Summer Pit
1930 - 0000
Overcast and calm17ºC>13ºC
3 Tench ( 5lb 9oz, 4lb 3oz X 2 (same fish???)), 2 Crucians (2lb 2oz, 1lb 13oz) 1 Rudd.
Lake looked lifeless - no bubbles or rolling fish - can't judge a book by it's cover! Biggest tench first cast on meat - one other tench on meat. Other tench plus the 2 crucians on bread. Also fished 4mm pellet for a short while - though this was just an invitation to catch the tiny rudd! All fish caught with the Lift Method.
Warwicks Water
0600 - 1200
Warm and sunny (at last)
15 Crucians (all between 1¼ - 1¾lb), 7 Carp (2¾ - 6lb), a dozen roach/rudd.
Fished meat, 4mm pellet and bread - all crucians on meat. Lift method - a couple of the carp on freelined bread.No bites for the first hour then the swim was really fizzing. Most fish caught before 1030 - final hour and a half switched to floating crust for the carp.
River Kennet - Thatcham
1930-2330
Clearing skies - cooler 12ºC.
2 Barbel (4¼lb, 6lb 13oz)
Both fish caught either side of 2100. Levels same as 7 days ago - however an annoying amount of debris - ranunculus and water cress coming down made fishing difficult at times - maybe some weed cutting's been going on upstream? Much less activity than last week - no other bites/knocks/rattles etc other than the 2 which resulted in fish. Chilly in a NE breeze too!
Pumphouse Lake (Yateley)
1930-0000
Warm (17ºC) and overcast - started raining as I packed up...
3 Bream (6lb 2oz, 5lb 9oz, 4lb 13oz)
Fished 2 rods - pellet on the lead produced not a touch. Started float fishing maggots in the margins - and had no bites for the 1st hour or so - sense of deja vu! Switched to float fished meat - and all the fish fell to this - though rather wished they were tench! Final fish was right on the stroke of midnight when I'd packed most of the gear away
River Kennet (Nr Thatcham)
1915 - 2315
Scattered cloud, 18ºC, one light shower.
4 Barbel (9lb10z, 6lb 5oz, 5lb 6oz, 4lb). 1 Chub (2lb)
First trip since holidaying in Scotland (Caught a few Pollack spinning from the rocks nr Oban). 3 fish (Chub, 6 & 4lber) in the first ½hour then lots of knocks/rattles which didn't develop (not crayfish) - presumably small chub/dace/gudgeon??? Final two fish at 2215 and 2250 - saved the biggest for last. 9lber had a large (size of 10p) wart on he
Summer Pit (Yateley)
2000 - 0000
Clear and breezy after heavy afternoon rain.
5 Tench (3½ - 4¾lb), 1 Bream 4lb 10oz, 1 rudd
That's better - nearly didn't go as I want to be there early but was held up getting home. And I forgot to take any bread. All fish on float fished meat - lift method. Lake is around 18 inches deeper than last year. No sign of any crucians. Lovely evening - had the place to myself.
River Kennet (nr Newbury)
1900 - 2300
Sunny and breezy
2 Barbel (7lb 15oz, 4½lb), 1 chub (3lb), 1 dace (!)
River up (as you'd expect - but dropping) Quite coloured but no small debris (just the odd small tree!!!). Larger barbel 1st cast. Loads of small rustles and knocks which weren't crayfish (no marks on the pellet) - but which I'm pretty sure were dace - as I managed to catch one on 14mm pellet for the 2nd trip running - this one was much smaller too!
Pumphouse Lake, Yateley
1800 - 2300
Cloudy then rain.
Blanked!
Friday the 13th - pah! 10 rod hours without a touch. Pellet on the lead on 1 rod, float fishing the margins with a variety of baits on the other - couldn't even buy a bite with maggot or worm. Packed up early when the wind picked up and it started to rain - heavily! - I hadn't brought my shelter - the weather forecast having predicted a dry warm night! Glad the rain made my mind up for me - Paul fished on 'til 1st lig
River Kennet (nr Newbury)
2000 - 2300
Clear.
2 Barbel (6lb 4oz & 5lb 14oz), 1 Bream (3¾lb) 1 dace (9oz)
New swim - all fish to 14mm pellet - including the rather overambitious dace. Barbel between 22-2300 - as per usual!
River at normal levels - down about 3-4 inches on 10 days ago - carrying its usual summer colour (boat traffic has a lot to answer for) - and some - just enough to be annoying - debris.
River Kennet (nr Thatcham)
2000 - 0000
Clear with a stiff breeze.
4 Barbel (9lb 7oz, 8lb 15oz, 6lb 2oz, 3½lb) 1 Chub 3lb 3oz
All on pellet (of course!) Chub caught in the 1st 20 mins of arriving - all the barbel caught in 1 manic hour between 10-11.00pm.
River down 2-3inches on last week.
River Kennet (Newbury)
1900 - 2300
Dry, windy and overcast.
2 Barbel (8lb6oz,<4lb) 2 chub (both <3lb)
River up, some colour and quite a bit of debris (mainly weed) coming down. 1 chub 1st cast then 3 fish in the last ½hour. All fish on 14mm Halibuts.
Warwicks Water
0730 - 1030
Dry and overcast
7 Crucians (all over 1lb - best 1lb 10oz), 3 carp (best 3½lb) 1½doz roach and a few perch.
Fished meat or 4mm pellet on the lift method - most fish to meat.
Knotts Lake
1730 - 0600
Very heavy showers - then dry.
9 Tench (best two 5lb & 4lb 14oz - all the others 3lb+ fish)
Most fish on Halibut pellet out by the island - couple of fish on float fished meat in the margins - also lost a couple of carp on float tackle.
Paul managed 5 tench - best a fish of 5lb 10oz and had around a dozen carp between 7-11lb all on pellet - couldn't get past them to the tench!
River Kennet (Nr Thatcham)
1800 - 2330
Light Showers
4 Barbel (10lb 11oz, 5lb 15oz, 5lb 10oz, 4lb 6oz)
Fished 14mm halibut pellet and Meteor boilies - (Had one hour pellet, one hour boilie...). Double on boilie - other 3 on pellet.
Paul also caught 4 - all in 3-4lb bracket
River Kennet (Thatcham)
0730 - 1130
Heavy Showers - Breezy
2 Barbel (7lb 3oz & 6lb), 2 Chub (4lb 10oz, 2lb 5oz), 1 Brown Trout (1lb 11oz), 6 Dace
Trotting session - all fish on double red maggot - from fast water - barbel were QUITE a struggle. River looked in good nick - more ranunculus than last year - some colour and good flow.
Marsh Farm - Harris Lake
0730 - 1730
Dry but breezy - becoming VERY breezy.
13 Crucians (smallest 2lb 6oz, 4 over 3lb - biggest 3lb 3oz) 1 tench (small) 1½ doz Roach and Rudd.
Fished 4mm pellet or single red maggot - most of the Crucians fell to pellet. Wind made bite detection a nightmare - would have had a significantly bigger haul without it. Ended up fishing very tight to the bank in 18inches of water (fish were there though!)
Paul had 5 C
Horseshoe Lake - Yateley
1400 - 1030
Warm and Breezy - stayed dry - JUST!
5 Bream (7lb 9oz, 5lb13oz, 5lb10oz, 4lb4oz, 4lb2oz) 2 Perch
A night of '2 halfs' - all fish caught between 1800 - 0000. Bream on 14mm Halibut Pellets (Perch on Sweetcorn!).
No bites after midnight and we moved onto Pumphouse for a few hours in the morning - I bumped a couple of tench here and Paul winkled out a PB Bream of 5lb 15oz last cast of the session.
Dixons Mere
0000 - 1200
Warm night, Showers
3 Carp (best a mere 4lb 13oz) 1 Tench (3lb 3oz). 3 doz. bits (Rudd, Roach, Perch)
Slow start to the season though Paul faired much better in the next swim - he had half a dozen tench and a similar no. of carp. I didn't get a bite until well into the morning - and that was only after I decided to get some IAC Species Race* points on the board!
Tench - Float Fished maggot
Carp - Free-lined
From: mark3954@netzero.net <mark3954@netzero.net>
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To: mike@mikesmarina.info
Cc:
Date: Saturday, May 26, 2007 12:26 pm
Subject: Re: fishing charter info dominican republic
Mike, I would like to take this time to tell you what a great time I had while fishing with you in the Dominican Republic. First, the hotel which I stayed at was very nice and had a lot of activities. Next, I was also impressed with the crew ( Manuel and Catch
Billfish on the Fly
80lbs white Marlin
May 2007
caught by Andrew Ferguson, May 5th 2007 with Jose Manuel Mota and Mike
local record on the fly, even 12lbs over Floridas all weight Fly-record
From: Alison Hackett
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To: mike@MikesMarina.info
Cc:
Date: Saturday, April 21, 2007 08:23 pm
Subject: Our split charter April 10, 2007
Hello Mike!
I just wanted to write and let you know that we had an awesome experience on our half day charter last week. Both me and Dwayne caught a Mahi Mahi and it was just an excellent day. I want to thank you for all the quick responses to my emails and we will see you again the next time we a