How did you get on?

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After several trips to a little river I've discovered without success, I finally got some reward, with a seasons best chub!

The previous trips were in near artic conditions, and I think the fish were just in shock. But some rain did bring it up a few feet, and despite the cold I fancied a trip as the "shack nasties" were getting to me.

I started trotting maggots with my old 13' Daiwa team match rod. 3.2lb main line and a 3lb fluorocarbon 8'' hook link 16 hook. But after two hours I had just one tiny roach to show for it. The water was very coloured, but clearing some. I had a bag of mashed bread with a fruity flavour added in my bag, so decided to put three handfuls in the margin, just six foot down-stream. The margin was about 6' deep, so I pushed up the 7bb stick float up to 9'.

I sat back and had the first cup of coffee from the flask (I'ts amazing when trotting how times goes by, you forget to warm up with a hot drink?) it was a Kenyan blend we grind ourselves, very hot. I'd baited with a piece of flake on a size 12s super spade, thinking it being so cold a small mouthful could do the trick. A big roach, chub or barbel COULD pick it up.

Then the float buried and the tip pulled round as I picked up the rod. The fish pulled out into the main current and I could swear it was a barbel. But moments later it gave up and lay in the folds of my landing net. I knew it was a good fish, the digital scales told me it was my best for several seasons at 5lb 10oz.

Some would say three trips for just one fish in freezing cold conditions it was not worth it. What would you say?

Picture on the way if I can find out how to load it?????

Mate, around here, I'd be happy to do 10 sessions in freezing cold weather for a fish like that!

 

[Hugh Bailey]

Anyone seen Binka? Even I've been fishing twice since he last reported!

 

[tigger]

Anyone seen Binka? Even I've been fishing twice since he last reported!

Check out channel 42 on the box...Expedition unknown, return of the Yeti, I think they've just found one of his footprints and some bits of broken rods

 

[wawaw1867]

Went after the elusive chub in my local river, the Rother in chesterfield at the weekend. Once again no chub to be found but apparently they are there. Anyway all I had to show for 3 hours was an out of season Trout about 16" long on legered bread crust. Put up a good scrap too leaping several feet out of the water a few times. I'll keep trying for the chub, I know I've seen them taking food off the top before now.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Have had a nightmare getting onto FM. Sometimes it likes my login sometimes not.
Also went into profile and gave my address as a totally different place.....!!!???

Anyhow. Went to deepest Powys to try and catch a big grayling on the Irfon.
Very low and clear and very little bank space to fish unless you had waders. I did...but they had a b great hole in them and one full freezing legs worth was enough.

Managed a decent first fish at 1.13 soon after starting and later after about 2 miles walking a pod of 3 more over the pound and two of the stunning red spotted brownies.

Dont think the stretch has many fish but probably some decent ones.
New waders ordered as my feet feel as is a cow has trd on them. Too many socks not enough foot room.
Next time up there builth wells town on the wye i think. More action including good chub.
Next trip on the Frome for that elusive 3lber.

 

[Neil Maidment]

Very heavy frosts and plummeting temperatures on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday............. good job I decided on a trip to the Dorset Stour on Wednesday. Thermals and various layers made it a veritable balmy afternoon in the sun. I even ended up taking a long walk to the opposite bank to fish the same area as I couldn't see my float in the glare of the sun!

Managed to find a couple of decent chub with the best probably a mid 5lber. Also lost a veritable lump fairly close to the net that looked at least 1lb heavier mg:

Again, they were way down the end of a shallow trot and required a lot of patience to bring to the net. Single red maggot on a #20 at the business end was the predictably successful tempter.

View image in gallery​

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

What hooklink bs are you on Neil? Just in case i get down on 13th.

Well done.

 

[Neil Maidment]

What hooklink bs are you on Neil? Just in case i get down on 13th.

Well done.

I'm lazy and currently use the pre-tied Drennan Barbless Carp in #20 & #18 both to .13 (3lbs). They are "heavily forged .36mm carbon wire".

If I'm super lazy they will also bend back into shape if they open up a bit :wh

Let me know if you come down, I'll race you to the swims

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Which one(s) Neil?

I'll be in the one above the one that young Willson told me to fish that was 5 yards below another chap

 

[theartist]

Just got back from a short session on a painfully low Gade and with unbroken sun bringing dog walkers out in force it was more a case of getting in a bit of roving rather than expecting to catch much, having said that my usual 'minimum target' of ten fish was the aim.

Although it seemed last night's frost was not the heaviest recently it was enough to make the ground rock hard and so it stayed that way even in the sunny spots. The shady areas of course retained their icy margins which cracked under the pressure of my size 10's as I set up above a weir.

A few dace and roach straight away was a good start but bites dried up when the river dropped even further due to the boat traffic on the adjacent canal, the sun was really bringing everyone out. A wander downstream saw just one chub, a bump off and hordes of minnow, but it was quieter down there and with the feet warmed up it was just nice to be out and a good place for lunch.

With just 5 fish in the book I wandered back up to above the weir where the deeper water, all of two feet in places, was holding fish and I managed to make it to double figures just with 3 roach 6 dace and 1 countable chub.

Topped up the vitamin d levels a burned off a bit of the Xmas indulgence.

 

[mikench]

This post could easily be entitled "a winters tale"! Well, despite the severe frost last night and temperatures of -3 at 8.30 am this intrepid angler set forth . I even turned down a lie in and the promise of something tasty for breakfast; I 'd like to think my wife is keen on euphemisms

I arrived at my current favourite venue comprising 3 lakes to find I was alone! I could fish any off the three from whichever peg I wanted save that one lake was two thirds frozen, another was half frozen and the third totally frozen!

I went to dip my landing net( you can tell I am an optimist) only to find the bucket was frozen solid. I picked a spot and set up. After the first cast( I float fished) I thought there was something wrong with my reel. It felt and sounded like it had been immersed in sand! I also observed that the eyes on my rod had turned white. On closer inspection the top 4 eyes or so were frozen with ice as was the line. No wonder my reel felt and sounded like a bag of rivets!Reassured I pressed on with maggots and bread punch as bait . I dipped the maggots in mild curry powder for a change and began to catch regularly. I must have had over 40 small fish mainly roach but a few rudd, the largest being around the 12 oz mark. My hands and feet were so cold I couldn't be bothered weighing any of them. I remembered the Zippo handwarmer in the car and that helped warm my hands but my feet were frozen despite thermal socks and warm neoprene boots.

I missed loads of bites on the punch in the second or so between the float hitting the water and me putting my glasses back on and taking the rod from the rest.I will learn from this. Even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky by about 3.30 I couldn't see my floats whichever colour I used! I have just come in and am slowly thawing out. I did enjoy it though A demain

Ps My unhooking mat, redundant today resembled hardboard when I packed up! You can't beat winter fishing!!!

 

[john step]

I was disappointed to find only a small portion of my lake without a white lid on it.
I decided to launch a deadbait and sink the line round lumps of icebergs.

Result one low double pike on the first cast. Then absolutely no more runs. I stuck it out until the lake started re freezing then called it a day at 4Pm.

I am enjoying tea and bickies now in the warm

 

[edsurf]

View image in gallery​

Had a very cold session on the Frome today three Grayling and three trout and I lost a very good Grayling Right at the net whilst fannying about. It was slow going , i think the over night drop in temperature slowed things down a bit.I had to walk a lot of the fishery to find the fish. the plus side it put lots of steps on my fit bit.

 

[jimlad]

Managed an hour on a cold and frosty River Tees tonight. The sort of night where the net freezes and goes rock solid, and the stars are out, with temps hovering around 0 - Awesome.

Caught the one chub on steak, a low 4. I gave up after two otters swam past.....

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[Neil Maidment]

Which one(s) Neil?

I'll be in the one above the one that young Willson told me to fish that was 5 yards below another chap

So "old news" I'll be upstream, going in where we fished those many years ago, either bank depending on sun/wind. It's where the chub are! :wh

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Got it Maestro.
X

 

[binka]

Time for a quick catch up and it’s great to see people putting in some good reports despite the weather.

After a biteless all day session on the river (and that was on maggot too) I headed back to my local town centre mill pool on one of the heaviest frosts of the winter.

Heavily silted and generally neglected, it’s free fishing but there’s barely eighteen inches of water in it at the moment.

The frost never lifted and this was the picture well into the afternoon and just before the rod started to freeze up…



Still, it kept the nutters indoors and allowed me the opportunity to fish the place in peace!

Needless to say it was always going to be a finicky affair and I had prepared some wet bread for bait the previous evening which I fished on the ultralite bomb rod with a half ounce glass tip and tiny link-bomb to take up the depth of the silt, the thinking being that if I didn’t feed I might just pick up the odd fish on something that they were accustomed to from all the bread going in from the duck feeders.

Gently does it…



The plan worked and despite nothing big every fish felt like a bonus with thirteen small skimmers making up the catch…





The bites were about as slight as they get but it was an enjoyable day and it felt like a real result considering the conditions and the fact that it had cost me the price of a single crust of bread for bait.

Tight git!

Not been out for the last few days but back on the river tomorrow… :w

 

[mikench]

Good to see you back Steve andI like the new avatar!!!! Clearly your wet bread was better than mine

 

[barbelboi]

Steve, what can i say...........................

 

[jimlad]

Managed a few hours yesterday evening, weather wasn't great but I'm making a point of getting on the bank at every opportunity at the moment.

Anyhow, to cut a long story short, I banked these two chub within 5 mins of each other. The biggest I had to really give some welly and clamp down on the spool, as well as sink the tip, as it found the cover of a near bank tree.

6lb 1oz (my 2nd best chub to date)

5lb 15oz (my 3rd best chub to date)

Two chub for 12lb....Happy days!


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