How did you get on?

[103841]

My third drop shotting lesson this morning spending a couple of hours back at Grove Ferry. Tried a spot recommended by a member which did look very perchy

So it was to prove with fourteen fish falling to my lure mainly between 4 and 10ozs.

What always gets the heart rate up is that sinking feeling when you've snagged the bottom but two seconds later the snag starts moving ponderously but with intent, something good was on, wasn't long before spotting a fine looking specimen that wasn't ready to be netted trying its darnedest to get under a boat. I'm not sure why but a thought went through my head reminding me that the rig included my first ever Albright knot, heart rate up again!

Everything held together, the little lure rod bent double was great fun. A drop shotting pb and my fifth largest perch at 2lb 2ozs.

 

[mikench]

Well done John and great pics as usual! I don't have a drop shot rod but will have another go for perch using prawn later in the week. I will use a float rod this time!

 

[sam vimes]

A quick bash at the river this afternoon. Things were going fairly well, with five parr and four grayling, until the heavens opened and a canoe passed through a swim no more than three feet deep. After about half an hour of it continuing to chuck it down, and nothing but minnows to show for it, I came home to dry out. Not bothering with a waterproof, because the forecast didn't include rain, was a bit of an error.

 

[103841]

Well done John and great pics as usual! I don't have a drop shot rod but will have another go for perch using prawn later in the week. I will use a float rod this time!

I'm going to mess with your head Mike, I think one of my whips will be perfect for drop shotting next time out.

 

[mikench]

Oh don't ! I can resist everything but temptation How do you use a whip when lure fishing?

 

[103841]

Oh don't ! I can resist everything but temptation How do you use a whip when lure fishing?

A whip (or is that a pole) is nothing more than a rod without rings.

 

[Another Dave]

Thought i'd go back to the pool where i caught the trout last week, this time armed with a couple of tiny spinners. Put a few soft plastics in a bag as a plan B, but the intention was to see what would take a spinner.

When i got there i immediately clocked another angler, the bloody cheek of it. I dropped back into my favourite swim. Tried the spinner, didn't like the action. Tried a few minnow-like plastics, nothing. well maybe a slight knock.

So i walked back upstream to the pool and would you believe it, the guy was fly fishing. I watched from the bridge for a few minutes, him casting out his fly and me casting off the idea that i, and only i, knew that trout had pushed into this stretch for the first time in living memory.

Headed upstream, knowing there were no more swims as such but ever hopeful. Everywhere was ridiculously shallow and 100% clear. Had a few casts with the minnow-like plastic. Kept catching on the stones, one definite take though, near the upstream bush.

Moved upstream of the bush and looked down into about a foot of pure water. At least three chub cruising around and i'd been careful so they hadn't seen me. Tried the minnow, at this point i'm doing something very similar to a Texas Rig, as detailed here. I can now see why the Americans use a conical weight, need to get some of those.

Fish still haven't noticed me, and they're going for the splash when the lure hits the water then losing interest. Biggest looks not much over a pound but trust me this was exciting stuff now. Changed the lure. Changed it again and removed the weight (swim is so small i wished i had a grasshopper to dap with). Something smaller and brighter, a tiny blue and white kopyto, just hooked it through the head with the Texas style hook i had, size 6 i think but they come up big.

They chase it like mad when it hits the water, not a take as such though. Then a couple of casts later a fish takes it, right under me, half pound maybe, it comes off.

Try again then. This time the hook is catching the stones like mad. Then a take from a better fish! It comes off. Swearword. I see the hook has bent out pretty badly from snagging on the stones. Okay. Keep still, they're still there

So we'll try Texas again, much bigger hook (2) with its point nestled into the back of a fair sized curly tail grub. Cast it downstream and pulled it in, BANG, chub hurtles towards it, i strike, finally.

 

[S-Kippy]

I'm on a bit of a roll at the minute.....and I think I'm due after having a terrible season last year.

Back down the club water near Guildford this afternoon for another short session after the carp. Having had my first ever 20 pounder last week I was hoping for another....but preferably one of the fully scaled commons which are beautiful fish and so much prettier than the lakes mirrors which all seem quite old fish.

Arrived about 4 pm and strangely had the place virtually to myself. The BF is nursing a sore foot and therefore wasnt allowed out but I'm perfectly happy fishing alone. I didnt expect much until the light started to go and so it proved when around dusk the LH (bushwacker) rod pulled tight and held. Captain carp trying to shake the hook out I thought so I tightened and sure enough there he was. Disappointing fight but another scraper 20 at 20lb 2ozs. A mirror....not as beaten up as last week's lump but still not a patch on the commons. Quiet for an hour or so before the RH rod roared off. Common 16lb exactly. I missed another run on the bushwacker rod while rebaiting the other and then everything went very quiet. It was now just about fully dark and the lake seemed to have simply shut down.

I kept at it and around 8pm after a couple of liners the LH rod pulled tight again so I tightened and once again there was a fish there. This was a much better scrap with carpy trying to get under the bank and in the trees but eventually the pressure told and I netted an absolutely gorgeous looking common which I knew straight away was another 20lb +.

Onto the scales and another tick on the bucket list as she went 23lb 6oz.....and looked every bit of it.

I thought I might get another but the only other indication I had was a fish catching the line and spooking off the open water bait. Sometimes you just know it's over and despite Big Dave assuring me that I could expect another feeding spell around 10pm I thought 2 twenties in an evening was quite enough so I struck camp at 9 and headed home.

Having never caught a carp over 20lb ever I've now had 3 in 3 trips. It sounds easy but its really all down to Big Dave who has cracked the place and knows how to selectively target the bigger fish. The place is stuffed with fish between 6-9 lb but in 3 short trips ive had 14 carp with the smallest 11lb.

I'm actually loving it at the moment. I really didn't want to like it but as long as these things keep picking my bait up I'm happy. It surely cannot last though.

 

[neil1970]

they're getting smaller mg:

 

[103841]

Cracking photos Neil.

 

[mikench]

A small Pike I assume Neil! Great photo! I can see i am going to have to improve my pics!

 

[trotter2]

Fished the river on Saturday for a couple of hours usual set up wire stem stick float taking 4no4
Strung out with 6s and 8s, 2.6lb line with a size 18 kamasan 532 pattern. Bait maggots and hemp.
Fishing two rod lengths out.
Plenty of dace and grayling don't know how many probably 20 of each at a guess.
Similar set up on Sunday different swim casting slightly further out from the bank 5no 4 lignum stem set up.
Finished up with somewhere in the region of 80 fish, nothing massive again dace and grayling with a few chublets.
Looks like the fish have acclimatized to the colder temperatures. And the grayling are now starting to take the bait .

 

[peter crabtree]

It's Tuesday and that means old codgers weekly outing. 13 of us attended the match today on the GUC near tring..

I drew opposite my dream house, perfectly positioned with his and her fishing platforms. Not a lot of change out of £1m to buy unfortunately....

Wagg and magg again across to the far shelf and predictably small skimmers one after the other for about an hour before they vanished...
After that initial flurry it got patchy with the odd perch, gudgeon, Ruffe, and roach....

At the scales I weighed in 5lb:5oz not enough to frame with 11lb winning....

 

[john step]

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Seven stripeys today on prawn/lamprey/dead roach. Nothing to bother the perch challenge with. Biggest 1lb. 12 ozs. All on small bomb in 20 foot deep water.

 

[Pete Shears]

Not much to report from the reservoir since the piking season started - just small perch and jack pike to a variety of spinners,plugs and jigs.I had forgotten how much arm ache it induces but am determined to leave dead baiting until it gets cold and/or the level rises with the slow down in boat traffic on the canal,still time for wildlife watching even when lure fishing - today a red admiral enjoying the warmer conditions and goldfinches on teasel and thistle heads,the great white egret seems to have left for warmer climes.

 

[Another Dave]

neil, do you mind telling us what that lure is and how you have it rigged?

 

[seth49]

[i[url=https://postimg.org/image/h4f41jvv9/] mg]https://s26.postimg.org/5qskqclcp/6_AD650_FD-0_CEC-41_C8-_B21_B-_B0_A316875694.jpg[/img][/url]


Back on the fishery with mick yesterday, mick went for the carp, and l tried a two pronged attack, sleeper rod out for the carp, and float fished red maggots for the silvers, started well on the float, two small roach and then, the larger one above, which weighed one pound six ounces, caught some more then the clouds cleared, and it went to blue skies and sunshine,that stopped the bigger roach taking, and I was just getting quick bites of the smaller roach.

So I rigged my tip rod up, and went on the maggot feeder, fished on a helicopter rig, started catching better roach again, and after a big drop back bite, I hooked the crucian, which also weighed one pound six ounces, nice fish, in good nick, and looked well fed.

Then I had a screamer on the carp rod, lifted into it and could tell it wasn’t a big fish, thought it’s probably a bream, but no it was another crucian, it looked bigger than the first one, but unfortunately it came of, just before I could net it,
Then I had a carp of twelve pounds seven ounces, and another of eleven pounds six, in the next couple of hours.

Still kept catching some more roach and skimmers on the feeder, but none of the big roach I was hoping for, about four in the afternoon it started to go quiet on the feeder rod so put that away, and put another carp rod out, for the rest of the day, mick walked and said he had caught one carp, and it was very quiet, nothing doing, so we agreed we would give it while five and then pack up.
Caught nothing else, but I’d had a good day, two carp,the crucian, and twenty two Roach and skimmers.

I would be interested if anyone could identify if these are true crucian in here, they have been caught to over three pounds, I like fishing for these, nice fish. ?

 

[neil1970]

neil, do you mind telling us what that lure is and how you have it rigged?

Hi Dave it was a twisted tail lure sent to me by 'Fishin Addict' - They wanted some pictures of it in action

I rigged it on a no.2, 2 gram jighead.

 

[S-Kippy]

I would be interested if anyone could identify if these are true crucian in here, they have been caught to over three pounds, I like fishing for these, nice fish. ?

I'll defer [again] to Mr Wintle but I dont think the fish pictured is a true crucian. I've done no scale counts etc...it just doesn't look right to me. Lovely fish but I suspect there's a bit of "brown goldfish" not too far back in its family tree.

 

[The Runner]

Agree with Skippy, doesn't look "true" to me, a bit too pale and body not as rounded as would expect a true crucian to be.
Having said that, how many "true " crucian waters are there now? Used to fish one place near Aldershot where the controlling club mostly swore they were true crucians, and they certainly looked the part, the problem being that once in a while you would catch one with a bit of a fan tail...