changing as I do would find me becoming stale and eventually on occasions I would maybe find myself looking out the window on a cold windy morning in the depths of winter and not bothering to venture out.

 

[no-one in particular]

Although I don't follow it myself these days, targeting a species per month is one way of varying your fishing. My best species per month are.
JAN roach
FEB chub
MAR chub
APR rudd
MAY tench
JUN crucians
JUL carp
AUG bream
SEP roach
OCT crucians
NOV roach/rudd
DEC chub

However, I fish a lot less these days and mix it up with a bit of sea fishing and a lot depends on conditions, weather, how I feel etc. You could add barbel, pike, gudgeon, minnows and so on but these are the species I have come across the most often in my limited patch.

 

[steve2]

My fishing life as been one of chop and change the 60’s were spent chasing carp not very successfully the carp just weren’t there unlike today. Then moved on to chub, barbel, and roach with trips to the Hampshire Avon and other rivers.
Lake and pit fishing for tench and bream, along with Pike fishing trips to the Fens and Abberton reservior.
A change was then made to fly fishing, which I still do and match fishing, which I don’t. Got fed up when it became just catch as many carp as you can.
There as also been spells of sea fishing boat and shore.

Now it’s mainly lure fishing so much easier then lugging around all that just in case it comes in handy tackle.
The one thing that puzzles me why did I think pike fishing was just a winter sport when there are far better times of year to catch them.

So what’s that old saying ’a change is as good as a rest’ could apply to me. Unfortunately for me the rest part now seems to be taking over from the fishing part.

 

[John Keane]

I’ve mostly fished on one club lake this season varying the methods from pole, Method, waggler, Bomb and, latterly, 2 Darent Valley Specialist rods on a pod with alarms using PVA bags and wafters. It’s 20 mins from home and has carp, F1s, tench, bream, barbel, roach. It’s lazy fishing but I like it.

Autumn/Winter will mean it’s the Welsh Dee trotting or Czech Nymphing for grayling.

Spring will see me go up to the River Spey for salmon twice, and that’s my year.

Don’t do any coarse river fishing any more as I don’t have access to them and I’m not going to join Prince Albert any time soon.

 

[mikench]

I'm still happy muddling along trying to catch fish, any fish apart from minnows. I prefer fishing light and my carp rod and 6000 reel are for sale. I often set off with roach in mind and fish maggot on a size 18 with a 2-3 lb hooklength. Having a masters in Murphys Law means I then catch carp and I consider it an achievement if I can safely land one so equipped.

Any water which offers a mixed bag of fish from gudgeon to carp and most in between will be ok with me. I plan to do more lure fishing and deadbaiting in the months ahead and the latter will give me time to read War and Peace

 

[108831]

Now I only fish for roach, preferably bigger ones. The only problem is that I still catch chub, barbel, tench, dace, carp, snotties (yuk), perch, minnows, trout, grayling, bleak, rudd, gudgeon, ide, crucian, etc, etc. Yes, no doubt about it I'm a roach specialist ..........

I like this post,the only reason I fish 4lb line on the deep lake I slider fish,is the risk of hooking big fish and the need to get decent roach in quickly,because of pike,plus they will still take the bait,on a river I would never fish that heavy for roach,on most venues you have to fish fairly light to catch decent roach consistently....

 

[rayner]

Thanks for your contributions, mostly thinking the same way has myself.
Carp were a new fish for me after certain circumstance forced me away from rivers.
I had a catch what I could time on commercials, mostly carp.
Changed back and forth from venues finding myself on a British Waterways at present.
Trouble being that it's mainly carp dominated. Smaller carp have become just boring for me at present, even worse the bigger specimens are too large for me to handle.
Both Roach and Bream are in the other lakes with a decent amount of Tench and to a lesser extent Crucians.
My enthusiasm is fired up again.

 

[108831]

At the moment,since my cold started a week last Sunday I have lost the urge to go fishing,I really cannot be arsed,I've been a little down,think I need a kick up the rear end...

 

[rayner]

Not really much you can do about a cold. keep warm and wait it out.
Fishing will still be there when you feel better.
I'm stuck at home at the moment. My wife is struggling with arthritis, she has trouble with her knees.
Can't get fishing until she's fit enough. With needing her to help to set me up, then put all my gear away I'm stuck until she feels up to it.
She's a real gem, empties the car as well, then puts it all away at home.
She does everything for me that I can't manage.

 

[108831]

I'm still coughing all bloody day,slightly snotty nose,an improvement there,over two weeks now,been to the quack again this morning and got to have an ecg,a week friday,so if my ticker packs up before then I won't need it.....