How did you get on?

[no-one in particular]

Trip out to Weir Wood Reservoir today. I’ve been lure fishing for about two hours and not a touch so far. The water is a little coloured and a load of boaters have just arrived. It’s huge so I don’t think it’s going to give me a problem.

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Ha, you scared all the bird watchers away then, dont think it will work with the boaters good luck hope you catch something.

 

[theartist]

The missus had a day off so we went to a club pond yesterday which made a change to the canal. I set up a tiny pole float with single maggot and lazily fished close in, had a bite a chuck and some lovely looking roach, goldfish/cru's, bream and rudd, 'er outdoors managed to take so many photos of everything (which is in the blog section) but managed to miss the red arrows flying over us. I joked that I'd arranged it to celebrate the first day out together in what seemed an eternity, she didn't buy it, mind you who needs the red arrows when you've had a good day's fishing.

 

[chevin4]

Having not fished this year yesterday felt like the 16th June really enjoyed getting out again. Conditions far from ideal for Bream ie very bright with little wind managed to avoid a blank by catching a Bream of 7lb 14oz.

 

[bullet]

First time out this season after Trout for a couple of hours today, still chilly but a few showed some interest in a bead head nymph. Nearly tempted one on the dry but he refused at the last minute.

 

[103841]

In the past few months the question of when will I go fishing again changed to will I ever fish again, such have been the trials and tribulations of a difficult period.

But things have started to get brighter and along with the summer type weather and an easing of restrictions (I don't see them any different from the previous guideline, stay local) I was eager to get out. But with club waters chockablock, local beaches busy with swimmers and paddleboarders and my estate lake not opening for a couple of days, where could I go? On my bucket list this year is to catch a wrasse and the only spot in the Southeast is Samphire Hoe, a good twenty miles away which I wasn't comfortable with, but needs must on this particular day. An amazing country and wildlife park constructed using the 5 million cubic tonnes of rock excavated making the channel tunnel. It's the coastline full of boulders that's the attraction to wrasse, the nearest thing we have to the Southwest coastline along Devon and Cornwall where the species thrives.

The venue has a reputation of being a tackle graveyard so amongst other things stuck at home I made some homemade weights courtesy of Whitstable beaches and paperclips for an easy release if snagged.

I also made up some stand off boom rigs to lower down the steep wall.

I expected with summer temperatures, clear blue sky a number of anglers along the one mile stretch, it was deserted, maybe they knew something I didn't!

Travelled light with an Avon rod and a lure rod.

Locally harvested limpets and some shop bought ragworm provided the bait and for the next six hours only the crabs were interested.

Just to my left was the sight of a recent landslide that luckily had nobody on the beach at the time.

Is this a new method for immigrants crossing the channel?

So home having blanked, wasn't as disappointed as I'd usually be, to sit in warm sunshine watching the ferries making the short trip to France was a real tonic.

Roll on 48 hours and April One brings fools day and the opening of the estate lake, I arrived at 8am expecting to see a few members present but there was just one who had already netted a nice carp. I fished worm over a bed of chopped worm and dead reds using a light setup with a Crystalight rod.

The other member had one more carp and packed up at 10-30, By then I had a few decent sized bream and a number of skimmers and a half decent perch.

Took a break and walked around the lake and spotted a few of the regulars.

By 12-30 the temp. had dropped a degree or two and the wind got stronger, after the 24 degrees of the past couple of days it felt freezing and with a shiver it seemed good time to call it a day.

I found the daffs easier on the eye than the bream.

 

[bullet]

Love those leads! Any mileage in trying a sliding float off there for a Wrasse?
Works well down here, especially if you have some peelers for bait.

 

[S-Kippy]

Lordy.....I have so NOT missed the M25.

Decided to give Bury Hill a go today. Technically probably not within the spirit of Uncle Boris’ guidance but I’ve behaved meself all winter so what the hell
Not fishing very well at all but nice to get the pole out and try to winkle a crucian or two out. We had to work really, really hard just for a bite but we did get a few fish between us. Phil had 6 crucian a few bits and a baby zander.
I had 3 tench and lost another




A clonking roach of about 1-6
And this...a roach/ bream hybrid imo which had me going for a moment because I thought it was a roach when I hooked it.



And 7 of these between 1lb and 1.5lb. All on maggot....couldn’t buy a bite on expander.

Nice to be out. Weather wasn’t bad, the trees were full of chiff chaff, the reed beds full of Reed warbler and we spotted the first house martins of the year.
Very pleasant day albeit bloody hard work

 

[mikench]

So pleased to see you posting again John and what a lovely post it was too. Super pics as usual. ?

 

[flightliner]

Well, what can I say, I actually went fishing yesterday, the first time since being hospitalised in early december last year.
Over the last fortnight I have been getting better by the day despite the odd days setback to the point where I felt strong enough to venture out to a notts stillwater hoping for a few bream.
I didnt arrive early, 10—30 to be precise and after spodding out a groundbait mix then my two rods I settled down in my chair (and the sunshine).
Within seconds I had a line bite, encouraged I let it lay. And some 30 minutes later the indicater rose more definately and on lifting the rod had a nice Bream in the net, so nice after so many months away from the waterside.
Another followed shortly after on the three red maggot bait but with non the following half hour another spod of groundbait and maggots only produced the odd liner, so, a shorter cast to see if they were nearer to me proved they wernt.
I figured that they were holding off the bait, maybe the weather had changed to quickly but the depth was only some three foot deep so maybe I was wrong?
More spodded groundbait but with sweetcorn now on both rods and it wasnt long before another two nice bream fell to each rod in turn.
That was it for some two hours, liners aplenty but no definate takes but fun to watch all the same.
My time was limited, upping and downing on both my legs to tend to the fish, rebaiting, etx etx was taking its toll on my poor old ravaged body, especially my legs, a near three stone weight loss and immobility for several months is no good for maintaining much strength and I was flagging in my efforts but, one last spod of bait and another bsit change to flake had two more Bream landed along with a plump roach.
That was it, 5+ hours in the sun to boot and I was bushed, obviously I wasnt as fit as I thought I was but hopefully a few more weeks could see a big improvement!
I still enjoyed my day out tho but today my legs sre giving me some gyp.
Ouch!!

.

 

[chevin4]

It was great to be back

 

[mikench]

Well done Mick. The passage of time and its ravages do nobody any good. Good to see you posting again and I hope your recovery continues apace.


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[flightliner]

Well done Mick. The passage of time and its ravages do nobody any good. Good to see you posting again and I hope your recovery continues apace.


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Many thanks Mike?.

 

[peterjg]

Yesterday I fished an old estate lake for roach. I initially started with my Dad's old float rod which I was still using in my twenties, it's whole cane with a solid glass tip section it weighs a ton and is by todays standards horrible - it must be about 65 - 70 years old? Caught a rudd and swapped to a modern carbon rod the difference was incredible! Time to return the old rod back to the loft! Ended up with 2 roach and 7 rudd and lost a tench, all on dead maggots.

 

[seth49]

The weather was a lot different yesterday than Tuesdays hot sunny day, it was cold and overcast with a cold east wind, and yet the fish had gone back on the bottom and feeding, instead of sunbathing.

Back on usual pond, carp rod with method feeder in margin on alarm, and fished my pole into a corner swim, fed two small balls of groundbait to start, been using Sonu baits thatchers pro, mixed half and half with there hemp and hali crush, using white maggots and I made some paste up with green swim stim ,

Caught a few skimmers and small roach to start with on maggots, and then a couple of tench and chub when I tried the paste, after that I just used paste, had a good day with this, I caught six tench, seven F1s, a barbel, and three carp, also lost what felt like a good carp with a hook pull, it could have been foul hooked though, did get one carp on the margin rod, plus a dropped run.

So a good day, enjoyed it, also I had reed bunting singing behind me most of the day, plus the curlews and lapwings in the fields at the side, not too cold as I was well wrapped up, Neil had plenty of tench on my paste as well.

 

[john step]

Glad to see Mick and John out fishing and posting again.

 

[wetthrough]

Had a day on the Bridgewater yesterday couple of miles east of Lymm. Bad choice. Lockdown eased and Good Friday it was heaving, people, kayaks you name it, every man and his dog/extended family were out. Scraping frost off the windscreen at around 7am didn't having me setting off with eager anticipation. Not unfounded. Very slow early on just picking up the odd small Roach here and there. It picked up around midday but it was far from exciting. Biggest being around 5oz but mostly 2/3oz, 16 all told. I'd originally planned to fish right where the Swans were nesting, there's a patch of reed there. They usually nest just before the trees start.

Left earlier than I wanted, around two and desperate for a pee. Not a chance with the milling hoards about.

 

[Roger Johnson 2]

I’ve been struggling with my fishing mojo for the last couple of weeks, but moving past it have managed, this week, a session with the fly rod ( blank) and a barbel session yesterday evening, no bites, despite using the time honored “dog on lap drink tea technique”, but managed to catch this minnow that got caught in the swim feeder so that’s another method to add to my less conventional list.

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[markcw]

I had an early start on Newlands the other day, Arrived at 8, there were a couple of others arriving at same time,
A couple of anglers were at the top end of the water, Not caught anything,
The wind was blowing into a corner of the water at the bottom car park end,
So I took seatbox out of the car , net bag ,bait bag ,and margin pole, Left ready rod holdall with made up pellet waggler and feeder rod in it along with pole roller and carryall.
Set two topkits up, one for in front of me at 7 metres and one to my left to fish at 2metres,4 metres, 6 metres and 8 metres along the side and also a metre away from the edge, The depth was a steady 6' all along there, Depth in front of me was 8'.
Baited up along the margins with softened 2mm pellets and soaked in F1 pellet oil, the 6 and 8metre line had a few F1 hooker pellets mixed in with the intention of fishing a 6mm over the too.
The rigs were both PI 4 x 14 margin floats shotted with stotz, hook was A 14 guru extra strong, line was 0.17 guru straight through. Both rigs set to fish dead depth. The shorter margin lines were baited again with 2mm soaked with F1 pellet oil and a few red and fluro pinkies, Bait was 4 red maggots on the hook.The front swim was just baited up with pinkies.
I was getting the most indications at 4 metres in the margin but nothing positive, they seemed to be liners,, The scum line from the wind seemed to be here more than other areas in the margins,
I had no indications in front of me,
After a couple of hours the float dipped as if it was an F1 bite ,but there are no F1 in here.
I lifted into it and a steady stream of solid size 16 elastic came out of the topkit, after around 5 minutes I broke dow to my top 2, and started to play the fish using side puller, I had it to the surface a couple of times then it had a new lease of life,
After another 5 minutes or so I managed to net a 15lb common.
Unfortunately I couldnt take a photo, due to phone being in carryall that I had left in the car, That was the only fish I had before I packed up. A couple of carp were caught a couple of pegs away on method feeder up to the island.

 

[103841]

Thank you for the kind comments and especially to those that have kept in touch over the past few months, means a lot. ?

 

[mikench]

Well yesterday was an odd one. I had decided by 7.00am not to go as the forecast was poor until early afternoon when my daughter was coming round , it was going to be breezy and only 9c. Despite those compelling reasons to stand firm I was in the car and off by 7.40. I often don't feel the cold even when it's barely above freezing but throw in a NNW wind and it was very cold and I was never comfortable all morning.

Lots of gudgeon , small roach and the odd skimmer on the float with maggot but little interest on the feeder except for the above common on meat. I alternated the two rods switching when boredom set it. There were at least 10 others fishing but very few were catching judging by my eyesight and hearing as a stream of dejected anglers made their way back to the car park. I let them go but swiftly followed.

At least I had achieved one objective in catching a fish with my new Ultegra reel. It's light and has a super quick drag. However a 4lb carp is hardly much of a test. I had previously used it for piking and blanking. Next week looks poor.