Some Commercial Activity

It is never easy choosing where to go after a great foreign fishing trip and even more difficult at this time of year. It feels like that awkward in between stage, waiting for the rivers to open and a lot of fish in the lakes are in spawning mode. A local commercial was my venue of choice as I knew the fishing wouldn't be amazing anywhere but at least here I would get a few bites.
The Carp were crashing in the margins all day and obviously had their minds on things other than feeding as I only landed two small ones all day. However a few Rudd and Roach obliged along with the annoying little Perch.

However I had the most success with Bream.

Several landed throughout the day up to a biggest of 4lb 10oz, some were spawn-laden females.....

and in amongst them a few spiky males covered in tubercles.

In between bites the bird-life amused me, swifts taking insects off the surface

and a female swan that was desperately trying to ward off the attention of an amorous male.

Nice to be out in the sunshine but I am itching for the rivers to open.

Fish-Filled Fun but Frustrating.

Commercial Fisheries, I am not their biggest fan, too sterile and manufactured for my liking but they can be a bit of fun as a change of scenery. My intention was to target the big Roach that grow to over two pounds in the immaculately presented Lemington Lakes Abbey pool. The attack was two pronged, a delicate float fished about a rod length out feeding chopped worm and caster with a small section of worm as bait and a 'sleeper' rod again with chopped worm in a swimfeeder cast along the margins.
First two fish landed were both Roach and I thought I'd cracked it but then came a problem, stunted Perch, bloody hundreds of them. I couldn't keep the baits in the water long enough to catch anything else. Time for a rethink. The feeder was chucked out towards the deeper water and I stopped feeding worm to the float and changed the hook bait to caster. It seemed to work.
I still caught the occasional Perch but the average size increased and also everything else had a chance to snaffle the baits.
Every time the float went under or the alarms beeped I hoped for a big Roach. I have never experienced so much disappointment in one single day as I landed loads of Carp to 10lb 9oz......

Roach to a respectable 1lb 3oz but no biggie........

Bream to 4lb 8oz and a 1lb 9oz hybrid.....

Perch to 15oz and Rudd to 12 ounces.

A fish filled fun but frustrating day.

Lemington Lakes- Big Roach

The A44 was closed for roadworks so I found myself on a misty Cotswold country lane trying to find an alternative route to Lemington lakes. Thankfully my sense of direction did not let me down and I turned into the fishery only ten minutes late. Martin was busy chatting up the dragon lady owner so I got my ticket as quickly as I could and dragged him down to the lake. Target today was Roach, big Roach, hopefully two pounders plus, the ones this fishery is known for.
The only other time I have fished here it was absolutely freezing. The elevated position means that when there is a gentle breeze it feels like a gale and when there is a gale well, you lose your hat and anything else that is not tied down. Today however was a complete contrast, the sun eventually burnt off the mist and there was barely a ripple on the water. Perfect conditions for the angler if not for angling.
Martins approach was to pole fish worm whilst feeding chopped worm and have a 'sleeper' rod set up with a maggot feeder and a helicopter rig. Problem was it didn't 'sleep' for long as a succession of pasty Carp ran away with the maggots. After the umpteenth Carp messed him about he put it bed and just fished the pole. It was working a treat anyhow as he landed Bream to 4lb 6oz...

and Roach to 1lb 6oz, the biggest of the day....

not quite the size we were after but a nice fish all the same. Considering we were at a commercial fishery they were all in immaculate condition, a testament to the strict rules they impose. Not a mangled mouth, split fin or missing scale in sight.
The rest of his maggots were fed to the friendliest Chaffinch we have ever seen, coming right up to us to scrounge its dinner.

My tactics differed slightly to the big man in that I set up a pair of feeder rods, fishing chopped worm helicopter style. My thinking was that I wasn't fishing for lots of bites but bigger fish. I caught plenty including Perch, Rudd, Bream and Carp but not a single Roach until the very last minute when I finally landed one of about a pound.

To be honest I think I got it wrong on the day. There were plenty of missed bites which I am sure were from Roach and would have connected if I refine the approach with smaller hooks and bait, thinner line and a shorter hooklink. Next time I will certainly give that a try and see how it goes.

Another Red Kite spotted, they are definitely spreading further North.

Doing my bit for Angling's Future

The Chatts family

The kids have been bugging me about going fishing for ages so this weekend I came good on my promise. The weather forecast was superb so we headed to a local pond stuffed full of Roach, Rudd and a few Carp. The plan centred around a pellet waggler approach. Watching a float gently bobbing up and down before flying under and then a strike being met by a bucking writhing fish fighting for freedom is a memory treasured by thousands of anglers thinking of their first fish. Maisie has caught before but this was Max's first trip, I hope he remembers it forever but he is probably a bit too young.

The fishing wasn't as easy as I had hoped but by keeping up the regular feeding the float eventually dipped on Max's rod and he reeled in a small Roach. At three years old he enjoyed the experience but I think he is too young to fully appreciate it. 

We carried on catching a few more silver fish but not quickly enough to keep the kids engrossed but at least both of them caught. 

There is a campsite close by and quite a few residents walk their dogs around this picturesque pool. On this day one particularly bigger lady ambled past with her two Golden retrievers. They got about five feet past where my wife was sitting when one of the dogs stopped to do it's business. Who walks their dogs without doggie bags in this day and age? Well this Chav did, she asked us for a bag which we did not have so she kicked it into the bushes! My pregnant wife's sense of smell is particularly heightened at the moment so we were forced to move swims away from the stench. 

Further round the pond we spotted some Carp cruising the surface about the lilies so I catapulted out some mixers and set up a suitable floater rig. Within a couple of minutes the fish showed interest and it didn't take long before I struck into one. The fish immediately motored off into the vegetation and there was not a lot I could do about it on light tackle. The vicious bend in the rod regained the kids interest away from annoying the tadpoles as they wanted to know what monster daddy was connected to. I was forced to passed the rod around a couple of trees to change the angle and by applying some steady pressure I managed to coax the Carp out of the lilies and into open water. Maisie fetched the net and Max the catapult, not sure what for!

I played it carefully, eventually winning the battle. 

Maisie was especially excited to see a big fish.

I then took the opportunity to teach the little ones how to look after a fish once caught: letting it rest in the net, unhooking mat, wetting everything etc. We weighed it, took photos and carefully returned it as quickly as possible.

9lb 13oz Common

On that high note we decided to call it a day. They both cannot wait to go again. I think the fresh air was too much for Max, he fell asleep mid ice cream!

Spring has Sprung-at last

Finally spring has landed (Meadow Buttercup)

 It has become a tradition of mine (or maybe an addiction) that the first day of sunshine and warmth that we get I go fishing for Rudd. They are so synonymous with warm summer days it is hard not to. There is a small overgrown lake local to me that is full of them. I don't believe there are any monsters in there but every visit I hope to cross paths with a two pounder. So far I haven't come close, 1lb 2oz is my best. Action is guaranteed and after a long tough Winter it is nice to get bites and lots of them.
Tactics were simple, two rods, the main one baited with pellets under a waggler and the secondary one baited with a Prawn in case there were some Perch on the prowl along the margins.
No point in plumbing the depth and scaring fish with a lump of lead, I would be fishing the pellet on the drop so started at about three foot and kept it at that depth all day. I have experimented with maggot at this venue but have been plagued by 1-2oz fry, the pellet catches bigger fish.
I caught right from the off and continued to for the whole of the day. Mostly Rudd but occasionally Roach if the bait got missed on the drop and found it's way to the full depth that the rig would allow. A pattern emerged, if the bait was taken in the first 30 seconds it was a Rudd, if it took longer a Roach would have it. They were definitely swimming around at different depths.
After about an hour of catching I struck into something very different. This fish actually took line. It didn't take long for me to realise it was a Carp and not my dream Rudd but I still enjoyed a brilliant battle on a light outfit. Eventually a spirited immaculate Common of about four pounds lay in the folds of the landing net.

I carried on catching more Rudd and Roach plus a couple of heavily pregnant Perch before a screaming run on the Prawn broke the rhythm. Another cracking battle ensued and with only four pound hook link and a size 12 hook I had to be cautious but in the end I won. My prize was another immaculate Common. This one was certainly much bigger but I did not feel the need to weigh it. Today was about fun not weights (unless it was a pb shaker!)

That was it for Carpy interventions but I fished on catching plenty more Roach and Rudd but nothing greater than about a pound. I ended up with well over fifty fish for the day and made the best ones pose for a (quick) photo in the sun.

I set off home a happy and contented angler.

At last some Ruddy sunshine!

At last we had some summer weather forecast and that influenced my decision as to what to fish for. An overgrown lily pad infested pool where I could target the beautiful Rudd. If this pool held Crucians as well it would be the perfect summer venue, sadly it doesn't but it does contain a few hard fighting wild Carp.
This water is not a stocked commercial and it is not over fished. I have been there a few times and at the most there are only ever three or four anglers on there, today was no different. It is never advertised and there are never matches on there. I heard about it through word of mouth and I hope it stays that way.
The pool is full of fish so a blank is never on the cards, the difficult thing is getting to the better specimens. I fished soft pellets on the drop, casting into the slight 'bay' in the lilies that you can see in the photo. The only problem I had was keeping the bait on the hook, by baiting little and often, if the pellet stayed on the hook I would get a bite, usually within three seconds.
I finished the day with a net full, mostly Rudd, a few Roach and I also had Carp (which I did not put in the keepnet). The best fights came from the Carp, I had to play them very carefully on 3lb line in the snaggy water, I landed three and only lost one. None of them were big but they were immaculate, no 'boilie bellies', split fins or mangled mouths.

Wild common Carp

I didn't count the final total but there must have been nearly a hundred fish caught, the pick of the Rudd deserved to be photographed.
 None over a pound but some getting close, a thoroughly enjoyable Summer's day catching stunning fish in beautiful surroundings and no jacket required.

Ruddy netful

I am not a fan of commercial fisheries and whilst this venue may have the slight look of one, once you scratch beneath the surface it is very different. This is Hailes fruit farm, there are two ponds which were obviously originally for the farm's water supply. They are not advertised at all, not even from the roadside so they are peaceful, undisturbed and overgrown. They do hold Carp but only a small stock of naturals, no F1s, stockies or pasties. The majority of the stock is silvers(and gold!) and they range in size from small to average and slightly above. So this was were I spent my weekly outing.
I have fished Hailes twice before using only maggots and I caught a lot of fish. The problem I had was trying to get to the better specimens. The maggots were eaten by everything especially the small Roach so this time I fancied trying pellets to see if that would sort out the bigger fish-it worked.

Other brands are available

Also having read about some bloggers recent successes with Perch on prawn I had a second rod primed for a margin attack.
First cast with a pellet and I landed a Rudd and a pretty decent one at that weighing about 12oz. Within a few minutes I had his sister in the net also and this set the tone for most of the day. It was very nearly a bite a chuck and watching the waggler sail away is one of my favourite things in fishing.
I also quickly landed three small Perch from the margin rod on Prawn but those bites dried up as soon as the sun came out.
The only thing that slowed me down with the pellets was a change of wind direction around lunchtime. All the crap that was gathered in the right hand corner blew across in front of me to the left hand corner. It meant the float being dragged about or the pellet not sinking but I was having such a good time I did not let it bother me.

I finished with a bagful of Rudd, Perch and the odd Roach and not a mangled mouth between them.

My ambition for the session was to beat my previous personal best Rudd, which stood at 1lb exactly. I managed to do that by a meagre two ounces. Not the target annihilation like last week but pleasing none the less.

Seems like Spring has finally arrived.

Roach, bigger Rudd and bigger Perch

Headed back to the same pool as last week in an attempt to make acquaintance with the bigger relatives of last weeks catch. This time I took a kilo of worms and left the maggots alone thinking that was the answer, bigger bait, bigger fish. In the main it worked.
The smaller fish were on the bait first but after about an hour the stamp of fish improved and I landed a 12oz Rudd. Not entirely job done as I know for sure there are bigger still in the lake but a vast improvement.

Several more fish followed but nothing to trouble the scorers and then I hooked into something which felt altogether better. I feared it is was a small Carp but when it broke the surface and I spotted a big stripy my heart was in my mouth. I have lost big Perch before at the net, their bony mouths are difficult to get purchase into but thankfully the hook was firmly in the scissors. As always I thought it was going to weigh more than it did but I was still very pleased at 1lb 15oz. Shook the scales but it did not get to 2lb!

I fished on and caught plenty more fish but all in the 8-10oz bracket. A really enjoyable session.

Roach, Rudd, Perch and Carp

A day spent tiddler bashing on a spectacular intimate fishery that is full of silver fish, and the odd Carp. It is reputed to hold some good size specimens of Perch, Roach and Rudd and is little known so rarely fished. 

I spent the whole morning fishing flavoured maggots and hemp and built the swim in to a bite a chuck frenzy with only one problem, they we all small and carried no real challenge weight.

Our lad in the next swim was trying worm and while his action was a lot less frantic when he did land a fish it was of a much better quality. I helped him land and unhook a Rudd well over the pound mark and I could ignore it no longer. A change to worm brought about a slow down in bites but I still landed a few. No Rudd but a few nice Roach and some Perch, the biggest weighing 10oz.

I then decided to try the margins in search of it's dad and I thought I had cracked it when the float sailed away and tried to snag me. I managed to turn the unseen adversary and thought I had a record on but soon realised it was a small Common of about 4 or 5lbs.

The end result was a fun day exploring a new venue with about 40/50 fish in the net and a vow to return with a tactical change to land the bigger beasts that reside there.

Rudd, Hailes Fruit Farm

Sometimes you have to kiss a lot of frogs until you get a prince but my brother took it a little too literally. Early afternoon and his float started to slide away, he struck and felt a slight resistance. The frog which he had hooked squarely in the back leg put up little fight. He shouted me but I have a phobia about frogs and told him between giggles that he was on his own and I was going nowhere near it. Look carefully at the photo below and you can see Kermit hanging just to the left of the tree!

I also hypothetically kissed a lot of frogs but did land a prince, not literally. Highlight of my day was this 14oz Rudd which was interspersed with about a hundred smaller fish including Roach, Perch, more Rudd and one Carp weighing 5lb 14oz, taken on a lobworm.