How did you get on?

[wetthrough]

Fishing wasn't on the cards for yesterday due to having sort a few things out but by midday I'd got everything done. With bait left over from Tuesday's rather unexciting session I had a few hours on my local pool, just 500M from home.

Started at around 1pm loose feeding two or three pinkies once or twice a cast and a couple of caster every other cast. Caster on 2lb:20s, small antenna dotted right down. Not long before getting bites about 4" off the bottom. Had a Great Spotted (I think) Woodpecker hammering away at a tree in front of me and a squirrel scampering about with what looked like a small pork pie in its jaws! Very little wind and surprisingly warm.

Ended up with 3 Crucian, two small skimmmers, and what I think was a Goldfish of some sort, and around 8 or nine Roach. Packed up at 4pm quite pleased with the result.

 

[silvers]

Kind looking skies invited me back to on of my recently located roach spots. One other fishing. A young lad hurling a very attractive rapala marlin lure.
I kept it a bit more stealthy and sat a few yards upstream of a dying reedbed. Steady flow and a bit of greenish colour. All looks good I thought.
Certainly plenty of fish. Chublets a bite a chuck. All under a pound and crucially not roach. Well not many. I tried other lines and holding back, then fiddling repeatedly with shotting and possibly 10 other things with no change.
Luckily for me I discovered a double decker, chocolate variety, only partially squashed in coat pocket. I didn't put on the hook. Whilst chewing over that and how to catch a better roach I dumped the rig off the end of the rod. Serendipity smiles and this comes out.View attachment 11768
I was fishing a 3no.4 stick, classic shotting and an 18 with punch on the hook. I tried laying on a bit more deliberately and suddenly it was all roach. 5 yards above where I was feeding. Why do they do that please?

Lovely fish, Was that 5 yards above where the feed was entering the water, or 5 yards above where you estimate it was reaching bottom?
fwiw I often catch fish directly under or even upstream of where I’m loosefeeding, more so in the warmer months.

 

[rubio]

On this occasion they moved beyond where feed went in. Most bites downstream of that. Maybe the roach just didn't like the boisterous company. There would have been some crumbs falling short I'm sure.
I had also tried going out wide, then lifting float back on same line and targetting behind the main feed. Or at least my best guess.
Grateful for the good fortune. Better lucky than rich!

 

[Sean89]

Sean,how busy is it,as i've stayed away during covid,not for safety reasons,purely amounts of anglers being out.Also how did you catch those fish,did you join the E.European lure fishing club there,very unusual to catch a decent chub on the river there...

To be honest mate it’s not too bad people stay clear and if they want to talk they keep their distance. I will never be part of that committee **** them!! I had some caster groundbait and corn left over from the other day simply cast out just past middle clipped up and re cast every 10 minutes. I had both of these on treble red maggot. Before the chub I got snapped up on something big I’m convinced it was a carp the way it just powered away after I struck and snapped me instantly, so with setting up again I upped the hook to nylon to a size 14 and carried on feeding with the line clip then bang tip arched over and had that Chub. With the fight I just assumed it was another perch I never imagined it to be a Chub. When I saw it in the water I thought it was a carp until I see it’s big gob ? few people watched me play the fish and waited for me to land it but they kept their distance. My scales were playing up but I guessed around 6lb mate absolutely buzzing. I’ve broken 5 pb’s on that river this year theirs defo life still in there and as the old people always tell me theirs big fish in there. I uploaded the location pic for you as always ??

 

[Hugh Bailey]

Markg - if that’s the bit opposite Shepperton weir, there’s a sign somewhere saying you can fish there from (I think) September but have to move if boats require you to. Still would have given that bloke you mention a catty full of maggots.

 

[bracket]

Being the considerate husband I am, I went on the Frome for a couple of hours this morning, allowing My Lady to do all the mystical things women do, like washing and ironing and other mysterious activities. The river was normal level with an upgate breeze that held everything nice and tight and straight. I fished maggot on the stick in seven foot of water and took ten grayling of this stamp:

plus a couple of spotties. Sadly I have had to admit that my favorite close face reel, of around forty years standing, has finally had its day. It still trots through a dream. But there is so much wear between the handle spindle and reel casing (no bushes or bearings involved here) that the gearing regularly slips the teeth under the pressure of playing a fish. Look at the video below and you will see what I mean. I may have to therefore confine it to the Diawa 125M graveyard. As Diawa have discontinued this reel, Pauline has offered to buy me a new model Garcia ABU. However if that does not perform to my liking, I have contacted Diawa who will service it for me should I choose. I might go that way, as I hate loosing an old friend. Pete.
Diawa 125M

 

[no-one in particular]

Markg - if that’s the bit opposite Shepperton weir, there’s a sign somewhere saying you can fish there from (I think) September but have to move if boats require you to. Still would have given that bloke you mention a catty full of maggots.

No further along, just outside Weybridge, there is a confluence where the River Wey, the Wey canal and the Basingstoke Canal all meet, there is a big turning area by the bridge for barges and a lock gate to the right opening to the Basingstoke canal where it starts. I was fishing just along there quite near the lock where the bollards are, I thought there was no boats so be OK and just pull out if a barge turned up which I did. The bloke gave ma right earful anyway, said I was not allowed to fish there so, I moved just beyond the bollards and still caught plenty, a good spot loads of fish in about 3ft of water. Weren't that bothered by the rude bloke, some of those pleasure barge owners think they own the canals; and I did not know so rather than end up having a load of barges giving me a flea in the ear i moved along 100 yds or so.
Regarding the ruling on fishing near locks, I am sure I have heard this somewhere if not from the rude git, but then again not absolutely sure. may need investigating.

PS-just remembered, a posh lady came off her bike and fell in my maggots once just along from here, she was quite rude to me, language was a bit choice as well; might be the area.

 

[sam vimes]

Sadly I have had to admit that my favorite close face reel, of around forty years standing, has finally had its day. It still trots through a dream. But there is so much wear between the handle spindle and reel casing (no bushes or bearings involved here) that the gearing regularly slips the teeth under the pressure of playing a fish. Look at the video below and you will see what I mean. I may have to therefore confine it to the Diawa 125M graveyard. As Diawa have discontinued this reel, Pauline has offered to buy me a new model Garcia ABU. However if that does not perform to my liking, I have contacted Diawa who will service it for me should I choose. I might go that way, as I hate loosing an old friend. Pete.
Diawa 125M

If it's just the standard plastic bearings (that support the handle shaft through the reel body) that have given up the ghost, and you've not managed to wreck the gears, then an upgrade kit might be worth a try.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Daiwa-Ha...482731?hash=item1ce923342b:g:ej8AAOSwzEJeqfjc

 

[mikench]

Who took the pic Mark?

 

[bullet]

Had a few hours on the Grayling myself this morning, river was a bit high still but ok.
The sunshine was making it very hard to see the float, but it also encouraged quite a few Olives and Stonefly to hatch which kept the Wagtails happy.
Not much on the Grayling front, a few small ones and one decent one, but the Trout were out in force in every spot.
Once one had thrown the hook close in and sent my rig 12ft up into the branches of an overhanging tree, I called it a day.

 

[103841]

Being the considerate husband I am, I went on the Frome for a couple of hours this morning, allowing My Lady to do all the mystical things women do, like washing and ironing and other mysterious activities. The river was normal level with an upgate breeze that held everything nice and tight and straight. I fished maggot on the stick in seven foot of water and took ten grayling of this stamp:

View attachment 11793
plus a couple of spotties. Sadly I have had to admit that my favorite close face reel, of around forty years standing, has finally had its day. It still trots through a dream. But there is so much wear between the handle spindle and reel casing (no bushes or bearings involved here) that the gearing regularly slips the teeth under the pressure of playing a fish. Look at the video below and you will see what I mean. I may have to therefore confine it to the Diawa 125M graveyard. As Diawa have discontinued this reel, Pauline has offered to buy me a new model Garcia ABU. However if that does not perform to my liking, I have contacted Diawa who will service it for me should I choose. I might go that way, as I hate loosing an old friend. Pete.
Diawa 125M

Sent you a pm Pete.

 

[Hugh Bailey]

No further along, just outside Weybridge, there is a confluence where the River Wey, the Wey canal and the Basingstoke Canal all meet, there is a big turning area by the bridge for barges and a lock gate to the right opening to the Basingstoke canal where it starts. I was fishing just along there quite near the lock where the bollards are, I thought there was no boats so be OK and just pull out if a barge turned up which I did. The bloke gave ma right earful anyway, said I was not allowed to fish there so, I moved just beyond the bollards and still caught plenty, a good spot loads of fish in about 3ft of water. Weren't that bothered by the rude bloke, some of those pleasure barge owners think they own the canals; and I did not know so rather than end up having a load of barges giving me a flea in the ear i moved along 100 yds or so.
Regarding the ruling on fishing near locks, I am sure I have heard this somewhere if not from the rude git, but then again not absolutely sure. may need investigating.

PS-just remembered, a posh lady came off her bike and fell in my maggots once just along from here, she was quite rude to me, language was a bit choice as well; might be the area.

Pretty sure I know where you mean - just after the Wey bridge. Think that’s the Wey & Wey Navigation meeting there - Basingstoke comes into the Wey Nav a bit back - between Byfleet and New Haw. It’s a smashing spot there but as you say, loads of boats. That was the last place I caught a Ruffe!

 

[no-one in particular]

Pretty sure I know where you mean - just after the Wey bridge. Think that’s the Wey & Wey Navigation meeting there - Basingstoke comes into the Wey Nav a bit back - between Byfleet and New Haw. It’s a smashing spot there but as you say, loads of boats. That was the last place I caught a Ruffe!

I think you got it, this is the spot and the Basingstoke comes in just to the right of the picture. I never caught nothing along the stretch in the picture, very deep but no fish. I think it belongs to a club now. However I caught plenty in the Basingstoke Canal just over the lock out of sight to the right in the picture. I never quite worked out who it belonged to then but it was a few years ago. so could be anything now..

 

[john step]

Weather man said fog not clearing all day. Reality- bright sunshine and sunglasses all day.
However I had another blank for pike despite seeing a couple of good fish crash through the shoals of roach. Very frustrating.
It was on a river and I will return with maggots and stick float.

 

[sam vimes]

When I first stepped out of the front door this morning it was dank and raining. An hour or two later was much the same. However, the sky to the south (the direction of my closest venue) was a little less threatening. Bearing in mind that Sunday is a no fishing day, and the forecast for Monday and Tuesday isn't too clever, I thought I'd chance it for a couple of hours.

The mizzle was fairly persistent with the odd band of heavier rain, but nothing too concerning with neoprene lined waders (despite having no intention of wading) and a warm waterproof on. The temperature was a fairly fresh 4 degrees. Fortunately, there was barely a breath of wind so it didn't seem that cold.

I had a little experiment with lighter mainline, hooklink, single maggot and a smaller hook than I've been using of late. The result was nine grayling and one of my pet trout of about 2lb. I'm not overly convinced that the finer approach achieved a great deal, though I may have had a couple more fingerling grayling than normal. However, I didn't have a single grayling much bigger than 12oz.

 

[peter crabtree]

GUC Berkhamsted today. Water was very clear at first so I went light as possible. After a couple of boats and lock movements the disturbed silt clouded up the water a bit. Started catching small roach on punch. Tried double squatt for a change of bait, perch and gudgeon obliged. A huge perch followed one of my roach in at one point.

 

[103841]

Having missed the start of the season being laid up very unwell with the virus I was determined to get a session in before the estate lake closes for the Winter on Monday.

I arrived to a chilly misty monochrome scene.



Perch were the target and lobworms were the bait with a generous sprinkling of maggots over the top to attract perch prey. After four hours and getting colder by the moment I thought my 2020 campaign was going to finish with a blank but with thirty minutes to go the float finally slid away with a small but very welcome stripey devouring the worm.



As the day progressed and the sun burnt through the mist I was treated to a vivid technicolour landscape, so different from a misty vista a few hours earlier.



Closed now til April 2021, hopefully a better year.

 

[john step]

What vivid colours. You need to print it and frame it?

 

[tigger]

What vivid colours. You need to print it and frame it?

Looks like filters have made some adjustments?

 

[Pete Shears]

Managed yet another blank at the local feeder reservoir after pike, nine cormorants too many. Two colleagues were also blanking without any effort
whatsoever. Cold,dank,rain of varying intensities blowing through,misting blotting out the skyline but watching goldcrests and tree creepers made being out worth the effort.