Spring 2016

 Last knockings

Looking back on my previous fishing year I was acutely aware that my fishing had developed a pattern. It's often the easy option that we take and without any doubt I could have devoted the last two weeks of the season to catching Chub as I had done the previous year. I was keen to break the cycle though, I fancied a challenge.......

Big Roach

There aren't many natural rivers in East Lincolnshire. It's the one thing I missed when I moved over from the midlands at the turn of the century. The ones there are though are absolute crackers and virtually unfished, forgotten in a whole slew of commercial fisheries where bites are a lot easier to come by. You don't even need to do much legwork either where Carp puddles are concerned, the match results will tell you all you need to know. Peg42 wins every week I'll go and sit there. What was I saying about easy options?

Even after thirty-odd years there are plenty of aspects of fishing I still consider myself to be a novice. River fishing isn't one of them. Despite this on my first trip I was having trouble getting a single bite let alone a fish. I moved around a lot, my lack of patience is legendary. There is sometimes method in the madness though on in my sixth swim of the day I finally found a few fish. It was a new area to me and I couldn't be sure the first fish I had hooked wasn't a Chub. Luckily it was a Roach and a big one too at 1lb 12oz. I took it on the usual- a 2 swan link with a size 14 hook and a small piece of breadflake. 

The river was quite narrow and lined with dying reeds on both sides. After a couple more smaller Roach something rather odd happened. I was feeding some liquidised bread on a little an often basis. Now normally after a few fish you would expect them to back off slightly but those Roach did the exact opposite. They came upstream, even beyond where I was feeding. I didn't think they were spooking off the feed, I had an inkling something else was moving them. I caught the next fish right under my rod tip and sure enough a Pike struck at it on the way in, its predatory senses sent into overdrive by the struggling fish. Despite trying (and failing) to catch the Pike I ended the day with around twenty Roach. Here are the best ones.........

At the next available opportunity I went back to the river. Conditions weren't perfect but I still fancied my chances. The river was up and coloured which made it really tough going. Towards the end of the day I managed to get a few bites. Biggest this time was 1lb 9oz..........

The final day of season was another really strange day. I started off fishing for Perch with little to show for my efforts. The Perch river was still holding too much colour and I just manged a few modest Perch........

In the afternoon I went back to the other river to try and catch some Roach. Benidorm Dave joined me but the Roach just seemed to have disappeared. We decided to abandon the Roach in favour of some hopefully, easier to catch Chub. It was a case of peaking too early for me though and after all day wandering about by about four pm I'd had enough, well before the most productive time of the day. Dave manged a near double-figure Pike that took his steak on the way in but that was the highlight of a very disappointing day. Never mind. Looking back the rivers were very kind to me in 2015/16. Bream to 8lb 10oz, Roach to 2lb, Rudd to 2lb 11oz, Chub to 6lb 4oz, Perch to 3lb 4oz and Dace to 15oz...........

Fluff flinging

Late March and all of April in the previous two years had been terrible angling-wise. I cast my mind back to when the close season was enforced on all waters and realised I hadn't been Trout fishing for a while. My local fishery had also posted on Facebook that they had just introduced some big Trout, it was all the encouragement I needed. The venue in question is Withern Mill, five small lakes besides the beautiful Great Eau.....

Tickets start at a very reasonable £15 which is catch and release, rising to £30 for a six fish ticket. Unsure of my prowess with a fly rod I opted for a two fish ticket on my first trip. The weather wasn't great either and after unloading the car I headed straight for the on-site fishing hut to make a warming brew.........

I started off at the furthest lake and gradually worked my way back down to the car park. After a slow start I ditched the floating line and opted for an intermediate. Spring hadn't yet sprung and it was two hoodies cold. With my small gold-headed montana working deeper I soon had a take. I'd forgotten just how hard Trout fight and after a spectacular battle a lovely Brownie was in the net. By the end of the day I finished up catching six fish and despite the weather had a great time. Great stamp of fish too although no real monsters.......

The weather was no better on my second visit although just like the previous time I had the place to myself. More confident of my abilities I opted for the four fish ticket as I knew someone who would appreciate a couple for the table. In the old closed season proper, anglers would be giving Trout away left, right and centre. We all know giving gifts is sometimes as nice as receiving them. Anyway I took three fish quite quickly but typically the forth took nearly the whole afternoon to fool. I had some bigger ones too. It is worth checking when you buy your ticket whether Browns are to be taken as some times they should be returned. I didn't check so I hope I didn't break any rules. They are certainly quite abundant though or maybe just more eager to feed in cold conditions. Beautiful nonetheless........

For me, Trout fishing is a luxury. In the scheme of things, it is good value but personally, a little too expensive to do all the time. With this in mind I treated myself to one last trip to see if I could locate one of the bigger fish in residence. My old Rainbow PB of 7lb 12oz was taken over ten years ago and I longed to better it. Unusually the sun was shining, would it be an omen? On my second cast, despite placing my fly exactly where I wanted it I got into a slight tangle. Just as I was unpicking the knot it was ripped from my hand in a savage take. The knot clattered through the rings with such force it took the ring lining of the end eye with it as it went. You don't get that with Roach. The culprit? My new PB, 8lb 2oz of magnificent Rainbow......

To add to that I had three superb Brownies to complete my limit......

What a brilliant fishery, I can't recommend it highly enough.......

http://www.withernmilltroutfarm.co.uk/

SHUK News

A few pictures now from the Specimen Hunting UK team. Starting off with James Aris and a couple of Big Chub. A man who can never have too many hats......

6lb 4oz

6lb 2oz.....

Midlands Barbel ace Dave Varnham with a 13lb 13oz specimen........

Keith Supple with another fine looking Barbel......

Keith's blog- http://keithsangling.blogspot.co.uk/

Leo Heathcote with a late season Chub.......

and some fun on a commercial.

Leo's blog- http://fishermans-journey.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Have I saved the best till last? I'll let you decide. Southern supremos Nate Green and Mike Lyddon. Mike kicked off with this amazing 31lb Pike.......

Nate with a new PB Chub of 5lb 5oz........

Then they both went to France. While the fishing wasn't as prolific as they would have liked they had a fantastic time and manged some rather large Carp.

49lb.......

56lb.....

Nate with a Mirror of 46lb.....

Tackle Talk

Lure Reels on test. All bought and used by myself.

***** The best of the best.

**** Very good, a worthy buy.

*** Average.

** Poor, flawed in some way.

* Dire, avoid.

Fox Rage Ultron. £48-£54.

**

Friends that only use them for dropshotting love them. Try casting with one though, the bail arm flips over through inertia alone. Terrible.

Okuma Trio. £35-£50

****1/2

Nearly perfect. Line lay could be better and finish on white versions is not as hard wearing as it could be. 

Trabucco Airblade. £50-£70

*** 

Wouldn't recommend to anyone but they have a certain charm. The Alfa Romeo of the reel world. Designed by a genius, made by a halfwit.

Korum Snapper KDS. £35-£40

*. 

American tournament anglers don't use bail trips on open faced reels because they create slack. It doesn't matter with this because with fine braid it will find its way under the spool nut, coaxed there by its riduculous design. Dreadful reel

Onto some recent purchases now and keen to continue my quest to explore different brands I bought some scissors from Gardner. Not being a Carp angler I don't really know what products some of the firms do and that is a shame because they do some very nice gear that can be used in a multitude of situations. Hey they're only scissors but I like them. Better than my teeth and not having to steal Mrs P's I get to keep them too (my teeth that is, bit fiery you see).  

Finally I bought some more Flyweight scales but this time the 12lb version. Presumably they are similar to the stronger version so not especially robust and need constant care but if you look after them they should provide good service. Always hold by the handle when weighing....

Signing off

You may have noticed I've deviated slightly from the monthly routine. Not deliberate but had a slight loss of writing mojo. Not sure what that means for the future but if you keep enjoying it, I'll keep writing it. In the meantime I'll be on the bank somewhere, probably undoing a tangle.....

Till next time..............

February 2016

Best plans

I crept into place as stealthily as I could. The river was quite low and clearer than I would normally prefer. Through the surface glare of the early morning sun I could just make out some dark shapes in the shallow water. They were holding in the flow, waiting to pounce on any morsel of food that came their way. I couldn't quite make out what they were but experience told me they were either Roach or Dace, some big ones too. 

I trickled some maggots in upstream while setting my float rod up with a small wire-stem stickfloat. The silence was deafening. I was careful to the the extreme, even down to carefully opening boxes and the like. The fish were close and one wrong move would see them scatter. I was hunkered down in my low chair, at the bottom of the bank. They wouldn't see me against the skyline but my movements were still very slow and deliberate. Finally I was ready. Everything was in place and the next lot of maggots would have my hook bait among them. I catapulted a few out and was just ready to cast over the top.............."Caught owt mate?" shouted someone behind me.

I nearly jumped from my chair, bow waves dominated my swim as any fish within ten yards departed, at speed. I turned around to see an old man standing on top of the bank right behind me. Lovely old fella he was. Completely ruined that particular peg but there were plenty more to go at. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, these happenings occasionally I comfortingly told myself. 

An old friend

A late night surf of the Internet saw me stumbled across a photograph of a very large Pike. I recognised the surroundings, a old haunt of mine and one I felt I hadn't paid enough attention to in the past. With the Pike river unresponsive I expectantly awaited my next day off from work to go and re-familiarise myself with the lake. To cut a long story short my first visit was ok, nothing spectacular fish wise but the place was just as special as it always was. Crystal clear and still relatively untouched. I had four Pike, two on lures and two on deadbaits. Nothing massive but good fun.....

The lake was a nightmare to get too and I was lucky not to get my car stuck. The track down to it is as bad as ever. I did have a visit from the bailiff though and he was a great bloke. We chatted for about an hour and he assured me what I already knew, there were some very big Pike present. 

My next visit was slightly different. Not wanting to try and negotiate the track I went around the fishery perimeter after paying for my day ticket. I parked up and hopped over the fence. This caused a bit of a furore. Not with Pete the bailiff but a quarry worker and then the owner. I did manage a few hours though and had the same results- four small Pike. After my minor run-in I found Pete's phone number and gave him a ring. He was great about it and assured me I was welcome to go back. It certainly is a fascinating place and in the right light, very pretty too.........

It's also near to one of my favourite Chub spots too. A cheeky half an hour on the way home resulted in two fish, not massive but still nice to catch.........

A reminder

My friend Nate has some massive fish to his name but he is a relative Chub novice. After giving him some advice one day I thought I'd better qualify my credentials. The truth is he got me interested in catching them again after the hangover from my six pounder that I don't think either the river or I will ever better.

As usual I picked up a large chunk of Blue Stilton on my way over to the river to use straight from the packet. A few minutes moulding in warm hands some has it to a hookable consistency. Upon arriving I walked upstream, dropping in a few pieces of cheese in any likely looking spots. Although the weather was atrocious the river was in fine condition and my confidence was high. My first cast produced this magnificent fish of 5lb 8oz and one of my favourite ever photos......

The next two fish came from a different spot and they went completely nuts when I hooked them. The first fish had been dogged but these two were wild, almost Barbel-like, stripping line and charging about all over the place. Fish of 5lb 5oz and 4lb12oz.....

The biggest fish of the day came from the last swim. 5lb 13oz.........

I returned a few days later for another quick session and caught a couple more big fours and these two of 5lb 6oz and 5lb 7oz. Dusk is by far the best time to catch them. They will lay up in snags all day and venture out to feed when the light fades.......

Gobsmacked

After the old chap at the beginning of this blog had completely spoiled my initial efforts I had a wander around to see if I could find some other fish. I had a couple of greedy Chub from another spot before moving again. Big Roach or Dace were my preferred target for the day. I finally settled on a long run down to some sunken tree branches in very shallow water. It was not much more than twelve inches deep. I could see the bottom so I adjusted the depth of my stick float accordingly. As it floated down to the sunken branches I waited nervously for the float to disappear. Remarkably and against my better judgement nothing seemed to be present. Not wanting to go too far down the swim (for fear of hooking something and spooking whatever else was there) I struck to shake the bread off the hook and remarkably something must have just taken my bait at that very moment. The rod bent into a fish and I saw a flash of silver in the water. I initially thought it was a Roach until it came a bit further upstream and realised it was a massive Dace. 15oz in fact........... 

I had a couple of Pound Roach after that but my day was made with that one fish. The mind boggles when one thinks how big they might actually go in that area. I've had four now and they have all been over half a pound. Special fish indeed.

My favourite

A winter month without a few visits to my favourite river is unimaginable. As ever I've had a few Hybrids and Perch. No monsters but very welcome fish. These were the best two......

A day spent with Benidorm Dave Piking brought him lots of fish topped off with a brilliant nineteen pound fish. Sadly I was a good distance downstream so I can't show you a photo. You'll have to make do with my near fifteen pounder taken on a two inch lure, a welcome sight after doing my usual and losing a very big fish on deadbait...........

You may notice both the Perch and Pike had bits taken out of their dorsal fins. Quite what is causing this is a mystery to me. Dave had a fish with bit taken from its tail. You would think tail damage is caused by the resident otters. The damaged dorsals have me perplexed though. 

Specimen Hunting UK

SHUK news now and James Aris has been catching some very big Chub and some fine Perch.........

While on the subject of Perch, Lee Fletcher had a new lure caught PB with this fish of 2lb 6oz. Well done on the PB Lee..... 

That wasn't the only PB for group members this month. Martin headed down south to meet up with Nate to see if they could find some Chub. Martin was never going to better his Pb but he soon found a few fish.......

It was Nate that got his first four though and very well deserved too.......

Neil upped his PB Perch to a very impressive 4lb 1oz. He also had plenty of back up fish too this month. Here he is with a great fish of 3lb 4oz........

Like Nate, Mike Lyddon has a PB list that is the envy of many of us. He hasn't happened upon many really big Chub though and was more than happy to up his best to a creditable 5lb 14oz.....

Next up is midlands based Rob Thompson who had a magnificent fish of 6lb 7oz this month.......

.

The two Andy's (Wilson and Loble) made the arduous journey to deepest Scotland for a three day trip targeting some very special Roach. Sadly they weren't in a feeding mood. The best fish fell to Mr Loble who had this fine looking Brownie. As ever Mr Wilson did a fine job with the photograph.............

Last but not least is Jamie and Leo. They travelled to Amsterdam for a Street lure fishing competition. They didn't manage to find many fish (nobody did) but had a great time nonetheless.........

Tackle Talk

There haven't been too many additions to the tackle bag this month but one purchase I have made is these natty little night-light adaptors from Korum. They fit most size quivertips and come supplied with five mini lights. Good value at around £3 and essential for fishing into darkness........

Photography

Just the one from me this month. Taken on a dawn dog walk before heading out for the day. The other two are from Andy's trip to Scotland.........

Till next time...........