Rusty
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Posts posted by Rusty
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Morning all,
I've been thinking about joining TAA for some time now mainly for the river fishing but also to provide a bit of variety in the close season. So after researching their waters I drove to Thatcham Angling Centre to join up which was dead simple as it turned out.
A pint of maggots later I was at Jubilee, suposedly a good general coarse water. I was surprised at the number of bivvys and rod pods I saw but didn't really give it a second thought as I wandered round the lake to a nice looking swim which didn't smelll like a public toilet (as many did). Feeder full of maggots went out and a couple of their red chums wriggled like mad on a size 12 barbless hook, sqeezy bottle top was hooked to 6lb pound line and thoughts of catching a few Tench filled my head, all was good in the world.
I missed a few bites through not expecting them so early in the session but then something grabbed my bait and just gently swam into a snaggy part of the bank about 20 yards away. I didn't have a hope of stopping it, whatever it was didn't thrash about, it decided to swim in that direction and just did. I lost my end tackle and when the same thing happened an hour or so later I decided to call it a day.
On the way back to the car I bumped into a bailiff who I'd met last week at Wylies. I told him the story and he reckoned I should be using a minimum of 8lb line, preferably 12lb, and a match rod probably wouldn't be up to the job. Apparently Jubilee is a good general coarse water with a variety of species BUT you've always got a very good chance of catching high double figure carp and so have to use appropriate tackle.
If this is the case it's disappointing for me, I did the matching baitrunners and rod pod thing last year and wanted to get back to simple fishing but it seems a bit risky at Jubilee.
Any thoughts from other TAA members?
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I'm quite happy to talk to anyone who approaches me and asks in a civil manner how I'm doing, it seems like a perfectly logical way to open a conversation with someone who's fishing. If I'm walking a lake and see an angler in full camo gear lying on his stomach some five yards back from the waters edge then I'll figure that he's stalking and probably won't be in the mood for a chat. Carpman sitting on his bedchair watching a DVD with three matching rods on the pod is fair game but strangely can be reluctant to enter into any meaningful exchange for fear of giving away any secrets, or missing the vital bit of the movie.
I don't think we should get too hung up on angling etiquette, non anglers provided they are polite can talk to me anytime and if they unintentionally ruin my days fishing then I've always got other days.
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Well done Dave, so the 'no fish' theory gets booted into touch.
I'm not sure what I'd do next. The fact that there are pike there would be too much of a temptation for me, I'd have to know if there was anything else. Perhaps pre bait for a week or so with a non-pike bait, if possible in the margins so you can see if it gets eaten.
Could the lake support only small pike?
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Not been back since - so it may have recovered somewhat!!!!
I went to Wylies today just to have a look. I arrived to see a chap land a 6lb Tench taken on ledgered plastic sweet corn with a pva bag of pellets. I always keep my kit in the car so I bought a day ticket from the bowling alley and a tin of corn from local shops, £6 for two rods. Alas no luck for me (not even a bite) but the lake is a very nice place to fish, trees seem to have recovered well although I've never seen it pre lumberjack activities.
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Keep us updated.
Yes please do, this could be a very interesting story. Should you have difficulty in justifying what will no doubt be several trips just point your wife in the direction of this thread, you now have the full support of the AN community to carry on with this vital research.
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And another reasonable alternative for £40
http://www.millets.co.uk/Camping/Tents/Pop...uct/094591.aspx
Pop up and two man so should be plenty of romm for one.
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folowing on from another thread i got to thinking. most bivvys sold in fishing shops and on line cost raound 80 quid upwards. yet argos, tescos and local camping shops sell dome tents for around 20 quid. if you only want to go carp fishing in the summer what advantage does the more expensive bivvy have. Or (as i suspect) this is aimed at the tackle tart in all of us.
I was thinking along similar lines when I read that thread. The Tescos £20 dome tent looks ok and I'll be popping along to my local store to have a look. I'm pretty sure the material won't be as heavyweight as a bivvy and the ground sheet probably couldn't withstand five days of welly clad feet but as you say for occasional summmer use it should be fine.
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All that time ago I'd just learn to drive and was allowed in pubs so there was a bit of a lull in my fishing activities. 35 years ago I was living in Welling Kent and venues within cycling distance were all I could get to. Danson Park in Welling, The Glade in Sidcup (great for Rudd), Dartford Lakes, Horton Kirby and Footscray Meadows were all within reach.
A little later I manged to blag my way into Darenth Lakes which at that time was owned by Leisure Sport. Hair rigs were new and boilies weren't readily available in tackle shops so you had to make your own. My first night at Darenth under a very makeshift shelter resulted in a 25lb 13oz Mirror called Stumpy (apparently).
I don't live there anymore but often wonder how those lakes are fishing now.
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all i tend to do is make a loop in my mainline and snap link a feeder onto it. then attach a hook length a little further down. i belive it is banned at some venues to have a fixed feeder? plus i get problems with tangleing this way..........basicly are there any other methods i can use?.
thanks
I just use a normal old fashioned running rig. Feeder onto mainline followed by a bead and then a swivel attached to the end of the mainline, hooklink attaches to the other end of the swivel. Looks for all the world that it'll tangle but it doesn't seem to.
My bite indicator is a sqeezy detergent bottle top with a stone wedged in to give it some ballast, clip it between the first two rod rings as a bobbin and leave it there when you strike and reel in. Nice & simple.
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If you feel that Rob's method might be a bit labour intensive (albeit bound to produce fine worms) or may upset the local bowls club you could try a weak solution of washing up liquid thrown onto your lawn, the worms will just pop up. Huge brownie point potential with partner/parents, just do the washing up and chuck the dirty water on the grass..instant worms.
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....a reel with bearings isn't strictly a centre pin?
Really, mine has bearings. It also has a pin which looks to be fixed about dead centre in the reel.
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so the bottom line is deffo no maggots, feeder etc...only fly/spin if it's permitted....correct?
Yes correct. It is confusing, I'm trying to establish which Regions byelaws apply to my area but if I'm correct the following applies.
6. Annual Close Season for Non-Migratory including Rainbow Trout
The annual Close Season for fishing for non-migratory trout with rod and line on all waters shall be the period between October 31st and April 3rd following. Dates not inclusive.
7. Prohibited Modes of Fishing
During the annual Close Season for freshwater fish (the period between March 14th and June 16th) no person shall fish with rod and line for salmon, migratory trout or non-migratory trout (including rainbow trout), other than with an artificial fly or lure, without the previous consent of the Agency in writing.
So after the 3rd April presumably I can go back to my local free stretch of river and fly fish or spin for the same brown trout I was catching three weeks ago on trotted maggot. I can also trot the river with a fly tied to look like a red maggot (not really in the spirit of the law that one).
I could see this leading to an awful lot of hassle, most people associate the close season with simply no fishing at all and I bet even the local Feds aren't totally clued up.
I'll stick to lakes for the next 11 weeks I think.
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i've been invited out for a spot of fishing in a local river Sunday... now my understanding of fishing in the close season is that it's banned in all but canals or privates lakes etc. he wants to fish for "non-migratory trout" and says this is fine...? i 'm not sure, i've only been coarse fishing for a couple of months, so not entirely sure, is this a small loophole in the system? or am i being fed a tall one? would rather avoid the fine and possible confiscation of gear.
I'm glad you asked that question, I've also spent too much time on private lakes and lost track of close season restrictions. I'm aware of the CS dates and I know that I can't coarse fish free rivers with maggots etc but can I fish the same rivers with my fly fishing gear?
Maybe the EA's website will help.
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I was having one of those 'it's not broke but let's fix it anyway' moments the other night and my attention turned to my Okuma CP reel. I used to race radio controlled electric cars and the wheel bearings used in those are very similar to the Okuma so I tried an old trick from my racing days.
The bearings are shielded and greased which is great for low maintenance longevity but not so good for frictionless free running, they can be improved upon. Removal of the bearings is easy, the parts diagram supplied with the reel shows how it comes apart and the bearings simply push out of the spool with finger pressure so no brutal dismantling required. Each bearing has two metal shields, one either side, each shield is retained by a circlip which locates in the outer ballrace.
Remove one of the shields from each bearing by gently prising out the circlip with a small needle. Best way to do this is to locate an end of the circlip by sliding the needle point around the circlip groove. Once the circlip is out a couple of gentle taps on the desk should see the metal shield fall out giving you access to the bearing. Wash away all of the grease with WD40 and then apply a few drops of light oil, 3 in 1 will do. Pop the bearings back into the spool with the remaining shields facing outwards and re-assemble the reel. Give a good spin and be amazed at the improvement.
Downsides;
The reel will sound noisier after a spin if you stick it right next to your ear, not noticable in normal use.
Replacing the grease with oil means more frequent maintenance but I think the benefit is worth it.
I haven't been able to field test the bearing mod yet but the reel certainly runs a lot more freely (and it was good before the mod).
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The 15' is a lovely rod - so lovely in fact I've just ordered another one!! Ian Tucker is building this one for me.
C.
A very user friendly site that, easy to pick and choose the components. Hmmmm...hand made rods....no I can't seriously contemplate the expenditure but if I ever could which reel seat do you find works best with a CP reel? The Fuji DNPS or DPS look least "cluttered"
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Strange last afternoon for me. Got to Newbury at about 1:30pm and lost a decent fish first trot, a grayling of about 1lb and a larger brown trout followed in the next ten minutes so I thought I was going out with a flourish. The fish had other ideas and I couldn't buy a bite for the next four hours despite fishing every swim that I could get to.
Never mind, the lake season has just started so I'll dust off the baitrunners and treat myself to a new rod for a bit of lake centre pin action. When does the fly fishing season start?
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.....I've got Friday off work, so I'll be having one last go for a big chub.
Me too but only the afternoon so I'm planning to have all of my end of season luck then
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I’m not sure what effect strong winds have on bait presentation but I’ve found a crosswind (to the river) blowing against my back to be very useful.
Last week I was out a few times on a stretch only about 20 foot wide and by lifting the rod and allowing the wind to catch the line I could trot the far bank quite easily. Keeping the rod low and the line in the water kept the float near so I could fish the entire width of the river.
I didn’t notice the wind having any detrimental effect on bites but trotting would’ve been impossible if it was blowing in my face.
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Said you'd get one there
Very rare to get dace there!! There's a few escaped rainbows in the river at the moment - I expect you hooked one of them!You did indeed, thank you for the advice. Apart from the odd shopping trolley it's a very good stretch with a varying flows and different swims. The dace came from slack reeded margins on the other side (to the path) of the river out of the main flow, had to keep the rod high to avoid line dragging the float into the current. I had about seven, all small fish but very satisfying to catch them.
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For me the best thing about fishing is always the anticipation of going. A workday is never bad when you've got the next day off for a fishing trip and have you ever noticed how much easier it is get up early when you're driving to the venue?
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My first grayling came from the Lambourn today (not huge) along with a nice brownie, a roach and several small dace when I came across a shoal of them on the way back to the car. Rod bender of the day never got to my net even after frantic winding to try and keep tension in the line (I'd let the float go miles down the river).
Friday will be my last chance to get out but if I don't make it I'm very happy with my season, a new method and species I don't often catch. No unfinished business here but very much looking forward to next season.
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Back to your question Tiddlertamer. I'm not sure about the difference between a 4" and a 4.5" reel but it seems pretty clear that you can try centre pinning with a very good reel without spending loads on a collection habit (it willl come believe me but very good reels are available for a lot less than the 'exclusives').
I'm a CP newbie with the Okuma Sheffield and it's coped very well in fast, slow, calm or windy conditions. I enjoy the odd curry so a reel which started spinning at the merest hint of flatulence would leave me in tangles all day.
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If you want an easy first Grayling - Rusty? That's the place to go!
C.
Easy? Nooooo I like to graft. I'm happy to fish for at least half an hour before I catch. Almost up to 15 posts now so those who prefer to divulge info by pm prepare yourself for the onslaught.
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Hi Tench, thanks for the welcome.
The guidance was very helpful thank you and with some google mapping I now know where I can and can’t fish. We moved to Wantage from Dartford, Kent about 18 months ago following a job re-location so I’m still finding out about the area.
Apart from sea fishing I’ve tried most forms of angling. Bought a load of used carp gear last year and gave that a whirl during the summer and I’ve still got a few fly rods & reels which are due an airing soon (seems expensive around here though, particularly if you don’t like Trout). Currently though it’s river fishing, I’ve never caught a Barbel or Grayling so it would be nice to tick those boxes.
I enjoy any form of fishing really but being mobile and travelling light appeals the most, this area provides ample opportunities for that (if you know where they are)….for the next couple of weeks anyway.
Float Fishing A Fly - Legal?
in Fly Fishing
Posted
Different regions have different byelaws, in my region the following applies.
7. Prohibited Modes of Fishing
During the annual Close Season for freshwater fish (the period between March 14th and June 16th) no person shall fish with rod and line for salmon, migratory trout or non-migratory trout (including rainbow trout), other than with an artificial fly or lure, without the previous consent of the Agency in writing.
This suggests you could swap your worm for a fly and carry on doing what you were doing, however, I don't think that's the intention behind the byelaw and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it.