A new arrival, my cameras and old age

My fishing has ground to a halt with the arrival of my third child a beautiful little girl that we have named Grace Josephine. Weighing 6lb 8oz she is a new 'personal best' beating her big brother by a meagre 1oz. Been far too busy to venture out on the bank but give me a week or two and I am sure I will get back to it.

I have been asked a few times what camera/set up I use for my blogging photographs which is a fantastic compliment. I admit to not being the greatest photographer but I try hard and am usually pleased with the results. My set up is not fancy or spectacular but it works for me.
When I was searching for a camera a few years ago I had a few must haves. It had to have a remote control for self takes, I wanted it to be better than a compact camera in terms of quality but I did not want to be lugging around a large DSLR with several lenses and finally it needed to have a large screen for instant reviews of the photo. When you have fish out of the water, speed is of the essence. I spoke to the bloke with the big fuzzy hair in the local independent camera shop and came away with a FUJI Finepix S2000HD and I have been really happy with it.

Remote control and bank stick adaptor 

I am not sure if they are still manufactured but if they are I would thoroughly recommend getting hold of one. Mine has taken nearly 3,700 photos and is still going strong. It works brilliantly outdoors but take it inside and I really struggle with it, just cannot seem to get the right settings for indoor shots. I use it mostly on auto but it does have some excellent other settings for action and landscape shots.
Last year I treated myself to a second camera. I fancied trying to get some underwater shots inspired by Matt Hayes excellent photography book,  Fisheye-A guide to angling photography. He recommended the Panasonic Lumix FT3. I am still getting to grips with this compact camera but it has produced some great shots, there are not many venues with clear enough water to get good sub surface photos but I will keep working on this. It is lightweight and simple to use and fits in the 'Finepix' bag.

There is one other camera that I use occasionally, a Nikon D60 that belongs to Mrs C and does not come fishing with me very often.

The quality of photos are superb, pin sharp and full of colour but it is too bulky and most of the time I cannot be bothered to carry it and all it's lenses. As I say it does take great photos, even at distance:-

A pair of nesting Buzzards through the long lens

Is it a sign of getting old if you suddenly become interested in angling the traditional way. It started a few months back when I treated myself to a centre pin reel purposefully for trotting and now I have purchased some hand-made traditional floats to go with it.

Hand-made by Ian Lewis-click here

Some Avons for summer Barbel, a couple of cork bobs for Autumn Grayling and the darts for Winter Perch/Roach, I cannot wait to get them wet. What next-split cane rod?? possibly.

A fish filled friday morning

One of my favourite species is the dainty diminutive Dace. Not a spectacular fish in terms of size but stunning looking, and lightning quick. They are a species that will readily feed at all times of the year and their bites can be frustratingly missable but it doesn't matter when you do because the next opportunity is only moments away.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find the time for a full day session so an early start was again necessary in order to put in a few hours on the bank and I found myself tramping across the dew soaked fields at 4.30am on my way to a favourite Dace hotspot, Barton weir. I travelled light (for me!), rod, net, rucksack seat, holdall and a bucket filled with four pints of red and white maggots. My intention was to feeder fish, I enjoy trotting for them but the fast pace of the swim means a lot of time spent reeling in and recasting and time is precious at the moment.
I initially piled in hemp and maggots to stir the fish into a feeding frenzy while I set up the rod. The rig is simplicity itself, a paternostered 40g black cap feeder, strong size 16 hook and three pound hooklink (which I upped to 5lb when I lost a substantial fish half way through).

I caught quickly right from the off and landed loads of Dace to 6oz, a few Roach, some lovely looking Perch to about a pound, a bootlace Eel, three Bleak and a couple of Chub. I would have really liked a bigger Dace but fun was had none the less.

I was down to my last few maggots and about to pack away when I struck in to something of a different class. By that time I was using the more substantial hook length but still had to play it carefully to avoid a hook pull. My unseen adversary powered up and down the swim staying out of sight and the beauty of maggot fishing is that you have no idea what is on the other end until it is right at the net. It turned out to be a bruising chunky Chub which weighed in at 5lb 4oz. Only an average fish in some rivers but in the Warwickshire Avon a five is a good fish.

This year has been brilliant for me on the Chub front as this is my third 'five' already. I set off home a tired but contented angler and still had plenty of time in the day to help set everything for my daughters school fete.

Static bait proving me wrong

My goal for a short evening session was to prove that a static bait catches less fish but they are generally bigger specimens. Couple of problems with that. I hadn't banked on being plagued by Eels nibbling away at the luncheon meat hookbait giving me taps and knocks on the rod tips and occasionally hookable bites. I landed one and had the hook pull from another. The one I landed was a great battler and fought loads above it's weight of 1lb 8oz. It was pretty well behaved on the bank too.
The other issue I had was that I hooked and landed two Barbel but they were both small ones so my theory was proved incorrect, on this occasion.The biggest weighed in at 4lb 8oz.

I came to the conclusion that because the swim I fished was fairly fast water and the bigger fish must be down in the slower stretches. Only dilemma now is trotted or static bait, will have to try both.

Reacquaintance with my cyclops Barbel mate.

A busy weekend of visiting relatives and kid's birthday parties meant my only opportunity to wet a line was a couple of hours pre-breakfast on Saturday morning. The forecast was hot and clear so the early morning represented the best opportunity of catching a Barbel or two anyway. I fished my usual tactics of trotting luncheon meat below a 2 swan loafer, 12lb line, the bait hair rigged to a size 8 hook.
It took a couple of hours of feeding hemp and bits of meat to get the fish interested and eventually I landed a three-ish pound Chub. The very next cast saw me strike into a Barbel, not a monster but when I pulled apart the folds of the net I saw a familiar fish. It was the same one-eyed Barbel that I had caught twice last year! Last year it weighed about four pounds and this time around it looked no bigger so I put her straight back.

That battle had disturbed the swim and it took a while for me to hook another Barbel but I eventually did and following an excellent scrap I weighed in the final and biggest fish of the session at 7lb 7oz.

An immaculate really golden fish that shimmered in the sunshine.
On the way back I stopped for a chat with the two blokes in the next swim. They were sat behind static ledger rods and had been since the previous day. Whilst the average stamp of fish seems to be larger fishing that way I much prefer the moving bait methods. Faster water seems to give more bites and more action. The bigger fish definitely preferring a more sedate pace of life, those two other anglers must like the same!

Fishing friends reunited

Crystal clear 

I am not a big fan of facebook but it is occasionally useful for keeping in touch and finding old friends. I had not seen or even heard from my old fishing buddy Nick Hammond for more than 15 years and it is almost 20 years since we last fished together so you can imagine my excitement as I pointed the car in the direction of Avington Trout fishery and a rendezvous with my old mate and some big Trout.
Avington fishery is an intimate complex of three shallow lakes, chalk stream fed with crystal clear water giving superb visibility and wonderful stalking opportunities. It is located in the stunning grounds of Avington Hall just outside of Winchester and is stocked with some absolutely gorgeous Trout, excellently conditioned full tailed fish. On site there is a well stocked tackle shop, gutting and cleaning facilities and a cafe bar.
The fishery opens at 8am and despite the 80-90 mile journeys we both arrived at virtually that time on the dot. We purchased three fish tickets and went for a recce round the lakes chatting away and spotting fish. The water was so clear that Nick joked it would be easy to just foul hook them.
The far end of the middle lake was teaming with fish so we started there and and within a couple of casts my companion shouted across that he was in, hooked perfectly in the dorsal! His claims of accidental fell on deaf ears considering that it was his idea only moments earlier. His protestations of innocence continued throughout the fight but as we landed the fish it become the source of mickey taking for the rest of the day. That aside it was a good start to the day.

He had caught it on an orange lure so I changed to the same fly, which Nick pointed out was ridiculous as the fish had not taken it properly but it worked and the next cast I landed a 6lb 14oz caught fair and square in the chops.

The rain had started so we took shelter and over coffee caught up on events over the last two decades. Between the ages of 11 and 17 we had virtually lived at each other's houses (when we weren't fishing-which was a lot) so it felt quite surreal chatting away after all this time. Once the rain had passed we went back to the fishing, I took the next fish and we decided to slow down, we had all day and didn't want to bag up too quickly.

Nick fished on while I went for a wander, with only one fish needed for my limit I went in search of a biggie, and I found one patrolling the far margin. It would have to wait though as a pub lunch was calling, far too civilised!
On the outskirts of the estate is the Bush Inn and I would thoroughly recommend it, fine ales, lovely food and a nice beer garden bordered by a babbling chalk stream.

I plumped for the Stilton Burger.....

Nick went for Gammon and duck egg.

With bellies full we returned to the fishing, I found the big Trout which was now named Walter ( If you have not watched 'On Golden Pond' then do so) and started stalking it while Nick fished further along trying to foul hook anything. Mid-afternoon and he put another on the bank, this time it was mouth hooked.

Meanwhile old Walter got spooked by my amateurish casting at him and skulked off to hide so I landed one of his smaller mates.

Nick finished off his limit not long after and that was the end of the action, a brilliant days fishing and we vowed to not leave it as long until next time!

Chub pb

As the sun set on the Warwickshire Avon I spent the evening once again trotting a float down my favourite swim. My target was Barbel but I don't mind catching Chub, they are not seen as nuisance fish in my book rather an added bonus, especially when they are the size of my first of this particular session.
My Loafer float had only just landed beneath the far bank Willows (not an easy cast!) when it shot under and I knew I was connected to a decent fish. Even Chub fight hard in this fast water and when I saw it's big open mouth break through the surface I thought 'this is a five'. It was only in the net that I realised the depth of it and that it could be close to a pb. On the scales it went 5lb 15oz, of course I reweighed it and gave the scales a shake but I could not claim my first ever 'six'. I was and still am however really pleased with a new pb.

Avon Chub don't seem to be long fish but they do seem to be getting heavier and they are definitely deeper bodied than they were a few years back.

I fished on thinking it would be great to get a new pb Barbel on the same session but the chances were slim- I keep doing the lottery too!
I did however nail a brace of Barbel, the first being my biggest so far of this season weighing 9lb 10oz.

I followed this with a 6lb 5oz fish not long after.

I carried on but that was the last of the action.

Trotting for Barbel on the Avon

Just couldn't get to sleep last night, I must have been excited about my first river session of the new season. Surprisingly I didn't feel that tired when the alarm went off at 4am but I am certainly feeling it now. Choosing where to fish was not difficult, I headed straight for my favourite fast water swim to trot some luncheon meat down under the willows for the many Barbel that live there.

It took a little while to get into the swing of fishing in running water again and I lost the first fish probably because I was rusty but after about an hour I had a fish on the bank and it wasn't a bad start weighing 8lb 14oz. 

I helped her recover in the fast water (whilst messing about with the under water camera).
Having got that first fish under my belt a steady succession followed all falling for my moving meat approach.

7lb 11oz

Unweighed Chub about 3lb

7lb 4oz

5lb

4lb 14oz Pug-nosed Chub

6lb 1oz

At midday I called it a day finishing the session with seven Barbel and three Chub- not a bad mornings work!

Still Tenching

Chez Tench

The new season begins but rather than rush down to the river I decided to avoid the crowds and pointed the van in the opposite direction towards the crystal clear gravel pits of Oxfordshire. My Tench campaign has been nothing short of a disaster this year so old Tinca was the target for my worm hook baits. The conditions seemed just about perfect, warm and overcast with just a slight ripple on the water. I arrived late due to a thick head from a mate's wedding the day before but was pleased to see I had virtually the whole lake to myself.
As I walked the bank a Tench porpoised about thirty yards out and made swim selection a doddle. It looked like it was going to be easy pickings but fishing is rarely just that. I had my first run after a couple of hours, just before lunch, an absolute screamer and just as I was taking control the hook inexplicably pulled-gutted. The line was covered in slime so it must have been a Tench and the speed of the fish had me thinking it was a small male.
I was beginning to think that it might be the only bite of the day when the alarms registered a stuttering take. I struck into another fish, much more of a plodder and when it finally surfaced my suspicions were confirmed, a good size female. I let out a sigh of relief as I bundled her into the net and on the scales she registered 8lb 13oz. At last a decent Tench on the board.

Oxford Tench really are stunning creatures.
I managed one more run but annoyingly the hook pulled again so I gave up early, it was father's day and I wanted to see the kids some.

An evening with Carp

It seems like ages since I last had a chance to get on the bank but it is only a fortnight, just far too busy at the moment! This evening I grabbed a Carp rod and a bucket of dog biscuits and popped down to a local puddle for a bit of fun. I knew there was little chance of landing a monster but there has been a rumour circling round that an unknown thirty pound leather has recently come out of the water in question. I had no designs on landing that particular fish, just a pull back on the line would be satisfactory. Upon arrival I stopped for a quick chat with an old bloke who was also floater fishing. He was blanking but I am not sure why, he had fish topping all over the place in front of him!

I set up a couple of swims away, close enough to join in the fun but hopefully not really stepping on his toes. 

It didn't take long before I also had fish in front of me and within ten minutes a decent fish fell for my banded floater. It put up a spirited battle trying several times to snag me in tree roots but eventually it tired and rolled across the net cord. It scraped into double figures weighing 10lb 11oz, an old warrior of a mirror Carp.

The fish became a little spooky after the disturbance but eventually started feeding again in ernest, only trouble was the light was fading and I was struggling to pick out my bait amongst the freebies. I hooked and lost a smaller fish before deciding on a change of bait. I tied on a fake 'dog biscuit fly' which was much more visible in the impending gloom.

A deer hair pattern with a red wooly sighter trimmed to size on a size 10 barbless hook. 

To begin with the fish shied away from it but as it got wetter it sat lower in the water and they took more interest. I missed a couple of takes before eventually I connected with another battling Carp. By the time I landed it it was really dark so I took a quick net shot and returned it to it's water home.

Another scraper double, this time an immaculate Common weighing 10lb 2oz. The promised rain had just started so I called it quits and buggered off home.

I was never going to break any records but floater fishing for Carp is a good way to spend a couple of hours. I certainly caught a more than the idiots blasting out music on the other lake!

Back in the game

 Every angler at some point has to endure a lean spell and with three blanks in a row I hope that today was the end of mine. In my opinion it has been the weather's fault, every recent day off has seemed to coincide with a drop in temperature, the fish must be loathing it as much as I am. This week however has seen a steady increase of several degrees and the fish seemed to have responded. Today Carp could be seen cruising the warm upper layers, a shoal of Roach 'pimpled' the surface as they sipped the substantial hatch of flies and occasionally they would scatter as the Pike charged at them. It all made for an interesting sideshow but I had set my sights on landing some big Tench.
I employed my usual tactics of worm and feeder and I started the session with high hopes. I tried to remain optimistic but as the hours ticked by my confidence began to wain. However just after lunchtime a stuttering bite turned into a run and it was fish on. The fight was fairly nondescript until the fish saw the net and then it went ballistic. I could see in the crystal clear water that it was a decent fish which did nothing for my nerves. I reeled it back within range only for it to set off on another run taking my other line with it. Eventually I bundled it into the net and my poor run of results came to an end.

It wasn't a monster at 7lb 6oz but it was most welcome.

She swam off strongly and soon after I added a feisty little male of 4lb 11oz. That was the last of the action for this particular session but hopefully the fish will really get on the feed as they should at this time of year.

Frustrating Carp blank

This was my view for the evening, perched low behind the reeds in the only sheltered part of the pond whilst the wind ripped across the rest of the water. It was for too breezy for floater fishing on the top especially with a fly rod but if fishing wasn't a constant challenge we would soon stop coming back for more. I had a rare (of late) opportunity for a couple of hours waterside and I was not about to pass it up.

As the sun started to drop below the horizon I finally managed to get a few Carp feeding just beyond the lilly pads. The temperature dropped beyond comfortable but I stuck it out in hope that just one fish would take the fly but alas it was not to be. They sporadically took the freebies but avoided the bait, the view was nice though.