lutra

Non digital's for me. They may only be good for the nearest ounce or half ounce, but in 20 odd years of using the same set they have never had a duff or flat battery, a dry joint or got damp and have never given out wild weights when I've most needed them not to. Sadly I may never catch a 22lb chub.

Damn, all that time and money I've spent going fishing and I could just have put my name on your posts.

Was a cold frosty start this morning for me to 2015. My first fish was a 2oz roach and was joined by many more tiddler roach chub and dace. I did manage a dozen or so hand sized roach and a not so common for me poundish river perch.

Met up with tigger and a couple of his mates today for a spot of grayling fishing. The need for a trip to the tackle shop on the way to replace yet another pair of leaky waders meant it was a little later start for me. Upon my late arrival I was greeted by the sight of three anglers happily on with their fishing in what can only be called rare northern winter weather(It was neither cold, wet or blowing a gale) and on river that looked in good fettle. Despite the nice conditions and a grayling on my first trot down, my first peg seemed to die as fast as it got going. This accompanied by the fact the water around me had already been worked by anglers that were fast getting out of sight made me make the decision hop back in the van and head for pastures new well down stream. I'm not sure if it was the move, lighter baiting (just 2 maggots per trot down), coming up in the water a bit or stringing out my shot, but the next few hours saw me rooted to one spot and hardly have a trot down the swim that wasn't rewarded. No big fishfor me, but with the great weather, skeins of geese, a peregrine that perched on a post for a few seconds just 20 feet away and the sight of kingfishers, a dipper,............ and too many grayling to count all made for a great day winter grayling fishing. Thanks to Ian for booking it.

Its also Northern Ireland. I've never fished there (yet), but would guess there are a lot more tickets needed to fish like the rest of the UK.

Generally I've not found many restrictions on access in Ireland for coarse fishing. I'm sure there must be some rules, but they must have been written by someone after 20 pints of Guinness who lost them.

Damn, I thought every day was 24hrs long. That must make me older than Vagabond then.

Well done on the new record Steve. Even with the poor photography taken into account, it doesn't look to be in the best of condition unlike the other bream. What do you put that down to Steve? Bream are generally in good condition and weigh well in Autumn and its been a while since it was last out, so I would think its a little hard to predict if its still growing. No? Maybe your next record will be a healthier younger fish. Think I've mentioned in the past about bream on other waters being less nocturnal in their feeding habits in Autumn (and winter). They can also be a little easier to track down at this time of year on some big waters with low stocks. So maybe interesting to see how your Autumn v Spring catches pan out long term.

I don't know the Thames John, but I'll have a go for ya. 1. Yes you could clip up and still fish for drop backs. The only way you will get no loop or bow in your line when fishing a deep fast river is by casting down stream to the clip holding the rod forward of the rest while the feeder settles and then tightening the line by pulling the rod back to the rest. If you do the complete opposite (cast up stream and keep the rod back from your rest while the feeder settles), you should get lots of loop/bow in the line even when clipped up. If you want a very big loop/bow in your line, cast from well back from your rod rest, let the feeder settle and then walk or step back forwards to your rest. 2. On a fast river I tend to just have my rod tip up John, to keep as much line out of the water. To balance the feeder you will need to alter its weight. Keep going lighter till it does move a bit. 3. I'm not sure bait size makes any difference, but its not really a tiddler method as its a bit bolt riggy and a little gudeon might not be able to move the feeder much even with the help of the flow.

One or two more floaty chub ones for ya. Maggot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZH9-dzTOoE Bread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ISf1oAbwyQ Meat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvfxGSvRz6c Pellet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuoe00tYrSY And yet to grow a beard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0gB0Z32wjI

I'm sure float and maggot isn't the most productive method for donkey size chub and it might take time and good angling to get it to work, but if you do get it right, you can be on for big bags. Here's some good bags from Mat with maggot and a waggler. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CympRzoHHXw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7IgNK1_Nig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlPj8Ya5V0Q Bread and corn are other baits that have produced big bags and some good chub on the float for me. My pb chub may have fallen back to the ledger rod, but i think my biggest bags and most enjoyable days chub fishing will always stay on the float. As others have said, its not just the bait for chub (as they will eat lots of things), but its also how you feed and fish them.

Looks like Santa may drop down buttons chimney today. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30328327

Shouldn't think it would limit your skills. Maybe more tests them given that it will probably limit where you can fish and how much you can move about. I'm not sure if its my poor grayling ability, but I always find it hard to keep a peg going very long for grayling. Even on good sized rivers I tend to take a very mobile approach. With a few fish from here and there and nothing like my other coarse fish trotting were I can spend all afternoon in a peg catching away (if i'm lucky).

Good grass banks are fine with felt soles, its the mud you need to watch out for. It can be like ice.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30338721 Give your all and don't even get told to sling your hook.

John, 30 odd years ago I bought my first pair of waders. They made my rucksack a bit heavier, but it was like a dream come true ridding my bike home with dry jeans and feet (space age stuff to me). Now in the next century I still never get through a season without at least one day with wet feet and thats with even better waders. Angling is now full of places you can drive your car to the peg and spend all day fishing (some call it that) from a nice dry platform with loads of really fancy gear. I have all the gear to fish like that and could if I wanted to (a lot of my mates do fish like that a lot of the time), but I think I have once in the last 6 or 7 years. I don't think any new fancy tackle will ever change the fact that I most love trotting a maggot down some back of beyond place and I don't think it will ever stop me from doing it or change my way of doing it much.

A good season I would say with a worthy winner in the end at 67 points clear. Well 42 if you ignore that last race double points nonsense. Lewis must feel like he's shot a German with his own gun.

I think stocking programs in the past have shown its not that hard to get salmon to return to a river, even one that isn't that clean. The real test is getting them to be self sustaining.

Doesn't look like it would be the hardest thing to rig up safe. As you can see from that video, it might be a tough call for some anglers. But then much pike tackle don't seem that safe to me.

Nice one Darth. The last time I fished for cod with Lyndon (25 years ago), he spent the whole 8 hour trip ground baiting the hold and vowed never to go to sea again. He was probably late because his yak will have sank when he knocked his bivvy pegs in.

That's very sad news. It was always a joy to read his posts and I would have loved to have met him in real life. My condolences to his family and friends.

I'd completely agree with you on that Matthew, but ......... Us anglers have made hard work of it. It now seems common to call a peg a swim. A peg could have more than one swim for me, but pole anglers now seem to have lines ("I fished tight to the far bank, but baited an inside line as well"? ). Maybe the most broken law, but on running water I think the law says you can fish to the middle of the river and who ever has the other side can fish to the middle from their side (Might end in a fight if your club has both sides).

Nice one Ian. I fished your Grayling stretch with Vaggers yesterday. It was running clear with a couple of foot of extra water on. Thats one powerful river, no way could I wade out, but we still got plenty from the bank and Dave said he had a lovely day. I had a couple around the 2lb mark early on and thought I would get a pic or two for on here of the next good one. Fatal as despite getting plenty more none were much over a pound after that. Have you been on there this season yet Ian?

One think that I can never understand when looking at pictures of other anglers fish on mats is the number of them that have no net under them. When ever I use a mat the fish is still in/on the net on the mat. Isn't it hard work and a load of needless messing about for them and the fish getting them out of the net? Also if you keep them in the net and have the handle going out over your groin your standard mat has sides. If the fish decides to go mad you can just lift the net more with no need to pounce on the fish. No?

Think you've already told us unhooking a good fish on a mat on hard ground wasn't a nice experience when it went mad. My local river is full of gravel/pebbles and big round rocks and most anglers use a mat. I bet if they slapped the mat a few times with their hand, they'd have a bad hand the next day. So no I still think its best for the fish if you walk out in to a foot or so of water and unhook them in the net. On most of the shallow pegs you need to walk out to get them in the net anyway. Take your wellies. Platforms, didn't they start on commercial fisheries as well? Anyway I'd ban them as well.