[My Autumn/Winter Campaign]

Nice one Chris, they look like a net full of beauties!

[Wingham Fish-In Catch Reports]

At last.... I actually get a few minutes in front of the computer without any interruptions! :-)

 

Well, what more can I say, that hasn't been said already. This was the most amazing weekend of fishing that I have ever experienced and in such a beautiful location too. I can't say thank you enough to everyone who made this weekend possible and for all the tips and tales shared it just made it a truly unforgettable weekend and a special thank you to Steve for having Dales and I there for the weekend.

 

Not only did I catch my PB perch of 3.14 within the first 30 minutes of fishing but I caught my very first pike of 11.04 too, I was trying for a bigger perch but obviously the pike had other ideas :-)

 

Thank you again for making this such a fantastic weekend :-)

 

And happy fishing!

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

Yeah I like living dangerously, thats why I am going to win.

 

I think I may even have sneaked in to the lead, with last week ends fishing trip.

 

Species so far 2010

 

Zander

Pike

Roach

Bream

Eel (PB)

Tench (PB)

 

I had a small Perch a few weeks ago but I don't think that counts as it was not witnessed and I was not going to set the self take camera up for a 3" Perch, to many other people around. But if I get a Gudgeon or minnow I dont care how many people are around I'm going for the trophy shot.

 

But what should be nice is that Paula will get a chance to catch new species she has never caught before and I will get to go after fish that I have not caught for a long time.

So far the species I have caught in 2010 are:

 

Bream

Tench

Roach

Perch

 

I need to step it up a notch this weekend

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

A Hackney girl eh? Dales, you'd better let her win mate

 

(Welcome to AN Smiffles!)

Thank you for the welcome!

 

He'd better watch out, I'm getting a bit handy with the numchuks on the Wii

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

Yeah it is fun having an interest we can share, we both like being out in the country and its a good education for me. I have always had an interest in plants and minor interest in wildlife, but have never really put the effort in to identifying them. When we are out fishing Paula points various birds out to me and now I even know the names of a few. It makes the whole trip more interesting.

When I was a nipper my aunt got me interested in ornothology, I was even a member of the RSPB's Young Ornothologists Club (I'm sure I've still got my badge somewhere and a book I won in a bird painting competition!)......... and cue 'bird watching jokes'

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

Hi Dales and Smiffles,

 

One of the first stretches of rivers I ever fished was the Lee down Lee Bridge Road,...hehehe!

 

Not exactly a stones throw from you. In those long gone days the river there had lots of timber merchants along the Hackney side, rats were always a problem but the fishing was fairly good. Sadly I have not fished that part of the Lee for many years and have no idea what it fishes like these days.

The rats have now evolved down Lea Bridge Road, they carry knives and guns now!

 

One of my friends lives overlooking the Regents Canal and a few summers ago we could see huge mirror carp feeding along the overhanding trees and shrubs, but I bet they have become someones supper now

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

I'm not surprised he wasn't amused knowing his love for nuts

At least it wasn't the monkey nuts!

[Early season tench]

Thanks everyone, all comments and suggestions duly taken on board, I've got my fingers crossed and I can't wait for the long weekend

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

How was I supposed to know that apple was buoyant and that you were using sneaky pop up style bait tactics.

 

It was not until I thought about bobbing for apples at Halloween that I understood the concept

 

That's because I'm smarter than the average bear

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

Do or can you both use centrepins? might give you an edge, unless she is better than you.

 

Insure her well and sign her up for some halo jumps or how about free fall parachute jumps?

 

Or you could consider signing her up for wrestling crocodiles, bear baiting, catching great whites alive only using a landing net from an inflatable with a cut on her wrist.

 

Failing that take her out for a really great meal, wine her and dine her, get her totally smashed, then while taping the conversation explain she has given you an impossible situation, if you win she will be upset, if she wins she may look upon you as useless. Either of which could damage a relationship so gentle with tack and charm persuade her to drop the whole idea.

 

Failing that get out the rubber gloves and the pinny, maybe other female apparel and prepare yourself for a life of slavery, degradation and humiliation under her controlling thumb.

 

You have obviously decided that she is going to beat you so get a few mates involved it may lessen your defeat and you might make a few pound on the side betting on her...hehehe

 

I have met a few women in my life who are really brilliant anglers and I have a great deal of respect for them.

 

I liked my first response best...hehehe!

 

Hee hee you crack me up, I like your style, unfortunately your plots are flawed!

 

I don't do heights, I can hold my drink, I grew up on a council estate in Hackney so bring on the bear baiting, (PETA, I'm kidding!!! I love furry critters, just ask Dales how many bags of his cashews I fed to the wild racoons, he was sooooooooooo not amused!)

 

I put my fishing skills down to luck, If I win, I win, if not................. I'm hiding his fishing gear

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

Cheat, matchstick float one small shot to cock it if you really need anything, size 24 or smaller hook, get some sticklebacks, minnows etc.

 

Go to a carp lake, chase the Tench, Bream - silver- common - bronze, Chub, Rudd, Roach, then go after the Carp - common - , perhaps then maybe a cat or two,

 

Head for a good Zander hotspot, hit the Dace, Grayling and Barbel, not forgetting the Perch and Pike, Trout - brown - rainbow and Salmon, that will give you a good start then you can go after the harder fish.

 

Bleak, Bullhead, Bitterling, Carp Crucian, Carp Grass, Eels, Goldfish brown, Gudgeon, Minnows, Orfe, Golden. Then find fisheries with exotics after that it's sea fishing time...hehehe

 

Good fishing to you both, and please keep us all up to date.

 

What next fishing methods, ancient, traditional and modern?

 

I could always hit the London aquarium in my lunch hour with my camera, followed by an evening in with PhotoShop and my and my species tally will sky rocket! It may be a bit difficult explaining how a caught a black tipped reef shark in Lake John, but I'm sure I must have a few holiday snap shots of the beach I can tweak a little

 

There is nothing like a little healthy competition, If I lose it will just make me more determined next year!

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

And you are right about fishing as a team, it makes the experience more enjoyable and we do get excited for each other when one of us catches a fish that neither of us have had before. But saying that I am still a little annoyed that she has caught a Black Pacu and I have not, but then she did go to the trouble of fishing with a chunk of apple which I dismissed it as a waste of time. But when fishing abroad we generally take it in turns to strike a run, I'm lucky that she is interested in fishing, it allows me to include plenty of fishing trips in our holidays.

 

I thought that you were more annoyed at the 4, 40lb plus siamese carp that I caught on apple.

I think the trick was to cut the apple piece into the shape of a boilie (don't leave any skin on), they are slightly bouyant too!

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

Norma has caught only one of each, but why is every billfish I hook either a sailfish or a striped marlin ? Note, when trolling for big game fish, we take it in turns to take strike, so we usually wind up with equal numbers of fish each, but the "special" ones only appear when its Norma's turn to take strike. Witchcraft, that's what it is

 

 

Go Norma! you show him how it's done!

[Challenged to a species hunt by my other half.]

Learn to use the washing machine never, its to hard to work out. I think I would rather end up in the garden with a large tin bath, bar of carbolic soap and wash board. It may not get the clothes as clean, but if I got bored I could form my own skiffle band.

 

I'm a bit of a ludditte when it comes to technology.

 

Just for reference, the washing machine is the larger of the two white appliances in the kitchen, the smaller one is the tumble dryer :-).

[Early season tench]

Over Easter I'm off to to fish at Kingfisher Lake in Norfolk, I'm hoping to catch a PB tench, I caught my very first tench a few weeks ago at Lake John in Essex (the one I caught was only a bubba around the 2lb mark), which according to my boyfriend (Dales) was very early in the season. By his own admission, he struggles to catch big tench, so come on guys (and girls) can you give me a few tips on how to up my PB of 2lb :-)

[Wingham Fish-In]

Hello everyone, I'm new to AN and this is my very first post I'm new to all this so please be gentle with me!

 

Over the past few years I have heard so much about AN and Wingham from my boyfriend that I thought it was about time that joined in, it's nice to see a few other ladies on here too.

 

Most of my friends think I'm raving mad spending my weekends sitting out in the pouring rain but I really don't care, for me it's an escape the from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to breathe some fresh air and and feel the tingles of excitement when you get a bite. Even on a day when nothing is biting, just watching the wildlife makes it seem all worth it.

 

I've fished quite a few places over the past few years but I recently saw some pictures if Wingham and I can' believe how spectacular the lake and the surroundings are, from what I've been told the pictures do not do it any justice, trust me I've after seeing the amount of fishing programmes I've seen, this place looks like heaven on earth!