Two personal best Trout, Yorkshire

I took the whole family to Yorkshire to visit my mum and dad for a few days but still managed to get out on the bank for a session. With the car rammed full of clothes, pushchair, toys, high chair etc the space was limited for angling gear so decided to use the opportunity to travel really light and fly fishing is ideal for just that. My fly rod is a four piece travel rod and a bag containing a reel, my fly box and net left plenty of room for the children's paraphenalia.

My Uncle Ken also resides in God's county and is a very keen fluff chucker so I called on him to use his local knowledge to choose a suitable spot to fish and knew he would join me for the day.

He said to meet him at Bellflask fishery, about 10 miles from my old folk's place, at 7.45am. I arrived at 7.35am and he was already there, tackled up and raring to go. 

Bellflask is a stunning old gravel pit which is situated alongside the upper reaches of the river Ure and I had to have peak over at the river, I couldn't resist as it is the river I learned to fish first, but further down stream where the Barbel and Chub are more prominent. It looked stunning but sadly the stretch is private.

It was a typical Yorkshire summers day, blowing a gale, and being an inexperienced fly angler I opted for a sheltered spot with the breeze behind me. I find casting difficult enough without the wind flying across me at any angle. I struggled through the morning but had scant consolation as so did the other more experienced anglers. At around 11.30am hope was renewed as Uncle Ken hooked and landed a monster Brown Trout which we guessed at around 6lb. A stunning fish that we were allowed to take home but we followed the unwritten code of the Brownies and unhooked her and let her swim off, on Ken's instruction. I agreed it is the done thing.

An hour later and Ken moved swim so I jumped in to his and promptly landed a Rainbow of 2lb 7oz. I had changed to a bluebottle type looking fly and straight away next cast I landed a 2lb 12oz Blue Trout, my first ever so a pb, also my biggest ever Trout. They put up brilliant scraps on my light 5 weight fly rod.

I could relax now and though I soldiered on with the same fly nothing else was interested in it so I swapped about both flies and swims. Nothing else worked but I did not care. The bag limit is four but if I had caught more they would have been released, these two were ample and perfect for a forthcoming BBQ. My son Max seemed impressed with them too when I showed him later, his sister wasn't!

Carp, Coppice Pool

Nothing too exciting to report but managed to fit in a short session at Coppice Pool this evening. As the weather was just about staying warm enough took one rod and the dog biscuits and landed two Carp off the top, the first was about eight pound, a common that I put straight back and the other fish was an 11lb Mirror.

Floater Carp, Stubb's Pool

This glorious spell of weather continues unabated so with a few hours late afternoon at my disposal I headed back to Stubb's Pool armed with just one rod and a tub of flavoured floaters. The water was crystal clear and the prolific weed growth was plain to see but I was determined to play the fish hard and fast and avoid a repeat of the 'big one that got away' that left me gutted the other night. 

It took me a while to get them going but eventually they noticed the treats drifting over their heads and they starting slurping them up mostly in the corner where the breeze pushed them. The problem with this corner is that it is choked with weed. I do hope the BAA clear it as it says on their website. 

The first one hooked and landed was the 9lb 9oz Common (above) and what a fight it gave me as it charged at every patch of weed in sight. 

About 3/4 of an hour later I landed another golden Common of 13lb 2oz and then finally a pretty looking Mirror of 7lb 10oz.

I wasn't the only person surface fishing there today. A couple of lads were fishing what they called beachcaster style. Rods high in the air line not touching the water at all to a pike float and then down to a lead. There is then a small piece of line hanging off the main line to the bait which is just touching the water. It did not look cricket it to me, I could see the reason why but pike floats and leads for floater fishing? I'll stick to delicate presentation and a bit of finesse. They blanked anyway so that made me smile!!

Still chasing Tench

I am continuing my Tench campaign for a couple of reasons, one is I know there are plenty of eights to be caught and a good possibility of a nine as the year moves on and they get closer to spawning and two there is a good chance of also catching a double figure Bream. This amazing run of good weather is probably putting the Bream off for now but the Tench are still feeding and they seem to be getting bigger. 

The best today was this 7lb 11oz specimen which followed three others weighing 5lb, 6lb 2oz and 7lb exactly, all falling to worm hook baits at St. Johns, Linear.

This partly made up for the disappointment of losing a monster Carp in the weed at Stubb's pool last night but with the Lighter nights and sunny weather I will be back for that one that got away.

Tench Overnighter, Linear

My gravel pit campaign continues and I managed to get a pass out for an over night session so headed for Linear in the hope that the Bream would feed at night and the Tench at dusk and dawn. I arrived at the complex at 3pm but struggled to decide where to fish. All the lakes are busy on a weekend and my first choice swim had gone so I fished on the point of one of the arms on Hardwick. 

By the time I had everything set up it was 6pm and I enjoyed the stunning evening in peaceful surroundings. The lake was like a mill pool and the only noise came from the water chickens and the occasional Carp crashing out of the water. The usual worm baits were unusually quiet as dusk approached and then finally on dusk I had the first bite of the session. A Tench was the culprit, not a hoped for Bream but the fight was great and I thought I was going to lose it in the reeds but just managed to turn it in time. A dark beauty of 7lb 5oz. I think they are on the munch and in a few weeks an eight or nine may just be possible. 

My thoughts of this being the turning point were wrong and there was no more dusky action and in no time it was dark. Well I say dark but the moon was so bright in the cloudless sky that the head torch was barely touched, only required for close up baiting work or to get another beer from the back of the bivvy.

Not long before the beers started to take effect and I retired to the bed chair to get a hopefully broken by Bream night sleep. It certainly was a broken night sleep but not in the way I had hoped! A nearby (hard to tell) rave started raging about an hour later and all I could hear was the thudding bass. Strangely it had the effect of both waking me up and sending me to sleep also. I know I am getting older and not in to that scene but I did not expect that on a peaceful nights fishing! It was gone 5am by the time it finished!! Why don't those kids just start earlier and then finish at say 3am?

I woke at 6am to peace and quiet and a misty Tench like morning.

I rebaited and cast several times but nothing was stirring, the fish were probably still asleep after the rave. 

With a scheduled finish time of 12pm I finally had another run at 11.30am. Again a Tench was the culprit and only a tad smaller at 7lb 2oz. 

These fish are strange in their habits of being most catchable around midday, not exactly textbook.

 The water was as clear as an aquarium and I spotted several big Carp mooching about, one was a monster that must be well into the 30s, maybe a change of species is in order.

More Tenching, Linear

A beautiful warm spring day was forecast so I headed back down to Linear to try and better last week's Tench. I managed to land four in total and missed a couple of runs. First fish of the day was 6lb 9oz(no photo) and that was followed with a 6lb 2oz.

Then I landed a 5lb12 fish.

And then finally the heaviest fish of the day was probably the shortest as well.

This big headed fish weighed 6lb 11oz. 

First Tench Foray, Linear.

A session that took a lot of getting going but turned into an enjoyable days fishing. A very quiet, biteless morning without even a liner to show for my efforts. Once the weather warmed up a bit the Tench got on the feed and I finished the session with 6 fish, ranging from 5lb 5oz to 7lb 6oz.

6lb 4oz

5lb 5oz

7lb 6oz

6lb 15oz

7lb 0oz

I feel that the harsh winter has put them behind in terms of their weight this year but am sure they will average a lot more in a months time.
The quiet periods gave me time to watch the various birds doing their rituals and whilst I am no ornithologist they were interesting to watch.

I would be grateful if someone could tell me what sort of birds these are? They were doing a mating ritual all day and it was very entertaining.

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.

Not so clever Pike, Warks Avon

There has been some debate in the fishing comic lately about Pike being the stupidest fish and today did them no favours.
I decided to venture on to new territory today and headed for a deep slow section of the Avon below Pershore, hoping to bump in to a Zander or two in the overcast conditions but it was slow.
I did however avert a blank by landing a Jack Pike, twice, from two different swims, over 100 yards apart, on the same bait!

The Pike was instantly recognisable from the large gash down it's flank. 

Twice it took half a Roach dead bait on a single hook rig. This was the first time I had tried single hooks, always using trebles in the past but on this result, two bites led to two in the net so I will definitely use them again.

Probably my last session on the river this season but I spent the afternoon sussing out a Barbel stretch that I am keen to get on in the summer.

Roach, Willow Farm

A first opportunity to get on the bank for ten days due to family and decorating commitments. I did not fancy battling the river with the extra water and the drop in temperatures so decided on a tiddler bashing afternoon after Roach. Started the session on worm but a succession of unhittable tugs and pulls made me change to maggots and the next bite turned out to be the biggest of the day. This 1lb 3oz fish scoring some needed points with the recent spate of big fish. A few more Roach were landed before I called it a day and went back to the housework. Thankfully that is now finished and I can concentrate my efforts on all things piscatorial.

Pike, Warks Avon

The fall in temperature put me off having another Barbel session so I dug out some old dead baits and went predator fishing. The low light levels made me hopeful of a Zander but at the end of a quiet session I was grateful not to endure a blank. This 10lb 14oz Pike put up a cracking battle mostly on the surface, angry head shaking and aggressive runs. No other bites all day so I headed back to my ridiculous fishing vehicle and managed to get a treble snagged in the passenger seat. Need to get a new motor out soon, anyone want to buy a hairdresser's car?

Barbel and Chub, Warks Avon

No whinging about the weather this week, or the state of the river or the fishing. The Land Rover has died so had to squeeze my gear into my work car which is not easy in an MX5! but managed it. I fished a spot last summer one evening and had a few Dace so decided to try and get them on the challenge board. Caster was the successful bait back then so tried it again. I failed in my Dace mission but had a couple of bonus fish. 

My tackle was a light avon road, four pound main line, open feeder and three pound hook link to a size 16 hook. Imagine how careful I had to be when my first bite was a Barbel. All I could do was keep steady pressure on the line, using the clutch and my finger and hope the hook held. Thankfully it did and I was soon weighing in a 9lb 10oz specimen. 

It's surges up and down killed the swim so after a couple of hours of inactivity I moved down to the next peg.

The odd tip-tap but nothing again for a couple of hours and then the quiver hooped over and I was in again. The difference in the fight had me thinking Chub, plus the fact it went for the nearside rushes but again steady pressure and I was looking at a Chub. A deep bodied fish weighing 5lb 3oz. More scores on the doors and I was well pleased. 

I had one more Chub about half an hour later probably about three pound but I let it off the weighing and photographing. 

No Barbel, Solitary Chub, Backache, Warks Avon

A difficult session in more ways than one. This winter is beginning to grind me down a bit. If it is not three foot deep snow it is minus 20 degrees and when it does warm up the wind blows at 80mph. The fish seem to have all but disappeared and it is making for hard work. The plan was for Barbel, warmer water and bites that are easy to spot in the wind all made sense but old Barbus did not agree. They seem to have vanished from all the usual swims where I have caught them in the past.
However the blank was avoided by catching this 3lb 1oz Chub on flavoured meat hair rigged.
The other difficult part to the session was a painful back that has been aggravating me for over a week now. I had to take regular breaks to lie flat on the bank! If anyone has any miracle cures that work before my next session I will pay good money. I am off to lie on the lounge floor now!

Smelly Pike, Nice Pike, Warks Avon

Today was an 'all's well that ends well' kind of day. It did not look that way for most of it. The rods were static for hours on end and it did not matter what bait I tried or flavour I added the Pike were not playing ball. In fact the river looked devoid of life. Around midday I decided to chop up some deadbaits, throw them in and then give the swim a rest while I tried to catch a Chub or two. The result was no different after an hour so back for the Pike I went.
The first cast I was not happy with so I started to retrieve and suddenly it felt heavy like a clump of weed. What I brought in was disgusting! A Pike of about four pounds. I would guess it had been dead since last year and the smell was like nothing I have smelt before and hopefully never will again. I can still smell it now as I type this and I have showered! Might go for another wash. It was bloated and too heavy to lift out so I netted it, I have thrown the net away. I think it is likely that the fish were steering clear of it and that is why I was blanking. I apologise to anyone who is eating while reading this.

I did not fancy weighing it for the challenge! Thankfully I did not have too. Within an hour of landing the lump of rot I had a proper fish on, hooked from the very same spot. After a bit of a song and dance near the snags I had her in the net. A solid looking Pike weighing 17lb 7oz. A slow difficult couple of weeks by the river all forgotten in a moment. 

Double Blank, Avon and Willow

We all have days when the fish do not play ball and today was not cricket. I am lucky that my journey to work every day takes me over the Avon which means I can keep an eye on it's levels and fluctuations. All week I have been watching it rise and rise until it finally peaked sometime yesterday evening. The recent rise in temperatures coupled with a slightly falling river meant I set off this morning with confidence. Three hours without a bite except false ones from the flow and debris flying down the river zapped it. The gale force winds did not help either.
An afternoon change of venue and tactics did not produce a change of fortune. Willow farm fishery with worms for Roach was the plan B and at least a couple of bites were forthcoming but they were tentative and lightning fast and ultimately unhittable. The fact that the fish had been under six weeks worth of ice until only a day ago is my reasoning for another failure.
Never mind there is always next week.

Chub, Warks Avon.

Most of the snow melt is out of the river and it looks perfect but looks can be deceptive. A difficult long day but I was pleased with a brace of Chub. I did expect a lot more but maybe the river or the fish take a lot longer to recover than anticipated. It has been cold for a very long time.
I headed for my Chub banker swim and it did not let me down. Cheese paste did the trick as ever and I was the only angler of five using it today and the other four all banked so maybe I had a lucky choice.

The Chub weighed 3lb 13oz and 3lb 10oz.

Blank, Warks Avon.

It is a tradition of mine to fish Boxing day and this year I was determined to give it a go. I have stopped looking at the temperature and I am fed up with people telling me 'oooh, its minus 8 now and will be minus 33 later' etc. I put on all the thermals I have plus three pairs of trousers and goodness knows how many fleeces, I lost count at 6.

On arriving at the car park I made the first tire tracks in the snow so no one has been as stupid as me for at least a week. Apart from the dog walkers.

I checked out the river and downstream was frozen over as far as the eye could see. Upstream looked ok but laziness got the better of me and I chose the nearest peg.

I figured I had two hopes, Chub and Pike so I put out a rod for each. Cheese Paste on one and dead bait on the other. I felt confident but three and a bit hours later my flask ran dry, the rods had not moved and the cold started to penetrate my third and final sock. Time to head back to the roaring fire and Tomato soup. Heinz of course. Still at least I had given it a go.

PB Pike, Warks Avon

A three week stint of DIY and decorating meant that I finally got a few hours on the bank today and I was feeling confident due to a recent slight rise in temperature. The Landy still had a frozen windscreen though when I got up so I decided not to bother with Barbel and to take the safe option and go for Pike. I was not surprised to find I was the only fool/angler down by my chosen stretch.
The first peg I tried was unproductive for a good two hours so I moved to the next peg down all of 10 yards away. Sometimes that can make all the difference and within 10 minutes I had a fish on. Sadly the hook pulled at the net.
In my opinion Pike are a pretty stupid fish lacking in survival instinct or just possibly complacent due to being the top of their food chain because the same fish(90% sure) picked up the same bait from the same spot within minutes. This time I landed him and he weighed in at 9lb.

The next run ended in disaster as an unseen adversary took me into the snags and the line parted. Not a case of the big one that got away as I always manage to persuade myself that it was a tiddler. 

A couple of hours of inactivity followed and I decided to chuck a bait out towards the middle instead of the margins. A kind of chuck and chance it effort. It worked. 20 minutes later and I was away again.  A slow, sluggish fight ensued with a harrowing moment with another snag (pictured), the branches were moving and silt was being disturbed but steady pressured ensured I won and a large crocodile like head broke the surface. The size of the head made me nervous as I knew I had a possible new pb but she slipped into the net easy. On the scales she weighed 18lb 3oz and I went home a happy and lucky angler.