How did you get on?

[barbelboi]

Nipped back over the fields to the woodland pond and the first thing I noticed was that, since Friday, there are still 6 of the original 13 ducklings in residence. I decided to have a few hours targeting the roach on plastic hemp again (no maggots left in the bait ‘fridge and couldn’t be bothered for the 25 mile round trip to the country store as I won’t be out again until the balmy forecasted temperatures of the middle of next week).

Once I got back into my rhythm of hitting the lightning fast bites again I had an enjoyable session fishing the plastic over a bed of hemp beneath the rod tip and lobbing in a few grains each cast (i.e every few seconds). Nothing under around 8oz for the roach, no tiny ones at all, ending with a total of around 20 decent fish to well over a pound and 4 lively ferals to around 6-7lb.

A quite hectic few hours that keeps your concentration level at 100% to hit those incredibly quick bites – at least I only had to bait the hook once during the session. I also forgot the digi so no pics but pretty much as ‘shot’ on Friday’s post. Fished from 10am-2pm.

 

[mikench]

What stunning fish Lakhyaman! I am envious and will now pursue the elusive tench with renewed enthusiasm but little skill

 

[Tee-Cee]

Nice fishing on the plastic hemp, Gerry!

I've tried heavens hard on so many occasions to catch anything on the plastic stuff without the slightest touch...............Must be doing something wrong..

ps Good win for the gunners. Pity my mob couldn't make it an all London final....groan

 

[Pete Shears]

Actually caught fish at the reservoir this morning - well two skimmers and that was it,plenty of bird life to watch and at least it was more than on Saturday when the osprey stopped by and caught a fish which was one more than me.A mate,Simon,a bit further along had a good run on legered maggots and ended up with a pike 12" long hooked in the scissors.
Thinking about venturing out tomorrow unless everything is covered in snow . . .

 

[buick_toni]

Hope it will get warmer here soon. Nice to see the green grass on your photos here, as here the snow has hardly melted away... Not being jealous or anything, or am I? Today went a bit fast for me so I decided to stay home rather than go fishing in a rush. Maybe tomorrow, even though the weather forecast promised us a little bit more sleet and snow... Again...

 

[Day Breamer]

My post is more of a pre-how did I get on.

Today saw me put 10lb ESP syncro loaded onto my big pits and also change batteries in my scales, alarms and receiver.

Won't be long now, hope to get out next week, just need to liquidise some boilies for the method mix and I am good to go.

 

[peter crabtree]

Looking forward to your report Paul ....

 

[Day Breamer]

Thank you Simon. I am nervous and excited both at the same time, no different to most people I imagine around this time of year.

2 years ago when I last fished the water I had bream to 9.13, 9.10 and 9.7 (all different fish) now in those 24 months they have either died, lost some weight or put a pound on... I can't wait to discover which it is.

I heard of a 13lb bream come out to a carper but I don't like whispers and rumours, so as far as I am concerned the biggest bream in there was 9.13 until I see otherwise.

It's a carp water, and not a runs water, the bream do see a lot of boilies which are intended for the carp that as of 2 years ago went to 41lb (I saw that one), I am quietly hopeful for the bream, which means I will probably have them to 9.15 now

 

[flightliner]

My post is more of a pre-how did I get on.

Today saw me put 10lb ESP syncro loaded onto my big pits and also change batteries in my scales, alarms and receiver.

Won't be long now, hope to get out next week, just need to liquidise some boilies for the method mix and I am good to go.

Paul, google Cookes seed n feed merchants in Rotherham.
check out their own groundbait, sells at £1 a kilo, all ground up dog biscuits and other stuff.
Cracking method mix that I use with confidence.

 

[mikench]

success for me is relative but i too have never had a bite on artificial bait and I have tried corn, caster and maggot. Last time out i even tried artificial and live maggot together without success!

I too must be doing something wrong!

 

[Day Breamer]

Paul, google Cookes seed n feed merchants in Rotherham.
check out their own groundbait, sells at £1 a kilo, all ground up dog biscuits and other stuff.
Cracking method mix that I use with confidence.

Sounds good mate but I have found a mix that works really well for me on still waters for the bream, I do use about 50% liquidised boilies (specific ones) in my method mix and then use the same boilie on the hair, always with a small piece of ESP fake corn soaked in betaine.

My catch rates in 2014-2015 were double those of the previous two years, and it also brought in a bigger average sized bream too, not once, twice or three times, but dozens of times this would be the case, and on multiple waters. I do have total faith in my baiting approach now, and also in the bait I use... confidence is a huge part of angling.

I just need them to be the right size now and I honestly believe I will have them.

 

[mikench]

Go on then just a little more info! I seem to catch nothing but bream at the moment but nothing big and I am after Tench

 

[Day Breamer]

I have been looking back through my log from 2013 - 2015 and I caught 37 bream over 7lb with 19 of them being over 8lb and 4 of them over 9lb, this being on a water not renowned for it's tench and I always caught tench in almost every session, nothing big with the best going just over 5lbish, not weighed as I have had them to 8lb elsewhere but they were regular enough to be almost common.

I was fishing 52 yards approx. onto the back of a small bar which was clear gravel in amongst lots of surrounding weed, I wouldn't go below 10lb Syncro and I only had a snooker table sized area to hit, sometimes I only used one rod if the wind got up to ensure absolute accuracy.

The tench always came between 1-2pm I used to joke to myself around 1pm and say 'It's tench o'clock' such was the regularity of it.

The bream and tench were happy to feed together as I would occasionally get one and then the other within minutes of each other and in my 'best hour' on the water I had 9 fish, 5 bream, 3 tench, 1 carp all within an hour... I just wish and hope they have done a bit of weight now... I fish well enough for them, but you can't catch a double if there aint one there.

I should add that it is not uncommon to do several blanks here, it is not a high stock water, 9 fish from a lot of venues in an hour is nothing special, but for where I fish it is a hyper-event and only happened once... the best bream went 9.7 that session.

#Crossedfingers.

 

[mikench]

I meant info on the recipe Dont be coy!

 

[binka]

I enjoyed a bit of an impromptu session recently from early afternoon into evening.

The reason for turning out was that I had previously fished this particular swim and found some perch but I couldn’t help thinking I could have made more of it by using the long rod as opposed to the Avons which in turn would allow me to hang the float off the tip far better along the base of the deep marginal shelf in what can regularly be an insane amount of tow…





To that effect my chopped worm feed went in via tightly squeezed balls of riddled and dampened seed compost which I chose over the bait dropper for its cloud effect.

I had not had a touch for well over three hours but it’s not exactly a ‘bites’ water and I wasn’t overly concerned but I was kicking myself when the float just sailed away and, expecting to strike into something solid, I hit fresh air and it had done me on the worm too!

I rebaited and lowered back in and barely a couple of minutes later I had a bob on the float which then seemed to slip away in a swirling motion and this time I was going to give it an extra couple of seconds but the tip was already buckling over and the ‘pin was spinning.

I lifted into something lumpy and in the chop and heavy swell it appeared grey when it first rolled, by sight I thought it was a bream around 4lb but it didn’t feel right especially when it got its head down and bored away into the lake and I could feel it rolling aggressively as I played it back.

When it did eventually break surface ready for netting I was glad I hadn’t got a positive ID on it earlier as my heart would have been in my mouth, it was a big perch and it looked like my long awaited four pounder!

My legs turned to jelly as I slipped the net under it and I then rested it in the water whilst I gathered some composure for weighing and a picture.

It wasn’t my four pounder but, by a whole ounce, it was a new personal best at 3lb 13ozs and I wasn’t the slightest bit disappointed by that especially as this time around I’d done it by design…





After this I decided that I had to fish on until dusk and the next few hours produced just one bite but at 3lb 1oz that too was worthwhile…





It’s been lean these last three or four weeks during what is a bit of a lean time for perch in general but with three threes in the last couple of weeks, a new personal best and my best ever brace at 6lb 14ozs I ain’t complaining… :w

 

[mikench]

Well done Steve! The chop on the water reminds me of Lake Michigan! I didnt know you had such waters in your neck of the woods

 

[103841]

Oh my! A brace of threes! and so nearly the four (most probably was if its spawned).

Very well done Sir, totally deserved for patience and committment to to the stripey.

 

[Graham Elliott 1]

Steve. Top Fishing. Brilliant.


Lakhyaman, I just love your posts and pictures. Transports us to another almost secret world. Really enjoyable. Thank you.

 

[barbelboi]

Not impressed at all with your priorities Binks - no tiny tincas..................

Seriously, always good to hear of occasions where the effort is justly rewarded - cracking fish................

 

[skov]

Popped by my local gravel pit at dusk yesterday to trickle some bait in for my tench campaign.
Thought I may as well have 20 minutes on the lure down while I was there...
Second cast and I struck into something.
This was quickly followed by swearing as I realised I hadn't set up my landing net.
The pike was very understanding though and patiently waited on the end of my line while I fumbled about frantically trying to unpack and unfurl my net with the rod sandwiched between my knees mg:
It was only a little jack, maybe 3 or 4 lb, but very welcome nonetheless and ended a run of blanks on there.
I just hope the tench are as obliging this weekend!