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Bayleaf the Gardener

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After yesterday's slowish day at Willows, I decided while driving down Muddy Lane to try and make my recent luck change and turned right to Dobsons. My favourite swim was free, and with the forecast rain and lower air pressure after the previous week's heatwave, the omens were good.

The fish thought so too, at least in the first few hours, when my method feeder was hit hard six times to my right. Whilst I was snapped twice, the other four bites did not connect which made me question once again how self-hooking the method feeder actually is.

Allowed a second rod on the lake, I alternated between method feeder and float to my left on the other. No bites at all on the feeder, the float brought in 21 perch in two sessions, including some fun and feisty stripeys around the 12oz mark, plus a single, small beautiful golden rudd.

Could/should have been so much better - but that's fishing.

 

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Lovely pictures of the Rudd and Gudgeon ,such pretty fish ,there are some oversized gudgeon on the Reeds ticket at Thatcham. The vast amount of perch in the lakes are busy at this time of year swallowing up the fry ,not a fan.

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Hi imp. Ah, the mighty gudgeon, the most characterful fish in the canal. If only they grew 5lbs heavier. Have you heard of the Grand Union Gobio Gobio Society (Google them) - its a fantastic tongue-in cheek site for all fans of the gudge. I hadn't either, but I stumbled across them last week they accepted me as a member on the strength of that photo.

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Thank you Gentleman ,BW for the info about the society ,most splendid ,eccentric and as you say most TIC and Chris for the lovely article about our charismatic friend. Strange to see the society is about the Grand Union as although the Gudgeon is everywhere I always associate them with "gravel bottoms" . Will be trotting on the Kennet tomorrow ,low expectations ,catch wise ,high expectation on enjoyment.

I do not fish lakes much ,or use the method ,preferring running or paternoster cage feeder etc but if I fished method ,with braid and a rigid tip , I would expect big fish ,would bump off  or straighten hooks ,or to snap hook lengths........two ways to try ,fish mono main line for stretch ,or try using a bait runner function ...........please not at all based on my catching of carp ,light years behind you gents but on beach casting for bass ,build in some give or something must break. 

 

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Chris, I loved the gudge piece - horray for them indeed. My first (independent) fishing trips were on the wide River Thames with my pals at Kingston as a 12-year old in 1975. Having spent the week reading of bream and barbel in the Angling Times, then spent our pocket money on maggots and coffin leads, we sat the the bank and chucked out as far as we could, doing our best to bounce in-off the Kingston Royale or any other large boat that chugged by.

Of course we never saw a single bream or barbel, and with the river fast and deep, bite indication was impossible (apart from the occasional bootlace eel), but we worked out that if we waited until a yellow car passed over the busy bridge, if we wound in we'd almost certainly hooked a Gudge, or if less lucky, a ruffe. Some days this 'technique' had our catches in triple figures. Happy days. 

Imp, thank you for the tips. Much appreciated, How did your trotting go? I found the flow frustratingly slow at Speen Moors the other week. Maybe this rain might have pepped it up a bit. 

Both. GUGGS have added both the Town Stretch and Hambridge as venues to record Gobio catches on. What heroes.

I think what I like about the gudge most, apart from their beauty, is that they are so friendly - they rarely if ever flap around in the hand they way that, for example, a roach would. I think that rather than 'catching' gudgeon,  they ordain to visit you. And they are so chamois-leather soft: surely the most strokeable of fish.

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The Kennet flows seem to split at Newbury ,low flows west ,higher flows east ,which makes sense ,my day was bad , slippy angled banks were full of slugs/snails and nettles and my box fell in the river ,my banker swim ,which I had convinced myself would fish well when overcast produced my only fish a gudgeon.

Have put a ruler in my box ,as I have nothing to weigh grammes with and hope to catch a 6" gudgeon and try to join the Soc'.

Glad to see everyone else is doing much better

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Hi Imp

Ah, we all have sessions like that - well, I do. At least you didn't fall in after your seat. Maybe use one of two of those slugs for chub? 

As a new member of GUGGS, I can tell you they recommend a gudgeon friendly set of scales (around £6, mine arrived yesterday) and you are also allocated a codename! You sound like a gudgeon-whisperer, so perhaps you should join...

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