How did you get on?

[itsfishingnotcatching]

Tried the old stock pool at the venue I fish in Wales, there are supposedly good fish in there, it's just that I can't catch them:wh Had just under 20 Roach, to about 5-6oz most were the same size Simon and Neil caught.

 

[smudger172]

This is a couple of days late because of work commitments.

Sunday saw me and coops make the 180 mile round trip north of Peterborough to go pike fishing on one of my favourite pits.
It was unusually slow until 2-30 when i had the first fish of the day, then they switched on. Another fourteen runs between us over the next three hours. Nothing huge with the best fish going 15-06 buy great fun.

This should go in the cock up threads.

Where i can i prefer to chin the fish out to save flying hooks in the net. So fish played out, bend down and lift the pike of 8lb out of the water it gives one last shake of its head and the flying treble hooks my boot lace. So walking back up the bank rod in one hand, pike in the other hunched over.... Coops stop laughing..

 

[theartist]

Yesterday I went on a long journey in the hope of catching a grayling or two on an urban bit of river I know. After spending the customary hour to go a few junctions on the m25 i was soon on the open road hoping that the overnight rain we had would not leave the river too coloured. Two more hours later I was parked up and the river looked great and I did that walk, you know the one! You know you have all day yet you find yourself going 'Usain Bolt speed' with all the gear as the river screams 'come to me' in a way only a beautiful woman could match.

The kids were on holiday which only dawned on me whilst I was setting up and the path was very busy with people going to the shops and workers at the nearby industrial estate enjoying a walk on their lunch break. I on the other hand was here to catch grayling so settled in the first decent swim. Here I set up one of my first attempts at a hand made stick float eager to watch it travel on its maiden voyage downstream. Like the Titanic it soon went under however this was no iceberg but an ‘Ice Lady’ as the first grayling was in the net. All thoughts of the long journey and all the traffic were long gone as a grayling followed each cast, they were all around the pound mark with the biggest going 1lb 10 oz - the biggest I have had for a while. Must have been my new float with it’s super camo paint job and shiny, oh so shiny varnish I joked knowing full well I would have caught on any float but it was rather satisfying nonetheless.

With the smell of thyme on my hands and time on my side I sat down for lunch and just soaked up the sun feeding myself and a new friend who flew down for some maggots every now and then. One never rushes lunch as much as when on a new water with much of it to explore so off downstream I went along with my new companion.

Working our way downstream I picked up many more grayling and the odd trout and if anything it was too easy but it showed the river was very healthy with some of the grayling smaller than minnow although many of them were netters and in the very fast shallows jolly good at bending the rod, and that at the end of the day is always a good thing. Knowing that an urban stretch like this could end up no fishing, be predated or suffer from pollution I made hay whilst the sun shone albeit weaker now as it dropped below the skyline, only packing up when a flock of greater spotted hoodies started loitering on the opposite bank. Mr Robin had long gone by the time I headed off on the long journey home looking forward to pancakes and football having had a great day’s fishing.

 

[neil1970]

I fished the weir pool today with a mate, 12-5.15pm

Maggot feeder and krill pellet produced not a sign of a fish.

Fresh tea and hotdogs at regular intervals made the blank a lot more enjoyable than usual!

 

[bracket]

Being acutely aware that the course season has only just over a week to go on my local stretch of the Frome, I have been desperate to make the most of it. Heavy rain on Monday made it unfishable, checked the level on Tuesday and it was dropping nicely, so I reckoned it would be sock on for Thusday. I had a quick look late Wednesday afternoon and found a guy fishing it in the late sunshine, he said it was slow but he had caught six grayling. That was good enough for me. Thusday I got to the bank at 0745 and what a difference a day makes, a screamer of a wind, bitterly cold and pelting down with rain. The float was a none starter so on went the pig. It was grim but I did manage three good grayling and two trout. But, unusual for me, at 10.30 I thought "I ain't enjoying this at all". So wet, cold and disappointed I wrapped it in and toddled off home to fight another day. My Darling was so suprised to see me back so soon, I thought I'd caught her with the milkman. Pete.

 

[theartist]

Being acutely aware that the course season has only just over a week to go on my local stretch of the Frome, I have been desperate to make the most of it. Heavy rain on Monday made it unfishable, checked the level on Tuesday and it was dropping nicely, so I reckoned it would be sock on for Thusday. I had a quick look late Wednesday afternoon and found a guy fishing it in the late sunshine, he said it was slow but he had caught six grayling. That was good enough for me. Thusday I got to the bank at 0745 and what a difference a day makes, a screamer of a wind, bitterly cold and pelting down with rain. The float was a none starter so on went the pig. It was grim but I did manage three good grayling and two trout. But, unusual for me, at 10.30 I thought "I ain't enjoying this at all". So wet, cold and disappointed I wrapped it in and toddled off home to fight another day. My Darling was so suprised to see me back so soon, I thought I'd caught her with the milkman. Pete.

No point fishing if you ain't enjoying it plus it'll make you ill getting all soaked through. Keep your powder dry for the next battle

I popped out for a few hours yesterday down my local Gade in Watford just to get a break from the drawing before the rain set in. Had a few roach, dace and small chub as per usual but the highlight was catching a couple of gorgeous tin foil bream. I can't remember the last time I caught a bream which is weird so I enjoyed that as much as catching over 60 grayling on my last trip, not to the gade of course, now that would be a turn up. It's all relative to the river I guess but still it's a funny old game and I ain't half gonna miss it come the 15th

 

[peter crabtree]

Went down the canal today to a spot where the Colne crosses it.....fished 3pm to 5:30....

View image in gallery​

Fished close in with dibber float and worm hoping for a big perch. Fed chop and a few maggots and the first bite was a small perch. Later the float buried and a better fish was on...

View image in gallery​

Well, better than nothing....

 

[sam vimes]

A very slow start to my afternoon on the river saw things pick up eventually and end with a total of seven grayling. The first was the biggest at 1lb 3oz. Shame that it looks distinctly like a fish that I had a week or two back. For one reason or another, it may well be my winter grayling swansong.

 

[nicepix]

Looking forward to reading your reports of catching lots of 1lb 5oz grayling next winter Sam.

 

[tigger]

So you bit the bullet then Sam and bought one of those Fox Bob James 5inchers then ....how was it ?

 

[sam vimes]

So you bit the bullet then Sam and bought one of those Fox Bob James 5inchers then ....how was it ?

Obviously nowhere near run in yet, but not as nice as my Conquest, yet. However, I suspect it never will be. If I were obsessed by how long a reel spins, and didn't know how to adjust it out of the box, it would probably have gone back. Once adjusted, it was fishing nicely enough, but it still wouldn't make those that hanker after "spins forever" very happy. The extra half inch does make retrieval that little bit faster, but I think that a big 4.5" is adequate for me. Confirms my thoughts of not using sub 4.5" reels any more for the trotting I do. Unusual for me, but I may just have to sell something!

 

[tigger]

Obviously nowhere near run in yet, but not as nice as my Conquest, yet. However, I suspect it never will be. If I were obsessed by how long a reel spins, and didn't know how to adjust it out of the box, it would probably have gone back. Once adjusted, it was fishing nicely enough, but it still wouldn't make those that hanker after "spins forever" very happy. The extra half inch does make retrieval that little bit faster, but I think that a big 4.5" is adequate for me. Confirms my thoughts of not using sub 4.5" reels any more for the trotting I do. Unusual for me, but I may just have to sell something!

Sam, I don't think a ball race reel is never as smooth as a bush and pin reel. The spin thing doesn't matter at all, it's how little pressure is needed to start the drum to rotate. Usually a lighter drum won't spin round for as long as a heavier one but will rotate at little pressure. I've never seen one of those Fox reels in the flesh but I would imagine it'll be a decent one once you've gotton used to it.
I have got the Youngs BJ's in 4 1/2 and 4inch and I really like 'em.

 

[S-Kippy]

Oi ! Clear off to the centrepin thread you two !

And take that pet grayling with you !

 

[S-Kippy]

Dragged my lethargic self off to Bury Hill yesterday pm to renew my quest for a double figure zander. I really had to fight to raise enough enthusiasm but with season end approaching and work going mental I went largely because I could and I couldn't see when else I'd get the opportunity. Bloody carper dug in for the night where I wanted to fish and when his mate turned up and dropped in next to me I upped sticks and moved knowing that the pair of them would drive me nuts!

Good move because I had a run first chuck in my new spot though that unsportingly fell off at the net. Not so much as a bleep for the next two hours when just as I was thinking of packing up I was away on the lh rod. I'm playing the fish and damn me the rh rod goes. I could tell the fish I was playing was a decent one so I left the rh rod alone.

Landed my fish.....left it in the net,picked up the other rod and damn me the fish was still there. Chinned that one out (about 5lb) and it wasn't deep hooked (lucky or what ?) And returned to the first fish.

I weighed that bloody fish about 8 times on 2sets of scales. 9lb 15oz !!!

I packed after that and left Torchy and his mate to play with their alarms and light show.

 

[barbelboi]

Nice one Skip - one more roach for tea would have cracked it............

 

[S-Kippy]

Nice one Skip - one more roach for tea would have cracked it............

I should have left the bait in its gob ! Cracking fish anyway.....I was well pleased considering I was odds on for a Serge.

Blanco.....in case you were wondering !

 

[nicepix]

I should have left the bait in its gob ! Cracking fish anyway.....I was well pleased considering I was odds on for a Serge.

Blanco.....in case you were wondering !

I don't see how your bait would have tipped the balance Skippy. Half a roach scale hair rigged on a barbless 20 wasn't it?

Hard luck though. I couldn't even get one on the bank, let alone a specimen like that.

 

[S-Kippy]

I don't see how your bait would have tipped the balance Skippy. Half a roach scale hair rigged on a barbless 20 wasn't it?

Hard luck though. I couldn't even get one on the bank, let alone a specimen like that.

Not quite that extreme but small baits do work down there and with the single hook rule its hard to fish a big bait effectively. The ultra tiny baits of 2/3 years ago don't seem to be what they want this year......greedy buqqers want at least a 1" chunk or half a 3 inch roach

 

[edsurf]

Had a nice few hours trotting a local mill stream had a few small roach and a decent chub.

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[binka]

Not been out much over the last few days for one reason or another and was really chomping at the bit for a session.

I was hoping for a big perch but content to take whatever came along and as it happened I never saw a perch all day let alone a big one but still plenty of fun with mainly, bar a few exceptions, some half decent roach and netter skimmers which were plentiful on the waggler and chopped worm and even these weren’t put off by a large Dribbly Brenda on a size eight hook…





The weather forecasters got it wrong again, they had forecast a westerly and I pitched up to fish crosswind close to the end of it but it swung around very early on and it was a strong and raw northerly right in me mush… I was togged up for it but felt perished by the time I’d done!

Quirk of the day was the new brolly involuntarily closing on me several times (it’s gonna have to go back) including one particular occasion where I was playing a fish to the net which left me sat on the inside of a closed brolly with my arms and rod on the outside playing the fish mg:

Good luck to everyone on the Thames fish-in tomorrow, hope it’s a great day for you all with plenty to catch and talk about afterwards.