It's been over 20 years since I was last serious about my fishing. Back then it was all about match fishing around the North West and it was a big thing. Lots of the matches were on the Bridgewater Canal and River Weaver and we used to rub shoulders with the likes of Ashurst, Lucas, Addy, the Conroy brothers, to name but a few. I used to win my fair share but was never prolific like those boys. The commercial fishery scene was in it's infancy at the time. I can't see myself going back to match fishing because this hauling out hundreds of pounds of carp et al lark just doesn't appeal. I tried my first commercial a few weeks ago (Partridge lakes) and although I had stacks of fish it just didn't seem like true fishing.
In those 20 years I kept my hand in by going fishing 3 or 4 times a year. It was a new business and other hobbies that got in the way of the fishing.
However this year I decided it was time to return and have fished just about every week since the new (river) season opened. My local fishing mostly consists of meres and the river Dane. I do pretty well on the latter by employing a roving approach and usually catch plenty of decent chub (best of 4+ lb) and grayling (best knocking on 2 lb) on meat and cheese. The meres are mostly about bream (I had a nice haul of fish in the 5 to 8 lb range in June) from Budworth Mere.
The biggest drive for me this year has been to catch some Severn barbel. I did 8 trips without success. Three to the Warrington AA waters above Shrewsbury, three to Hampton Load 'Barbel Alley' and two to Coalport (scene of barbel catching days in my youth). I started with my old methods of luncheon meat and bread feeder and learned about the new to me methods of pellets and boilies. Although I always caught some small chub, some good perch and roach (when messing about with maggots), the new and old methods produced none of the desired barbel. I'm excluding the 8 oz baby barbel I caught on maggots and the two big barbel that saw me off in snags at Hampton Loade (both hooked on meat). Finally on the 9th trip (back at Coalport for the third time) I got myself three of the beauties in the 5 to 6 lb range. All on good old luncheon meat.
So with that now accomplished I'm off to the Trent this weekend armed with caster and hemp to fish my all time favourite method - the stick float.
Thanks for reading and hope I didn't boar you!
In those 20 years I kept my hand in by going fishing 3 or 4 times a year. It was a new business and other hobbies that got in the way of the fishing.
However this year I decided it was time to return and have fished just about every week since the new (river) season opened. My local fishing mostly consists of meres and the river Dane. I do pretty well on the latter by employing a roving approach and usually catch plenty of decent chub (best of 4+ lb) and grayling (best knocking on 2 lb) on meat and cheese. The meres are mostly about bream (I had a nice haul of fish in the 5 to 8 lb range in June) from Budworth Mere.
The biggest drive for me this year has been to catch some Severn barbel. I did 8 trips without success. Three to the Warrington AA waters above Shrewsbury, three to Hampton Load 'Barbel Alley' and two to Coalport (scene of barbel catching days in my youth). I started with my old methods of luncheon meat and bread feeder and learned about the new to me methods of pellets and boilies. Although I always caught some small chub, some good perch and roach (when messing about with maggots), the new and old methods produced none of the desired barbel. I'm excluding the 8 oz baby barbel I caught on maggots and the two big barbel that saw me off in snags at Hampton Loade (both hooked on meat). Finally on the 9th trip (back at Coalport for the third time) I got myself three of the beauties in the 5 to 6 lb range. All on good old luncheon meat.
So with that now accomplished I'm off to the Trent this weekend armed with caster and hemp to fish my all time favourite method - the stick float.
Thanks for reading and hope I didn't boar you!
