Update- Things can only get better!

It's been a tough few weeks. A few short evening sessions when I could find the time and it even took a week of the rivers being open before I could tread their banks.
An evening session hoping for a Crucian resulted in plenty of fish, all the wrong variety of Carp though. It would be great to find a decent fishery holding a stock of those gold nuggets locally but alas I feel it might be a pipe dream.

My usual spot for a bit of floater fishing (above) became festooned with weed earlier than usual in the year and it became impossible to chase those hard fighting fish so I had to give up my close season campaign early.

I snuck out for an evening Tench fishing but in conditions more akin to Winter than Spring. Tazzy and I got a royal soaking and went home with our tails between our legs, cold, wet and fishless.

And so finally I managed to get onto the river in perfect conditions, a lovely evening and a hint of colour in the water. I fancied the Barbel would be out to play.

Our old friend the car was still parked in it's spot, deteriorating badly as the weeks tick by. I can't see it ever being towed away.

 The fishing was good, lots of activity, plenty of bites but sadly not from Barbel but instead a succession of Chub after Chub. I couldn't get away from them. I felt sure that if I sat it out the Barbel would arrive soon and eventually one did. One of the smallest ones in the river, probably weighing about three pounds. Still it bolds well for the future. Onwards and upwards!!

Tenching in the Sunshine

Thankfully I had packed the van and set up the rods the night before. A birthday party (with a free bar) at the local pub meant I over indulged and over slept and was nearly an hour late for the 7am rendezvous with Martin on the banks of an Oxfordshire gravel pit. He hadn't let me down though and had commandeered us a couple of great swims on a prominant point with an expanse of water to fish in.  

The ugly duckling should have been written about a coot not a swan!!

The previous preparation saw me fishing instantly while the big guy tackled up and before he could even wet a line I was playing one of the stunning Tench that reside in this beautiful part of the world. She had been unable to resist a worm and weighed in at 8lb on the nose in the glorious golden sunshine.

I thought this fish could be the prelude to a bumper day but instead a long period of inactivity followed until finally around lunchtime I managed to land a slightly smaller specimen.

The fish were getting smaller but at least I was catching as a little feisty male then took a liking to the worm and gave me a bit of a runaround. It took off up and down the margins taking my second line with it.

Three-nil to the northerner and the big guy was beginning to get a bit desperate, climbing trees in the vain hope of spotting a few fish. 'Can you see anything up there' I enquired. 'Yes' came the response 'water'. I kept the camera poised in case he went for an unplanned swim but his footing remained sure.

Salt was rubbed into the wound with a fourth fish before I headed off home and left him to the final hour in 'my' swim. Didn't get a text so am presuming the move wasn't successful!

Fun with Floaters

The bases were loaded and the Carp obliging. A few hours spare in the evening so I loaded the van with dog biscuits and headed to the local puddle looking for a bit of action. The lake was empty of anglers so I catapulted bait into several likely looking areas to work out where the fish were hiding. The lily pads soon sprung into life as hungry Carp pushed their way through on the way to a free meal. The competition was enough to risk a cast and within minutes one slipped up and fell for the biscuit with a hook dangling just below.

The close proximity of snags forced me to play the fish fast and hard. Thankfully  the tackle was strong enough for the task and the hook held firm so I could net a good looking Common weighing 15lb 2oz.

I do so enjoy floater fishing. Three others fell for the tactic over the next couple of hours.

All Commons but the first fish was the biggest. An extremely pleasant way to spend an all too rare evening by the waterside.

Hurry Up Spring

For several weeks I have had a yearning to go Carp fishing. Not the three rods and buzzers type of Carp fishing but surface fishing, floater baits, the only style that interests me when it comes to angling for Britain's most popular fish. It all stems from the purchase of some new rig bits that I found on the tinterweb. 

The only problem is that Spring has just not materialised yet. Cold overnight temperatures and chilly Northerly breezes have scuppered any chance of seeing Carp in the surface layers.

Trouble was I still had an itch that needed to be scratched so with a couple of hours to spare I headed down to my favourite local pond to try an satisfy my craving. 

The conditions were poor: overcast, chilly and breezy. I chose the most sheltered part of the lake, feeding plenty of freebies but for over an hour I only saw two fish and they showed no interest in the bait. One was a stunning big Ghostie that I will hopefully see again, preferably in my net!

The lack of action forced a move and I got all the way round to the other end of the lake before seeing any fish, a pair of commons frolicking in the margin. 

I took cover behind bankside vegetation and cast in their vicinity. Within seconds a fish swirled at the bait and then tried again, this time engulfing the bait. My strike met solid resistance and a good battle ensued. A battle I soon won. A strikingly coloured Mirror that had sadly lost a large chunk of its tail. 

My scales were way round at the other side of the water so I guessed the weight at about 12lb and quickly got her back in the water. That was the end of the action but considering the cold I was pleased to get a result. Roll on the better weather.

Strange Habits these Perch

The lighter evenings have opened up a few more opportunities for me to get bankside so late afternoon I set myself up in a very familiar Perch swim. About thirteen months ago I landed a pb Perch from this very swim and I hoped to better that in what is probably the last opportunity for a big Perch before they begin their annual mating rituals.

Martin joined me after work and set up on the side bank. As usual prawn hook baits were deployed and whilst they are excellent for big Perch there is a whole host of other species that find them extremely palatable. Carp, Bream and even a tiny Tench fell for them throughout the day but thankfully a few of the target species also picked them up. Sadly no monsters but the biggest was a respectable 2lb 1oz specimen that shone in the golden light. The mini Perch campaign has been disappointing with plenty of twos landed but no threes or the target fours.

We fished on into dusk but the strange thing about this venue is the Perch seem to feed better in the afternoon and switch off in the evening when you expect the best of the action. Strange but true.

A pb-I Think

Another afternoon spent chasing big Perch in a particularly pretty commercial fishery. 

Martin was already ensconced in a fishy looking corner and was catching regularly. Sadly not the target species. It didn't take long for fish to find my prawn hookbaits also and between us we landed a procession of Carp and F1s..........

and Chub to 1lb 12oz.

A few bonus points towards the bloggers challenge but that didn't make them any less a nuisance. I'm not sure I have ever caught stillwater Chub before so maybe I caught a pb (of a fashion) but not one I'm going to shout about. I really dislike Chub and especially Barbel being stocked into commercials, it does not sit right with me. They are river fish and should remain that way.

We fished long and hard but the Perch just did not want to play or weren't allowed to by the other fish. A hazard of fishing over-stocked match puddles! Fun though!

The Rumour Mill Keeps Turning

A Bank Holiday finally gave me the opportunity to spend a full day by the water however running your own business does not mean that the work stops completely, I didn't mind a few phone calls though when the view was as stunning as this.

Tazzy and I had ventured up the Cotswolds to a little known fishery that according to a mate of mine has the potential of a 'five'. It seems that every fishery now (allegedly) holds five pound Perch but I get a feeling a lot of these rumoured monsters may be unweighed fish caught by both pleasure anglers and matchmen alike. A big Perch always looks bigger than it actually weighs as Richard Walker implied.
Having said this I think that if any pool could produce a fish of a lifetime then it could be this one. All the right ingredients are in place: A little fished pond so the Perch are left relatively alone. There are very few Carp to compete for the available food, a fact borne out by my Prawn hookbaits not getting pestered by any today. And finally there is a good stock of stunted silverfish for the Perch to gorge themselves on.
The fishing today however was very slow. Cold overnight temperatures and a clear bright day don't generally accompany red letter days but whilst I waited for the fish to wake up I amused myself taking photos of my surroundings. It certainly is useful having two hobbies that can intertwine so perfectly.

I took snaps of the wildlife......although I missed a fleeing Roe Deer Doe!!

Backlit photos of the Spaniel....

Bankside flowers, not sure what they are...

some fluffy clouds...

and my Speedia centrepin....

Throughout the whole day I could only muster one bite, thankfully it fell to the centrepin rod meaning the fight was all the more pleasurable.
A youthful looking specimen of just over two pounds giving me confidence that bigger fish may be there for the taking. Just hope I can find the time to catch them!

The Big Guy Comes Good at the End

Within half an hour of my arrival Martin was bent into a hard fighting Barbel on 'his' stretch of the Warwickshire Avon.
At the end of the session he told me that this was my blog and I should not write about his day but that in my opinion is not the true essence of angling. A social sport that bonds its followers, brothers of the angle and when your mate has the sort of day Martin has just had it deserves to be in print (and picture) and broadcast across the internet.

This was already his second Barbel of the day as he had for several hours been camped (by his own admission) in the best peg on the stretch.

A good looking fish of about nine pounds. I had dropped into a swim a couple of pegs down was so far biteless and would remain so for the rest of the day. Not the kind of end of season finale I had hoped for!

The sun was definitely shining on the big guy and he soon after added another Barbel to his tally, this time a chunky fish weighing in at 10lb 13oz. The river might be icy cold but the Barbel were still feeding.

Martin was already having a good day but that was about to get even better in an unbelievable way. As the light began to fade a Chub fell for his mini boilie hookbait. With the fish still in the net he shouted down to me that he had a definite 'five'. As he passed it up the bank to me it dawned on us both that he had captured the sort of fish that most Warwickshire Avon anglers can only dream about.

In some rivers a 6lb 8oz Chub is a common recurrence but on the Warwickshire Avon it is a definitive fish of a lifetime. Some anglers are desperate and put in loads of  time and effort to try and catch a 'five'. Here Martin was holding up a true leviathan in comparison. A fish deserving a blog post.

The golden sunset a fitting finale for a golden day for 'goldenballs'. Top angling big guy.