How did you get on?

[nottskev]

I'm in one of those right place at the wrong time phases just now. Saturday, we had torrential rain, thunder and lightning for hours. That should put a bit in the river, I thought, so I'll go back to my new bream-rich stretch. The forecast for Sunday was good, too - a gloomy day, overcast and humid. I spent Sunday afternoon in brilliant sun under a clear sky, and the brief spell of colour and pace was over by the time I got there. I went through the motions of bream fishing, wasted a few quids' worth of worms and casters and caught a bunch of roach, dace and chublets.

A mate suggested we go barbelling this evening. We'd not even set up when a huge electrical storm parked overhead and the heavens opened. The rain was so heavy, when I decided to mix some groundbait and put a feeder on, I only needed to hold the bowl out from under the umbrella to wet it enough. The feeder didn't help anyway. When the rain eased, I fled back to the car park and dropped into the nearest swim and nabbed a blank-saving fish

View attachment 27304

 

[seth49]

Back on usual fishery yesterday, late start at 1pm so we could fish later for the carp in the margins, started on the pole and chopped worm for the tench etc, not one tench all day and last year I couldn’t stop catching them, mick had a few on meat so it looks like that’s what they want this year, had a few F1s and some nice roach instead and a perch of about half a pound.

around 6pm started feeding the margins with soaked pellets and some over wetted groundbait for the carp, and made a brew and had my sandwiches, and dropped the crusts in at my feet, and a carp soon arrived and started. eating these, so I put a piece of bread on the hook and held it on top of the water with my top kit, one had it right away a nice common of just over 10lbs.

now I’ve changed to size 15 dura slip elastic on my margin kit, and I’m liking it so far, it’s softer than the size 17 I’ve been using and the carp don’t charge off when I hook them, and I just let the elastic play them, just using side strain to get them going around in circles till there played out and then bringing in to net, I had three carp like that plus one I hooked on worm first drop in, weather wasn’t to bad a couple of showers early on then dry for the rest of the day and warm as well, enjoyable day in all.

 

[@Clive]

Fishing out here is very much a suck it and see basis. I look out for suitable swims on google earth, then reccy the swim using a sonar to check depth and flow. I look for choke points and features for barbel. That includes outsides of bends and where islands constrict the flow into one channel. For carp its the opposite. I usually give new swims three chances and today was the third time at Graves on the Charente. Previously all I had caught were small stuff although I did spot a huge chub last time.

Today I went later than usual, arriving around 2pm and had permission to stay until dark which is rare. I started off feeding maggots and trotting using some cock chafer grubs as hook baits. It is 3.5m a rod length out and there is a large overhanging bush at the bottom of the stretch. I got a chub of around 8oz first cast then another, a bleak and a nice roach. The bleak was barely bigger than the grub. If bleak went to 40lb I wouldn't dare swim in the Charente.

I swapped for a ledger rod and put a feeder and luncheon meat bait out. Nothing for an hour. Same with sweetcorn, pigeon peas and finally a 16mm boilie got a bite, but no hook up. The only things I could get bites on were maggots and the grubs.

Came home early and started reccying my next new swim on google earth..

 

[mikench]

Gordon and I met up again for a days escape from the troubles of the world . Isn’t that what fishing is all about. Out with a pal in the fresh air pitting your wits against little fishes and trying different baits is what makes this pastime so very therapeutic . Catching is the icing on the cake. Anyway back to today. The sun shone most of the time and the threatened rain did not materialise.

We both float fished and caught regularly albeit just bits in the main. I had around 20 assorted roach , Rudd and skimmers but none needed the net. Gordon had at least the same number if not more but he also had a decent ide and 4 or 5 carp. I finally achieved a bend in the rod with this common of 3 or 4 lb.

I was tempted to not post today for a variety of reasons but this thread is about going fishing successfully or otherwise and lame reports are as important as others to encourage members to remember it’s the participation that matters not the specimen fish. It was a relaxing and enjoyable day and thank you Gordon for your company and conversation.

 

[riverman]

todays trotting session on the wharfe wasnt as productive as i thought it would be.only 3 grayling half a dozen chublets a couple of dace and a 1 brown trout which was biggest fish of day around the 1.5lb mark.fished 10am till 2pm and then went to pick wife and daughter up in village pub.a bit of hassle from dog walkers who insist on throwing sticks in river for their dogs knowing full well i'm trying to fish.

 

[wetthrough]

todays trotting session on the wharfe wasnt as productive as i thought it would be.only 3 grayling half a dozen chublets a couple of dace and a 1 brown trout which was biggest fish of day around the 1.5lb mark.fished 10am till 2pm and then went to pick wife and daughter up in village pub.a bit of hassle from dog walkers who insist on throwing sticks in river for their dogs knowing full well i'm trying to fish.

Gordon and I met up again for a days escape from the troubles of the world . Isn’t that what fishing is all about. Out with a pal in the fresh air pitting your wits against little fishes and trying different baits is what makes this pastime so very therapeutic . Catching is the icing on the cake. Anyway back to today. The sun shone most of the time and the threatened rain did not materialise.

View attachment 27316

We both float fished and caught regularly albeit just bits in the main. I had around 20 assorted roach , Rudd and skimmers but none needed the net. Gordon had at least the same number if not more but he also had a decent ide and 4 or 5 carp. I finally achieved a bend in the rod with this common of 3 or 4 lb.

View attachment 27317
I was tempted to not post today for a variety of reasons but this thread is about going fishing successfully or otherwise and lame reports are as important as others to encourage members to remember it’s the participation that matters not the specimen fish. It was a relaxing and enjoyable day and thank you Gordon for your company and conversation.

Thanks Mike. Another enjoyable day. Gave it another hour certain that another fish was waiting. It was, set the drag singing only to slip the hook, sigh. Just one more after that an Ide 1lb plus so not a bad day at all.

 

[flightliner]

A nice day on the Trent today, a two rod and feeder session on a river with signs of colour and a big tide in evidence.
I used a variety of baits after the usual baiting up with coarse and fine brown crumb with a little greenstim, micro pellets, robin red pellets and finely chopped frankfurter sausages.
My hookbaits consisted of one inch pieces of the sausage on a hair that was dipped in a spicey concoction from M and S called "Gunpowder" that produced my first fish that was a sizable river bream of about 5and a half lbs, Groundbait paste, three robin red carp pellets on the hair, and some pink Sonubaits 8 and 10 mm boillies that I sidehooked to a 14 widegape hook.
In total I landed fifteen Bream with eleven of them between five and six lbs the other four were all around the three lb mark.
All baits used seemed to have caught equel numbers of fish.
I did'nt take any piks as i've shown them before on previous reports of similer sized fish.

 

[markcw]

Gordon and I met up again for a days escape from the troubles of the world . Isn’t that what fishing is all about. Out with a pal in the fresh air pitting your wits against little fishes and trying different baits is what makes this pastime so very therapeutic . Catching is the icing on the cake. Anyway back to today. The sun shone most of the time and the threatened rain did not materialise.

View attachment 27316

We both float fished and caught regularly albeit just bits in the main. I had around 20 assorted roach , Rudd and skimmers but none needed the net. Gordon had at least the same number if not more but he also had a decent ide and 4 or 5 carp. I finally achieved a bend in the rod with this common of 3 or 4 lb.

View attachment 27317
I was tempted to not post today for a variety of reasons but this thread is about going fishing successfully or otherwise and lame reports are as important as others to encourage members to remember it’s the participation that matters not the specimen fish. It was a relaxing and enjoyable day and thank you Gordon for your company and conversation.

Dunham Fishery Mike ?

 

[markcw]

Back on usual fishery yesterday, late start at 1pm so we could fish later for the carp in the margins, started on the pole and chopped worm for the tench etc, not one tench all day and last year I couldn’t stop catching them, mick had a few on meat so it looks like that’s what they want this year, had a few F1s and some nice roach instead and a perch of about half a pound.

around 6pm started feeding the margins with soaked pellets and some over wetted groundbait for the carp, and made a brew and had my sandwiches, and dropped the crusts in at my feet, and a carp soon arrived and started. eating these, so I put a piece of bread on the hook and held it on top of the water with my top kit, one had it right away a nice common of just over 10lbs.

now I’ve changed to size 15 dura slip elastic on my margin kit, and I’m liking it so far, it’s softer than the size 17 I’ve been using and the carp don’t charge off when I hook them, and I just let the elastic play them, just using side strain to get them going around in circles till there played out and then bringing in to net, I had three carp like that plus one I hooked on worm first drop in, weather wasn’t to bad a couple of showers early on then dry for the rest of the day and warm as well, enjoyable day in all.View attachment 27306View attachment 27307View attachment 27307

Was your 17 elastic Dura slip or 17h ?
Only asking because I recently renewed 17h in one topkit , I pre tensioned it as I did with the piece I had previously fitted .
It seems to have a bit more stretch in it when a fish is on compared to the old piece . It's running through a side puller as before , the new length was same length as the piece it replaced .

Not Preston but I can highly recommend the white hybrid elastic from Daiwa ,rated around 6/8
Ideal for silvers and will handle F1 and any rogue tench that may show up .

 

[seth49]

17 dura slip mark, it’s my favourite elastic at the moment.

 

[Alan Whitty]

A nice day on the Trent today, a two rod and feeder session on a river with signs of colour and a big tide in evidence.
I used a variety of baits after the usual baiting up with coarse and fine brown crumb with a little greenstim, micro pellets, robin red pellets and finely chopped frankfurter sausages.
My hookbaits consisted of one inch pieces of the sausage on a hair that was dipped in a spicey concoction from M and S called "Gunpowder" that produced my first fish that was a sizable river bream of about 5and a half lbs, Groundbait paste, three robin red carp pellets on the hair, and some pink Sonubaits 8 and 10 mm boillies that I sidehooked to a 14 widegape hook.
In total I landed fifteen Bream with eleven of them between five and six lbs the other four were all around the three lb mark.
All baits used seemed to have caught equel numbers of fish.
I did'nt take any piks as i've shown them before on previous reports of similer sized fish.

I think you ought to invite Jerry for a day there Mick, he just loves a bream or two...

 

[seth49]

Went to our syndicate water yesterday after persuading mick to have a go there, I like this water as it’s the best tench fishing we have, and in the end even mick enjoyed it, pole fishing at three sections plus top kit, fishing half a worm over chopped worm and groundbait, started with a bream of over two pounds and then a selection of skimmers, F1s, and perch, before the tench arrived.

caught tench steadily through the day plus a couple of small carp, I hooked on of the larger carp later which really stretched the size 13 dura slip elastic, before it came off, I like the size 13 for tench etc, and have had carp to just over 10lbs on it.

anyway I finished with 16 tench to around 2lbs, 7 carp and F1s, 1 bream and 6 skimmers, plus a couple of nice roach and a few perch, mick had a few less but he enjoyed it and will go again, weather was pleasantly warm with light winds and no rain, a good day I enjoyed it.

and one for the future, smallest I’ve ever caught
.

 

[mikench]

Dunham Fishery Mike ?

It was Mark and very busy although not many catching.
I think baby tench are , well , cute and like bars of soap.

 

[alantherose]

todays trotting session on the wharfe wasnt as productive as i thought it would be.only 3 grayling half a dozen chublets a couple of dace and a 1 brown trout which was biggest fish of day around the 1.5lb mark.fished 10am till 2pm and then went to pick wife and daughter up in village pub.a bit of hassle from dog walkers who insist on throwing sticks in river for their dogs knowing full well i'm trying to fish.

Was there much water on?

 

[Steve Arnold]

Well, another blank for me! I think my Mojo slipped with that blasted Covid!

I was awake early and decided to beat the heatwave we are having. Get out before dawn and enjoy some cool air, sometimes the fish appreciate the cool mornings as well.

But all I caught were some nice photographs......

and just the one carp, but very dead and smelly.....

.....maybe that will be my excuse for not catching! Thirty pounds of rotting carp going round the eddy below the weir is most unlikely to keep its cousins in that area!

 

[@Clive]

Its quiet here too Steve. Plenty of small stuff, but the big ones aren't about. At this time of year I normally stalk carp in the margins of the Vienne. I haven't seen any this summer.

 

[The Runner]

After three blank sessions there this year ( blank for spurs anyway, had the odd small pollack on lures) was beginning to wonder if they were going to turn up at all in my favourite area of Loch Dunvegan. Time to give it another go today although made a late start waiting for the rain to ease off . As it was, still got caught in a short shower of biblical proportions halfway along the forty minute walk in but thankfully stayed dry after that.
As a result of the late start would only have around three hours fishing before the tide filled the gully behind me and cut me off. It would be passable for a while longer of course with waders but that would be one more heavy thing to carry, and it’s a borderline call whether it’s jumpable at its narrowest point . So, three hours.

Set up usual running ledger, 150 gram grip lead and mackerel strip on a 1/0 with a 3ft hooklength of 90lb mono. Bottom here is mostly clean but there’s the odd reef / patch of rocks and ledges so don’t want the lead to be moving and dragged into trouble. Went out about 50 yards into deep water ( around 60 ft I think, maybe more) and after ten minutes was just getting lure rod out when the rod top hooped round. Nice start….

No sign of anything more in the next hour so kept watching the tip while worked the edge of the rocks with a small SuperSprat.
Only one little pollack on this. Tip of the big rod rattled and finally caught something here on bait on the bottom that wasn’t a spurdog- however it was a Poor Cod that took a strip of mackie almost as big as itself.

After around half an hour more things woke up. Five more spurs in the next hour and a bit, lost another when it cut me off on something sharp on the bottom. One of them was virtually on the drop as tip was going round before I’d even put the rod down. A sample of the fish, as well as the lump of a crab that I had on my second last cast.

Packed in after unhooking my sixth fish as the gully was beginning to fill rapidly. Standard spurdog fight from all the fish. Even the ones that are already running when you pick the rod up can be turned quickly, and they come in easily until about ten yards out ( still at least 30 to 40 ft deep there) at which point all hell breaks loose. Their reaction to the first sight of a landing net matches that of a barbel as well, and once out of the water they’re probably the most uncooperative fish you’re likely to come across (apart I suppose from eels or conger).
Love them though…
Had a good recce of the rocks a bit further along and found a couple of spots where can get close enough to water level to land and return fish when the tides higher( it’s mostly just a 20 ft cliff ) so will try that to give a longer days fishing next time.
Quite a few gannets about today which was good to see as they took a bit of a pasting from bird flu up here last year.

 

[terry m]

it has been tough going lately with several back to back blanks, but decided to spend the afternoon sat behind my rods listening to the tennis and just generally chilling.

A rewarding session returning two runs, the first a 25lb 4oz common, the second another common exactly 2 pounds lighter. A good way to res confidence.

 

[@Clive]

I had three hours on a small river near home this afternoon. I took my light Avon that is converted from a split cane fly rod, my old ABU 506 bought with my paper round and Saturday job money and a small bag of tackle. Float was a small porcupine quill and bait was a quarter of a pint of maggots and casters left over from last time.

The stretch was 2.5 miles long. Starting upstream I put in some maggots with my bait stick and had 3 roach in the first 3 trots down and then a chub. Nothing nettable.

There was hardly any flow despite recent rain so I missed out the middle bit and drove down to another section. I had a small roach and then nothing. Again, no flow and there were no mini barbel on the gravel run as it was too shallow. I walked down to the allotment stretch to find it is now private. That is the best bit of the river. So now the stretch is only about 2 miles long. Onto the factory stretch and the first swim where I hoped for a gonk or two was also dead. I got a ruffe from the usual place but it was half the usual size. The lower swim is normally good for a few roach and small bream. They were also on their holidays.

Hope it is better day on Friday on the Charente.

 

[nottskev]

Friday afternoon I went after barbel. With one fish after about 45mins fishing a bomb in the steady patches of a very fast moving, short and restricted swim, I tried a float - it was some float, shotted with nothing but a 10g olivette - through the fast stuff and found it was full of barbel like this. With all the rain we've had this season, these fish aren't suffering lack of oxygen. They are fully fuelled and fighting fit.

Saturday the weather was filthy, and Sunday I took birthday presents round to my sister in the morning, accepted a beer and stayed to watch the tennis. I had had a vague idea of fishing later in the day, but I went with the flow.

Today the casters I bought on Saturday, and some worms from a previous failure to catch bream on the river needed using up, so I wondered if it would be third time lucky on the new club's stretch opposite the nature reserve. If not maybe I need to book a coaching session with Mick. I keep trying to catch the stretch with extra water and colour, but each time I go in these days of wildly varying weather, the sun comes out, the colour drops out and the bream turn nocturnal. I picked a peg I hadn't fished before. It had everything but a red carpet

A river swim with an umbrella holder you could fish in your slippers is not to be sniffed at

It all looked good: a bit of water on from the horrible weekend, a bit of colour, and the swim has a big slack that let you fish 15m over it into the slower edges of the flow with only an ounce on the feeder. In went half a dozen feeders with caster, chopped worm and dead maggots, followed by one with a hooklength on and worm tipped with maggot. Not a bite for an hour. Then two hours. I tried with corn on the hook and got bites from roach. The roach were actually lovely chunky little fish you'd love to catch on the float, but not on feeder gear.

I was bored waiting for bream so I took the feeder off, put a 3/4oz bomb on and decided I'd just fish this clunky set up for roach. (I didn't have float gear with me). Surprise, surprise, the next fish on two bits of corn was this

Followed by three more. The bream had a slightly skinny, spawned-out look, but they are fit fish (just living in the Trent must b a work-out; it's a fierce environment for several months of the year) and you don't wind them straight in unless you're carping or carbelling. So, no big catch, but at least not a third blank. As I was packing up at 6.30pm, the river was alive with roach topping, so I think I'll take hemp and tares next time and sod the worms and casters.