Grafham

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mark williams 4

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My dad's day treat was to take my family picnicking on Grafham while I fished. What a hard day's graft!

I couldn't buy a bite all afternoon - glass calm and not a fish moving.

My final half-hour was spent next to the dam near the visitor centre. There were bream - really big ones - priming everywhere, and one 'take' I got resulted in me hooking one up the bum for a few seconds before it got off.

Next take I thought I'd broken my duck. Well, I had, with a two-pound zander hooked fairly in the mouth with an epoxy buzzer! Next cast I hooked another fish, but it got off. Fairly sure it was a trout.

The zander's filleted. The bailiff came to lock the car park and congratulated me - only bank angler he'd met today who'd caught anything at all....
 
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Sean Meeghan

Guest
Sounds like the bank angling's getting difficult Mark! I'm down this weekend, but I'm boat fishing.

What is it about Grafham and catching coarse fish on the fly? A couple of years ago I was down there with Dave Tipping and he had a 2lb plus Roach on a black lure. Again it was on a hard day with not much caught.
 
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mark williams 4

Guest
I waded a bit, and the water's like bathwater (no, not all scummy and smelly - warm, I mean!).

I had the sinking feeling within an hour of arriving. When I arrived there was some ripple and breeze, then it just died and all surface activity ceased.

I'm certain that you need to pick you spot when bank fishing, but the boat boys weren't exactly caning them. Out with the DI7, Sean!
 
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Sean Meeghan

Guest
Forecast sunny for the weekend as well. I need to pray for some wind otherwise my mill end fast sinker will have to suffice. There was a big Zander caught in the Troutmasters as well - maybe I'll fish for them instead!
 
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mark williams 4

Guest
Ate the zander. Anglian Water should stop buying trout and start rearing zeds to stock. Just delicious.
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

Guest
They are aren't they --but a bit bony
 
I

Ian Alexander

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Way back, in the mid seventies,I worked a farm that had a field that went down to Grafham water's edge(I was a student at Huntingdon tech college.). That was when Grafham was the 'in' water and anglers of the might of Geoff Bucknell fished there.
Trout were supreme and you had to book well in advance to fish there.
Summer has always been a dead loss at Grafham with early spring producing the best returns.
I also marshalled the Kimbolton Kart track nearby. Anything to earn a bob or two as a student.

Whilst I have fond memories of those halcyon days, I have never gone back there.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)

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There are very few freshwater fish, or even sea fish that will beat the culinary delights of a zander. Small mouth black bass come close.

As Mark says, you need to fillet them.

I am actually surprized that no-one has considered creating a commercial zander fishery where you will be allowed to take a couple of fish for the table. Such a water would appeal more to me than a commercial carp fishery.

I am told that in Poland, they fish farm zander
 
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Sean Meeghan

Guest
Failed miserably at Grafham. Very few fish caught. One of may mates did have a large bream on a black blob though.
 
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Ian Alexander

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I went out to my local tiny fishery and had a nice trio of 'bows.
A five pounder, and two three pounders +or-.
Went very early, before the sun burned through and the fish were high and just not feeding. Got them all on a black and green wooly bugger tied by myself using chenille instead of dubbing.

Fishing went completely dead by 9am.

This time of the year, go early or very late.
 
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