Neil G

I think I've been way too lazy as well by just choosing to walk down to my local river rather than drive somewhere better/different! I noticed bait fish being very localized as well which may have made things hard...on Saturday there were stretches of river that were almost devoid of fish (couldn't catch a single live) but others that seemed fairly well poulated...finding these spots was hard!

Some great reports & pics...bit of a pain the weather has finally decided to sort itself out just as the close season begins! Can't say a great deal about my last weekend...livebaited and had a couple of jacks and a friend had a nice 2lb plus perch which is always nice to see. Sun brought out the morons though and it was like fishing in the middle of a flippin' playground (people feeding ducks, chucking rocks in etc. etc.). Roll on summer & the barbel fishing

Has to be fly fishing for Tarpon or GTs....for me that would be the pinnacle of fishing!

I haven't caught one double all season (June last year to this weekend) so I wouldn't stress about it too much! As a final 'kick in the teeth' I found out a kiddie who works in the tackle shop had two 20s out of spots I've fished regularly for 4 years and have only managed up to 19lb (back in 2007). Using same tactics bait and everything...there definately IS luck involved in fishing! In all honesty I'm getting quite tired of pike fishing these days...way, way easier for me to catch double figure barbel than pike into double figures!

Not really bothered about the close season...haven't had a single pike into double figures this season as they're all gone...not just me who has noticed that either! Started well with a nice 10.8 barbel then season went downhill..I think the handful of Barbel around the 8/9lb mark was the highlight along with a 15lb cat from Todber. Got a couple of private lakes lined up for the close season which do contain carp up to 30lb...not really a big carp fisherman but am looking forward to keeping it old school down there (single rod, sweetcorn & meat baits and even the fly rod!). Plans for 2010..I think catching my first tench would be good and I know Cheddar reservoir is just the place to do it. Catfishing on the cards again, okay takes a lot of orgainization but worth it to see those amazing and powerful fish

lol Good job I don't own one! I do like to go through all my gear at the start of the autumn as it's when I do a lot of my fishing. As for the lure collection I'd like to get is smaller...half the buggers I lug around never see the light of day let alone a pikes mouth!

For me it isn't my own inept missions or catching the wrong fish, it has to be litter etc. Litter really makes me livid and the problem is it's being left by scrotes who fish as well

There is.....it's waters where there are no pike lol Sounds like you did alright with a low double, I can't even remember the last time I caught a fish that wasn't a single! As for the flapping it's just a case of staying calm and having a bit of patience...they will open their mouths eventually! Careful with forceps/pliers and their teeth as you wouldn't want to break any.

Great perch...has to be one of the UKs nicest looing coarse fish! I've never really gone out to catch perch by design but with failing pike & barbel stocks they seem to be thriving in the Avon where I fish and the autumnal feel seems right to fish for them. I do remember when I started out fishing catching lots of good stripeys on maggots ledgered wiuth a feeder..do you think the perch hoook themselves when attacjking smaller fish at your bait/feeder

Love this place and am planning on a couple of trips there this side of Christmas (instead of the circus that is Chew) to fish for the big pike that reside there. Can you keep us posted on fish ins? Have plenty of holiday left this year so can make quite a few dates

Pics of the pike in the water are very good Naughty pike fishing in the summer...what would the pike police say lol

Definately need some kind of policing etc. but isn't that what we pay our EA licence fee for? Saw lots of Polish down my stretch again, actually said to a few that their wasting their time as there's no fish left, just fgot a few grunts as replies lol Also caught a shad on the bottom float fishing....nice to see they'd used a trace, only problem is that it was tied onto what looked like 5lb line This is the state of affairs...I am no longer going to fish my local river

Nice fish Mental note to oneself to have a go night fishing for barbel

Join CCG or ring them up for a chat..Simon Clarke who runs it seems quite helpful. Be quick about it though as I reckon September is the last month you'll get reliable catting conditions as the bu**ers go pretty docile over the winter and don't feed much when it gets cold

Oh that is so true The banks are now lined with white vans and you know the builders are in town trying out new boilies, alarms and bivvies probably all brought by doing overpriced, sub-standard jobs as they aren't the sharpest tools in the box!

To**er

I would be saying lives & pellets but since those are the rules It would have to be meat/worms. Never tried leeches but it's the one bait that's only taken by cats so good in waters where there are 'nuisance' fish....tad expensive though

I brought a couple of Ondexes years ago and I think they've probably seen the light of day twice...IMO better lures out there for perch i.e small rubber grubs, shads and small spinnerbaits which cast better and are more versatile

Also depends how far out your fishing, the further you are the more line in the water and obviously more drag Have you tried using flat leads & grippers? I've found using flat leads off big feeders pretty good at holding bottom

I don't think the quickest touch ledger fisherman could beat the speed of a barbel sucking in a bait and spitting it out Surely it doesn't matter wether you get a treble before the take....you just wait for the rod tip to go round!

I come no where near that at all but have blanked a LOT over the last winter....far more than usual. I suppose the one thing about blanking a lot has done is it's made me get out and fish for other species and made me appreciate catching fish of any size more.

Second that, the cold/wet weather will get rid of a lot of the plums there and leave more room for yourself

More often than not these vibrations/rattles are chub or bream but sometimes barbel nudging the feeder/bait or knocking the line with their tails etc to get at freebies if your using pva. I always wait until the rod goes round or nearly goes into the drink when barbel fishing...striking away at these rattles often gets you no fish and spooks the barbel out

As above, Shakespeare rods are pretty good for the money I've got a Shakespeare Avon rod with 2 tip sections....a very nice rod to use

Indeed they do, I was quite surprised! I really wanted to catch a cat this year and was chuffed to have managed it...the lake though (Todber Manor) that I've been fishing does contain a good head of bigger fish so I've got to go back. I can only imagine what a 30/40 plus cat must go like...I bet they are very hard to stop when they've got up some speed