Another Dave
Well-known member
I find a bankstick through the spokes usually does the trick.
How did you get on?
- Thread starter peter crabtree
- Start date
I find a bankstick through the spokes usually does the trick.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
There was ice on the towpath puddles this morning as me and a mate walked the half mile schlepp to his recommended pegs.
We both bagged up despite the chilly conditions.
I had over 100 roach on punch and he had a mixed bag on maggots.
My net...
We both bagged up despite the chilly conditions.
I had over 100 roach on punch and he had a mixed bag on maggots.
My net...
Not a good day
mg: I was happily blanking on a drain despite the cold. Upon reaching for my flask....it was not there. Senior moment.
Not wanting dry sandwiches and no hot drink I packed up and went home to collect the offending article.
I drove to a nearer water for the afternoon and blanked again.mg:
mg: I was happily blanking on a drain despite the cold. Upon reaching for my flask....it was not there. Senior moment.Not wanting dry sandwiches and no hot drink I packed up and went home to collect the offending article.
I drove to a nearer water for the afternoon and blanked again.
mg:
mikench
Well-known member
Oh dear Pete! There's hope for me yet!!
Roger Johnson 2
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- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 213
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- 529
With cold weather set in for the last couple of weeks and really trying to get on with bathroom /bedroom renovations, I’ve not fished but having trying to play with my “Deeper Pro +”fish/ depth finder. Quite frustrating in that I can’t get it connected to my Android phone but it does connect to my iPad, which then I can’t get it linked to the maps. On the plus side it shows
some interesting features in areas I thought were smooth glides and really exciting when it bleeps for a fish found, which are nearly always related to structure. I think there is a lot to be learnt and I really look forward to using it out on the lakes for pike and zander fishing if I ever get the time to do it.
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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
seth49
Well-known member
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
I duly turned up at my still water this morning at 8am with the gauge showing -1 degree in the car. Quite a heavy frost in the Chilterns, so a bit of scraping necessary...
Conditions looked pretty good with barely a breath of wind and I tackled up in record time whilst my fingers were still able to deal with No 8 shot. As it turned out I could have taken an hour or more as I sat watching a motionless float. At 10 am I decide on a drastic change of tactics to fishing a waggler slightly over depth, followed by fishing on a very slow drop in 8' of water. Still nothing...
At 11am I had a very tentative bite and I wasn't sure what to expect when I struck, but I wasn't left wondering for long as everything just went solid and I knew straight away I was attached to a carp. It didn't 'fight ' as such, nor did it go screaming off, but it sort of wallowed around, keeping the 11' Ultralight in a very tight curve. Some 5/10 mins later I was able to get it to the surface where it almost swam into the 16" landing net, which was just as well as I thought I would have a real problem.
It was a very pretty common of some 7/8lbs and although not what I was after, it was most welcome, particularly as i was using one of the new wagglers I'd finished only last week (bait a single red maggot on a 20 hook)
I wish I could say I caught a few roach, but on that score I blanked. I cannot remember the last time i suffered on of these, but I have the feeling I may be in line for a few more over the next couple of weeks if it doesn't warm up!
I might try again mid week................
ps The Ulralight rod at 11' is an absolute beauty. Dead right for fine roach fishing but (sort of) capable when faced with a fish such as the carp I had today. At one time it was truly bent to an amazing curve ( as it has done several time in the past) but it did the job.....
Conditions looked pretty good with barely a breath of wind and I tackled up in record time whilst my fingers were still able to deal with No 8 shot. As it turned out I could have taken an hour or more as I sat watching a motionless float. At 10 am I decide on a drastic change of tactics to fishing a waggler slightly over depth, followed by fishing on a very slow drop in 8' of water. Still nothing...
At 11am I had a very tentative bite and I wasn't sure what to expect when I struck, but I wasn't left wondering for long as everything just went solid and I knew straight away I was attached to a carp. It didn't 'fight ' as such, nor did it go screaming off, but it sort of wallowed around, keeping the 11' Ultralight in a very tight curve. Some 5/10 mins later I was able to get it to the surface where it almost swam into the 16" landing net, which was just as well as I thought I would have a real problem.
It was a very pretty common of some 7/8lbs and although not what I was after, it was most welcome, particularly as i was using one of the new wagglers I'd finished only last week (bait a single red maggot on a 20 hook)
I wish I could say I caught a few roach, but on that score I blanked. I cannot remember the last time i suffered on of these, but I have the feeling I may be in line for a few more over the next couple of weeks if it doesn't warm up!
I might try again mid week................
ps The Ulralight rod at 11' is an absolute beauty. Dead right for fine roach fishing but (sort of) capable when faced with a fish such as the carp I had today. At one time it was truly bent to an amazing curve ( as it has done several time in the past) but it did the job.....
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Isn't amazing that years ago they would have called the men in white coats if you said you caught a carp in those temperatures. Nowadays they are often easier to tempt than roach and pike when it gets very cold!
The Runner
Well-known member
Down in London for a few days work so booked in to club match on the Colne at Uxbridge.
River horribly low, clear and raw with the cold snap seeing off the last of the weed apart from a few clumps of the dreaded pennywort.
Everyone wanted to draw the backstream although even that was likely to be well below par in the conditions so happy to draw peg 54 on it, two down from the Elliott Bridge. Produced 8lb and 11 lb in the two previous matches this season, and the last couple of times I'd drawn it resulted in a first and a third, although wasn't expecting anything like those weights.
View attachment 6268
Set up 2BB waggler and straight bomb, .08 and .10 hooklengths respectively with a 20Silverfish Maggot. Was only an outside chance of chub here when the river was full of them, so minimal chance now.
Had 2ft of water at most anywhere, a bit less down the peg and also across to a small bed of pennywort opposite.
Started on punch and a very ominous lack of immediate action. Stuck with it for a while and after 25 minutes had a roach about an ounce. Then nothing; Bob above me by the bridge had had half a dozen small fish, Don below me blanking and Derek on peg 58 that everyone wanted had only a couple of little roach. And things didn't improve for me when the water dropped 6 or 7 inches over the next two hours. Finally found some tiny roach just after half time after setting up pole and fishing really tight to the far pennywort in about a foot of water but after ten of them for around 4 oz they dried up.
Not a sign of anything on my few looks on the bomb but as the sun went below the trees with about 50 minutes to go, finally had some more activity on the waggler and added a dozen small dace and a couple of roach before the end.
Ended up with 1-14 which was enough to get me 4th..
A long way adrift though. Two unexpected barbel on stick from the main river won it with 14-2, then Derek on 58, who had given up on the roach, getting perch up to a pound on worm for 5-6, and then Ian three below me with 3-15 of dace and roach. Surprisingly in the conditions only two blanks (out of 16) and one of them had sat it out all day on big baits.
River horribly low, clear and raw with the cold snap seeing off the last of the weed apart from a few clumps of the dreaded pennywort.
Everyone wanted to draw the backstream although even that was likely to be well below par in the conditions so happy to draw peg 54 on it, two down from the Elliott Bridge. Produced 8lb and 11 lb in the two previous matches this season, and the last couple of times I'd drawn it resulted in a first and a third, although wasn't expecting anything like those weights.
View attachment 6268
Set up 2BB waggler and straight bomb, .08 and .10 hooklengths respectively with a 20Silverfish Maggot. Was only an outside chance of chub here when the river was full of them, so minimal chance now.
Had 2ft of water at most anywhere, a bit less down the peg and also across to a small bed of pennywort opposite.
Started on punch and a very ominous lack of immediate action. Stuck with it for a while and after 25 minutes had a roach about an ounce. Then nothing; Bob above me by the bridge had had half a dozen small fish, Don below me blanking and Derek on peg 58 that everyone wanted had only a couple of little roach. And things didn't improve for me when the water dropped 6 or 7 inches over the next two hours. Finally found some tiny roach just after half time after setting up pole and fishing really tight to the far pennywort in about a foot of water but after ten of them for around 4 oz they dried up.
Not a sign of anything on my few looks on the bomb but as the sun went below the trees with about 50 minutes to go, finally had some more activity on the waggler and added a dozen small dace and a couple of roach before the end.
Ended up with 1-14 which was enough to get me 4th..
A long way adrift though. Two unexpected barbel on stick from the main river won it with 14-2, then Derek on 58, who had given up on the roach, getting perch up to a pound on worm for 5-6, and then Ian three below me with 3-15 of dace and roach. Surprisingly in the conditions only two blanks (out of 16) and one of them had sat it out all day on big baits.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
With the choice of a club fixture on the canal, or another on a commercial yesterday I thought a change may be as good as a rest. Normally I’d avoid this kind of venue but seeing a few different faces, along with supporting my other club swung my decision.
There were patches of cat ice on the lake as I approached my peg. It didn’t look very promising but at least I had a feature, the corner of the only island on the lake.
Set up 4m whip with a very light silvers rig, pole @ 13.5m for the margin of the island and a bomb rod for open water to my right.
Started on the bomb with bread punch for the first hour, not a touch. Switched to the whip, again with punch, not a sniff. Tried pole to the island with chopped worm, maggot, punch etc and was still blanking after 3 hours.
As usual the 4 corner pegs were producing carp after carp, most other pegs were struggling like me. During the afternoon I started to catch roach on the whip with maggot so blank avoided.
I was fortunate to have my back to the low winter sun, those on the opposite bank were dazzled all day, the downside was it was bloody freezing for me.
I weighed in 1lb 5oz which got me some points for the league and a degree of comfort by beating both adjacent pegs.
By contrast the winner had 10 carp from a corner peg for 106lb!!!
There were patches of cat ice on the lake as I approached my peg. It didn’t look very promising but at least I had a feature, the corner of the only island on the lake.
Set up 4m whip with a very light silvers rig, pole @ 13.5m for the margin of the island and a bomb rod for open water to my right.
Started on the bomb with bread punch for the first hour, not a touch. Switched to the whip, again with punch, not a sniff. Tried pole to the island with chopped worm, maggot, punch etc and was still blanking after 3 hours.
As usual the 4 corner pegs were producing carp after carp, most other pegs were struggling like me. During the afternoon I started to catch roach on the whip with maggot so blank avoided.
I was fortunate to have my back to the low winter sun, those on the opposite bank were dazzled all day, the downside was it was bloody freezing for me.
I weighed in 1lb 5oz which got me some points for the league and a degree of comfort by beating both adjacent pegs.
By contrast the winner had 10 carp from a corner peg for 106lb!!!
Pete Shears
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
- Messages
- 871
- Reaction score
- 2,455
A pleasant change this morning to actually catch some fish after last weeks two piking trips to different reservoirs racked up even more blank sessions.
Spotted a hare slowly ambling across the field this morning as I made my way to the Wreake.Started off with a small stick float and bread flake and had three immaculate chublets,switching to the quivertip produced another one to crust before that swim died.Strolled upstream watching a kestrel gliding from treetop to treetop,the water very low and clear so I settled for the deep pool legering flake/crust.
Had immediate interest on flake landing a chub at 2lb 8oz ,followed by another at 3lb which took the crust on the drop.Two casts later another chub at 1lb 15oz was in the net.The sun then poked through the clouds and the bites ceased.Moved downstream to another stretch but the sun was brighter and a cold upstream breeze had set in and with no more bites,time for home.
Spotted a hare slowly ambling across the field this morning as I made my way to the Wreake.Started off with a small stick float and bread flake and had three immaculate chublets,switching to the quivertip produced another one to crust before that swim died.Strolled upstream watching a kestrel gliding from treetop to treetop,the water very low and clear so I settled for the deep pool legering flake/crust.
Had immediate interest on flake landing a chub at 2lb 8oz ,followed by another at 3lb which took the crust on the drop.Two casts later another chub at 1lb 15oz was in the net.The sun then poked through the clouds and the bites ceased.Moved downstream to another stretch but the sun was brighter and a cold upstream breeze had set in and with no more bites,time for home.
flightliner
Well-known member
A plumber sort of foiled my all day venue so when finished at noon a kwik change of kit saw me baiting a swim for chub on a not to distant venue as an emergency alternative.
A missed bite then two on the trot had me land two pb chub for the venue.
The first 5lb on the nose followed by a 4-14!
Really pleased with the decision to go.
Here's the biggest of the two--
A missed bite then two on the trot had me land two pb chub for the venue.
The first 5lb on the nose followed by a 4-14!
Really pleased with the decision to go.
Here's the biggest of the two--
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
Spec fishing at its very best!
Would've been easy to not bother considering the weather conditions, so more power to your elbow for going at all.
Lovely, lovely fish, and very well done!
.........................I'm getting itchy feet for tomorrow..
Would've been easy to not bother considering the weather conditions, so more power to your elbow for going at all.
Lovely, lovely fish, and very well done!
.........................I'm getting itchy feet for tomorrow..
flightliner
Well-known member
Thank you John but the smaller of the two was a minter, just me that wrecked the foto !
mikench
Well-known member
Cracking fish Mick! I would be thrilled with a fish like that!
Pete Shears
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2004
- Messages
- 871
- Reaction score
- 2,455
After scraping ice off the car,ventured out to the upper Soar this morning.Fantastic large bright moon,pity it was cloudy yesterday,missed out on the super wolf blood moon and really not that cold walking across the fields,greeted by a buzzard being pestered by two crows and a kestrel hovering over the tree on the old railway embankment.Settled into a swim on a wider large bend and had immediate interest on legered crust and flake but could not connect with anything.Changed to a small bomb and two large dendros and after missing a three foot twitch I found that I had been bitten off.Re-tackling I caught the culprit ,a brown trout of about 8oz then this swim went dead.Tried two more swims upstream before settling on another bend where I managed a chub around 10oz and a brown trout of 1lb.Water level very low and clear,could do with some steady rain to get rid of the dead reeds etc but all that happened was it snowed for about 30 minutes,luckily after I got home.
peter crabtree
AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)
8 codgers turned out this frosty morning to the canal near Hemel.
I drew in one of my favoured spots and was lucky enough to have the sun on my back thanks to a gap in the bushes behind me.
The water had a tinge of colour and was flowing gently from left to right thanks to the little river Bulbourne flowing in further up.
All in at 10am and out came the Warburtons slice which I sat on first to flatten it out. I selected my smallest punch and impaled a tiny piece on a 20 b511. After a slow start I had a few tiny roach.
By 12 midday I had about 8 of them but I was a bit chilly so I walked down to the end pegs for a nose. One of the 2 down there had a chub of 10oz and some small perch. The other was struggling.
On returning to my peg I resumed trotting the tiny punch, set 6” off bottom. My fine tipped stillwater blue waggler shotted down to a pimple with the top blacked out with marker pen, shot under.
A nice 4oz roach which was followed by many more for the following 2 hours. They seemed to suddenly switch on as the temperature rose a few degrees. At 10 past 2 the skies darkened and it began to sleet, this coincided with a complete cessation of bites.
I guesstimated I had 5 to 6lb but I knew 2 bream had been caught to my left.
At the scales I had 5lb:7oz, the angler with the bigger of the 2 bream caught had 4:8 all told.
The rest of the weights were low so for the second week in succession I took first place.
My net...
Old git...
I drew in one of my favoured spots and was lucky enough to have the sun on my back thanks to a gap in the bushes behind me.
The water had a tinge of colour and was flowing gently from left to right thanks to the little river Bulbourne flowing in further up.
All in at 10am and out came the Warburtons slice which I sat on first to flatten it out. I selected my smallest punch and impaled a tiny piece on a 20 b511. After a slow start I had a few tiny roach.
By 12 midday I had about 8 of them but I was a bit chilly so I walked down to the end pegs for a nose. One of the 2 down there had a chub of 10oz and some small perch. The other was struggling.
On returning to my peg I resumed trotting the tiny punch, set 6” off bottom. My fine tipped stillwater blue waggler shotted down to a pimple with the top blacked out with marker pen, shot under.
A nice 4oz roach which was followed by many more for the following 2 hours. They seemed to suddenly switch on as the temperature rose a few degrees. At 10 past 2 the skies darkened and it began to sleet, this coincided with a complete cessation of bites.
I guesstimated I had 5 to 6lb but I knew 2 bream had been caught to my left.
At the scales I had 5lb:7oz, the angler with the bigger of the 2 bream caught had 4:8 all told.
The rest of the weights were low so for the second week in succession I took first place.
My net...
Old git...
Tee-Cee
Senior Member
Old git? You look in pretty good nick to me, Simon!
Clodhopper
Well-known member
I dropped into a favourite stream yesterday afternoon. It was up further, and more coloured, than I had expected. Three hours of alternating between manky red maggots on my medium feeder rod and a short hooklength, and breadflake over mashed bread on the Darent Valley 0.75, yielded nothing but a gentle flicker on the former and a single pearlescent fish scale on the maggot hook.
Feeling it would soon be time to leave, I changed down to a 14 on the Avon 'bread rod' and moulded a tired remnant of sliced white around it. Less than a minute after the link ledger landed, the rod tip lurched left and I was 'in'. A short but furious, jagged fight ensued before I netted a beautiful Sussex redfin. I have no idea what it weighed but Friends, it gave me a little moment of Fishing Magic.
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Feeling it would soon be time to leave, I changed down to a 14 on the Avon 'bread rod' and moulded a tired remnant of sliced white around it. Less than a minute after the link ledger landed, the rod tip lurched left and I was 'in'. A short but furious, jagged fight ensued before I netted a beautiful Sussex redfin. I have no idea what it weighed but Friends, it gave me a little moment of Fishing Magic.
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