Christmas Special 2019

A gift

Word on the Lincolnshire streets is that several people have been trying to find out where I have been fishing of late. Must be doing something right I thought to myself. I've said before I find the secrecy of the typical specimen hunter a bit cringeworthy whilst partially understanding the need for it. Meet me on the bank, you're pleasant and I'll sing like a Canary. On here though with a fairly broad reach I'm conscious of the fact other people may be targeting the same venues so out of respect I keep them fairly close to my chest. Despite this I once got a snotty email about keeping quiet. Ooops, naughty me, given a caution by the specimen hunting police. 

Right, I'm rambling. The gift? I'll tell you where I've been fishing. To keep it more concise I'll just stick to venues I have fished in the last two months and keep it to the rivers and drains- Bain, Glen, Soar, Trent, Great Eau, Long Eau, Witham, Slea, Welland, Steeping, New Cut, Coronation Channel, Great Ouse, Nene, South Forty Foot, West Fen, Maud Foster, Sibsey Trader, Kyme Eau, Sincil Drain, Fossdyke canal, and that's about it, I think. You're welcome.

P.S If you want to know why there's usually a high bank in my photos this is Lincolnshire, we have a hundred and fifty-two river level monitoring stations, more than any other county because it's flat. Every water course has a high bank or we'd all be underwater. 

Pulling the plug

It had been on the cards for months. Our new friend Alfie Naylor had been granted access to a private marina linked to a river with a history of big Perch. We talked excitedly about what may or may not be swimming around in there, building expectations. After we set a date those initial thoughts turned into almost certainties. A barely fished marina with two Perch experts (well, one and a half) it had success written all over it. When the day finally came we started as early as possible. After nearly three hours and exploring the whole marina all we had to show for our hopes and efforts were four micro-Perch.

Travelling to the marina that morning I had driven over an occasional Perch spot that had given me some very good catches in the past. It wasn't particularly close; there was a strong possibility of it being busy with other anglers and it also meant dismantling the boat and reassembling it. With our expectations of the day so high we decided it was our only chance as the marina was strangely devoid of life so we pulled the plug.

Luckily there was nobody on the river when we arrived and we were soon afloat albeit with a slightly squishy boat as the pump battery was struggling. We also had to improvise an anchor. Alfie appeared with the top from someone's garden wall, he has an innocent face and when he said someone had dumped it by the side of road that was good enough for me.

The first hour was dreadful. We moved a few times as I knew from previous experience a few feet or a slightly different angle of attack could make all the difference. When the Perch are laid up they wont move, stubborn buggers. Eventually I had a very tentative bite on a dropshotted worm. It turned out to be a beauty of 3lb 4oz. Now as it turned out the Perch were in a slight depression in the river bed very close to a big snag. Unfortunately Alfie kept finding said snag while I took a few more fish including an absolute whopper of 3lb 13oz.    

3lb 13oz

3lb 4oz

As a brace

I had a couple more slightly smaller that regrettably I didn't weigh. More pressing however was to try and get Alfie on the scoreboard. Lovely bloke that he is, he was pleased for me but I could tell he was losing confidence. "We won't get any more today", he declared after releasing my initial captures a good distance away. As he had run out of drop shot weights I sold him some for a very reasonable ten pounds each, so keen was I for him to succeed. "Cast short", I implored before Alfie finally found the hot spot. His first fish was a belter. 3lb 5oz. He added another soon after an agonising ounce shy of the magic mark. Not to be outdone I added a couple more including another 3lb 4oz fish. All different specimens. What a great day. Some of them gave a very good account of themselves, short but tense battles with angry powerful runs and lunges. Sometimes moving venues can be a gamble that pays off. It certainly did that day.  

3lb 4oz

Alfie with his brace

The River Bain

I'm loathed to name one of my favourite venues but I have to right some wrongs. From Facebook armchair experts saying the Bain isn't the venue it once was to occasional specimen hunting visitors absolutely adamant Otters have decimated its stocks. Just to qualify I've kayaked, walked, fished every inch of the Bain this season alone from Thimbleby Mill to the Bain mouth. I have seen bits of the river people have only ever seen on maps. I've done river clean ups, relayed important information regarding white clawed crayfish populations to the local wildlife trust and got an unrivalled river PB list. Big-headed if you like but too many people have opinions masquerading as facts. It drives me nuts. 

As a general rule the deeper slower sections out of the more populated areas have been affected mainly by Cormorant predation. In summer from my kayak I can see every stone on the bottom even in five feet of water. Roach aren't bothered by the boat, they'll even come and investigate it. So in my experience  the silver fish populations in these sections have taken a bit of a hit. Combined with the ravenous egg eating Signal Crayfish small fish have tough time before they have even hatched. 

Some big Chub and Bream have died in the lower section, from old age. I caught most of them, some were visibly ancient. I appreciate that this doesn't fit in with what people have been led to believe. Just telling you what I see on a weekly basis. No negative effects from the resident Otters regarding overall fish stocks. I'm not stupid, they eat fish but as for decimating the river it's utter bollocks and I'm about to prove it. As a favour to me, the river and the Otters, can you stop spreading lies please. Thanks. Now, some of you will know where these following fish have been caught so I'll keep it fairly vague. On at least one of these pictures I could have touched the entrance to an active Otter Holt with my rod. 

I forgot to order some Lobworms so I was forced to do something else other than fish for Perch which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I had a couple of afternoons spare so I decided to waste my time fishing the much decimated river Bain. Remarkably a had a Chub on my first cast, a scale perfect fish just over a pound, brilliant for the future and very unusual to catch one so small. Then I had one around three pounds, again quite unusual. As luck would have it our friend Martin was also on the river and he came down to see how I was getting on. After being eagerly greeted by my two rampaging Labradors the Chaos Twins he was on hand to take the next photo........

5lb 7oz

Martin and I then went elsewhere on the river and after we were told by another angler most of the resident Chub had fallen victim to Otters I quickly caught a couple more.....

5lb 2oz

4lb 12oz

The second afternoon I loaded the dice in the fishes favour and visited a stretch that has been absolutely rock hard for me in the past. The first few swims were typically unproductive. There used to be a really good spot opposite a flag pole. Someone removed it a few years back and I can't for the life of me remember exactly where it was. That was the last time I caught a Chub from this particular section. I plugged on and eventually caught one. It was worth the effort. Another five......

5lb 2oz

Having grown up fishing the river Soar in the 90's, five pound Chub are still special to me (I never had one from the Soar, I consoled myself with the thought that they probably didn't exist). To catch three in two afternoons is pretty good by my reckoning especially from a small river that's meant to be a shadow of its former self. 

There's an expression I love- If you don't go, you don't know. Please, don't let anyone talk you out of going fishing. My friend has the best attitude- He's a fisherman, he goes fishing. My little snapshot is something he does on a regular basis, catches big Chub from supposedly ravaged rivers. 

Winter Wonderland

Last winter I happened across a lovely venue that provided me and my friends with some excellent fish. It's virtually unfishable for much of the year but the winter months sees the weed subside, making fishing possible and giving the stripey residents less places to hide. Only accessible by boat we usually have it all to ourselves too. The first visit with Andy Wilson was great fun although we didn't have any monsters. Plenty of Perch and a couple of rogue Pike keep us occupied before we got rained off just after lunchtime. 

On the next visit I took Paddy, who'd all but lost his desire to go fishing after a family bereavement. He'd been out a week or so prior to my invite so was relatively keen to go out as soon as he could. Again, it was a brilliantly entertaining day. Countless Perch and a few Pike to nearly seventeen pounds. When you're not anchored it's amazing how much the Pike can move the boat around. Like playing one from a Waltzer. Paddy had loads of Perch to nearly three pounds and it was great to see him enjoying his fishing again. Here were my highlights....

2lb 14oz

3lb 1oz

3lb 10oz

Most were taken on lures and when they stopped producing we switched to worms. I don't distinguish between the two, it's pointless. I'm a fisherman, I like catching fish. They are all worthy captures to me.

Tackle Talk

A fishing rod is essentially an extension of ones' own arm. Weight, balance, action and recovery speed are all important factors when choosing a rod. There is something else to consider too, something almost indiscernible.  Slack-joweled, pot-bellied, pube-haired Jeremy Clarkson is always banging on about it in cars, Alfa Romeo's, Lancia's and the like. Despite often being terribly unreliable and impractical they apparently have a unique soul or character, something intangible that's incredibly endearing. Fishing rods can be much the same.

Drennan make some very, very good rods. Since the original Crystalight they've largely been devoid of any character whatsoever. That'll upset my Acolyte friends greatly. Fine rods, I've had a couple. I, however, like rods that are more than a sum of their parts. A plucky underdog.  Incidentally one of the nicest rods I have had this year was a Shimano Antares Light feeder which was Acolyte money twenty years ago. Super silky and a really nice Roach rod. No soul though and 3-piece. I sold it. Anyway, here are a few highlights that have survived the revolving door of my tackle room.

Ron Thompson (Don't laugh) EGI Master 8ft.

They do two versions of this rod, 7 and 8 foot. Forget the shorter one, it's horrible. I am going to be unapologetically specific here. For dropshotting worms from a boat the 8ft rod is incredible. Designed for catching Squid of all things I'd never have considered one until I picked one up at Big Catch Tackle. The rings and reel seat are cheap rubbish and my mate Dave pointed out a flat spot where the ultra fine carbon tip was spliced into the blank. Despite these flaws it has a lovely balanced feel, can detect a perch farting near my hook bait and comes alive when you inevitably hook one. Furthermore, if it's a big one, the rod will tame it. It just might be my favourite rod of the last few years. Looks like garbage, absolutely devastating in use. I think Glasgow angling have them at half price at the minute. Be quick.

Middy XK55 11ft Waggler Rod

We've been here before. My favourite float rods for Perch. Now discontinued I believe. Steer clear specialist avon rods, be a shepherd not a sheep. Get yourself a no-lock pellet waggler rod for big Perch. I've never had an issue with hooking bony-mouthed Perch with a parabolic blank.  I suppose they are all fairly similar. The Middy's stood out for me because of the remarkably tactile blanks and impossibly slim handles. Side by side the more expensive XZ65 wasn't any better which is probably why they have both been superseeded by one model- the Reactacore. Strangely enough I like a more traditional blank for tip fishing. Don't ever be fooled by rod names. Use them for whatever you like. Which leads me on nicely to my next rod.....

Middy Arco-Tec F1 Waggler 10/11ft

It's a modern Drennan Crystalight. It really is that simple. I'd rather catch the flu than an F1 but for Roach on both small rivers and stillwaters it is nothing short of amazing. Laughable attempt at a kevlar wrap aside it's reasonably well finished. The balance is nigh on perfect and the action is absolutely brilliant. Super rod, massively overlooked by most river and canal anglers because of its name.

Greys Toreon 10ft 6in Tip Rod

Strange goings-on at Greys of late. I don't know whether they manufactured too many rods or something but there seems to be a flood of discounted models right now. I picked up a pair of these tip rods for a hundred pounds, more than half of the original price. They come with five tips which is always nice. Since the expiry of my Mach 2 wands I have swapped and changed between many leger rods. From Acolytes to commercial feeder rods. The remit is simple- be able to handle big Perch and Chub while still being versatile enough to fish for Roach. The Greys Toreon's have been faultless in the last few weeks. I really am very pleased with them. The handle extensions are a bit of a gimmick. I've got unusually long limbs and the standard handle is plenty long enough. Definitely worth a look in you are in the market for a highly adaptable tip rod.

Okuma Epixor Lure Rods

I'll keep this brief. The 3-18g 7ft is the perfect TRD rod from both bank and boat. The 7ft 4in 10-32g is the perfect big TRD rod. Great little rods at a very reasonable price and both more than capable of taming big Perch. I really, really like them.

A peek into my other gear

EVA bags aren't very tactile or pretty but they are generally waterproof which is an essential property in a boat bag. I've had this Shimano one for a couple of years now it has kept my tackle safe and dry in some horrendous conditions. I've got some braid scissors clipped to it simply because I'm always looking for a pair. 

In the bag are a couple of Fox lure boxes. The large ones. Always keep your TRD's separate from other lures because otherwise they'll melt them. The New Deal colour is my go to colour in both finesse TRD's and the bigger versions. The red Z-Man finesse Shroomz hooks are my favourites for the smaller lures but they do blunt quite quickly so I always carry a hook sharpener. Looks like I need to re-stock.......

Also in short supply in my other box are my most successful lures- Fox Mini-Fry in Hot Olive. Definitely the most productive colour for me over the years. The small Orange Quantum Battleshads can also be devastating. The drop shot weights are almost exclusively used for worm fishing. 

The last box in the bag contains a spare reel, some scales, forceps, scissors, hooks, wire, crimps, hook sharpener and fluorocarbon.

 A few years ago when my back problems started I went on a formula one style weight reduction program with my roving gear. This little Imax bag has been very durable. Even now when I tell my mates to travel light they still turn up with big rucksacks and the like. In this bag is all I need. A little thermal compartment in the top is ideal for a bit of bait. The main compartment houses some scales, a weigh bag, forceps etc and a little Wilko's £1.50 tackle box. My rods are in a little Korum quiver and I sit on a lightweight Korum Aeronuim Chair. This set up gives me an advantage over most anglers. I can move in minutes. It's not unusual for me to fish upwards of ten swims in a day.

The cheap box in the bag. Everything I need. B983's are the best hooks around. Always have a supply of big shot for link legers. Under those pretty useless Perch bobbers are some stick floats and small loafers.

If I need a keepnet or have a day on a stillwater then I'll take my Greys net bag. I have quite a bit of Greys luggage and I have been very impressed with it. I simple drop my Imax bag in and it'll still take my big float box, and unhooking mat and a couple of large bait boxes

Contact

If you want to keep in touch, ask advice or even say something nice then here's my new email- shukphil@gmail.com  

I'd like to hear from anyone and maybe the guy I keep bumping into will message me. I spoke to him just last week in fact. Very nice chap and his friend is a mad keen Perch angler like myself. I think his name is Paul, I could be wrong. If he's reading this he'll know who he is. 

To all my friends and readers I'd like to wish you all a very happy Christmas and a fantastic new year.

Till next time......