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.

Gravel Pit Tenching

It's that time of year when my obsession with catching a double figure Tench begins again. For the last few years my efforts have centred around the Linear complex, mostly on Hardwick Smiths lake, not because it gave me the best chance but because it is the least heavily fished so fairly peaceful. However this year I have decided to target a different water, well a change is as good as a rest.
My feeling is it's a little too early in the year for the really big Tench, the few weeks before spawning giving the best chance(of a double) which this year will probably be late June due to the long cold Winter. Today I used my usual worm based approach.
It took a couple of hours before I had the first indications and the bite developed into a 4lb 7oz male in the net. A pleasing start to a campaign on a new venue but I would have preferred a big fat female, lady Tench are always bigger than their scrappy boyfriends.

It didn't take long before I was in again, another good scrap and another petulant male on the bank, this time 4lb 3oz, they were getting smaller.

The next run saw me strike into something altogether different. The fight was more sluggish, it felt heavier and I began to think I had hooked either a cracking Tench or a small Carp. Imagine my surprise when it suddenly tail walked across the swim. It turned out to be an angry Pike and a pretty good one at that. "There's no way I am going to land this" I thought to myself, either the 8lb line would break or be bitten through at any moment. I took my time, let it take line when it wanted to run and ever so gradually I coaxed it closer and closer. It tangled my other rods leading me a merry song and dance but eventually I bundled it into the net. Luckily the hook was well lodged in the scissors away from those razor sharp gnashers. Good skill and good fortune in equal abundance.

13lb exactly

Within minutes of putting her back I was in again, this time the target species but yet another male, this time 4lb 12oz.

Another hour later I caught, yes you guessed it,  another male but this one was the biggest so far at 5lb 9oz.

I must have been casting into a Gentleman's only club for Tench, boys 4 girls nil. That was the last of the action for the day.
Mid afternoon there was a tremendous storm, thankfully I had my day shelter with me and I sat nice and dry sniggering at the anglers opposite getting a right soaking.

The last laugh was on me though as a huge gust of wind lifted my brolly up and away down the bank and I ended up dripping wet as well. Serves me right I suppose!

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!

Great wildlife, difficult fishing

Fishing time has been limited of late but last night I managed to sneak in a couple of hours so I grabbed my 8weight fly rod and headed down to the local Carp pool. I spent well over an hour flicking out dog biscuits trying to find the fish until eventually I came across a couple that showed only the slightest interest in the freebies. They took a few off the top but did not feed with any real conviction. I cast towards them but within ten minutes they had disappeared and my scant opportunity had all but gone. The cold water and long winter has made them lethargic but with a bit more prolonged good weather they will soon wake from their slumber. 

Kestral??

It was nice to be bankside again and the other wildlife on show made up for the lack of fish. I watched this bird of prey foraging along the river bank looking for small rodents. I think it is a male Kestral but will stand corrected if anyone knows better.

It was also quite special to see this pair of Muntjacs, they were skittish but hung around long enough for me to take a photo. I have seen these two before but never had a the opportunity to take their picture before.

Nice sunset

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.

Worm Farming

Worms are an awesome bait. There is not a fish alive that will not take them as bait. Even predators like Pike fall for them on a regular basis. If I was told to fish only one bait for the rest of my life I would choose them over everything else.
Now I could creep about at dusk, just after it has rained and collect plenty but I am inherently lazy and also my wife would go nuts and say I should be helping her with the kids bath and bedtime so I buy mine. The only problem with that is they are bloody expensive. Then there is the question of what to do with the left over wrigglers at the end of a fishing session? Chuck them in the swim, no way, I am a Yorkshireman so I take them home. Then I forget about them, they go mouldy and die so I thought it was about time I made a wormery and tried to keep them alive. That is exactly what I did last Autumn.
We had an old dustbin kicking about so I commandeered it, brought in a bit of child labour in the shape of my then five year old daughter Maisie and set to work.
First job was to drill some drainage holes around the bottom of the bin.

Being the good Father that I am that was my task despite Maisie's protestations.

Ten holes about an inch and a half above the base. These would make ideal escape routes for worms so we took the bin to put some gravel in the bottom, this would stop the worms burrowing down to the holes.

Maisie dragged the bin and helped with the gravel collecting.

Until she got bored and decided throwing stones was more fun, kids eh!
We filled it to about three inches in depth, thinking that was enough to avoid losses.

Then we added soil mixed with a bit of horse manure and some fruit and vegetable peelings to feed the worms.

With the task completed we chucked in the remainder of worms from a previous session and promptly forgot about them. The worms were both Lobworms and Dendroboenas which I thought was a risk but what the heck, if they died they died, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
This week with the weather warming up and Spring Tenching beginning to occupy my thoughts I checked to see how they were getting on. Flourishing is the only way to describe them and the wormery is a resounding success. The different species are co-existing quite happily too! Roll on the next fishing trip.

A day of two halves with a last minute winner

When the self-proclaimed 'Perchman' Martin Roberts invited me for a day chasing the striped fish with him on his favourite venue I jumped at the chance> Perch have for a long time been my nemesis, I seem to be able to catch them up to a pound or so but the bigger ones keep eluding me. This was a chance to visit new angling grounds and to learn about catching big Perch.

As we pulled in to the car park we knew that we were in for a difficult day. Ice and lots of it, there were the odd small clear patches but nothing fishable. Decision time: clear some ice or clear off. We decided to give it a go.

Martin fetched his pole and we used it to move and break up the ice in two swims.
To start with we would be happy to catch anything in order to avoid a blank. Martin started well landing a small snotty Bream and a decent Roach, "2 nil" he quipped.
I chuntered to myself and battled on through the snow.

Eventually I landed a small Roach and then followed that quickly with a couple more, "3-2" I quipped back.
By this time the morning had been and gone and the ice was clearing rapidly, A huge sheet drifted across my swim and the decision was made to have a move. Martin headed for the island and I dropped in to a really fishy looking swim where I could place a bait under a tree, all fish love cover. My Prawn hookbait was snaffled before I could get a second rod out and I landed a 1lb 3oz Roach.

This was followed by several others up to 1lb 1oz, a Rudd, a few small Bream and then eventually our target fish, a 1lb 2oz Perch. Not the monster I had hoped for but it renewed our enthusiasm.

The sun even came out!

Martin's swim was very quiet but he fished on determinedly, local knowledge telling him to stay in there until dusk. He was right.
As the light faded he struck into a lump that led him a merry dance charging all over the place. He shouted across that he was into a Carp or the mother of all Perch. It turned out to be a stunning Ghost Common, isn't he pleased!

I thought that would have stuffed up his swim but within minutes he had another fish on, this time the target and he landed a cracking 2lb 11oz Perch.

From zero to hero in the space of a few minutes. That turned out to be the end of the action, a cracking days fishing considering the difficult conditions and I went home knowing I had learnt a lot from Martins's methods on how to go about chasing big Perch. Hopefully I will personally fare better next time against my nemesis(the big Perch not Martin!)

Lemington Lakes Roach

A couple of weeks ago Angling Times printed an article about an interesting control of stock at Lemington Lakes. One of the pools at this commercial fishery has undergone a five year programme of netting of stunted Roach so that the remaining stock could grow on to a size that would be of interest to specimen anglers namely over the two pound mark and approaching a colossal three pounds.
I only live about thirty minutes away yet I have never fished there. i am not sure why, it is a lovely peaceful location and the complex is immaculate if not a little too manicured.

My intention was to arrive early but that was scuppered by a late night playing pool (and drinking) I eventually got there mid morning and was surprised but pleased to find I had the whole complex to myself. I popped in the on site cafe/tackle shop, which is also too clean, to get a ticket and some advice on the hot Roach pegs. The lady gave me a map, whilst pointing me in the right direction and also imparting some interesting information on some possible summer Crucians. The best pegs also happened to be the most exposed part of the Cotswolds. I needed to be and was well dressed, multiple layers, double long johns, woolly hat, snood etc and I needed it.
I plumbed up an insert waggler to float fish close in and I also set up a feeder rod with black cap feeder and helicopter rig.

There was a gale force wind blasting across from left to right and I struggled to stop the float from drifting into the edge. I gave up after an hour and changed that rod to a helicopter also.

Eventually the repeated casting of he feeders attracted fish and I had a hook up. The fight was so nondescript I thought it was a Bream but was pleasantly surprised when a nice Perch popped to the surface.

1lb 3oz

Whenever I fish for Perch I struggle or fail so maybe I need to target Roach more often to catch more stripy Sergeants!

Like buses a second fish immediately followed this time the target species but not of the size the article promised. 

I had another small one before landing one of a much more interesting size. 

1lb 4oz

Not a 'two' but it was evidence of the potential for a monster. I fished on for a bit, took one more Roach (small) before the wind managed to break through my layers and attack the bone.

I will be back for another go soon.

Still struggling

If it wasn't for Chub and Trout my Winter fishing would have been a total disaster this season. I have blanked for Pike, not been able to get near the Grayling rivers and also not seen ideal Roach conditions either. Today I hoped would be different.
With the recent slight increase in water and air temperatures and a dull overcast day forecast I naively thought that there was a good opportunity there to catch a Barbel, I was way out.
I should have known that it was going to be a bad day when I got a couple of miles down the road and realised I had forgotten my rods-idiot! The rain had started as forecast so I decided to head to a swim that I knew had great Barbel potential in these conditions, I had a 'twelve' from there in similar conditions.

Blatant excuse for posting old success photo

I started out with two rods both baited with meat and a few freebies on PVA stringers. They remained motionless, not even a Chubby twitch. An extremely tame Mallard entertained me for a while and would even let me feed her by hand.

To begin with this was mildly amusing but it became a nuisance as she followed me the whole day, begging for titbits constantly. Anyway after a couple of hours I knew plan A had failed so I tried plan B, boilies and a swim change. Plan B failed too.
Plan C. As an afterthought I had chucked some cheesepaste in my bag but my Barbel rods are too insensitive to easily detect the delicate pluckings of a Chub and although I had a couple of bites that was as much success as I was to have, I missed them both. Besides having set my heart on a Barbel a Chub would have been an anticlimax anyway.
I went home damp and feeling sorry for myself but it was better than being at work!

Best part of the day!