I think I'm going back......

Serves you right Mr. clever-clogs Perkins.

"Maggot (all colours) worms (two types) corn, pellets, bread,"

but not the magical cheese paste!

It's what our Mr Guttfield catches on, cheesepaste wrapped around a hair rigged bead with a small amount of crust on the hook to balance it. A ? - ? oz bomb is all that is required about 18-24 inches away and all fished on a loop.

Now surely that priceless information is worth Amanda's phone number?

Woody

Curiously, I did think about cheese paste, but you can't take everything - can you?

Anyway, sorry to say that the real 'Amanda' (yes, she does exist) is not very well at all at the moment, and hasn't been for some time, and it looks like her recovery will be a long term job

I will pass on your best wishes, if you like

I'll second that cheespaste was the missing ingredient

Great....!

Thanks for all the advice......now!

Andy, have you been over to Tring lately?

I'm contemplating a visit soon, and some info BEFORE I go is always welcome

Your angling skills are just above mediocre, get off with you, you're having a laugh!

Nice read Kev', when it's a blank, it's a blank, no matter what you do!

If you do go back and catch on cheesepaste, will the conditions be exactly the same???

Steve

As Arnie says "I'll be back" - but I will go fully lured up in the first instance. Upstream on the weirs around Oxford, I can't get past the suicidal chub, but at least I am catching something! As for blanking, well, there are times when you positively expect it, and times when you possibly don't, and this was one of the latter.

As Jeff says, probably guilty of being too confident, and just turning up is no guarantee of catching, is it?

Should I be knocking up a batch of cheese paste for the upcoming fish in then?

First of all thanks for the kind comments about the construction of the platform at Romney, we didn't actually build it ourselves but funding was secured from the EA, local council and MTC to enable contractors to do it on our behalf. The planning and design was done in conjunction with the EA and the BDAA to ensure gradients etc were right for wheelchairs so I was surprised to hear you say how slippery it was, presumably you were there on one of the very cold days when ice must have formed on top of the damp wood?
The fishing this winter has been very hit and miss with very low clear water not doing us any favours but there's normally something willing to have a go at anglers' baits - you did remember to put a hook on the end didn't you????
All joking aside, that particular swim has been responsible for at least one double-figure Barbel, our club-record Chub of 7 lbs 2 ozs, Carp to 18 lbs and a Salmon of 9 lbs 4 ozs [not all in the same day i might add!] so, as you can see, it does have a bit of history and is one of the still relatively few disabled swims on the Thames.
I forgot to add the 22 lbs Pike that came out recently from literally right under the platform so a revisit with the lures and plugs might not go amiss!
Parking does continue to cause problems as Windsor is a very busy town and everyone is out to make money from the visitors although parking in the bottom end of the Home Park car park is still free at weekends [as far as I know] with the British Rail car park being the most expensive of the two during midweek [although it is a shorter walk].
Could I just point out though that if anyone is found parking in the boatyard they will not only find themselves banned from Romney for life but are quite likely to have to pay to have their car freed from a clamp as well - you have been warned!

Thats right Stephen ,really rub it in, tell Kevin what he should have caught .

Stephen

Thanks for the info, on the day we went it wasn't freezing, but both both the ramp and the platform were v.slippery first thing, the surface of the boards was damp, and greasy but did dry out and improve a bit as the day wore on (and how that day wore on!)

Yes we parked in the BR car park, went to Home Park first, just the other side of the tracks, and a bit cheaper, but how are you supposed to get a barrow up and down all those steps of that footbridge?

Shouldn't be surprised if that isn't a breach of the DDA, making those less mobile use the dearer car park.......

Anyway, I have fished at Romney for many years, and I will be going back now I've been given sooooo much information as to exactly what I should have been doing, can't fail next time, can I....?

Might even buy a season ticket, save me being chased round the island by the bailiff.........

Regards

Kevin

Ps

Steve - do Old Windsor control the meadow downstream of the boatyard?

Pps

Woody - Amanda wants to know where her flowers and chocs have got to......

Sorry Kevin - without a phone number I can't get her address for the flowers and chocs to be delivered - personally of course!


I also had a word with the Secretary of Old Windsor Angling Club last night at a RUG7 meeting. He hasn't caught a fish out of the weir since November last.


Oh, and cheesepaste doesn't work for him.

Give me a call when you're going next Kevin, I might even join you.

And Hello to Steve. Nice to see you on here. A Guiness please, mate.




hahahaah!

Kevin,

if you had driven all the way down to the bottom of the Home Park car-park you could then walk alongside the railway down to the river [about 300 yds] turn left under the bridge and walk across the meadow to the lock bridge onto the island.

Alternatively [if there are two of you] drop your gear in the layby at the end of the BR car park [leaving someone with the gear] and drive back round to the car park by the footbridge - no gear to lug over the bridge at all then!

And yes, the meadow is part of OWAC's water [down to the aforementioned railway bridge]. A season ticket [?30] is well worth considering as it gives you access to some other cracking stretches of the Thames such as Bray, Boveney & Cliveden.

Geoff, Alan has caught nothing at all since November wherever he's been, in fact I've caught as much as him recently and I've not been out since the match on the Jubilee in October !!!!
And you can't have any Guinness, it's all frozen in the cans !! [We must sort out the heating in the clubhouse].

Nice one Kevin, only just read it, I can't understand how I missed it earlier as I always read your stuff. (right, thats my drink sorted at the Thames fish in!). You should be grateful for days like that mate if you just caught one or two you wouldn't have anything to write about would you, it wouldn't have the same humour potential?

Graham

You are probably right, not having to waste time finding, hooking, playing and landing fish, gives me a far better opportunity to take in my surroundings and this must help with my observation-based 'humour' - I will try my best to blank more often!(Although three seasons of experimental night fishing for pike at Tring didn't seem too funny then, and hasn't got much funnier since!)

Lok forward to seeing you on the Thames

Hello Kev glad you were tempted to fish the Thames and I look forward to your articles.I know the bit you fished well and would point out that a) I don't rate weirpools in winter and b) the fish get very localised in the winter in clear water conditions.The stretch can be very good if you find the fish. Sorry to hear you didn't catch but as as Stephen said I think this winter has ,with the lack of rain and strange weather, been unusually hard fishing wise.All I would add is the latter part of the day have continued to produce so may be a later start (and a knob of cheesepaste!)might do the trick .
Regards
Dave