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John Weddup

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Posts posted by John Weddup

  1. Very similar to the hooks that I mentioned back in post #13.

    I do prefer the slightly rounder bend though.

     

     

    Sorry Ken I seem to have missed several posts there on page 2. You are right very similar and you seemed to have had the same experience as I have with their effectiveness.

     

    John

  2. Thanks for all the interesting replies.

     

    For my stillwater perching that seems to have got me so interested this year I have switched to the Colin Dyson rig fully and have upped my rods slightly to set the hooks. I have also found some very good Drennan drop shotting hooks in size 2 that are both quite fine and absolutely ideal for hooking lives in front of the dorsal fin.

     

    I have now increased my hook up rate and each time the hook has been nicely in the mouth of the perch rather than deep down where the mouth of the bait is.

     

    Many thanks

     

    John

  3. Hi all

     

    I have been concentrating on perch fishing the last few weeks and intend to continue possibly throughout the winter.

     

    I have caught many perch to 3lbs 14 and had 6 3blers in one day but on a water that worms works well with little problems from unwanted fish. The water I am concentrating on at present seems to be a livebait water as there are many small perch and the lob catch rate is littered with small fish.

     

    I have now caught several decent perch on the lives but am also losing a number where I am not getting a hook hold. I have been using a top lip hook position but on inspection on a fish I landed the hook was not in the perch at all. As the bait had gone down head first as usual it could be seen the line pulling backwards along the bait fish had turned the point of the hook in parrallel with the bait. I like lip hooked because the bait lasts well but am now realising I will have to change somethng.

     

    I would be very interested in opinions on what other perch anglers use and think of my problem.

     

    Many thanks

     

    John

  4. Vas I normally don't post here much these days as when I do it normally gets ignored as I assume I know little of value.

     

    However I fish a lot at night for bream on still waters and rivers and also a lot of day river sessions too. Strangely the river bream often do not feed all the dark hours but wake up just before first light and feed strongly until about 6.30. It varies a little if its a very dull day or pouring with rain and even duller they will feed longer.

     

    If the river has strong flow, more than normal, and extra colour they may feed all day.

     

    If I am not fishing overnight I aim to be on the river before first light putting bait in and with rods ready and of course this time of year it means being there well before 4am. Its the only sure way of getting time enough to get a good bag of fish.

     

    But there are exceptions. As the season goes on they become happier to feed daytime. I fished the fens once in august a couple of years ago with bright hot sunny conditions, high pressure, a gin clear river . All terrible bream conditions but caught all day. So you can only go when you can and fish it the best you can.

     

    Still water fish are again different.

  5. Up to 40 yards I much prefer conventional running ledger rigs on stillwaters. I call it fishing as opposed to trapping with bolt rigs. However at distance on big waters I swap to a helicopter style because of its tangle free nature.

  6. Hi Terry

     

    Spring is my favourite time but have had many great sessions in October.

     

    They are starting to put on weight for winter and will feed night times really well. However this year everything is a bit behind. The usual carp big hit hasn't happened yet and I reckon bream will be on it well in to November.

     

    If you are on ouse valley pits you will not be far from me.

     

    Good luck

     

    John

  7. The Stour is a difficult river Matt.

     

    I have spent last 2 days on a boat looking at some deep but very clear stretches without seeing a fish.

     

    The only stretches that seem to hold numbers of fish are the town stretches within Sudbury that do not get affected by the huge onslaught of cormorants through out the winter.

     

    The Laa stretches are very patchy although I have had a few pike over last winter.

     

    Ten Mile bank is a better prospect on the Laa ticket although if you still want help on the stour I will tell you up to date info,

     

    John

  8. Matt I have been an LAA fisheries officer for the suffolk stour stretches and Glemsford pits for many years.

     

    I also run the Sudbury and Long Melford club with my colleagues.

     

    I am very familiar with the stour from haverhill to Bures and a bit beyond.

     

    The Laa also have a great bit of river at littleport.

     

    John

  9. I do as Anderoo does with his bag but will use a waterproof thermal cover in winter or cold nights that hangs over the bag and stops draughts. It just lays on top attached to one side of bed so no restriction.

     

    As for bivvy I have never zipped myself in summer or winter.

     

    Crash zips vary in quality but good ones allow you to grab material and pull apart rather than having to find the zip bit.

     

    John

  10. I have fished during the close season for the past couple of years. I enjoy sunny Sunday afternoons catching carp off the surface and I've targeted a club tench lake before with some success although the fish were in poor condition, won't be going back there. I do have in mind a small club lake which is right next to the Kennet, I haven't fished it yet and the thought of running water behind me is quite appealing so I'll be giving that a go this spring.

     

    My problem is that during the long daylight hours I can never get up early enough to experience a proper lakeside misty dawn. I might have to invest in a bivvy but I've resisted that slippery slope for so long...then you need a bedchair, then you need a sleeping bag etc etc.

     

     

    Being on the water for those misty dawns in spring is exactly why I joined the carp brigade in sleeping on the water in a bivvy. The pressure to get to a water , prepare to fish, get bait in etc all before dawn at 4am was just too much.

     

    I started several years ago and now enjoy my spring fishing so much more.

     

    Of course being there the night before allows you to see the water as dark falls and light arrives. The 2 most important times to watch a water. Obviously with the night being short then sleep can be a problem hence when bivvied up you can snooze during daylight hours.

     

     

    John

    • Like 2
  11. Matt the unhooking cradle I linked too makes no difference to pike unhooking at all. The sides on most of those are very soft and you neal astride the fish as usual as the sides collapse under your legs.

     

    Obviously the steel framed off the ground type would be useless.

     

    john

    • Like 1
  12. Matt I went over to a crib type a year or so a go for tench bream etc and have been very pleased with it over a standard mat.

     

    If fishing on a slight slope the fish dont slip off and if its a low soft sided one unhooking pike is no problem as you neal on it as normal. the advantage is on the rare occasion you get 2 takes you can cover the fish in the crib by pulling top over for a few seconds and keeping it safe.

     

    It also helps if you want a selftake. Throw water over it in crib and setup camera whilst fish is covered and canno slip off as in a mat set up.

     

    I chuck my landing net weigh sling etc in it for transporting and it will sit on a roof rack with contents fine for keeping wet things out of the car. All in all its worked really well for me and wont go back to a normal mat other than for stalking.

     

     

    http://www.carp-zone.co.uk/product/Carp%20Care/Unhooking%20-%20Carp%20Cradle/CZ065/Carp%20Zone%20-%20Euro%20Carp%20Cradle

     

    John

  13. Reading this Anderoo its similar to where I am fishing when targetting the gravel pits.

     

    I have done best at the bottom of the bars so far but weed growth has now filled those areas. we all know bream like clear areas to feed.

     

    Have you done well at wingham on top of bars. These on the water I am fishing are 10ft deep with the areas around them 15.

     

    They are clear clean gravel.

     

    John

  14. in fairness to everyone fishing Wingham.

     

    I was late starting this weekend and didn't get there until saturday lunch time and fished till 3pm today.

     

    I had 3 liners / missed runs in the night and nothing else. A big blank.

     

    Last weekend was fantastic with gale force winds and very overcast/rain. Who likes fishing in the sunny weather. Not me for sure.

     

    John

  15. umm bit of research and not many anglers due to its difficulty.

     

    There are 8 lakes ravaged by cormorants so few smaller fish but they grow big.

     

    Been a slog when I was blanking and friends catching but come good in the end. It may have some big roach pike eels aswell . An interesting set of lakes with the one I am concentrating on about 40 acres and similar looking to wingham. Very few swims. About 15 and only a few carp anglers on it. Most I have seen have been 10 but often 3 and me.

     

    John

  16. really wanted to come to Wingham but joined a new water that was being difficult until in the last 2 weeks these came along.

     

    8.10

     

    IMG_0149_zps831552e9.jpg

     

    9.3

     

    IMG_0160_zps963ace93.jpg

     

    10.4

     

    IMG_0177_zps58161586.jpg

     

    A lovely perch one of several this being the best at 3.12

     

    IMG_0146_zps39a34548.jpg

     

    And my PB tench of 9.10

     

    IMG_0184_zps964e8dc5.jpg

     

    Many more quality perch and tench caught also over the last 3 weekends. Before that many many hours blanking on this water.

     

    All pics are self takes.

     

    John

  17. Lots of useful tips and tactics shared as I start to think about this years assualt on Wingham. What thoughts does anyone have about what should be in my PVA stocking ?

     

    Pellets or groundbait or other ? What flavours would be suggested ?

     

     

    personally I use casters, maggots red either dead or live and hemp. Hemp needs to be pva friendly. Pva friendly hemp is available in tubs ready done and because its cooked in salt it lasts for ages once opened so actually quite economical and easy to move in its own resealable tub. When using the ebay cheaper pva the maggots do start to escape as you set it all up but thats not a problem. I normally put a bit of hemp in first then the live maggots and then a bit more hemp,

     

    Good thing with red maggots , both where I am fishing and wingham, is perch love them too.

     

    At the end of my mainline I use a quick release swivel so you can unhook your hook length easily thead it through the bag and re attach. A fantastic tangle free method.

     

    Using soft braid hook lengths does lead to it wrapping itself around mainline on cast but using the stocking stops that.

     

    If I am going to cast a bit harder I will leave a longer tag on the stocking and cut down it so I can tye it on the lead. I then hook the hook into the side of this. The reason for this is if you are using maggots on the hook and have all the bag pushing down on it as you would if you thread it through you risk the maggots being pushed off on the cast due to the pressure of the stocking.

     

    If you are fishing the bait off the hook on a maggot clip or a more complicated but better setup then threading through I find easier.

     

    Hope this helps

     

    John

  18. Very true, John. I think the issue with places like Wingham is that the topography of the bottom means you have margin-like features all over the place, not just in the actual margins. You have to fish to what is in front of you, and sometimes that is at range.

     

     

    Deep weedy gravel pits are certainly a learning curve. The complex I am fishing at present has 9 lakes and several over 40 acres. They have bars allover the place much like wingham as this is the way they excavated such things.

     

    Bars also are so different. Shallow ones that are just a foot less than the deeper troughs are just shallow plateaus that most fish visit but those that rise up, say 5ft in 10 ft deep water or deeper are more like islands we cannot see.

     

    The shallow ones I have caught many species from but the bigger bars I have only really caught from the troughs either side. I think most bottom feeders swim around them. I have had good rudd on top of some bars and many fish visit them to warm up but my tench and bream normally come form the deeper area's tight against them.

     

    I guess some wingham swims the bars are at distance. Then the weed issue becomes a problem. Still the margin is the margin no matter whats out in front. If the bars are a long way out the margin is maybe more important.

     

    Off to do battle again this weekend as the month of may is certainly a hot month for tench and big bream.

     

    John

  19. The other thing that springs to mind is that 10-12lb lines make even more sense if there is a lot of weed. I normally use 6-8lb mainline for tench fishing, but when the fish aren't line shy, there are gravel bars and lots of weed, spooling up with something heavier seems a no-brainer.

     

     

    Since the banning of the last weed killer allowed in waterways its amazing how much weed is now in many stillwaters. I dont think anyone quite realised how much was being used and depended apon.

     

    Since weed growth has increased I have very rarely used anything less than 10lb mainline. The weed has many bad things about it but on the positive side it makes fish visibility less so near margin swims are better than they were and heavy mainline is not seen.

     

    Hooking the tench of a lifetime it would be awfully disappointing to lose it due to inadequate tackle.

     

    From my little experience at wingham but lots of big gravel pit experience on similar waters the tench are normally well within 40 yards anyway so distance tactics are not needed.

     

    Shoals of big bream will sit further out in deeper clear water but those big old solitary ones also drift around the margins like the tench.

     

    John

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