WayneX2

Hi, Whats the name of the shop thats going to be closing down? Thanks

Very interested, email sent.

Nice post Leon. I have a few questions though. So instead of using 2 trebles are you using just a single circle hook? I'm guessing hook placement isn't as important as when using trebles due to the decreased chance of deep hooking but what is the best way to hook the bait? Finally, what make is your landing net? I've been thinking about buying a wider mesh net for my piking and that looks perfect. Thanks

I got a Fox Duo-Lite Specialist ½lb rod online last week and I'm not sure about the quiver section. The problem is that the quiver section is an extremely tight fit for the quivertips and I can only push them in about 4-5mm. I understand that it needs to be snug when new to allow for wear and tear etc but it seems like more of the quivertip needs to be pushed in. In my head it seems that when this part of the rod is compressed, either through casting or playing a fish, it will wither snap or just pop out. So basically what I'm interested in knowing is if this normal or something to worry about and if it is something to be concerned about what I should do. Thanks

I've done quite a lot of this type of fishing in the last 3 summers, mostly for tench but also carp during the last month. For the tench I've been float fishing with a 14mm pellet on a fairly short hair, probably 2-3mm between the bait and the hook. I've found the bites are easy to miss as you have to pause before you strike when the float has gone under. Its very easy to strike too early and miss but after the first few you get the hang of it and I've caught a lot of tench fishing this way. For the carp (on a different water) I've started fishing the lift method extremely close in (under the rod tip) using a 15mm boilie on a slightly longer hair, probably 5-6mm, and so far the bites have been unmissable. Similar to you I started using the lift method for the carp as it was more entertaining. On this water the carp patrol the margins of the windward corner during the summer on warm, bright days but are very wary of line cutting through the water when fishing "normal style" with a lead etc. so I decided to try float fishing for them as it keeps most of the line out of the water. Hiding behind a bush and seeing a few carp slowly swimming towards you and then diving down out of sight towards your bait is pretty damn exciting! So far I've had fish to 19lb13oz this way and fishing doesn't get much simpler than this. It's certainly worth a go.

Unfortunately I'm in Suffolk so I'm quite a long way away, but thanks for the offer. Also none of my local tackle shops stock it so I can't go and have a play with it. What I want it for is mainly bream, chub and tench with the odd barbel or carp thrown in. Methods would be freelining, legering with as little as 1 ssg, feeder work and float fishing all on rivers with a maximum width of 30 yards. I also want a rod that is fun to play fish on. So from the sound of it I'm probably looking for something else. The search goes on!

I'm looking into buying an avon style rod with a test curve of about 1 1/4lb and have found this rod. Does anyone on here use this rod, have an opinion on it or know what the action is like? If anyone has any suggestions of a similar style rod up to a max of £100 please list them. Thanks

Stick me down on the list as well please Will. It will be good to meet up with people again after the wobblethon in Feb and chub are one of my favourite species. Either day is good for me and there is a small chance I would be able to do both days.

Yesterday I had a free afternoon and a pint of maggots left over from a session from earlier in the week so decided to take it easy. I fished off of the downstream side of a road bridge, legs dangling off the side, just 30 yards from my car with just a rod, landing net, plummet, disgorger and a bait box for company hoping to catch a few roach and dace. While I'd never fished here before I had walked along it in summer and seen large numbers of silverfish with some decent sized roach and the odd chub. Indeed while I was looking off of the upstream side of the bridge the water exploded with small fish jumping, trying to escape an unseen predator. Although I knew there were plenty of fish above the bridge I decided to fish the downstream side even though the water was deeper and I couldn't spot any fish. This was because it would be easier to fish because of a strong wind. Throwing a few maggots in at my feet and then placing my float in with them and letting line peel off the reel as the current took the float away, the first 3 trots down were fruitless. On the 4th trot down the float disappeared 20-25 yards downstream which was met with a swift strike and the rod hooped right over. While I struggled to close the bailarm while holding the line tight (I still haven't found the best was to do this) I was thinking 'Please be a roach, please be a roach, please be a roach' as this was obviously a decent fish. I started making line on it and the fish was staying deep. It was at this point I remembered that I hadn't adjusted the drag since I last used the reel (for pike fishing!) so quickly flicked the anti-reverse switch. By now I still hadn't seen it and still didn't know what it was, although I'd narrowed it down to a very big perch or a decent chub. We battled for a few minutes until I got the fish close in when I caught a glimpse of it. It was a chub. Now I had it close in I was faced with new danger. To the left were some dead reed stems and some nasty looking roots, to the right were 3 solitary reed stems and under me was the bridge itself. Being a chub he of course made a dash to try and snag me in all of those areas. Luckily I managed to keep him out and guided him towards the surface ready for netting. This presented me another problem. I hadn't bothered extending my landing net handle due to not expecting anything big and because of my close proximity to the road I wanted to keep everything neat and tidy and out of the way. Somehow I managed to extend the net one handed and started bring the chub towards it which was difficult in itself. With his mouth open trying to pull him against the flow wasn't easy but finally he was in the net! Just as I was landing it a guy walking along the road stopped and said thats 'a biggun' to which I replied, 'its enormous'. I lifted the net up and asked the guy to hold my rod for me to which he replied those magic words 'its all right, I'm an angler myself'. On hearing this I asked if he wouldn't mind holding the chub in the net while I ran back to my car to get my unhooking mat, scales and camera. When we placed it on the mat and had a look at it it looked massive. It was thick across the back and very deep. When I tried to get my hand around the back of his head to lift him slightly to unhook him I couldn't. By this point I'm fairly sure I was talking incoherently. On the scales the needle went past 3, then 4, then 5 and settled on 5lb 9oz! I couldn't believe it, a new personal best by 1lb 3oz. After a quick photo I put him back and he slunk away under the bridge to sulk. 5lb 9oz, not bad for 3lb mainline, 2lb 8oz hook length and a single maggot on a size 18 hook. Special thanks go to the guy with expert timing, without him I wouldn't have been able to weigh it or photograph it. I spent another 30 mins in that swim with no bites so decided to fish the other side of the bridge. For the next 90 minutes I had a bite nearly every cast resulting in either an inch long minnow, a dace or a roach. None of which were over 3 inches and it was great fun and really reminded me that I haven't done enough fishing like that this season. I was a lucky boy yesterday with everything going right, I'm not looking forward to the session that turns out to be the opposite...

Sorry for the late report, been busy all week. The day nearly didn't happen for me as I went straight back to sleep after my alarm went off in the morning but luckily I woke up again early enough to get there on time. Had a chat with the other guys who were there already while waiting for everyone else to arrive before heading off to the cut off channel with Tony and Sue who I was going to be fishing with for the day. As already mentioned the water was crystal clear but I managed to get a pike of about 4lbs on a wobbled roach. As others have said, this fish put up a spirited fight even though he was a fat little thing. Tony walked me through the proper unhooking procedure, which was one of the reasons I wanted to go to the fish-in. Turned out to be a lot easier than I thought it would be. After that I didn't get any action on wobbled baits or on lures, which I tried on a multiplier outfit borrowed from Tony. Although I wish I hadn't as I now really want one even though I know I'll hardly ever use it. Tony had a nice perch as seen here Unfortunately Sue didn't catch. Anyway, it was a great day and it was nice meeting you all. Special thanks go to Anderoo for organising the whole thing and to Tony and Sue who I fished with. Oh, and I can confirm the kelly kettle worked flawlessly.

Thanks Tony. I won't need to borrow any gear but I will take you up on the offer of fishing with you.

Thanks Anderoo, received. As per the note at the end of the email I would like to fish with someone else if possible.

Hi Anderoo, Sorry for not contacting you sooner with contact details etc but this has snuck up fast, I'd forgotten it was happening this weekend. However, I am still available and looking forward to it. Anyway if you could send the map and meeting details to my email address which is WayneX2@live.com I would be very greatful. Fantastic pictures ginger, consider my appetite well and truly whetted!

Yup, its very likely I'll be out after more chub after my recent success (see the mild, clear, high pressure thread for my report). Not sure where to go yet. I can't decide whether to go somewhere that I've fished a lot and know well and would have a good chance of catching or if to try somewhere I haven't been before. Decisions, decisions...

Do you know if the London Anglers Association stretches on the River Lea are very good for Barbel? And is this http://www.londonanglers.net/WATERS/KINGS%20WEIR.html the kings weir you are referring to? I'm in Suffolk and I've set myself the goal of catching my first Barbel this year which is going to mean travelling. As I'm an LAA member I'll probably give those a go first and was wondering if there is a good chance of catching one. If not I'll try elsewhere. I don't care about what size they are, I'd be as happy with a 1lber as an 11lber.

Interesting thread, I'll add my results for this week. On Tuesday morning I went chubbing on a local river. I started just after 9 when it was still very foggy, cold, clear skies and the ground was covered in frost. I was fishing liquidised bread through a cage feeder with a big lump of breadflake on the hook. The first swim was just down from a small weir opposite an overhanging tree which has a lot of branches trailing in the water. As the water passes the tree it swirls around in behind the tree where the flow has cut out the bank. I had a lot of fish from this swim in the summer so was hoping for a bite or two. First cast nothing. Second cast I had a little activity on the tip but wasn't sure if it was a bite or not so I half struck at it and felt a nod from a fish before it was away, should have struck properly. Within a minute of recasting I had a fin perfect chub of a pound and a bit on the bank. Five minutes later I had another chub of three pounds exactly which didn't start fighting until it was under my feet when it went ballistic trying to bury intself in the weed. Luckily it didn't succeed. After that it went quiet and I probably stayed in the swim an hour too long before moving on. The next swim I set up 15 yards above an overhanging tree with its roots underwater on my bank. Within five minutes of my first cast I had a tap, tap and then the tip went round and it was fish on. Luckily he headed out into open water away from the snags or it could have got very hairy. A short battle later and a nice chub of 2.11 was in the net. I spent another half an hour there but nothing else was forthcoming so it was time to move on. The last swim was another classic chub swim with overhanging trees on both banks and a small raft on the far bank. The first cast went a little wayward being too short and not close enough to the far bank but I left it out anyway and settled down on my bucket. As soon as I had tightened up the tip went flying round and I was into another fish and this one felt bigger than the others. I gained a little line and then lost it back but soon it was mine. This one was the biggest of the day at 3.11 and was the most beautiful chub I have caught, with a lovely golden sheen on its flanks compared to the other chub which were really pale and washed out. I packed up soon after content with my haul. What was weird is that apart from the last bite all the others were very timid and not like the very aggressive bites I would normally expect from chub. Maybe they weren't feeding properly and only taking baits right in front of their noses which would explain the instant success in each swim. I went back again yesterday for a few hours and didn't even get a bite. Same weather conditions, same bait, same tackle, same swims but very different results. Still a good day though.

I would definitely like to fish alongside someone who is experienced if possible. I haven't done a great deal of piking so am still a bit nervous/unsure sometimes when it comes to unhooking. Its all well and good reading about how best to do it but its another thing when you have an angry pike thrashing about in front of you, so having someone to help and show how to do it would be fantastic.

Excellent. I went out this morning for a few hours on a local stretch of river to get some more practise wobbling in and had a new pb, 9.11, and a smaller fish at around 4.8. Thats now my 4th pike over 8.14, feels like I'll never get a double. Has anyone/does anyone on here fish the LAA stretch of the Wissey? Its been at the back of my head for about a year to head up and fish it but haven't got round to it yet. Just wondering if it would be worth a couple of trips up or not really.

It would be bread for me as well. Not because I think it is the best bait but because my favourite methods involve using bread. For me nothing beats surface fishing a small river for chub with a bit of floating crust. Or freelining a bit of bread between weed beds on clear rivers and seeing a chub appear and nail the bait. Surface fishing for carp with bread on lakes is pretty damn exciting as well. Of course roach, tench, bream and nearly every other species will take bread so for me it is an easy choice. I've even caught perch and pike while retrieving a piece of freelined bread on rivers before. I can't think of any other bait as versatile and that would let me fish so many different ways.

Hi everyone, I went out this afternoon for 2 hours to the second stretch from my first post with all your advice running through my head and I managed to land a pike this time. I had 2 follows from small pike of around 2-3lb and one take which resulted in a 4-5lb pike on the bank. It gave a surprisingly good fight as well, very nearly tail walking on 2 occasions. I also had an aborted take from a bigger pike. I was working the margin in a deep swim and when the bait was in front of me I felt a tap tap on the rod. I quickly went to lower the rod to give it a foot or so of slack before setting the hooks but it had dropped my bait before I could react. I couldn't see the bottom due to it getting dark and the water had a slight colour to it but I looked into the swim and saw a fish moving away. I couldn't see how long it was but I could make out the width of its back and it certainly looked bigger than the fish I had landed earlier. Maybe feeling the resistance of the rod spooked it? Still, I think it was a successful short session. Oh and also before I started fishing I checked all the points on my trebles. It was the trace that I had used for my last 2 sessions as well and all of the points dug into my fingernail before they moved a millimetre, so they were definitely sharp still. So I'd just like to say thanks again for the advice you all gave me.

Arrgh, looks like I'm too late to sign up for this. If you have a 'reserves list' please add me on to that. I'm in suffolk and have just started wobbling so it would be cool to be able to meet up with other anglers who have more experience and get some first hand advice and such like.

Thanks for the welcome guys. Anderoo, it certainly has been frustrating but it has also been very interesting seeing the pikes reactions to my bait and the takes up close just a few feet away. It was something that I hadn't seen before. It definitely wasn't anything to do with hook sharpness. It was a brand new trace/hooks as my fingers can attest to! Every time I was baiting up I managed to prick myself multiple times. I think the way I was striking wasn't optimal from what you guys have written, hopefully I'll be able to get out in the next few days and give it another try. Thanks for the link to that other thread, it has cleared up some things in my head a bit and from your resonses it seems like I'm on the right track but just need to get some more experience. I shall look for the 'wobblethon' thread in a moment. Thanks again for your replies.

I'll start off with a little report with my experiences wobbling the last two days and then put my questions at the end. On Monday I tried wobbling for the first time ever, choosing to fish a stretch of river my club acquired this year that I hadn't fished before. I had heard reports of decent roach along this stretch so planned to work the river with wobbled deadbaits hoping to find the pike which would in turn give me an idea where the roach would be. I only had two hours so didn't spend long in each swim. I only had three takes, all from the same swim, but didn't manage to land anything. The first take followed a cast upstream behind a submerged branch. On the retrieve I felt a knock and struck instantly, but after a second of resistance it was away. I cast out straight away to the same spot and sure enough on the retrieve I felt a knock. I stopped winding and a second later two more gentle knocks were registered on the tip. I lifted into the fish and it was on. I got in up to the surface in the middle of the river where it rolled and spat the bait out. It was only small, maybe two or three pounds but I was annoyed. More casts in that area went untouched. The next take came after working the downstream margin in the same swim. I was working the bait in front of me when I saw a flash! I put it in ten yards downstream and worked my bait back slowly and two yards from the rod tip something hammered into the bait and it was on! Except for the fact it wasn't. Just a few moments later it spat the hooks and nicked my bait and I was left filling the air with expletives. That fish was probably five or six pounds, which for me is still a biggish pike due to the fact I haven't caught a double yet. After that it was fairly quiet apart from landing a submerged branch which had a trace, plug and about twenty feet of line trailing from it and my last cast where I dragged the bottom and caught a lily pad which when coming up through the slightly murky water looked like a 15lb pike because it left a plume of mud behind it. In the low light conditions it looked so much like a big pike gliding through the water I did a double take on it. Although I didn't land anything it was still an enjoyable session. I had some takes on a new method on a new venue and found some likely looking spots for when I return for the roach. I returned the next morning with the plan of catching those lucky fish before moving onto a different stretch in the afternoon on the way home. Obviously things didn't go to plan. I didn't get anything until the last swim on the river, the opposite end to where I had the bites the day before. This swim is on a straight, about 25 feet wide, reeds on the near bank in both directions and some concrete structure slightly upstream on the far bank. I tried upstream, downstream, near margins, far bank and to the structure but nothing. I decided to have one last cast 25 yards downstream. I worked it back about a third of the way when bang, fish on! It stayed deep until I had it front of me about halfway across the river where it came up to the surface. It was a perch! And oh my god was it a big one. Unfortunately as it came to the surface it spat the bait, stayed just under the surface briefly and with a swirl away he went. That perch was 3lb minimum, far exceeding anything I've ever caught before and wasn't a long fish but it was very fat, seeming almost round in shape. It also had very striking markings on it and bright colours. When I reeled my bait back in my roach was L shaped and my bottom treble had twisted around embedding another point in, leaving only one free point. Maybe this is why he got away? One more cast in the swim just to check if he would take again was unsuccessful. I left the swim for 15 mins to walk the bank before returning. I cast downstream along the reeds and worked it back. Nearing my position I raised it to just below the surface and saw a swirl just after it. I couldn't see anything and left the bait stationary below the rod where I couldn't see it due to the dpth of the water. Instantly I felt a bang. My strike was met with resistance but again almost straight away it was gone. I'm guessing it was another (the same one?) perch. By then it was just before 12 so I decided to head to the other river. The next stretch I had fished twice in the past for roach unsuccessfully but never for pike but had been told it was prolific for pike to the extent that fishing with worm was difficult. In the first swim I had a big swirl 2 yards behind my bait but no other activity. How likely is that the pike spotted me and was spooked? Recasting and fishing through where the swirl was produced nothing. A few swims along I had a follow from a pike about 18 inches long. The next swim I had some activity in was an over hanging tree that covered half of the river with a raft at the upstream end. By this time my roach was looking ragged, with its gut burst open which was giving the bait an even better action and maybe scent trail as well? I cast along the raft, let it sink and then retrieved underneath the raft. As my bait came into view I saw a pike following and let it flutter down a bit and the pike grabbed it very gently across the middle and sat there for a couple of seconds doing nothing. I didn't strike because it didn't look like my hooks were in its mouth. It then started to move off towards the far bank still with the roach clamped sideways in its mouth. At this point I struck as when it would have moved further I wouldn't have been able to see what it was doing and I didn't want to risk deep hooking. I played it for 4-5 seconds but then he opened his mouth and my hooks didn't catch and it was pike winning 3-0. Casts along the same line went untouched so I cast downstream along the tree line. Halfway through the retrieve I felt a bit of resistance. It felt exactly like I had pulled through a bit of weed. Imagine my surprise when my bait came into view it was sideways in a pikes mouth which was swimming up stream at the same speed as my retrieve! I stopped winding and the same thing happened as the last pike. It sat there and then moved off towards the far bank. This time when I struck there wasn't even any resistance. I must have pulled it straight out of its mouth somehow. 4-0. It might have been the same fish, they both looked a similar size of around 5-6lb. The last swim I fished was the last available swim on the stretch. On my fifth or so cast I placed a bait downstream along the margins. Again when my bait came into view there was a pike following. I gave it a few twitches and it grabbed it, almost under my feet. The pike headed off for deeper water away from me and I struck. A short battle ensued before it was 5-0. ****. By then it was starting to get dark so it was time to head home thinking of fish lost and forming a battle plan for next time. OK so on to the questions. 1. What ratio of takes to fish landed is normal? 2. I make my own traces and used size 8 semi barbed trebles. It seems like using bigger hooks would make it more likely for them to catch a hook hold when a pike is trying to spit a bait out. What size do you guys use/recommend? I use roach of 5-6 inches if that matters. 3. I was putting the top treble through the lips and second treble either in the flank or just behind the dorsal fin. Is this the best hooking arrangement? 4. When do you strike? When I could see what the pike was I doing I was going to wait until the bait was turned and strike at exactly the moment the bait was turned, but when you can't see what is happening I was striking instantly as I don't want to risk deep hooking. From my descriptions does it seem like I was striking at the correct time? 5. Are pike takes while wobbling always so gentle? If I hadn't seen it happen I wouldn't have known about some of the takes. 6. Are perch captures while wobbling a regular occurrence? 7. Is it worth continuing with a ragged bait like I did? By the time I had the second take on it its lower ribcage was visible, most of its tail was gone and flesh was hanging off of it. It almost looked like a mackeral flapper used for conger. In the water it was giving a really good action off though and surely it was emitting a lot of scent. 8. Any other tips for a wobbling novice? Thanks everyone