John Weddup

Thanks Elton very interesting KenL some matchmen have always done that and some still do. They think they are doing good. But then the human race has always interfered with nature thinking they are doing good. John

Hi Rusty I fished all weekend again and it was very poor in comparison to my previous weekends in the freezing cold. Last weekend the water temp was 6c in the margins. This weekend at first light sunday in the same spot it was 11.1c Thats one huge increase in 7days. Several other good local anglers also struggled to get a bite. Although perch pike etc are probably spawning its still well below what bream tench and carp require but it seems to have affected them. I did manage a tench of 5.4 and at midnight friday an eel. That is unless as you say we are both crap anglers . John

You would be surprised how quickly the margins and shallow area's warm when either the sun shines or air temps are above water temp and the wind blows. What is a wind chill factor to our warm bodies is a wind warming factor to cold water. Big bodies of water will take ages this year but even in the big reservoirs I shall be looking at the shallow (15ft or less) area's soon. At present though well sheltered south or westerly facing bits of water that are shallowish but near to deep water are my hunting grounds.

Not always Dave I take water temps regularly and the water I am fishing saw the temp drop the week before easter. The water was certainly warmer early january than it was all february and march. John

You are right there Dales but i do like variety so a bit of ice hole fishing might also be on the cards

Gave up pike fishing just before Easter. Decided to give tench a go as the daylight hours are there and I was convinced would wake the fish up. I had 2 small tench, just over 4lbs and 5 bream up to 7lbs. The bream came at night the 2 tench daytime. One bream and one tench came when the temperature was minus 5c. Lat weekend again tried and again woke up to minus 5c on sunday. I had caught 3 roach/ bream hybrids and one bream. One hybrid was almost pure roach looking at 3.4 another at 3.6 and a beauty at 4.12. So yes I am out there as usual and catching some worthwhile fish. This was my afternoon fish when it was warm at about 4c with a cold easterly I didn't dare touch the camera with the minus 5 one. John

I have been text and emailed a few times this morning informing me that at the Gipping Angling Preservation society AGM last night there has been a change of secretary and other officers and committee. For years now there have been grumbles amongst anglers about how the club has been in decline. I do know a lot of anglers don't join because of the policies that have been in place. There is already an air of excitement building amongst old and current members who see the future as looking good. Any old members who haven't joined because of past history please show your support now and get back to fishing some beautifull waters with quality fish. John

Hi Garry last year they allowed a friend of mine to join about now after early joining scheme ended. I am sure you could join aswell if you wanted. Their AGM was last night so do not know who to contact until I hear. If you want to join I am sure could sort it for you. No club would turn away a new member. If you want me to find out I have now pm'd you my email as workdays I do not keep my mobile with me. John

Bit strange really. When I visit barham and the area in general the word is the floods last year washed huge numbers of fish out of barham b. Then in the next breath I hear the river is devoid of fish all the way to Ipswich. Where have they gone. Did Rudd see them off felixstowe. Have heard rumours the carp anglers a few years ago when it was a carp water used to chuck the bream and tench into the river. That might explain why large catches of quality tench come from GAPS stretch at elton water mank. Ahh well I might just post a fishing report here again soon like I used too. With a good bag of fish from Barham. A few pictures aswell. For as long as the seasons will right themselves soon I can also gaurantee I will catch some good bags of fish and quality at barham this year. That should put the mockers on it. John

As Dales quite rightly said put this on a one species forum and you would be slated for even considering using such light tackle on a water containing carp. And even though you are roach fishing you must have a 1metre square unhooking matt 42 inch landing net and carp medicare kit just in case. A pike forum has been discussing the same tv program and fluoro. Amazing how those that break lots of others rules on live bait, no's and spacing of rods, guesting as they call it when poaching etc can be so high and mighty about using fluro when after perch. John

I am secretary of sudbury and long melford AA that have had kettlebaston since the FMS days. The tench and bream have done very well there and the roach fishing is on a high at present . I think its a very different water now than it was. Still a brick banked reservoir but in a lovely setting and peacefull. Gaps agm tonight might see a change in direction for the club depending on votes. The matchmen might at last be made to broaden their veiws about other waters. Its not good for any club to be ruled by any section of angling be it carp match or any other. Alton will get more of my attention this year. To get back to thread title "its a lovely place to blank" John

Hi Gary hope your surgery goes well. Night fishing at Alton is being discussed but not decided yet. Will let you know along with other improvements we hope to get. My mate does not fish with me now. He struggled with catching at Barham whilst I did well. We tried the Ocean pit and the same result. we were also fishing the fenland rivers and similar. I occasionally fish with another friend who got me into Zander. But its not often and is actually easier than the previous one as we give each other space on the bank. However night fishing Alton with the stories of what goes on might be more sensible to have company if it gets the go ahead. Gaps have a major stir up occurring at their AGM tonight and the future of barham may depend on what happens. This would be a good time to rejoin and catch it for the next year just incase something untoward happens. You went right past me at barham. I would have been pleased to see you. Also would be pleased for you to join me on the bank. I will pm you my mobile number then next time you are around text me and I can tell you if I am there. John

Hi Rudd Its the first time I can remember having another poster here that has repeated something I have said i.e. the frozen net. Most quickly read and forget I am sure. It somehow makes it more worthwhile to post something. Thankyou for that. I have learn't from the previous week. I stood landing net up but it still froze and was hard work to land a fish with. Obviously water isn't icing over as it is warm enough not too so I left the net head in the water. I also kept unhooking matt inside. Hopefully won't need those tactics again. Drunken idiots are not something I have come across on the bank for a long time thankfully. The clubs I join all ban alchohol or have a hard stance on excessive consumption. You do however get a funny smell drifting on the wind sometimes. Barham is either lucky or unlucky, depending on your veiw of carp, as its supposed to have lost several over the last few years and now has nothing over 30lbs in it so there are far less carp anglers there of late. Not saying that carp anglers consume alchohol etc but they are the overnight anglers generally and can partake if they want. Many think barham is going down hill. I am of the opposite opinion its turning into a really good general fishery again but most are stuck with old memories of its heyday. Still they say the same about Alton and many other waters. regards John

Well Rudd and garylee Did another sesion at barham b. Didn't fish friday although arrived late afternoon but needed a sleep. Fished 2 tip rods with feeders all day saturday and had one hybrid. It was minus 2 saturday morning. Fished all night saturday and had 2 more hybrids and a bream at first light. It was minus 5 there this morning. The bream was 6.2 the 2 hybrids in the night were 3.6 and 3.4. The smaller one was almost a perfect roach a lovely looking fish but the one saturday was 4.12. A superb hybrid which like all hybrids fought like a tench and looked gorgeaous. Didn't get raped beaten up or had gear stolen but hey it could be fun if they try. John

Hi Rudd there are 2 locked gates to get in now or a long walk from great blakenham end. Long walk is not much good to steal gear. There was a layby on a14 people used to come down onto water but that is closed. When I night fish the fens for zander winter time that is far more dangerous. Public roads very close and unsavoury sorts around. Barham is a pussy cat in comparison. John

Hi Rudd Night fished barham for over 2 years now and have never had any trouble. Although as you say I had the whole lake to myself saturday night. Cannot understand where all the other anglers were. LOL Did have 3 youths come along the riverside at 3.30 am first light on a spring morning. They had been at a night club and were on way home. No trouble to me as they were still canned up and easy targets if need be although they were friendly. I sometimes think stories of trouble get exagerated. One carp angler there always seems to see people walking up and down the bank at nightys. When on busy bream nights I am out on the bank all night and have never seen anyone. John

Hi Gary had very few tench last year there but lots of quality bream. Some good hybrids also to 3lbs or so. The previous year I had lots of tench but as you probably know tench were hard everywhere last year. Hoping for a bumper year this year. Certainly a good start. I night fished saturday and pulled rods in when I caught a bream at midnight. Everything was so frozen I thought fish would freeze to unhooking matt and lose scales. My 2 landing nets were frozen to the ground I managed to free the pan net which was then like landing a fish on a long handle frying pan. My 10ltr water bottle was frozen solid and my gas inside my car would not work as it was too cold. Spring fishing is fun. Having said that I thoroughly enjoyed it. John

Hi Gary funny you should mention Barham B. Caught this saturday afternoon along with another sunday morning when the temp was minus 5c. The water was 6c. also had 5 good sized bream to 7lbs. Not ideal tench conditions. John

Thanks renrag A joy ot watch John

Dave yes a little prebaiting is well worth it at Wingham but you have other high paying members too consider. I would not heavy prebait either it would be a few offerings in a few swims of the bait I had decided was the right bait too try. I would do it regularly and then if someone was in your swim then no problem as you have several prebaited swims. The advantage with a syndicate is you have less anglers to fish a water the disadvantage is they all have to pay a lot more than a club angler and generally try to get value for money by fishing it a lot. Also many club anglers hardly fish but the low cost means they rejoin. Most syndicate anglers are serious all year all weather anglers. John

A wonder bait. We all need one of those. Thanks Dales John

Hi Dales It was the quote of 50% dying that made me post. I think it is ridiculous but I think old Dave just wants to get a few more posting. He has certainly done that with me today but we will see if it lasts. John

Seriously Dave if you prebait a dayticket water or a popular one you just have to put up with it. I think prebaiting these type of waters is probably not so effective anyway as loads of bait goes in all the time. Prebaiting works really well on hardly fished waters and out of the way swims. John

Being a nice polite chap I would Tell the other bloke to F*** O** But then I would never have made it as a politician John

Hi Matt I see your point but its the bank and the depth changes as the water aproaches it that changes things. If the wind is blowing into a bay the top layer is being funnelled in and therefore increasing its speed beyond where you are fishing. It comes out pretty fast. The shape of the bank the shape of the bottom, bottom features etc make a huge difference. For instance behind a bar or any rise in the bottom you can have an area just like a slack in a river. The hardest part as always is knowing what the speed of the water is where you want to present a bait. If your bait is travelling at a different speed your chance of a bite is less. Obviously thats for float fishing. Like Dales I have often fished a big water with 3 rods at distance into 20ft plus. You bait the area spodding or catapulting with marker float out. You fish clipped up and within your baited area and find either the left or right rod gets all the action. On those occasions I have generally shifted my line and find all rods then behave. Sometimes it is not the direction you expect. For this reason in warm conditions fishing deep and at distance I now use a method feeder. I can at least be sure something is near the hook. Also not all the fish sit over the baited area some roam around the main shoal and often they are the bigger ones so I do not torture myself too much about being bang on the feed. I don't believe in that sort of fishing to have the feed in a small area anyway. A small area is probably better in match circumstances in that sort of fishing but if you bait too close and are not on it you might not catch at all. If your bait is spread they will roam around and eventually cover your feed area. Also less chance of spooking them when spread. When you start thinking of the tow and then chuck in the temperature affect wind chill or warming depending on air and water temp then your head starts to think its easier to understand women. john