Closed season blues

quickcedo · May 27, 2010

Found myself walking the river the other day, just to have a look. The levels are quite low but, oh how the closed season drags. This new season seems to have taken forever to come round. Anyone else got the itch to get back on the river? Any new season trips planned?

Wobbly Face (As Per Ed) · May 27, 2010

Get trout fishing, you are missing a great time to be beside any water. Wildlife and everything at its freshest. Granted water levels are low. You could fish still waters, some good early tench fishing and crusians are moving. I am a bit traditional when it comes to close seasons even on still waters, hence the trout fishing.

quickcedo · May 27, 2010

Funny really how things change over the years, There was a time when I was obsessed with fiy fishing. Havn't been for some 10 years. Actually now you mention it, think I'll dig the kit out. Quite fancy chucking a bit of fluff.
Been doing a bit of Tench fishing lately but, the river always pulls me back.

Wobbly Face (As Per Ed) · May 27, 2010

Know what you mean Mark, got back into fly fishing again 2 years ago after a few years of only one trip per year Press Manor Fly Fishin and the odd holiday jaunt. I'm also enjoying the fly tying again, too much to do and no time to do it in. I'll have to give up work.

cg74 · May 28, 2010

Hi Mark, the river (Cherwell) looks dire moment, acrid weak black coffee colour, with visibility of less than a foot.

Don't give locations but have you spotted any barbel spawning

, cos they've been at it over the weekend.

Chub will be starting this weekend I'd say, see whats in there to be caught

.

Sean Meeghan · May 29, 2010

Got a tope trip planned for 17th June! My first trip will probably be on the following Monday. I must admit that I'm getting a bit fed up of still waters and the local trout rivers have been showing their bones so it's been the last half hour of daylight or nothing.

I've been nominated chief appetite whetter in Yorkshire as I'm doing a Barbel Society talk on 3rd June. Let's hope for a bit of rain over the next week or so to get the rivers in good nick.

MarkTheSpark · May 30, 2010

Succumb to the lure of fly fishing. I was at Elinor yesterday. Me and a coarse fishing mate who's just trying fly fishing caught it on a magical day.

We started in a bay wher we could see the fish rising to buzzers and sedges. I caught a lovely overwintered but the wid was too awkward to cast well; he was really struggling. We moved away from the bay to get the wind at his back, and he promptly caught a lovely rainbow.

Then we wnent back to the bay when the wind calmed, and fished right through to darkness. I got take after take on a Diawl Bach but couldn't get the fish to 'stick' - one of those fascinating frustrations of angling.

So we didn't catch any more trout but the fun of trying made up for that. My mat's final words? : "DEFINITELY doing that again."

slime monster · May 30, 2010

I'm off to the pub ....................now!:w:w:w

johnnyfby · May 30, 2010

For years i match fished, i preferred big lakes full of anything but carp, flowing rivers full of roach, but it all went wrong when the commercial fisheries took over, mixed up with the decline on the Trent. I tried commercial fishing, but i hated the short pegging, pole fishing, which for me IMO was only for noddies who couldnt fish the float or feeder. It also made people lazy, and the lack of solitude when fishing a commercial. So for 20 years i pleasure fished, and won the odd bream match or too. Then 4 years ago i got the urge to catch a Barbel from the trent. My only Barbel to that date was a 6oz'er, i caught as a 15 year old at Thrumpton. My first session i got smashed 4 times before i landed my first Barbel, it totally knocked me over. I had to totally re think my way of fishing. Very quickly i started to speciallise on the Trent for Barbel and now i am looking fwd to getting back on the river, after the closed season. With regards to closed season blues, i use this time to take a break from fishing, get the odd jobs done that i have been putting off, and now and again i prep for the coming season in hand. I dont agree with the closed season and would definately petition for an end, but while its here, i enjoy the break and my house and garden is looking great.

Enjoy what you have

Jon

quickcedo · May 31, 2010

cg74 said:
Hi Mark, the river (Cherwell) looks dire moment, acrid weak black coffee colour, with visibility of less than a foot.
Don't give locations but have you spotted any barbel spawning, cos they've been at it over the weekend.

Chub will be starting this weekend I'd say, see whats in there to be caught.

Is that you Colin?
I have seen no Barbel at my end for over a year now! Saw fish spawning over Witney way last week. But where there used to be dozens there was about 6. Spent the whole of last winter Chubbing! (esp as I now have a Tackley ticket)
Spent the last 2 days Tench fishing a small pond near bristol. Had a great time even if the weather was pants!! Just what I needed.
Just booked up to fish Lechlade fly fishery.... now where is that fly rod?

Neneman Nick · May 31, 2010

I was watching some big old chub yesterday on a section of the ise and swimming amongst them was a mirror carp....first one i`ve ever seen in the ise !!!
I am bloody gagging for the start of the river season !!!!!
Mark the spark,there is a nice run off/backbrook type section off the nene next to elinor....day ticket chub and the odd barbel shows as well.

quickcedo · May 31, 2010

I spent the weekend Tench fishing, catching fish to about 2lb, brilliant fun! All the fish fell to Cat meat. Anyone tried this stuff for Barbel?

cg74 · May 31, 2010

MarkTodd said:
Is that you Colin?
I have seen no Barbel at my end for over a year now! Saw fish spawning over Witney way last week. But where there used to be dozens there was about 6. Spent the whole of last winter Chubbing! (esp as I now have a Tackley ticket)
Spent the last 2 days Tench fishing a small pond near bristol. Had a great time even if the weather was pants!! Just what I needed.
Just booked up to fish Lechlade fly fishery.... now where is that fly rod?

The very same, migrated from BFW....

Regards the Windrush, its hardly surprising that there's so few barbel now. The river, well river by name, stream by description is so lacking in water from Ducklington onwards, its a miracle any true river fish can survive; brown trout, chub, dace and what with barbel being the largest therefore fewest in numbers plus the most susceptible to suffering the ills of a poor environment.....

Just a shame they aren't to be found further upstream!

---------- Post added at 09:46 ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 ----------

Mark, regards cat meat for barbel, yes its excellent but hard to get to stay on a hair or hook.

To make it a bit more rubbery, I always used to lay it flat (chunks) across a bit of kitchen roll and sparingly coat in chilli and turmeric freeze until needed in a large tub and once defrosted, flavoured rubbery cat meat

.
If chub in the swim forget it though, as they'll knock it off and crays....

, nothing needs saying!

quickcedo · May 31, 2010

Speaking of Crays. We have a few guys down here trapping them full time. They have over 2000 nets and are looking for as much permission on the Cherwell as possible. Any help with this would be much appreciated.
Great to be chatting with you again Colin. You'll have to come fish the Tackley stretch this year.
The Barbel I saw were close to the R.R. pub.

Beaker · May 31, 2010

Only 16 days,or as my little boy Sam would say"only15 sleeps daddy" it will soon come round.

Peter Jacobs · Jun 1, 2010

Beaker said:
Only 16 days,or as my little boy Sam would say"only15 sleeps daddy" it will soon come round.

Yes! And the anticipation is almost killing me.

That said, the wonder of casting that first line on the Glorious 16th just makes up for all the time off of the rivers.

Tight lines to all.

quickcedo · Jun 1, 2010

Well said Peter. Lets hope for a good year with steady flows.

MarkTheSpark · Jun 1, 2010

Neneman Nick said:
I was watching some big old chub yesterday on a section of the ise and swimming amongst them was a mirror carp....first one i`ve ever seen in the ise !!!
I am bloody gagging for the start of the river season !!!!!
Mark the spark,there is a nice run off/backbrook type section off the nene next to elinor....day ticket chub and the odd barbel shows as well.

Do you mean the little brook that runs between Elinor and the wildfowl sanctuary (south bank, I think). I've seen a few modest chub in there but nothing too big. Or the bit at Thorpe Waterville where the Nene splits in two?

We'll have to meet up there, Nick come the 16th and give it a go. To be truthful, I'm off to Taverham for the opening, then busty at work. But I could probably manage an evening or morning off.

Closed season blues

quickcedo

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Wobbly Face (As Per Ed)

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