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tigger

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Two PB's (or should that be PW's) in a week though................:)



I think i've a number of better PW chub than that one BB, but your deff'o in front with your PW barbel, i'd be surprised if I ever came close to such a glorious PW as that :cool::cool:
 

peter crabtree

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Out this morning for my first session on a river this season. A swim on the last few hundred yards of the river Chess before it ends its 9mile meander through the valley and into the Colne. Locals such as Neil 1970 and Rob the artist will know this spot..
I set up a small alloy stem stick float taking just 5 no9 shot and alternated between bread punch and worm sections on an 18 b611 to 0:06.



Had some of these on punch.....



and these on worm section....

Only stayed an hour and a half before the heavens opened...
 

103841

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A return to the weir pool today that has yielded a few chub in recent visits. Conditions very different with a mass of weed, algae and urban rubbish spiralling round the pool giving little chance of keeping a line in the water without collecting a load of rubbish.

Tried different areas, all without success. Forgot my phone so no pics, not that there was anything to photograph, apart from a grass snake that made its way across the pool, highlight of the session.

Keep praying for a deluge of rain, it won't come, a few miles in just about any direction and it's been lashing down, very frustrating.
 

buick_toni

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Few days back I went to a commercial rainbow trout pond (basically a forest lake with some stock of rainbows), I arrived in the evening at 21.30 and left 13.30 the next day. Was kind of tired after that to be honest. But got two rainbows, one I put into oven with some onions and slices of lemon, the other one is in the freezer at the moment :) My first rainbow trouts ever!

Ok, a few days before that I had planned to go fish on a quite remote small lake in the woods. There was actually an old road made for logging trucks which was still very much driveable so it was pretty easy to find it. It was quite late when I found a good spot to park my car. I could see the lake and it looked very promising! Only maybe 100 meters walking down the road and another through an old woodcut clearing growing full of fireweed(?). Sounds easy...

I had walked maybe 20 meters away from the car when I saw a moose jump to the road maybe another 20 meters away from me! If they had faces like us, I believe it's expression would have been just like mine: confusion mixed with a bit of fright. I only mumbled (basically to myself) that "Yeah, you keep the lake and I go home?" And it jumped away from the road and rushed into the woods. And I kept my words and drove home :eek:mg:

Hope I will soon get something new to tell about. Have not had a lot of inspiration for fishing due to some other things in my life at the moment. I'm quite stressed, tired and drained at the moment, but on the other hand these fishing trips are a help at least a bit to clear my mind and think some things over.
 
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mikench

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I can safely say that you will not encounter a moose over here! A cow or bull yes , even a large tattooed carp angler;) but no dangerous wild animals!:rolleyes:
 

dorsetandchub

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Funny how life goes in waves, isn't it?

The cat came home a few days back with an NFI pinned to it, No Idea - the F I leave to your imagination. The anemia was responding well to treatment, there was no underlying cause and no evidence of a bacterial cause, either. I began to suspect the whole thing was a high cost vet scam - and, worse, the cat was in on it. Anyway. she's back home now. Eating like Binka, but, fortunately, marginally better looking.

This morning, I had two phone calls in quick succession. One from work (I'm on holiday), I've gone up a grade due to someone retiring early (should help with vet's bill) and the second from the local Swiss Toni, "buying a new Land Rover, Phil, is a lot like...."

Apparently, he had a deal I could not live without. He was right, but the downside was I found myself handing over the sort of money that brought Kevin Keegan to Liverpool when I was a nipper.

Stressed by being forced to live like a responsible adult and dragged into the 21st century, I opted for my number one stress mantra, two pints of red maggots and a load of kit hurriedly slung into a bag and transported to the River Yeo.

Two thoughts occurred, after some heavy rain last night it might do a little better and I did have two new rods I wanted to test drive / christen, hopefully.

Upon arrival, the same swim as last time out with the main river in front of me and a looped branch entering the river joining it, was free so I staked my claim and set up.

The float was an 11ft Darent Valley Specialist (12oz test curve) with a Daiwa 125 closed face, 2.6lb main line and a 3BB Woody's wire stem stick down to a 20 red maggot hook on 1.14lb bottom.

I also set up a new Rovex John Wilson Travel Avon (with quiver tip), with a Preston PXR 4000, 4lb main, an ounce Kamasan black cap feeder to two reds on a Red Maggot 16 hook to 3lb bottom.

I started on the float, the flow pushed through a tad better than last time but the minnows were hording like Genghis Khan, the mercy level was about the same and the result equally comparable.

By some miracle, a solitary 4oz or so dace did get there first on one trot and two equally mini salmon parr also but it was a losing battle so I picked up the feeder rod and launched a hemp filled feeder into the joining crease.

Again, the hordes were waiting. Occasionally, the "bite" was enough to move the tip but usually, it wasn't. That said, I did get two good, solid, proper bites. A dace around 3oz and a perch around 6oz which I reckon mulched a minnow but left no evidence of its heinous crime, if indeed one had been committed.

Three hours of trying to avoid minnows was made infinitely more bearable by some recently downloaded Credence rarities but the main factor at play, in all honesty, was that the bl88dy minnows were, arguably, more stressful than the other factors and I packed up to go home to a well earned strawberry lemonade.

Life's almost back to normal now - it must be, the cat was hovering longingly near its food dish and singing like a robber's wife.

Happy Days. Till the next time, be there many a bend in your rod. :)
 

mikench

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Much to like in your post Phil, well written , erudite and amusing ! I too like the Darent Valley rods. Having met Binka I must say he reminded me of Alain Delon ; and a gentleman to boot!:)
 

103841

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Having a full all day session on a lake tomorrow and hadn't planned anything definite for today but what with so much rain falling over the past 12 hours I was curious to know what effect this would have on the river. For the fourth time in as many days was attracted back to the weir in Canterbury. Two sluice gates have been opened pushing all the flotsam and rubbish downstream, looks so different! Sadly it also has caused a migration of the decent fish that had resided in the pool over the past few weeks.

The size 6 hook on 10lb line used previously was swapped for a size 20 on a 2lb hooklink. Had a dozen or so roach and dace, none requiring the net. Was in good company with the current Drennan Champ fishing the pool with me, he didn't do any better than me, made me feel a bit better.:)
 

dorsetandchub

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Much to like in your post Phil, well written , erudite and amusing ! I too like the Darent Valley rods. Having met Binka I must say he reminded me of Alain Delon ; and a gentleman to boot!:)

Alain Delon? Wow, used to love his French crime movies - there was always one line that appeared in every single one of them.

The arrested person would say to the Police "No, no, you've got it all wrong" - usually in a cod dubbed Anglo-Franc accent.

Borsalino - I reckon that was probably the best of the bunch. Great stuff :)

---------- Post added at 22:22 ---------- Previous post was at 22:19 ----------

A gentleman to boot? Into the river?

Seriously, I've never had any doubt of that - not ever.


Any fella who can stick a feeder on his face, have a pic taken and put it up for all to see is alright with me!! :)
 

Teabreak

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Had my first outing today at the club I've just joined on the Thames. Quick chat with a couple of members, first told me all about the water and what was in there and made it sound really good. Second just said how hard it was and it fished best 12-3am. But he was there at 3pm !!!. Asked me what I was targeting (fish mate), said I was gonna use a maggot feeder so he told me to fish at the furthest point from were he was. He made it sound so dire I thought he was gonna cry.

Any way picked a swim based on size so I was comfy but forgot about casting with overhead branches and to the side. Never mind, let's make the most of it.

First catch, a mussel. Was gonna put it back but it managed to untie my hook to nylon so he was destined to be bait now.

Not having much success, small bites but couldn't hit any. Changed to size 18 with a micro barb that I bought by mistake. No barbless rule so let's use them. Hadn't even cast in and hooked my shoelace and that barb was working well. Me reaching shoes is like trying to scratch the middle of your back, not easy.

Set up again, cast in, settle back in chair, rooting through jacket pocket, find a tic tac, result yeah.
No, it was a paracetamol I was chewing on.

Basically that was the most memorable part of the day. Ended up with 3 small roach and 2 dace. There's plenty more swims to explore and I'm going back tomorrow evening after work. :)

Oh, and I did use the mussel as bait so got my revenge on him but no fish like him.
 

rubio

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Had my first outing today at the club I've just joined on the Thames. Quick chat with a couple of members, first told me all about the water and what was in there and made it sound really good. Second just said how hard it was and it fished best 12-3am. But he was there at 3pm !!!. Asked me what I was targeting (fish mate), said I was gonna use a maggot feeder so he told me to fish at the furthest point from were he was. He made it sound so dire I thought he was gonna cry.

Any way picked a swim based on size so I was comfy but forgot about casting with overhead branches and to the side. Never mind, let's make the most of it.

First catch, a mussel. Was gonna put it back but it managed to untie my hook to nylon so he was destined to be bait now.

Not having much success, small bites but couldn't hit any. Changed to size 18 with a micro barb that I bought by mistake. No barbless rule so let's use them. Hadn't even cast in and hooked my shoelace and that barb was working well. Me reaching shoes is like trying to scratch the middle of your back, not easy.

Set up again, cast in, settle back in chair, rooting through jacket pocket, find a tic tac, result yeah.
No, it was a paracetamol I was chewing on.

Basically that was the most memorable part of the day. Ended up with 3 small roach and 2 dace. There's plenty more swims to explore and I'm going back tomorrow evening after work. :)

Oh, and I did use the mussel as bait so got my revenge on him but no fish like him.

You may want to check the legal situation in re killing Freshwater/Swan mussels.
 

dicky123

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Agree, many are ignorant of the fact they are a very long lived species. I'm sure once known any decent angler will find a substitute for the Swan mussel.

Prawns are a great sub.
 

mikench

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Met up with Notts Kev today on what was in effect the reverse leg of our meetings. I met Kev at the agreed rendezvous at 8.15 and set off in convoy to Goose Green( a day ticket water but on my card and free to me) about a mile away. After a degree of indecision we settled on adjacent pegs on the largest of the 3 lakes(ponds) which we had to ourselves at that point!

We had a lovely day in perfect weather; warm but with a cooling breeze and plenty of cloud cover. I decided on the feeder and Kev set up a feeder rod and his float rod. Fishing was a little slow but my mates the bream soon arrived and I ended up with around 20 bream and a few roach. Kev caught similarly but in the inverse proportion !;) We had lots of interesting conversations on all manner of subjects and were visited by another angler who appeared to like our company! Not surprising with Kev there!:)

Kev kindly let me have a go with his Diawa Amorphous Whisker float rod ! What a delightfully light and responsive rod; even I caught with it!:rolleyes:

When we finished for the day I gave Kev a whistle stop tour of the area visiting the school he first taught in, the house he lived in at the time and showing him some of the changes that had occurred in the intervening period - nearly 35 years!;)

He is now on his way back to Nottingham. Thanks Kev for coming, your good company and the useful tips you passed on to me! Once a teacher always a teacher;) We plan to meet up again for some trotting. Great fun this fishing lark not just for the obvious but for making new friends!
 

peter crabtree

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Fished one of my favoured swims on the Colne locally today. Around 4' deep with a sluggish tow which can speed up from time to time when the lock opens on the nearby canal. 15' ultralight rod, Abu 501, stick float and bread punch on a 20 it was literally bite a chuck down the middle.






All this lot of roach, chub and dace on half a slice of white bread.
Plus a couple of perch on maggot.
Most enjoyable and not too hot....
 

mikench

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Thanks for the info. Feel like a criminal now.

Well don't ! You may not have caught a swan mussel at all . It may have been a zebra mussel, an invasive species which cost millions every year because of the damage it causes!
 

103841

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Another visit to Stonar lake today. After three previous trips which were all spent on the far bank I decide to fish the opposite side of the lake. Previously I had caught in excess of a hundred Rudd but none of any great size, I was told that they are less numerous on the other side of the lake but that's where to catch the specimens, so that was the plan for today.

Today's swim with the old viagra factory in the background.

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Set up a float rod with 4lb line fishing maggot. Fours hours passed and not a touch:( Changed to the whip and and you know it's desperate when I have to use hook and line I can hardly see!

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It did the trick as I started getting bites but couldn't connect with them. Eventually I hooked into a decent fish, a very decent fish, a roach of considerable size, easy pb, the fight on the whip and 1lb bottom was tense and as I slid the net in........gone:eek:mg: bumped the hook.

The bites continued but we're so sensitive and finicky but I did start to catch a few all requiring the net being quite chunky but not like the one that evaded capture. They weren't in pristine condition either, many sporting comorant scars.

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There was a comorant at work in the middle of the lake, I have to admit I was impressed how far and how quick they can cover ground under water, several hundreds of metres in a matter of seconds! Must be like a shooting gallery below the surface.

So, having over a hundred Rudd with no roach on the far side, today I had roach and not a single Rudd, I guess they don't like to mix.

A bream followed by three consecutive eels brought an abrupt end to my days fishing. Hard work and makes me realise that the behaviour and characteristics of the finicky sensitive roach are very different to the greedy hooligan Rudd.
:)
 
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nottskev

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Up early today for a drive through Derbyshire to leafy Cheshire to meet Mike and his friends, the local bream. You couldn't ask for a prettier little water, set in a shallow bowl of hills with buzzards circling above and svelte, exotic bovines relaxing in the adjacent fields.

Mike had kindly bought me a ticket for two rods, but I think even three or four wouldn't have helped today as I guessed wrongly how to fish it and scratched about for a few roach and skimmers.
Meanwhile, Mike demonstrated his bream-magnet credentials – I noticed he uses a clicker to tally them up; I wasn't having that problem – with a string of bream on what was evidently exactly the right method - a pellet feeder, generous loose-feed over the top, and a creative approach to hookbaits.

The whole day was a treat, with Mike's excellent company and free-ranging conversation, a few chats with other anglers who were really enjoying being there, and even the youngsters out fishing with – we surmised – their social worker were quietly fishing away like good 'uns.

I used to live nearby, more than 30 years ago, and hadn't visited the area since (No, I didn't leave because I couldn't catch anything) so it was a treat to be given a guided tour of the vicinity when we packed up.

Thanks, Mike, for a lovely day. I'll look forward to the next time and maybe some river floatfishing.
 

dorsetandchub

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Viagra factory next door? Must be why the fishing was hard?


After a day of battling stuff that would have been agoraphobic in a 2ft fish tank, I opted to tackle some bigger stuff that actually pulled back and floats under. I opted for the usual, nearest commercial.

The weapon of choice was the pole, my usual carp model tooled up with 8lb main line, a .50g Preston Tyson float down to a 14 on 6.1lb trace.

I also packed a Drennan Tench float rod, PXR 5000, 10lb main, a 3AAA Drake bodied waggler and a Maver 14 Method hair hook to a short 8.9lb length. This was for some recently purchased 14mm pellets, Sonubaits O's, cheesy garlic which smelt like a hot weather murder scene.

I kicked off on the pole, potting in hemp, a few torn up prawns, mixed small pellets, a few cubes of meat and some vanilla corn. Hook bait was the usual 8mm cube of meat.

Instantly got the Poltergeist vibe - "they're here......", the float went in seconds and the elastic followed it, the first customer going around five and a half pounds.

In short, a good succession of carp, the odd bream and a couple of roach followed. The biggest carp might have scraped 8lbs and one decent bream around 2 and a half.

Today's music came courtesy of the wonderful birdlife and the odd artificial flier, courtesy of the RAF.

After four hours on the pole, I switched to the rod with the depth charge of a pellet......and waited. After forty minutes or so, the float trembled, slid and buried. The strike met solid and line poured off the reel. After a good solid fight which involved steering the fish away from an island then a reedbed, it went radio rental at the net half a dozen times but eventually fell into the net, somewhere near but I don't believe quite reaching double figures.

As I have a busy few days and a trip away, I packed up to attend to home front duties, hoping I can squeeze another session in before next Friday.

Take care and tight lines, all. :)
 
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