A Pair of Fives

Today was my final opportunity for a running water session before the season closes for three months so there was no way I would pass it up. My preference would have been to target Barbel but the low overnight temperatures convinced me that Chub would be a safer option so armed with luncheon meat and my favourite Chub bait, cheese paste I fought my way through the fog to a familiar stretch of the Warwickshire Avon.
My preferred trotting method was made impossible in the gloom, the float was just not visible for long enough to make it worthwhile so a change to legering was necessitated.
The first two swims I fished yielded nothing, not even a twitch but the third produced a bite almost instantly, unfortunately I missed it as I was reading a text. Thankfully it didn't take long before I had another opportunity and this time I struck into a fish which screamed off downstream instantly. Initially I thought Barbel but the fight soon became a lot easier and I knew it was Chub. A big open mouth came over the net cord and I could see it was a good fish.
The Warwickshire Avon has a healthy population of Chub and their average weight is definitely on the increase. Having said that a five is still a good fish for this river so I was pleased to start the day with a five pound nine ounce specimen. A long youthful looking fish that definitely one day will be over that magic six pound mark, I really hope to renew acquaintance with it then.

5lb 9oz

Normally when I use cheese paste as bait I mould it around the hook but today I decided to experiment with hair rigging it. The former seems to me to be the better option as a succession of twitches, pulls and missed strikes continued throughout the morning which became frustrating.

Eventually one bite materialised into a hook up and after a vivacious battle I landed a rather sorry looking Chub. This one had been through the mill (possible literally) and had a nasty looking growth on the side of it's gill. It was also very lean and clearly not doing well. I didn't stress it further with a weigh in, just took a quick photo and returned it to the water.

A screaming bait runner signalled a third fish hooked and after a spirited effort I had another fish in the net. Not as long as the first and with a slight hump to its dorsal it was clearly a five due to the big belly it boasted. The scales confirmed my initial thoughts as the went down to 5lb 6oz. I was more than pleased with a brace of fives in the same session, it would have been unheard of only a few years ago.

The sun finally burnt off the mist and with that the action died off too.

Spring is nearly here and I have already started thinking about Tench and other species to target over the next few months, cannot wait.

Too Many Fishermen Spoils My Day

Less than a week to go now until the end of the season, sods law that the rivers are looking the best that they have done for months. The Warwickshire Avon still has a foot or so more than normal levels but the colour is dropping out of it and will continue to do so (if the forecast is to be believed!). I felt confident of catching today and unusually was setting my stall out for two different species, Pike in the morning and Chub in the afternoon when conditions had brightened up.
Two rods were set up for the Pike, one with a small Roach as bait and the other had a Herring on it. It was a slow start but I was entertained by three Roe Deer cautiously feeding in the field opposite. Sadly they were too far away to get a decent photo. I remained silent in the hope they would venture closer but they took flight when a couple more anglers noisily trudged along the bank.
Eventually I had a run on the Herring. A small Jack had taken the bait, not it's mother as I had hoped for. The Jack had seen better days battered and bruised and with only one pectoral fin. Hence I only got a head shot.

The rest of the morning played out with little incident but what was noticeable was how many anglers were out making the most of the pleasant weather. A lot of them were lure anglers roaming up and down the banks, quite annoying when they cast everywhere including my swim. They certainly deserved the few choice words they got, not sure they understood English though!
After lunch I moved swims in the hope of finding a bit peace and solitude. I found a deserted section and baited up a run that was slightly downstream and across from the peg where I actually sat. It looked the part for a Chub, overhanging branches covered in flood debris creating a raft of cover over the Chub's heads. Just what they like.
Within an hour an ignorant bloke plonked himself in the next peg down and proceeded to fish the same area I had baited. There was no courtesy of 'alright if I fish here mate?' or 'whereabouts are you fishing?' Some people eh!
After that my heart wasn't in it so I went home and did all the Sunday jobs a day early-brownie points galore from 'er indoors! Maybe enough to get one last session in before the end of the season? We'll see.

It'll soon be spring and we will be treated to lots more of these stunning sunsets.

Back to Running Water

Lovely to back on the river again after the recent deluges. I arrived early at this new( to me ) stretch of the Avon so took advantage of the sunshine to take a few photos of the local church while I waited for Martin. The river is still running a touch high but nothing compared to recent weeks. Our plan was to  fish the last hour of daylight and the first hour of night in the hope that the Barbel would come out to play but with hindsight we should have realised that the low overnight temperatures would have put paid to our chances of catching.

I hedged my bets though by putting cheese paste in my bag and it worked as I landed the only fish of the session, a Chub of about three pounds. When the cold wind started to get to into our bones we retired to the pub for warmth.

Bishops Bowl Piking

A Stunning Location

Venue choice has been severely limited this Winter with the horrendous weather we have endured seeming to last for weeks. The rivers remain flooded so Martin and I decided to try somewhere new, Bishops bowl lakes in Warwickshire.
Bishops bowl fishery is a collection of lakes created from a former limestone quarry that has been allowed to naturally flood. It is home to all manner of species, Tench, Bream, Carp and today's target Pike. Whilst I have caught plenty of Pike in the past I have never really targeted them in still water before so a new challenge lay ahead.

Martin Surveys the Scene

It was an unusually bright sunny start to the day but we were still forced to endure gale force winds. Our swim choice boiled down to finding a sheltered area rather than using an watercraft. We knew that the far side of the lake would probably give us more chance of fish but I did not fancy facing head on into a hurricane. Tactics for me were simple, dead baits legered in the margins.

My favourite

My favourite bait bar none for Pike is Roach and I prefer the smaller ones. They are so simple to fish coupled with a single hook attached to the compulsory wire trace. A low resistance rig ring attached to the lead via a 'rotten bottom' finishes the set up. A smaller bait seems to be attacked with more speed and ferocity so an early strike is a must to avoid deep hooking and by not using trebles unhooking the fish is easy. I also like plenty of smell in the water to attract old Esox and with the smaller Roach packs there are plenty of baits so a few can be chopped up and loose fed in the vicinity of the hookbait.
On the second rod I used various sea baits including Mackerel and Herring just in case the Pike fancied something a bit different.

Fed up of this!

The first couple of hours passed without incident and then the rain arrived, as forecast.
Perhaps the low light switched on the fish as I had a screaming run on the Roach rod just as I was beginning to think I might blank. I set the hook, which connected and after a pretty uneventful fight I landed my first ever still water Pike, a long but lean fish weighing just below double figures at 9lb 12oz.

9lb 12oz

The rain finally ceased and gave way to yet more brilliant sunshine and with that the fishing seemed to switch off. I had to leave early afternoon due to family commitments but vowed to return for more.

Blue Sky Blank

A beautiful Winter's day finally, great for photos but rubbish for fishing, well it was for me anyway. I recently invested in some filters for my camera and have also taught myself how to take photos not on auto mode. Highly confusing at first, ISOs, f-numbers, shutter speed, aperture etc but I think I am getting there slowly. Pretty pleased with today's results.

I spent the day at Lechlade Trout fishery, would have loved to have been back on the river but the rain is still incessant, great to see some sunshine but it won't last. 

I tried all sorts of flies, varied the retrieve and depth and cast into lots of different areas but I could not muster a single take. I am not complaining though it was just lovely to be out in the countryside and a ride out though the Cotswolds is always a pleasure. 

Burford(above) and Broadway Tower(below), a couple of jewels of the Cotswolds.

Found: One Raft

The river level had been falling all week but it was still two foot higher than normal when I arrived for a short session today. Recent frosts and cold nights had put paid to any chance of old Barbus showing up so the target had to be Chub. In the coffee coloured water the fish would need their sense of smell to find any food therefore bait had to be malodorous cheese paste.
In the above swim the main strength of flow comes across from right to left along the far bank. The boat channel and therefore deeper water is along the left hand side. I figured the fish would be there taking it easy under the left hand willow and I was not wrong.
A few lumps of paste were chucked in to arouse the fishes senses whilst I set up. I bait sparingly with cheese, it is very filling and I don't want the fish full before they find my bait!
First cast resulted in a tentative twitch but when I struck there was that magic tail kick and fish on. The battle was easily won and I slipped the net under a 4lb 5oz Chub. A good start.

Two more smaller fish followed in quick succession before I decided to go for a wander.

It was probably a mistake as I blanked in the next three swims and so I then went back to the original spot but I failed there too. Perhaps an opportunity missed or maybe not, will never know!
By the way has anyone lost a raft??

Lenches Lake Trout Fishing

Top lake catching the sun

With limited time available and the local Warwickshire Avon still out of sorts my best option to get a fishing fix was to grab a fly rod and head down to the Lenches Trout lakes. The Lenches is a pair of crystal clear spring fed lakes complimented by a stunning Scandinavian club house where the proprietor serves up free tea and coffee plus bacon sarnies at a small cost. It is packed full of photos and tackle and has a unique character of it's own, a civilised place to begin a fishing session.
My 'go to' fly for Winter stillwater fishing is a homemade gold headed red lure with a marabou tail and today once again it did not let me down. First cast I felt a touch but the fish must have grabbed the tail, third cast and I hooked into a small Rainbow. It put up a spirited fight on the light gear but I won the battle and netted a near 2lber.

Winning fly on the rod handle

My lack of confidence meant I only bought a three fish ticket and in just over an hour I had filled my card, the killer fly accounting for all three, the second fish even taking the fly on the drop. "It's too easy" I told the chap back in the clubhouse. We chatted about all things fishing over a complimentary coffee and I decided to up my ticket to six fish, it was far too early to go home yet.
I changed fly to a cat's whisker to make it more of a challenge and it worked, no bites, just one follow that ended in a refusal. The clouds dissipated as well which did not help.

A better day than forecast

After a fruitless hour the fish seemed to suddenly switch back on and two more were netted in quick succession both around the two pound mark. Time was marching on and I was just beginning to think of packing up when the line tightened and I struck into a very angry fish. It set off on a run unlike all the others stripping the fly line almost to the backing before I managed to turn it. Without me knowing a knot had formed in the fly line at my feet which luckily slipped through the rings and from then on I had to play the fish at distance trying to avoid it making other runs against the knot and risking a snap off. Eventually I started to gain the upper hand and pulled the knot back carefully through the rings and  down to my feet, thereafter making sure that it stayed there no matter what the fish did. With an aching shoulder I finally landed the best of the day weighing over three pounds.

Ticket filled for the second time that day and it was home time. Fishing 'itch' satisfied for another week but still desperate to get back on the rivers if only it would stop raining!

Puddle Perching

My first session of the New Year had to be in stillwater as the rivers were still raging torrents but they do look more fishable by the day. My target was big Perch and there are large ones rumoured to abound this local water. In previous years I have landed 'twos' but the bigger ones have eluded me, so far.
There is also a good head of Roach in this water so after I had set up a couple of Perch sleeper rods I float fished maggot to stave off boredom and the action was non stop. Nothing landed over half a pound but I enjoyed it none the less.

After a couple of hours tiddler bashing I concentrated solely on the Perch and I felt confident of landing some but a phone call cut the session short before the magic hour of dusk had arrived. The Perch record stands for another week at least!

2013 Review, 2014 Plans.

Another year has flown by and whilst fishing will never take a back seat in my life there has been occasion when it has been a struggle to fit it in as much as I would like. In fact I did well to fish as much as I did as 2013 saw us finally get planning permission to start to build our dream house(estimated completion March) as well as the birth of our third child, Grace Josephine. My wife is very understanding though but she will never completely understand my angling addiction.
This year has not been easy on the fishing front but there have been some good days and five new personal bests landed, mostly Game fish.

2013 Review

January

I started the year pretty much where 2012 finished, landing double figure Rainbow Trout and teaching myself how to tie flies.

My first pb of the year was this battered old Chub weighing 5lb 12oz. A real old warrior that would have been a 'six' a few years ago but it made a difficult cold day bearable. It fell for my favourite Chub bait cheese paste and was the only fish of the session.

February

A tough month, cold and wet and my results reflected that, a few Dace and Chub landed but nothing special.

March and April

Another couple of tough months, I caught Roach, Rudd, Carp, Perch and Trout but again not worth writing home about.

May

At last the weather changed, I took the kids out for some fun fishing and my Tench campaign started for the year.

I also landed a surprise 13lb Pike while Tench fishing, it took a liking to my worm hookbait and luckily did not bite through the 8lb hooklength and amazingly the size 14 hook held firm as it thrashed and tail-walked around the swim.

June

The Tench campaign continued and included the best of the year weighing 8lb 13oz.

My focus changed to Barbel but also included the inevitable Chub but they are not a nuisance when they include a new pb, so nearly a 'six' but just short at 5lb 15oz.

I also enjoyed a venture down to Avington Trout fishery where I met up with an old friend I had not fished with for over 20 years, the Trout were stunning, scenery spectacular, ticket costly!

July

More Barbel fishing but also my third five pound Chub of the year. On some rivers you could expect 'fives' fairly regularly but they are rare locally to me so I was pleased with the hat-trick.

August

Concentrated mainly on Barbel landing a couple of doubles in amongst several fish.

September

A month of exclusive predator fishing starting with a fifty pound plus Blue Shark and finishing with a 3lb 2oz Perch from the river, my favourite capture of the year.

October

Favourite session in October was a trip to the Wye catching Trout, Chub and Barbel. A stunning river that I hope to explore a lot more of in 2014.

November

An adventurous month where the only line I cast was into the Hampshire chalkstreams, the Test and the Itchen. Landed lots of Trout, Grayling and Sea Trout including personal best Brown Trout and Sea Trout.

December

The highlight was another long distance Grayling trip which finished the year on a high, a 2lb 1oz Grayling being the last fish of 2013.

2014 Plans and Targets

Monotonously I am still chasing a double figure Tench and come the spring that will figure highly in my fishing. A twenty pound Pike is another long term ambition that I will also try to satisfy. My Piking has been neglected over the last couple of years.
I can see the fly rods getting a lot of use this year also and more coarse fish targeted that way.

Happy New Year to one and all, tight lines and screeching reels!!!