Jump to content

AddictedToScopex

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    2335

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    6

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by AddictedToScopex

  1. AddictedToScopex
    Hi all,
     
    Arrived back off the honeymoon on thursday. Just thought I would post up a pic of the only fish that I caught while I was away. Fishing in Sri Lanka was a no go due to very rough seas which was disappointing but I managed to arrange a trip in the maldives to go lure fishing on a boat. It was billed as a casting trip so I was expecting to catch loads of jacks and barracuda but I only got to make ten casts which was annoying. For the most part we were trolling lures behind the boat which was a traditional maldivian cruiser.
     
    We sat for hours with not a peep until something smacked my lure like a freight train. I nearly had the rod wrenched from my hands. I struck up and held on for dear life as I saw a huge shape erupt out of the water in a truly acrobatic flip. Not once but three times it did this and it was a real spectacle to watch. That was all I could do for a while, Just watch the line getting stripped off the huge Penn Senator while the fighting belt went on and the rod was placed into the holder on it.
     
    My arms grew tired very quickly and I held on very tight with both hands to the rod which bent and flexed with the powerful surges. At last my guide told me to begin winching the beast in. This was just as hard as holding on as I was holding on to the rod with one hand while furiously turning the reel with the other. The fish then had other ideas as it neared the boat and went on another surging run. By this time I had already been fighting the fish for 15 minutes and was exhausted. My back was killing me and my arms were on fire.
     
    I was told to start reeling in again and prayed for it to be the last time I needed to do it as I was on my last legs. The heat was incredible and the sweat was pouring off me and loosening my grip on the rod and reel all the time.
     
    At last I watched as the angle on the line grew nearer to the boat as the skipper brought us round to get the fish directly behind us. I continued to winch the fish in in a last gasp of energy and saw two guides bend over the end of the boat with gaffs in hand. I was about to see the beast which had left me feeling like I had just run a marathon.
     
    I heard the cry of sailfish and the gaffs went in and it was hauled on board. I felt a pang of guilt as I saw the amazing creature in the flesh and also the gaffs dragging it on with blood coming from it. I have never been good when it comes to seeing fish in harms way but this is the way they do it over there and nothing goes to waste. I handed the rod over to a guide and sat down with a fag while I looked at the stunning creature I had caught and felt sorry for it as its eye twitched as its life ebbed away. It felt like a sad loss of a great creature. I was feeling a mix of utter elation and also guilt and sadness.
     
    After a while we steamed for home and pulled into the jetties. One of the resorts managers came to meet me as they had heard that I had bagged a big one and wanted to see it for themselves. We stood on the end of the boat and took a few pictures and weighed it (102lbs!!!) as It was the biggest they had had caught in a long time in that area of the maldives and my picture went up in the reception area as a way to celebrate it. We were offered to have some prepared for our tea which we agreed to and it was the most fantastic thing I have ever eaten. It did not taste like fish at all but rather like a combination of chicken, turkey, tuna and butter. It felt like a way of honouring the fish to actually eat some and not let it be a death for deaths sake. It was also the freshest fish I have ever eaten having only been caught 3 hours before we ate some.
     
    I assume the rest of it went to the restaurant or surrounding islands as it is a very expensive fish and it will not have been wasted.
     
    Well here it is in all its glory. A really beautiful fish and the strongest fighter I have ever experienced. I know this is a sea fish in the coarse forum but I am always in this forum so thought I would put it here for you all to see:
     
    On the boat:
     

     

     
     
    On the plate (half eaten ):
     

  2. AddictedToScopex
    Well I missed putting a session on here the other week but I will sum up last saturdays events.
     
    An early start waking up at 4.45am. With the weather being predicted to be nice I thought I would have to rise really early to get a good swim.
     
    Arrived at the river at 5.30am and waded out to put the baitwaiter into the pebbles on the bank stick and began to fire maggots in to create a nice steady stream to hopefully entice some fish into the area and get them feeding hard. I had identified an excellent run that had produced well for me in the past and as the river was low it was looking perfect. You can see the end of my run as the white water starts and there is a channel between it.
     
    My views:
     


     
    I fed 5-6 maggots every ten seconds or so for about 20 minutes before I retreated back to the pebbles to tackle up, returning to the bait waiter regularly to keep topping up the swim. After around 10 minutes I was ready to get going.
     
    The setup was a Shaky Mach 1 13ft match rod, Marco Cortesi Centrepin, Drennan 4bb wire stemmed stick float, 6lb Diawa Sensor mainline with 4lb power steel hooklength to a size 14 drennan super specialist hook.
     
    First trot was met with many little bites and I knew I was in for a rough time with the minnows as time after time I would strike with no result. I continued to feed in a routine of feed, cast, feed, retrieve, feed etc.
     
    After not to long I had a better bite and when I struck into it I was met by a great little fight. Another sea trout making two for this season so far. Considering I had never caught one before this season this was a real treat to have two at the start of the season.
     

     
    Trot after trot I would get plagued by minnows and would then get a decent bite toward the end of the run as the bigger fish seemed to be waiting at the end to pick up what escaped the clutches of the little minnows. Fish after fish came to the net but most of small sizes and that many that I didnt bother to photograph them as I was enjoying it too much. After a little while another nice brown trout came out which was bigger than the others I was getting so I decided it was worth a quick snap. It was a great looking fish. Not long after that another came.
     

     

     
    I would certainly say that this season seems to be throwing up much larger specimens of trout at the moment for me with me getting a large 3lber the week before. Last season the sizes were very small in the main.
     
    Dace after dace and trout after trout rolled in but no sign of the chub which I thought was a little odd given that everything else was feeding hard.
     
    After a few hours my friend gaz turned up and we decided to head down to our usual barbel pegs with a view to staying after dusk. We lasted until 4pm as the unrelenting heat was just too much to bear and to save weight we had foolishly left our brollies at home. I lost 2 pints of maggots to the heat as they overheated even with the lid off but shielding them from the sun so you can imagine how we felt with no brollies. £5 down the pan too! i moved onto the feeder for a while and continued to catch with no sign of the barbel or chub. Some boot laces turned up to join the party but I wont say they were a welcome visitor. I knew the peg I was on threw them up quite often so I just got on with it.
     
    On the whole it was a very productive days angling but it was a great shame we couldnt stay into the night as the barbel would have very likely come on the feed in a big way giving me more pics to show you. I will include a pic of the barbel I had the previous week just as a taster of the fish that I will hopefully be getting in future blog entries
     

     
    Fingers crossed I will be out next weekend so will try to keep you updated on progress.
  3. AddictedToScopex
    Plans were very much up in the air for this weekend until an offer of a days spinning for perch by Tigger.
     
    After meeting up we took a little tour of some waters he knows. Fantastic looking waters perfect for light feeder or trotting work and ones that will certainly be revisited in the future. I cannot say anymore as I would not like to dishonour Tigger for being kind enough to show me and I am certain he would not like me to divulge locations.
     
    After looking at the waters we decided on a walk up the canal spinning for perch. Small bright lures were the pick of the day. Tigger had follows from a mutlitude of small perch almost right away but to no avail. We continued our way up the towpath until I hit the first fish of the day. And when I say hit it I really mean it. It was a poor fry that got nailed by the treble on my small spinner.
     
     

     
     
    We continued up the stretch until we reached a lock and a bridge. Tigger pointed out that he had had some success there and proved it instantly by casting into the gap under the bridge and getting the first perch of the day. A lovely example of the species that while not being specimen size was fin perfect. We had a few more casts in the area as boats moved through and while follows were frequent hookups werent as forthcoming. We observed a lot of good sized fish rolling and bubbling which was refreshing to see given the state of some of the canals I have seen. This one was just teeming with life and had me wishing I had a float setup handy for when we had had enough of spinning. We moved past the bridge to the lock itself and sat down on the wall flinging spinners up and down it and watching follows and also groups of perch attacking fry and even a small jack pike on one occasion. This is where I got my first ever perch on the spinner. A fairly standard retrieve and then the perch cracked into the lure and was firmly hooked. It was lifted out and unhooked and I asked Tigger to take a picture so I could remember in the future which perch was first to fall to a spinner for me.
     
     

     
     
    Tigger also caught one at the same time around the same size showing it wasnt just a fluke. The lock seemed alive with perch patrolling up and down and attacking anything that moved. I had another two takes here but sadly the hooks didnt find purchase. We tried many approaches and lures but we had fished this area out and the perch had become wary. It was time to move on.
     
    Next we made our way down the towpath to the next bridge with Tigger spotting many different species on the way including a large shoal of gudgeon, chub and roach. As we neared the bridge Tigger spooked a small pike from the side of the bank. I made a mental note of this and as we arrived at the bridge I cast down the concrete edge where it had been spooked. First cast resulted in instant sucess. A different fight this time. I knew it was a pike. As it neared me I saw it on the surface but my unforgiving heavier pike spinning rod resulted in the hooks being thrown. I wasnt a happy bunny but these things happen. That is the result of using kinder barbless trebles.
     
    Another cast down the same edge then resulted in another perch for me but smaller than the previous one. I was still made up though. Two perch on my first session specifically targetting them. Result.
     
    We fished this area for a while before making our way back to the cars and spinning along the way. We saw many shoals of fry erupting out of the water but we could also see the small teams of 2inch perch making them do this. We had a few casts anyway but to no avail.
     
    After we returned to the cars we had a good chin wag and then went our seperate ways with a view to meeting up again in the not too distant future to have a days trotting on one of the venues he had shown me.
     
    On the whole it was a very enjoyable day and while we didnt bag up I certainly had enough sport to be very satisfied with the short time we spent on the canal. It was great fun and it was nice to finally meet up with Ian after we had mentioned it a few times in the past. Top bloke and a good laugh.
     
    Cheers Ian
  4. AddictedToScopex
    Well today saw a meeting of 3 AN members 'oop north' to spend a few hours trotting on a small but great looking river.
     
    Weather was less than favourable with strong blustery winds and rain coming in sheets but being the hardy northern folk that we are we decided to give it a go regardless. I met up with Ian (Tigger) and Brain (Lutra) at our usual meeting place and off we went to the river.
     
    We arrived to see it a little more coloured than it had been last time I saw it but it was still certainly fishable. I was introduced to Brian and we made our way to the bank via Ians car so he could stick his thigh waders on. A decision that proved wise for him later on when he slipped and ended up thigh deep in the river trying to balance on a rock. I may well have had him come drifting by me if the tide had raised the levels at the time it was supposed to!
     
    We walked down the bank and eyed a few spots. Brian was the first to select his mark and he disappeared into the weeds to take up position (That was the last time I saw him so fingers crossed he made it back ok )
     
    Myself and Ian continued down the bank until I saw a spot I wanted to fish and Ian carried on down to one of his favourite spots.
     
    I set up on a mid-sized stick float and tied on a size 16 and set the rod down ready for the off. I began by trickling maggots in along a crease in the flow that looked favourable. The wind was horrendous in this spot and I quickly found myself cursing it as it blew my line about and made getting the float to hand a proper pain in the arse. It was very frustrating. As was trying to keep the float on line.
     
    I gave it around 20 minutes in this spot before sheer frustration forced me to give up and move off to find a more sheltered spot. That and the fact that I had not had a single bite.
     
    I made my way back to a bridge that looked like an excellent place to set up camp and eyed up a nice run along the inside edge of the bridge which ended at a great looking eddy. It was a very short run but I knew it had definite potential. I employed the usual method of feeding little and often and observed the way the maggots behaved as the water boiled up and raised the maggots in the water before sucking them down and along the edge of the bridge. They would then be caught up in the eddy where I can only assume they would remain until they were sucked out into the main flow which led down to a weir. I made a mental note of that weir as I intend to have a go for the perch there as well as at the bridge at some point in the future, most likely on a lob worm.
     
    After feeding for a while I decided to drop in and have a run down the line. I decided my best bet would be to bounce my float off the inside of the bridge to allow it to plop into the water and follow the exact line I wanted. This worked perfectly and as the float danced its merry way down the line I saw a few tell tale pulls as the float dipped a little. I considered that it could have been the bottom so I shortened up by a few inches. The next few trots I witnessed the same so knew it wasnt the bottom. As I made the 5th or 6th trot the float reached the outer edge of the eddy and buried. I knew it had to be a fish and a fish it was. I struck up, being careful not to hit my 13ft rod on the underside of the bridge, and hooked a small but spirited fish. Sadly as it slipped into the main flow the hook pulled so I didnt get to see the fish. Confidence had been raised though and suddenly the wind and rain didnt bother me. I had something to go at now.
     
    I made another few trots and continued to feed and then the float hit the inner edge of the eddy and buried again. I knew this would be a good holding spot for fish after observing the behaviour of the maggots earlier on. The fish again slipped into the main flow and dived for cover at the nearside bank but I managed to steer it clear and brought it to hand. A lovely little chub that really brightened up a grey and miserable day.
     

     
    I continued to follow my approach and hooked into another two fish only to have them slip the hook. I put this down to the rod I was using, and probably a bit of inexperience on my part. Despite having had the rod recommended to me as a great trotting rod I could not help but feel it was a little too strong and unforgiving both on the strike and also during the fight and it certainly felt like it with a smaller fish on. I watched Ian later on and the flex in his rod was far better than mine and looked perfect for the job. I will now be in the market for a new rod as I believe it is foolish to fish with a rod that you hold no confidence in. Another problem I found with it was that it didnt seem to like letting line go from the tip ring. I pulled off a bow of line from my reel and it still wouldnt give line to the float which hampered efforts immeasurably. It is a shakespeare mach 1 13ft match for anyone wondering.
     
    Anyway I digress . I continued with my line for a little while longer and this time I allowed the float to travel the line until it reached the eddy but steered it just into the edge of the main flow. It buried again and I was gifted with another lovely little chub.
     

     
    A few trots later the same happened again and it was another small chub but the rain was lashing down so I didnt want to get the phone out for a pic.
     
    Eventually the rain and the fact that I had to get home before the wife disappeared to work beat me and I decided I had better call it quits. I packed up and dropped the kit off at the car and then went to find Ian to say goodbye. I had no idea where Brian was so I will have to speak to him next time we meet up. I ended up chatting to Ian for a further 20 minutes and watching him trotting to see how the pro's apply their trade . It is strangely addictive to watch a man trotting and watching the float for signs of a bite and I probably could have watched for ages had I not needed to get off. Brian was nowhere to be seen but Ian told me that he was having a good time on the dace further downstream. Ian meanwhile was hitting the chub and having a good time of it from what I saw. Only 20 yards up from where I had been too .
     
    On the whole depsite the weather it was another great day and it was kind of Ian to offer to take us both down there. Top bloke as usual. It was also good to meet another member of the illustrious Anglers Net.
     
    Hopefully next time we will have the weather on our side.
     
    I certainly plan to get down there again soon as It was great fun and I want to try and do a bit better next time. My tackle really limited me and it was incredibly frustrating. The power of the ribble I usually fish is much better suited to my rod and reel than this little river was and I have not had the same issues on there apart from the rod tip seeming heavy and leading to pulls.
     
     
  5. AddictedToScopex
    Well today saw me down by the small river again. Only this time was to be a bit more special. The reason, my dad was over from Ireland and this was to be the first fishing trip we have had together on our own for as long as I can actually remember.
     
    It was one of those days of reminiscing and catching up and reforming bonds that had begun to die with age. I don't get to see my father much these days with him living in Ireland and this was one of those rare chances to really have a good talk and to spend some time together. He has not been too well recently and I thought it was important to get out with him and share a day doing the thing we both love so much.
     
    The day began with me collecting my father from my sisters house and having a chat about the plan for the day. The basic plan was to get down to the river and use the a centre pin each to trot maggots for anything that came along.
     
    We arrived at the river and all looked well. The only thing wrong was that it seemed to be really barreling through despite not appearing too high. We decided to have a go anyway but soon found that the pace was just too much and the bank was harder to access than we had hoped for. We had a walk down the bank and had a little think and in the end I suggested that although we didn't really have the gear for it we could put on a small bomb each and just while the hours away with some tip fishing.
     
    Deep down we both knew the rods we had were not right for the job and neither was the fact we had no rod rests. In the end it was real ' make do' fishing and we simply set up a running ledger rig and put our baits on, rested the rods on the ground and waited. We had numerous bites but as we expected (due to having no feeders or correct rods/reels) we didn't hook up with the vast majority of bites. In fact I caught the only fish of the day which was a small dace. After fishing for 3 hours without catching anything it was a truly satisfying catch and just goes to show that although we had the wrong gear it was still possible to catch something.
     
    In the end we were just led down chatting away about this and that and had such a good time. Fish or no fish it was an excellent day and we didn't pack up until the last light had begun to fade.
     
    I won't be forgetting that session in a hurry. It was very special to share a day with my father like that.
  6. AddictedToScopex
    A long time since I last got round to making a blog entry. Today saw me make a snap decision to scrap the gym session in favour of picking the spinning rod up and heading for the canal for a spot of lure fishing.
     
    I headed down to my usual stretch in the hope that I could extend my knowledge about it and try and find some perch swims ready for the warmer weather. I decided to begin at the bridge where I had caught my perch on the drop shotting gear and work my way back down towards preston.
     
    I decided to opt for one of my favourite lures. A large spro spinner with twin blades and a black and green stripey pattern. On it went and I began to work my way up the canal all the time looking for any sign of predator activity. The bridge unusually showed no signs of life so after 5 minutes I moved on. I stopped every 15 yards or so and made casts in a fan arrangement and retrieved at various paces trying to keep the lure near the bottom where i expected the pike to be lying up.
     
    As usual when lure fishing my mind wandered as I made my way happily down the canal and I found myself making plans for the spring assualt on the perch. As I was thinking about likely swims etc I felt a sharp rap on the other end of the rod. Had something had a go as I was reeling in or had I touched some weed? I cast out again in the same place as last time and wound in again but this time a touch slower. Suddenly a hard thump on the rod and it was game on. I could feel a pike on the other end lunging for the dead reeds on the opposite bank. I was using a light 6 foot spinning rod and was surprised at how well it was coping with the heavy lunges and surging runs. Then as quickly and violently as it started then aggression stopped. The pike seemed to have just given up. I reeled in carefully knowing full well that it could shoot off again at any moment. I think the cold had gotten then better of it though and it made its way into the net looking angry that I had disturbed it. I grinned from ear to ear. My cold hands and face and slipping on the muddy banks had been rewarded with a perfect looking pike hooked squarely in the upper jaw. This was why I had sacked off the gym and picked up the rod.
     

     
    I unhooked the fish and slipped it back making sure it got back ok and swam off strongly. I was very pleased with the result. To be totally honest I would have been just as happy to be there and not catch as it was more of an exploration mission but I was happy with the result.
     
    I continued to make my way down the canal working the lure in the same fashion and picked up another small jack and found some great looking spots for the perch campaign when the water heats up a bit more. I think I also did more than my fair share of rubbish removal with alsorts from plastic bags to metal wire being winched up on my spinner.
     
    The only down side to the day was that I somehow managed to snag up on something that was too heavy to lift and my spinner broke free. The braid I was using was very frayed where it had broken so I could only assume that it had been rubbed and snapped on the snag. It is a shame as I have been unable to source another of these lures and they are very good.
     
    Oh well. Still a cracking day.
  7. AddictedToScopex
    Well yesterday saw me with a day off work so what else to do but get myself out of the house and do some fishing. With the rivers still being so high I decided they were going to be a bit of a write off. I decided (as is becoming more and more common) to reach for the lure fishing gear.
     
    The target for the day was going to be the perch on a stretch of canal that I have been trying to master for a while now. It has produced some large pike for me and almost never results in a blank. It is a great stretch and one that receives relatively little angling pressure. It both surprises me and delights me that canals dont get the attention they deserve by anglers these days. This stretch is really stuffed with fish and standing on one of the bridges it is possible to see all manner of fish rolling and cruising and various predators smashing into shoals of roach or gudgeon. Its a lovely place to be particularly at sunset.
     
    Anyway back to the fishing. I arrived at the cut at about 2pm with the intention to simply catch a few perch if possible and then switch to the pike gear for the last hour or so. I tackled up using one of my own homemade traces (the first I have made for myself) and attached my go to perch plug. A 'devils own' sardine pattern. It is a long and thin plug about 7cm in length with two very small sets of ultra sharp trebles on. It is not a deep diver and will run at whatever depth I choose. I made a start by having a few chucks around the first bridge but nothing was doing. I was however seeing a lot of dimpling and smaller fish moving around so I had high hopes for the perch being active. I decided to waste no time and make my way to the first lock.
     
    Upon arriving at the first lock the sight that met me was staggering. As I crept up to look into the lock I saw masses of perch going mental. They were cruising in groups and hammering each other every couple of minutes or so. I dropped my lure in the middle of a group of them and they immediately turned and smashed straight into the lure one at a time until one engulfed it totally and ran off. It was a nice fight on the soft rod and I lifted the perch out and onto the soft grass. It wasnt a large fish but it gave a good account of itself and had nice colourings:
     

     

     
    From here on in the action was absolutely frantic. Everytime the lure hit the surface it would be hounded by a group of perch. It was like they hadnt fed for days. I got hit after hit but only a few resulted in hookups and a few fish were lost. After a while I decided to sit and watch as they nailed each other and any other smal fish that was foolish enough to cross their paths.
     
    I decided it was time to try a new lure. It was one I had just got from AGM but hadn't yet tried out. It was a small fat roach pattern that was very shiny and put out a great flash and a very fast wobble. The perfect perch lure in my eyes. I put it on and chucked it in and again it was nailed immediately. A better fish this time.
     

     

     
    I couldnt believe how the fish were feeding today. My guess is that the lack of boats (being midweek) had meant that not many prey fish were left in the lock and so the perch were getting very hungry. I think I will have another midweek session and try to prove the theory.
     
    I continued getting hammered by the perch and I was loving every minute. It was a real red letter day in terms of perch fishing with lures for me. I decided that as the perch were really having it I would try a bait that I had very little confidence in to see what happened. I attached a small rubber shad with a 10g jig head on it. I have had very little success on these in the past. I lowered it into the water where it got the attention of a few smaller perch. A couple took a nip at the tail and then sank into the depths. I decided to chuck it in at the opposite side of the lock and let it flutter back to me. As I did so it was absolutely hammered from the side by a huge perch. I dont like to speculate sizes but I would have put it at 2.5lbs+. It hooked itself and shot off on an escape bid. One that sadly proved successful. The hook pulled and I felt deflated. What a fish. It was a sight to behold as it nailed the lure. I decided to have another go. I dropped it in and let it flutter back past the detritus on top of the water at the lock gate. Amazingly it was nailed again. This fish was a real fighter. It went berserk and shot off across the lock. I knew it was a good fish again. I lowered the net down and scooped it up. When I lifted it up my eyes lit up. No matter how many times I catch a fish it still gives me that boyhood excitement. To catch a fish like this made my heart pound. It was definetly a pb perch. I reach for the scales immediately on to realise the worst. I had left them at home. I was gutted. I will never know how big that perch was but it looked huge in the flesh. The pictures just dont do justice to the true size of the thing. I know it was clear of the 2lb mark but I wish I knew by how much. It was around two hands long (about 12-14") and pretty wide.
     

     

     
    After this fish I was really spurred on. I returned the fish and went to drop the lure in again. As I did so I noticed two boats approaching the lock. My heart sank. This would surely put the fish down and release some from the lock. My captive audience would be no more. I resigned to that fact and picked my gear up and walked down to the lock they had just come from to have a dabble while they messed about at the good one. I sat down and had a few casts. I had an instant take that resulted in a hook pull folled by another two. This was to signal the change in luck. On one occasion a perch missed the lure only for a 3lb(ish) chub to come up from the depths to investigate. I was so surprised that I missed the take completely.
     
    I didnt get any fish out of this lock and decided after 20 minutes to walk back the previous lock. I planned to fish it for a further ten minutes before breaking out the big pike spinners. I arrived to see a couple of perch still left patrolling the edges. I dropped the lure in a few times and had another small perch that lifted my spirits again. I had another few follows and then the heavens opened. My heart sank. Had it not rained who knows how many perch and pike I could have picked up that day. It was as thought the fishing gods were saying ok enough is enough youve had your fun. It was a great few hours and I felt pretty lucky to have seen the perch in such a fedding frenzy. The whole canal seemed alive with life and I cant wait to get back down there.
     
    As I trudged off down the tow path back to the car I had a smile to myself and started making plans for next time.
  8. AddictedToScopex
    Just thought I would post about my last time out. Been a very long time since I did so
     
    Myself and my brother decided to have a go at the usual stretch we go to when targeting the larger specimens. It is a stretch of the Ribble know for producing some very large fish.
     
    We arrived at around 5pm and got our stuff sorted but I didnt rig up and instead opted to have a play with the lure gear instead. I have bought some really small 1" rubber shads to have a go for the perch. I made a few casts and then on the 4th or 5th cast I hooked into what I thought could be a pike. It went off like a train for a few seconds before darting around and pulling line occasionally. It was only when it was nearly to the net (the river was quite coloured) that I realised it was in fact a very large perch, by my standards anyway. I slipped the net under and then weighed it and it came in at 2.6lbs. A lovely fish for the river. I later moved the previous occupants nackered old chair! Shame I never took the photos as they really done do the fish justice at all.
     


     
    I carried on casting after this great fish and had another perch of around 6oz. Then a few casts later I hit another biggie. It took off again and was so nice to fight on my light lure gear. I got it in and weighed it and this one went 3lb on the nose! A new pb for me. Again with the dodgy pics!!
     

     

     
    I was really over the moon with this fish and decided to let my brother have a fish. He lost another large one near the net but then it went a bit quiet so I decided to sit back down and set up the barbel gear for the night. I cast in numerous pva mesh bags of pellets and then cast both rods in and sat back and enjoyed the sunset.
     
    We fished for a good few hours with not even a knock. This particular swim is not one we usually sit on but we wanted to try something new. I identified a spot that had a very deep hole and cast into it with 2 mesh bags attached. I waited about an hour and then I had a very slow pull. I thought that it was weed as the current was very strong that evening and a lot of weed etc was coming down. I lifted into it and it just felt heavy. It took a minute to feel a thump and a kick and I realised I was into a fish. I knew it had to be a good size but wasn't sure what it was and the heavy flow made me think possibly it wasnt that big but was just using the current very well. I played it for a fair while and then I slipped the net under it. I lifted it up and me and my brother couldnt believe how big it looked! It was a huge barbel. I weighed it and it came in at 11.5lbs. Another new pb for me.
     

     
    It felt like picking up a baby shark and I was elated with this capture. It was my second double figure barbel almost in as many weeks and after 4 years of trying. This stretch had really lived up to its reputation. in the end my brother blanked but I was really satisfied with my 4 fish. We went home around 2am as we were just shattered and we could tell it wasnt going to fish as well as we had hoped. Many had walked past us already looking beaten. Looking forward to the next time out!
     
  9. AddictedToScopex
    With the start of the new season I was able to have a look at some new water. I joined a new club in april and I was dying to get on to one of their river stretches to see what it was like. It was a place I had wanted to fish for a long time but never had the chance. Finally I have the stretch on my card so off I went.
     
    I arrived at the river around 5pm hoping to get a couple of hours in but it was mainly to be a recce to see what the water was like. I hiked through the fields and arrived at the river to see it looking nice but the first thing I noticed was thick weed in the margins. Not a good sign given that I had my ledgering gear with me. A decision I would come to regret.
     
    I tackled up after using the polarised glasses to find a deeper bit of river bed and cast two rods in. Within 5 minutes they were both bent double with weed. I knew there and then that I had made a mistake in bringing the ledger gear instead of the trotting equipment that I would have usually reached for. For the next few hours I had to recast as the weed became to thick on the line and I had not a single bite. Lesson learnt.
     
    Despite the weed it was nice to sit by the river for a few hours and soak up the sun. I also managed to check out the river and have a fair idea of where I will fish next time. I will certainly be taking the trotting gear next time though!
     
     
     
     
  10. AddictedToScopex
    So today saw me hitting a brand new water on a brand new card. I joined a club that I have waited many years to join last week so I wanted to make the most right away and try one of their waters. It was a small sized and very natural looking lake. A very nice quiet place to be. Sadly it was to be that way with the fish too but nevertheless I enjoyed being there and seeing some new water. I have a huge list of waters to go for now so choosing will be difficult. I intend to try another on monday. Unfortunately club rules state not to name locations and I guess that means pics will have to be taken carefully too or photoshopped to remove identifying features etc which is a shame but I am not about to get kicked out now that I have the ticket after waiting over 3 years! Hopefully now that I have more water to aim for the blog will pick back up again as I am also finding more time to get out and my back injury seems to be calming at last.
     
    Hopefull the the next entry will show a fish or two!!
  11. AddictedToScopex
    This saturday saw me eager to get out and and give the old quiver tip a go. Having been prevented from getting out for a little while due to the weather i was hopeful for a good session and had opted to go to a local still water. The night before however it turned bitterly cold and there was a hard frost on the car. I had a feeling this would have a detrimental effect on the fishing and boy was I right.
     
    I packed the gear up, headed down and got set up and tried to remain hopeful. It was that cold that I half expected there to be ice on the water.
     
    I set up on a maggot feeder and cast in. Opened the flask and sipped a coffee and waited. And waited. Re cast. Waited. Cast again......you can see where I am going with this one. I sat for 3 hours without a single tap, twitch or pull. I was expecting at least a few small roach at the very least but nothing happened. I tried going lighter, changing baits and a few other things but nothing could tempt a bite. It isnt an over stocked commercial so of course fish are not guarenteed but I was pretty shocked to get nothing. The weather does seem to have a huge effect on this place and it certainly had done this time.
     
    On the plus side it was a nice day to be out and I did see some gulls take a couple of small fish from around the far bank trees.
     
    I recently injured my back in the gym and in the end it was this that ended my day. Couple a lot of lower back pain with ice cold feet and no fish for 3 hours and I think most would give up the ghost. I packed up and jumped in the warm car. It was a pleasant feeling. It was nice to get out again but I think next time it will be a more mobile approach on either the river or canal. I will leave the still waters until they warm up a bit again. Here are two pics I took while there.
     

     

  12. AddictedToScopex
    Well today saw me packing the car up at 7am with a very small amount of gear. This can usually only mean one thing. Pike time.
     
    I chucked my net, rod and bag into the car and had a coffee before setting off. It seemed a nice mild day outside. Odd for this time of the year but I'm not going to complain.
     
    I made my way to the venue of choice, a canal that has produced well for me in the past. The plan for the day was to alternate between wobbling deadbaits and lure fishing. I have just recently acquired an Abu Hi-Lo which features an adjustable vane so I was itching to give it a go. The plan was to use lures up to the first lock and then switch to a wobbled dead.
     
    I rigged up and began wandering down the tow path fanning casts out as I went. The lure was fantastic and having the choice to set the depth I wanted to use it at was a revelation. I didnt need to switch lures to comfortably fish different depths. I will certainly be buying a few more in different patterns. I had got the fire tiger pattern as I was fairly confident that the water would be murky. I wasnt wrong.
     
    There wasn't much sign of anything doing all the way to the lock. I got to the lock and sat on the gate lever while I changed setups to the self made wobbling rigs I had made up the night before. Bait of choice was going to be sprats but as I tried to hook one up I found they had been in and out of the freezer a bit too much and were nackered. Time to refresh the deadbait stocks I think. I opted instead for some small perch deadbaits. They were still frozen but would soon thaw in the water. These werent as fresh as I had hoped either but not too bad. Must get more of those too. The rig is shown below:
     

     
    I proceeded to take my first attempt at wobbling a deadbait. I enjoyed the method but after 20 minutes I had nothing to show for the effort so decided to move to the next lock. I went directly there as I had been made aware recently that the canals trust had replaced some wood on the gates of the two locks and so the section in between had been drained so it would not be at its bestfor a while. I arrived at the lock and cast the perch in. Instant reply. I had a sharp tug on the line followed by a series of small pulses. The first fish of 2013 was on the line. I netted it and admired it. One of the smallest pike I have ever caught. A blessing all the same though.
     

     
    The rig worked perfectly snaring the pike with the stinger treble that was on the flank of the perk. I used small trebles as I expected that some smaller pike or even perch would be about. Catching on a new method felt great but catching on my own rig was even better. I was very pleased.
     
    I moved on and attached the abu hi-lo again. I got talking to a chap about the canal and he recommended another stretch further up so I walked on further til I reached it. I continued to fan casts and then had 2 hard pulls one after the other but no hook up. Had to be a pike but sadly I will never know. Unfortunately that was to be the last action I would get despite changing lures and methods often. I didnt mind one bit though. It was a lovely day to be out and I enjoyed walking the tow paths. I actually walked around ten miles as I decided to scout on ahead for new areas to try. Nothing stood out and when I got onto the main canal that this one branches from it was busy with other people which is something I try my best to avoid. I go fishing for peace and quiet and not to have people walking by all the time with dogs barking at me. It drives me mad when people cant control their animals but that is a moan for another time. I walked back to the car eventually and had sore feet by the time I got back. A real long slog this time. Was a great day to be out though and thoroughly enjoyed. The walking made up for the fact that a back injury is keeping me from the gym at the moment.
  13. AddictedToScopex
    Sunday night saw me finally make my first appearance of the season on the river Ribble. It feels like forever since I last got out on there. I planned to meet Pete (Latimeria) at around 5pm and do some ledgering into dark.
     
    I arrived at the car park and waited but Pete was going to be late so I decided to head down to the swim and get set up. Another fella was on there when I turned up but to my delight he was packing up. I asked if he had had anything and he said no. Having never blanked on that swim I was quite surprised.
     
    I set up one rod on a semi fixed ledger with meat on a coil and the second rod was set up on boilie on a running rig. I wanted to compare the two setups. Both rods were cast in and then Pete arrived. We had a quick chat and he went about 20 yards down the bank and set himself up.
     

     
    We fished quietly into dark with a few knocks and a major rap on my rod. It seemed like the chub were out to play. I fished with spam on one line and a spicy tuna boilie on the other.
     
    As it got darker my spam rod was getting a hammering with the spam lasting seconds on the hook. It could only be the humble eels work. This was confirmed as I had a shuddering take which was typical of a small eel. I played the fish to the bank under the glow of the head torch and saw the snake like image appear under the water. It was a small eel. I had half intended to catch an eel to see if I could find a big one. After catching a further two small ones and having to re-rig twice I gave up on that plan and switched to an all boilie assualt. This decision proved wise. I had a huge take which resulted in a lovely chub of good proportion.
     

     
    As the night went on I continued to get hits with some missing and some landing. I put this down to the hair rig but I didnt want to miss the chance to hook a barbel and have found the hair rig to be deadly for them.
     
    In all I had 3 eels, 3 chub and 1 lost chub. I was very pleased. We called it a night quite early (around 11:30pm) and headed back to the cars. A very enjoyable evening.
  14. AddictedToScopex
    Tonights session was organised on fairly short notice and was to see me meeting another AN member, one who I actually met on the river Ribble long before he joined AN. We had spoken about our options and he kindly offered to show me a stretch of a small river which has since made it into my top three locations to fish. It is one of those places where you turn up, take one look and then say to yourself 'there is no way there are fish in here and if they are they will be miniscule'. How wrong I was about that statement didnt take long to become apparent.
     
    I had opted to arrive much earlier than Pete (Latimeria) as it made sense for me to travel to the location directly from work. As Pete was bringing the maggots I decided to have a go with the lure rod while I waited the 1 and a half hours for him to arrive. After seeing the place I though I would be practising casting more than actually expecting to catch any fish. I was so wrong. I set up the lure rod and attached the smallest plug I owned. I had hoped for a trout or maybe a chub. I made my way to the first small pool I saw on the river. It did not look very promising. I had a few half hearted casts across the flow (im talking a 3-4 metre cast tops). On the 3rd or 4th retrieve I had a sudden thump followed by a frantic feeling fish pulling on the line. I was dumbstruck. I hadn't expected this at all. I was soon to be even more delighted. As I worked the fish to the edge I saw what I had caught. My first ever river perch! I know it sounds odd that someone who has fished rivers for years has never caught a perch on them but somehow I had managed all these years to not catch any. I was over the moon and had a massive smile on my face. It was not a big fish but most anglers will be able to appreciate the feeling of catching a new species on the river as it is not something that happens often when you have fished them for so long. Here is the little blighter:
     

     
    After returning the fish I stood there feeling really surprised as I looked at this unassuming little river which resembled more of a brook. I could not believe it had just produced a fish let along to a lure. Maybe a stickleback to a pinky but not a perch to a lure. I decided to see if it was a total fluke and had another few casts in the pool. Nothing resulted. I wondered if I had caught the only fish in the place. I decided to look for another pool as Pete had told me there were loads all up and down the length. I found another and had a cast in between some weeds. I couldnt help but think how much this place resembled one of the chalk streams you see in southern England.
     
    Nothing came from this next pool so again I moved on. I had a cast in a very similar looking pool and immediately had a thumping take on the lure. It definetly didn't feel like a perch this time and had some nice strength on the lure rod. I knelt down and guided the fish to me. It was a chub. So not only had I caught my first ever river perch but I had now caught my first ever chub on a lure. I couldnt believe my luck. Unfortunately in the spirit of keeping this place as it is and not flooded with anglers I cannot show pictures of it as it may give away the location but you wouldnt even believe there are chub in this place to look at it. I unhooked the chub and slipped it back and it quickly made its way to back under the weed that it came from.
     
    I moved on again and kept my eyes on the water looking for spooked fish from the weeds. I didnt mind spooking them as there was no way on earth I could work a lure with two trebles on through the weed. May have been a good spot for a jig headed shad though. I saw loads of small chub darting in and out of the weeds. This place was surprising me more and more by the minute. I was quickly growing to like it despite its appearances.
     
    I found another pool very quickly and had a few chucks. I had a vicious take but unfortunately it didnt hook up. By looking at the swirl it was clear it was a strong fish. A few more chucks but nothing. I made my way to another pool. I had a run through and immediately met with another fish. This time I landed it. It was a smaller chub than last time but more than welcome. I was very pleased.
     
    I continued to make my way down the river and working the pools. I lost another fish or two and then found a slow corner pool. I crept up and kept low and cast to the end of the run. I retrieve in a smooth fashion with the odd jerk. As I neared the end of the retrieve I spotted a shadow approaching from behind. I gave the lure a few sharp twitches and the shadow made its move. Another chub nailed the lure. I landed it quickly trying to keep its head out of the weeds. It was find perfect as all the fish had been:
     

     
    I made my way a little further down and then got a phone call. Pete had arrived. I decided it would take to long to get back to the car to retrieve my trotting rod and proposed we share a trotting rod and just have a nice chilled out session trotting. He agreed and I made my way back up the river to meet him. It had been some 3 years since we last met and had got to talking about closed face reels and he had kindly offered to let me try some out. I have since made an order for an Abu 706 as I really enjoyed using them.
     
    Pete set up a small stick float rig and said we should try the first pool. I mentioned I didnt expect any fish to be in there as I would have spooked them while lure fishing. How wrong was I. The first run down produced a trout. The next produced another. Then another. Then a chub. I was almost speechless. How could such a small patch of water produce so much. We fished away for a while feeding very small amounts of maggots and catching consistently. Pete showed me how to use the closed face reels and we took it in turns to trot the swim.
     
    After a while we decided to move on as I mentioned I would like to catch my first perch on trotting gear. Again it is a miracle that I hadnt up to that point. We moved pools and began catching trout again. No perch on that pool. We then moved to another and were straight back into the fish. First trout. Then dace and then finally I had a perch. That was 4 new achievements for me in 1 short session. 1st river perch on the lure gear, first perch on trotting gear, first chub on lures and first fish full stop on a closed face reel. An excellent session by anyones standard. The dace were a nice size in the river especially for the size of it and Pete told me they went much bigger. I cant wait to test his theory. We tried a few different pools and Pete showed me the best spots to go at in certain conditions. We eventually moved back to the original pool and again we were straight into the fish. This time it seemed some good sized trout had moved in. We had none stop action. Some very good sized trout came out for the sze of the water. Here is Petes biggest:
     

     
    Overall it was a really good session and I cant wait to get down there again. For such an unlikely looking river it was packed with fish and was really awesome sport.
     
    Cheers Pete
  15. AddictedToScopex
    Following my first ever two pound perch and the consistently good weather I was spurred on to have another go on Saturday on the same stretch of canal to see if I could root out another big perch.
     
    This session was to be an early start. I had to be home by 12pm to make sure I could help the wife out with getting things sorted for our daughters christening the following day. I made the decision (despite having been at work all week with 6:30am starts) to get up at 5:30am and head straight down. It's amazing how you can motivate yourself at 5:30am to jump straight out of bed but on a work day you hit the snooze button multiple times before finally dragging your backside out of bed.
     
    I arrived at the canal with it looking lovely in the early morning summer sunshine. I had a good feeling about the day and was itching to get tackled up and fishing.
     
    The canal:

     

     
    The view:

     
    I tackled up with one of my own traces again followed by attaching my dumpy roach plug. I started by having a few chucks at the bridge and then a little in the open canal but I soon felt the pull of the locks and the temptation of the big perch. I made my way to the first lock and this time only saw one or two small groups of perch milling around. I cast in near a small group of small fish and immediately had a take off one of them. It was nothing of any real size but it was very satisfying to get a take so quickly and get off the mark. You can see from the picture below just how bright it was so the capture seems to fly in the face of the old wives tale that perch will not feed in bright conditions. This trend was to continue.
     

     
    I continued to whip the lock into a foam and had numerous follows and takes catching small perch. I then had two small pike back to back.
     
    Pike 1:

     
    Pike 2:

     
    It was rapidly turning into a real red letter day. I was getting non stop action. I had a few more smaller perch and then swapped to the shads as I had promised anderoo I would try them out again and see if they could weedle out the larger specimens. I had my first retrieve and immediately hooked a small perch. This fell off. I then had another which fell off. I decided to rest this lock and move to the next. I arrived at the next lock and crept up to it and had a retrieve down the length of the inside wall. I was getting pulls, taps and whacks all the way back and hooked a perch near the end of the retrieve. I short fight and it came off. This happened a further 4 times which included me losing a real whopper again. I was really considering stopping using the shads as they were costing me too many fish. Most of my hookups resulted in bumped fish or fish that would fight for a minute and then spit the hook. I was using a large barbed jighead too. It was immensely frustrating. I decided to keep plugging away with it for a little while longer to make sure I had given it a fair run out. I changed to a brown sparkly shad which was the same length as the silver one. I ran it down the inner wall and past myself and as I did I noticed a shadow following it about a foot deeper than the shad. I kept the lure in the water and moved it around. The shadow struck at it and nailed it in one. A short fight and rather than reaching for the net I grabbed the braid and hoisted the fish out. I wasn't going to lose this one. I was surprised at the weight that met me as I lifted the braid. It was another very large (for me) perch. I weighed it immediately. 2lbs 4oz! Another 2lber. I was over the moon and took a moment to admire it and take a picture before slipping it back and admiring it as it swam off into the depths to sulk. What a fish. A 2lb perch may not be big by some peoples standard but for me to catch one on a lure felt totally magic. For those interested I was finding that keeping the shad coming back at a constant depth or smooth curve in depth produced far more bites than an irratic series of depth changes.
     

     

     
    I decided I had better head back to the other lock after catching that fish as it had made a little fuss and I wanted to rest the lock. I headed back to the first and was greeted by the sight I had been dreading all morning. A boat. I decided that rather than have to wait ten minutes for it to pass through the lock I would just call it a day and have a nice relaxed walk back to the car. I wandered down the tow path and spooked no less than 5 pike which were basking in the early morning sun and marvelled at the masses of fry and small roach and perch which were milling around in the weeds.
     
    It was a lovely day and as always I was smiling all the way back to the car. Is there really anything better than being an angler during the summer months?
  16. AddictedToScopex
    Well the start to the new season has been a total washout. Both river options flooded and packed out with expectant anglers so I decided not to bother and to pick up the spinning outfit instead and head to the canal.
     
    I arrived after dinner and started walking the banks and casting around. It was a nice day and I only needed to wear a t-shirt which has been rare of late. I fished a few likely looking spots with little joy. I was enjoying myself regardless though as for me just to be out with rod in hand is what it is all about.
     
    I wandered down to a lock and perched myself on the edge. I set up with a small devils own sardine and began to work the water. Almost immediately I felt a thump but no fish on. Seemed like the perch may be in the mood today. I tried again and had a follow off a reasonable sized perch. I couldnt for the life of me tempt it into striking though.
     
    I had a few more follows without success. I decided to slow the retrieve and speed up at the end. I cast the lure into the white water at the lock gate and worked it back. As I neared the end of the retrieve I noticed a shadow emerging behind the lure. It was a nice sized perch with a hungry look in its eye. As I twitched the lure it smashed into the back of it. Fish on. I played the fish a little to avoid it bumping (I always take the barbs off my trebles). I reached for the net and slid it under the fish. It was a nice sized perch and looked mean as they often do.
     

     
    I carried on and had another small perch and a few follows. I decided to rest this lock and move to the next after having a quick go at a lilly bed. I had a few casts over the lillies and on one retrieved I spooked a good pike as the lure neared me. That would have been a nice capture.
     
    I got to the next lock and began to work the water into a foam. I cast this way and that and had a lot of action. The perch were going mental. I had another good perch here and a lot of follows. Just before I set off back to the car I had another small one and another two fell off.
     
    Overall it was a nice day to be out and I had a nice few fish. I really enjoy a few hours on the lures. I have also got the wifes sister into it but she is yet to catch her first fish. She has had follows and even two fall off so she will get there eventually. She had a follow off a huge perch last time out which I would have been very jealous of had she hooked it.
  17. AddictedToScopex
    Well after the weekend turned out to be a bit of a washout I found myself finally getting on the small river last night for a few hours in the hope that it had dropped back to a normal level. When I arrived I saw that it was a nice level but quite a dark colour with sediment in the water. Not perfect but still fishable. I set up on a 2.5g woodys float and decided to give the trent a spin.
     
    I made my way to a swim and started trickling maggots in. First few trots with the trent left me feeling a bit let down. It wasnt as free as I would have hoped for. A float with less weight than the one I used would have really struggled to get it going. Looks like the trent will be a good reel for ledgering or for a heavy float when fishing for chub or barbel with good sized baits but not so good or even useable with a really light float for dace and roach. Which 'sadly' means I will have to buy another pin biggrin.gif
     
    I carried on trotting regardless but found myself having to give the reel a flick with the thumb to get it moving and it held the float back a bit where I would rather it hadn't. I had one bite in the first swim after about half an hour and felt the fish as I struck but never hooked up. I carried on for another hour but to no avail. All I could think was that the extra colour was maybe keeping the dace quiet as they are normally thick and fast once you get a swim going.
     
    I decided to go for a banker swim under a bridge as a last resort as I wasnt expecting the colour to drop out any time soon.
     
    I made my way to the bridge and stood under it on the rocks in the water and began trickling bait in again. I plumbed up and sent the float sailing down the faster water and immediately hooked into a nice half pound chub. Such a great feeling to have my first river fish of the new season. It was fin perfect and put a big smile on my face. I would have been happy to leave it at that.
     
    I carried on feeding and running the float down the inside of the bridge (bare in mind this run is about 6 feet long!) and let it fall into an eddy at the end of the bridge. I had caught a lot of fish by doing this in the past. The chub seem to sit in the slacker water waiting to pick off the maggots that get sucked into the eddy. Two or three trots later I was watching the float mill around in the slack water (it was more like still water fishing) and it went under. I struck into another fish which quickly dived into the fast water and made for the near bank cover. I reeled it in while being mindful of bumping it off and had another fin perfect half pound chub. I was more than happy with that.
     
    I had a few more trots and then climbed up the bank as the light faded feeling quite satisfied. It was a short session but I had finally got back onto the rivers and it was worth the wait. Those two chub were worth a waiting 3 months for. They werent big but there is something special about the first fish of the season and standing in flowing water for the first time in 3 months.
     
    Plans are already being made for a barbel session on thursday night. God I love river angling!
  18. AddictedToScopex
    Well it was that time again. Wingham 2012. The dream of a monster tench had returned.
     
    The first day of the fish in saw me waking up at 6am full of enthusiasm. I loaded the car, said goodbye to the wife, new born daughter and cat and began my 300 mile journey. The hours flew by and I was soon pulling in through the fabled gates. It was almost 1pm by the time I landed. I was as keen as mustard and minutes after I arrived Terry and Sam were at my car with the trailer after a nice welcome and was loading up ready to take me to my swim. I was so excited. I picked up my lobs from the bait fridge and then walked over to the carp lake to see a man about a bed chair. Budgie had kindly agreed to lend me one for the weekend. I said hello to Budgie and Si and congratulated Si on his lovely carp. I was very keen to get to my swim and so we chucked the bed chair into the trailer and I jumped in Steves car while Terry proceeded on the tractor.
     
    5 minutes later we arrived at my swim. A quick chat with Steve about a few features and before I knew it I was on my own. I looked out over the lake and watched the bubbles rising here and there. It looked ideal. Sadly it wasnt to last. Stuart then appeared round the corner with the bivvy Paul had agreed to lend me. The service at Wingham always strikes me as being amazing.
     
    Steve had warned me about an impending change in the weather so I set up my bivvy, kindly lent to me by Paul (Tinca Tinca) and began to think about tactics.
     

     
    My plan was similar to the year before. I wanted to try two different groundbait and two different hookbaits. These were to be a fishmeal based groundbait and a sweet one.
     
    The fishmeal groundbait contained the following:
     

    2.5 Bags of Brown Crumb 1 kilo of Sonubaits Exploding Fishmeal Groundbait Half a Kilo of 5mm Halibut Pellets 1/3 Kilo of Hemp Half a Bottle of Dynamite Pred Plus Half a Bottle of Dynamite Liquid Worm 1.5 Pints of Maggot and Caster  

     
    To say it stunk was an understatement. Hook bait was 2 lobs.
     
    The sweet groundbait contained the following:
     

    2.5 Bags of Brown Crumb 1 kilo of Sensas 3000 Carp & Specimen Fish Groundbait 1/3 Kilo of Hemp Half a Bottle of Dynamite XL Scopex Half a Bottle of Dynamite Liquid Corn 2 Large Tins of Corn 1 Large Tin Tutti Fruti Corn  

     
    It smelt almost edible! Hookbait was to be corn combined with fake corn or a small yellow popup.
     
    I made up the groundbait and then rigged up the rods and planted the banksticks. The first job was to get spodding. I wasnt enlisted for the BBQ on the saturday so I spent my time setting everything up and getting comfortable. At one point JK came to vist from the next swim and we had a chat about the plans for the weekend and exchanged numbers in case we needed a fish photographing. Something that came in handy when he nailed a 15lb pike on corn!
     

     
    Once the BBQ was over it was down to launching out spod after spod of groundbait once I had been given a lift by '3 doors down' with some marker work. The hookbaits were cast out with a pva bag of the matching groundbait and I settled in for the day. It was to be a fairly long afternoon with no action but I just sat and enjoyed the scenery as you do at Wingham. I decided the only thing I could add to this scenario to make it better was bacon butties. I fired up the camping stove and cooked 10 rashers of bacon and packed them onto 2 buns and wolfed them down. Proper job!
     

     
    As the day drew to a close I couldnt help but smile at my surroundings and I carried out some more spodding as the sun was about to fade and put my baits out for the night. I climbed onto the bed chair as it went dark and relaxed watching some family guy on my phone. It didnt take long for the first beep. I leapt up but there was no second beep. This happened once or twice not long after and then silence.
     
    I half nodded off but then heard the sweet sound of multiple beeps ringing off my alarm. I had my first action of the trip. I played the fish in and knew instantly what it was. Harldy surprising given that it was my lob worm rod. It was an eel. I unhooked it and admired it for a second before slipping it back in. It wasnt huge and I didnt take any photos as there seemed no need to prolong its time out of the water. It was around 2lb. I rebaited and fired it out on the line clip again.
     
    Half an hour later another series of beeps had me out of the bivvy. Another eel about 2lb. I wondered if it was the same greedy so and so.
     
    I cast out again. It was getting a little later now and I was getting very tired following the journey. I had another run on the lob rod. I knew what it would be before setting the hook. Another eel. Better this time though at 3lb 2oz. It was the first that looked worthy of the weighing scales. By this time I was exhausted and it was time for bed. I decided to not cast back in with the lob worm rod and got my head down. I probably could have had quite a few more eels but enough was enough.
     
    I woke at 5am after 4 hours sleep. I played with the idea of casting out again, thought better of it and turned over for another 2 hours sleep
     
    At 7am I got up and pulled the other rod in. I had a visit from '3 doors down' again. I really apologise but I didnt catch your name despite a lengthy conversation or two! We chose some new spots and I clipped up and got down to spodding the new spots. 20 spods for each spot. I cast out and settled in again until the BBQ was ready. No sign of action apart from some fish rolling in my swim. Another chat with JK and then off to the BBQ.
     
    As I stuffed ribs and burgers into my face I couldnt help but let my mind wander to the night before. I couldnt tell whether I was suffering from sleep induced mania or not but I kept getting thoughts that I had actually enjoyed catching my eels. I think a trip to the doctors may be in order.
     
    As I returned to my swim I began to get the feeling that something had changed. Some deep seated dislike had lifted but what was it? As I made up a rig with a short braided hooklength and an unmistakeable worm hook it dawned on me. I had gained respect and admiration for the very creature that I used to loathe. A creature that struck fears of ruined hook lengths, slime and deep hooking across the hearts of thousands of anglers. A creature deemed so disgusting by some that it was given all kinds of horrendous nicknames. The eel was to be my new quarry!
     

     
    I made a decision that I was to come to be very pleased with. I had decided to fish for eels over tench. It was as though the world had been turned upside down. Had the lack of sleep finally pushed me over the edge?
     
    I had a visit from Steve Burke as I was tackling up and explained my thoughts. He informed me that a 4lb eel was deemed a specimen comparable to an 8lb tench! That was it. The fire had been lit and I was focused on getting myself a monster eel. I added a little more pred plus and liquid worm to my groundbait mix and pulled out about 20 lobs and dispatched them with multiple chops of a knife. They were a worthy sacrifice for what I had in mind. I made sure to leave enough for hookbaits.
     
    I spodded out about 25 spods worth of the putrid red mix of pure predatory attraction! If I was a pred I would have loved to wallow around in the mix of various proteins, amino acids and fishy particles. It had eels written all over it. After the mix had gone out I put two worms on the hook and chopped off the last 5mm with a knife to prevent them from trying to dig in to the lake bed. As I was using a groundbait on the deck it made sense to keep the bait on teh deck with it.
     
    I spodded a load of sweet groundbait out too but have to say I was much more keen on seeing the effects of the fishmeal based one. I finished spodding and cast out my second rig with a yellow popup on which I had boosted with scopex flavouring. After all this I had a quick tidy and climbed onto the bed chair.
     
    It didnt take long to get indications. The worm rod instantly registering line bites and pulls. Half an hour later at ~10pm I had the first take. I played the fish and felt the characteristic rapid pulses followed by a long drag. It was my first eel of the night and I smiled to myself. It was working. I weighed it at 2lb 6oz and slipped it back. I was very pleaseed with myself.
     
    I settled in again after recasting and the beeps began again after 20 minutes or so. The feeding must have been very good around the baited area. At about 12pm the alarm went off again with a solid tone followed by a few single beeps. I half expected a pike this time as it was the same as the year before when I had my pike on a swim around the corner. As I played the fish though it soon became apparent from the fight that it was another eel. As I netted it and put it on the mat I smiled again. I was more than happy with two eels caught by design. It weighed in at 2lb 6oz again. Not the specimen I was after but I was happy with that. I put it back and went back to bed.
     
    I nodded off this time and awoke to hear a distant beeping. As I came round more I realised it was my bite alarm. I jumped out of bed and hit my head on part of the brolly frame. The only issue I have with a brolly type system . I reached the rod and lifted into the fish. This felt much better. The rod hooped over nicely and I felt the rapid pulsing coming down the line followed by something seemingly dropping anchor and stopping dead. It was a great fight. This one was a runner too and pulled me around a bit. I had to get it landed. This was an adventure in itself. Due to a groggy tired mind I was struggling to net it and as I thought I had it in the net I lifted and inadvertently hooked the net with the hook. I had no choice but to lift the eel out of the water using the rim of the net attached to the hook to get it on the bank. As I got it over the bank it fell off. I panicked and scooped it up in the net just before it slipped back into the water. I was very lucky as I learnt later the following day. I weighed it at 4lb 2oz before photographing it and returning it. This was my first mistake. I did not realise the importance of 2 mistakes I made that night. Firstly I hadnt zeroed my scales. While looking at the photos the next day before posting to AN I made a horrible discovery. They were well out. I ran to the car and got the scales out of my bag. They were 12oz out!!!! How had I done this? I didnt remember zeroing the scales at all before I started fishing. I had been weighing all my fish wrong. The next mistake was not realising the size and calling someone to see it. They may have spotted the error on the scales and allowed me to re-weigh it and call a bailiff to witness it as my eel would have been a new Wingham record. The previous record for the coarse lake was 4lb 9oz and my eel would have gone 4lb 13oz had I weighed it correctly. I was kicking myself. I think I now know why I didn't zero my scales. I had weighed the eels in a plastic bag to avoid them getting out of the net during weighing as has happened in the past. Normally for a plastic bag I dont need to zero the scales. Had I been weighing in the net I would have almost certainly zeroed the scales for the weight of the net when wet.
     

     
    I cannot hold it against myself though as it is a very simple, although costly, mistake to make and I am still over the moon with my new pb. It was one hell of an eel and was very thick all the way to the tip of the tail. A real specimen.
     
    I slipped the eel back and got back in bed. A broad smile from ear to ear. I had got my first specimen eel and intentionally to boot. I fell back asleep only to be woken by a quick screamer on the boilie rod. I shot up but it had stopped. I decided to leave it out on the off chance that it would go again. I fell back asleep and heard nothing for the rest of the night. Upon waking I had a quick rebait and began to pack up. The Wingham dream was over for another year. I popped over to see JK to see how he had fared over the night. He had asked me to let him know if I caught a 4lber and I did text him but he had slept through. I wished him luck and left him to it before returning to my peg and finishing packing. Stuart came to collect me at 9:30am and it was time to leave. I packed the car and said thanks to Stuart, Terry and Sam and had a quick word with Andrew Burgess as I left. I had had a great weekend and was still smiling about the eel. Then it dawned on me that after about 10 hours sleep across 2 days I now had to drive 300 miles home. All worth it in the end.
     
    Massive thanks go to Steve Burke, The Groombridge clan, Stuart, Peggy, 3 Doors Down, Budgie and Tinca Tinca for enabling me to have such a great weekend.
  19. AddictedToScopex
    Well today saw me very busy and finding the time to get out was fairly difficult. We had to go to the hospital to get a scan on the baby. Thankfully all was well. I spoke to a friend and we agreed that if we had the time we would get down to the canal for a few hours.
     
    By the time everything had been sorted out and I had left the hospital it was quite late and I knew that if I got down to the canal it would only be for the last 2 hours of light. My favourite time and one that has proven successful for perch in the past although the target this time was to be the pike.
     
    I have fished this stretch many times now on the lures and failed to produce any signicant results pike wise often with just a single fish on each outing. This has mainly been down to targetting perch and short sessions however.
     
    The venue:
     

     
    Me and my mate drove down to the canal and it was to be his first session on there so i was rather hoping he could strike it lucky. We set up at the car and headed down to the banks. Two elderly gents were fishing the pole so I asked if they had any pike trouble and one mentioned he had had a pike in front of him two hours earlier. I kept this in mind for when they eventually left. My friend and I made our way up the canal trying good looking spots all the way down. After about half an hour and in a spot where I had had a few pike before I suddenly had a whack on the tip and a pike on. I shouted my buddy to come and net it as the net was further down the bank. I saw the beast under the water and it looked huge. Far larger than any I have seen on that stretch before. Before my friend had got halfway back the pike had slipped the hook leaving me with that horrible sinking feeling. I wondered whether barbed hooks would have kept it on but I find them more hassle than they are worth and always crush the barbs.
     
    Not long after my friend had a follow off a small jack. That was to be the only action for a while and we ended up losing two lures to the same far bank tree. My friends big brass spoon and my own storm kicking shad. I wasnt too chuffed about losing that one as it was the one I had the take on and I had gained a new found confidence in it as I havent caught on one of them before.
     
    As light started to fade we decided to head back and I said that I would have a few casts in the likely spots on the way back. I wasnt expecting anything but had a good feeling. The conditions seemed perfect for some reason. I did my retrieve how I had been all night. Due to the cold weather I let the lure sink right to the bottom and then retrieved slowly occasionally letting the lure sink again before twitching and continuing. On the third twitch all hell broke loose. My lure was only 3 feet from the bank and rising in the water and I saw a large swirl and felt a sharp tug on the rod. I was in. The light was all but gone and the stage was set for a heart thumping fight. The fish thumped into the weeds on the near bank and my heart was in my throat. I knew this was a big girl for this stretch and just had to bank it in order to find out what it weighed. After losing the big one earlier I couldnt let it happen twice. I maintained pressure to prevent the hooks from releasing and steered the fish back to open water. My mate put the net in the water and I coasted the fish over to it. As the net was lifted I saw the fish double over. I knew it was a lump. Its back was incredibly wide and it had a very lare belly on it. A superb specimen in prime winter condition tipping the scales at a shade under 11lbs.
     

     
     

     
    We got the pictures taken quickly and weighed the fish and returned it. I was over the moon. My biggest on this stretch by far and my friend was chuffed to have seen it too. I am pretty sure he will be fishing that stretch with me again.
  20. AddictedToScopex
    Well I had my first go at dropshotting today. After hearing of the pollution incident on the small river the canal was to be the target. I got myself one of the berkely dropshotting kits and a load of other rubber shads and worms. Got my rod tackled up the night before and my other tackle and was shocked at how little I actually needed to take. Even less than when I go lure fishing usually. All I needed was a rod, net and my terminal tackle in my pocket.
     
    I made my way to the canal and conditions looked less than favourable. Bright sunshine and pretty windy. I was already commited however so decided to go for it regardless.
     
    Lure of choice to begin with was the one shown below. I got some berkely shads too which were soaked in a fishy oil so I put all my other lures in that to allow them to soak up the flavour.
     

     
    I decided the first location was to be a bridge that had brought me good results in the past. In went the tackle and off I went. I was little bit uncertain about how to use the tackle but decided to give it my best shot and try different retrieves and movements. I left the rig in one position and worked it a little and then pulled back and did the same. As I pulled back the 3rd or fourth time I found that my line felt heavier. I assumed I had picked something up off the bottom or got the lead in silt. Little did I know it was my first living thing to be caught on drop shotting gear. Although it wasnt quite what I expected
     

     
    I tried to figure out a way to remove the thing and opted to drop it back into the water and let it remove itself. I dropped it into the middle of the channel and left it stationary for a minute. I then lifted the line a little and suddenty the tip of my rod snapped round. I had a fish on. It fought very well on such a light rod. I picked up my net and slid it under the fish. I had done it on my first time out. My very first perch caught on dropshot gear. I was over the moon.
     

     
    I continued to fish for about an hour and a half however I could tell I was beginning to overthink what I was doing and wondered if it was maybe effecting performance. I had two more follows and a couple of nips at the tail but couldnt induce another bite despite changing lures and movements.
     
    I thoroughly enjoyed myself though and I like the freedom that you get with dropshotting that allows you to keep a lure in some reeds or tight to the far bank for a long time rather than it plopping in there and ten being out of there in a second or two when spinning or plug fishing. I think this is the biggest selling point for me.
  21. AddictedToScopex
    Well it's been a while since I posted a blog report up. Have been out and about fishing but as I have left it so long to write an entry I couldnt possibly remember everything that happened in order to make a good post
     
    So this sunday gone I had an impromptu session with the new spinning rod. Upon waking I had no plans to get out and do some angling however the weather had taken a surprising turn for the better so I decided to make hay and get up and out at 8am and try and get an hour or so in before the predicted gales hit.
     
    I jumped out of bed bleary eyed and threw on my trackies and fishing tshirt and jumped in the car. With the spinning kit being so compact and lightweight it now has a permanent place in the back of the car so that its ready for any last minute sessions such as this. Its a good job really as I am writing this at work and the weather is looking like I may be able to nip down to the canal after work before sunset!
     
    I headed down to the canal with the skies looking grey with the occasional flash of early morning sunlight. Nice dull weather for the perch was my hope. I have taken to targetting perch on the spinner recently with an eye to improving my technique and learning a little more about a rather unheard of aspect of angling these days. It is not often that I hear of people going spinning for perch which adds an air of mystique and intrigue to it. I have become rather fascinated with them and their habits of late and I am thoroughly enjoying targetting them specifically and watching their pack hunting mentality as they come at the lure like a squadron of kamikaze fighter pilots!
     
    I arrived at the canal and suited up. On went the water proof jacket and boots and the 'lucky cap'. The rod was already made up with a spinner and I wandered down to the canal. My first target area was to be a small stretch which was situated near a bridge. This was a spot that had produced well on my last outing with a perch being hooked on the 2nd retrieve. I got to the stretch only to find two gentlemen fishing on the pole so that was that area out of the window. I opted instead to have a chat with them and then to have a go under the bridge.
     
    This proved to be a good idea. After numerous follows from small perch (most tiddlers chasing the swivel at the top of the trace instead of the lure!) I saw a dark shape emerge slowly behind the lure as I neared the end of the retrieve. I slowed down the retrieve to allow the fish to catch up but it was just following and not striking. I had no choice but to start walking backwards down the towpath as carefully and slowly as possible so as not to spook the fish. As I did this I watched the shape silently stalking the little orange abu spinner. I gave it the odd twitch and on the 3rd or 4th it made it move. A viscious side swipe that sent the rod tip into a large bend and splash on the surface of the water. I gave a little line to give me room to play the fish without it being directly under the rod tip and manouvered the fish back upstream towards where I had left my landing net. I bent over and picked up the net and slid it under the fish. A lovely jack pike (didnt bother to weigh it but the net is a 25inch pan so I would guess 3-4lbs?) that was a welcome treat when I was only out for perch of whatever size may come along.
     

     
    After all this disturbance at the bridge I decided it was time to move onto another swim and hunt out the perch. I wandered down the towpath having the occasional cast which only produced the odd follow from a small perch or three.
     
    My next target was to be the lock which had produced my first lure caught perch not too long back on a trip with Ian.
     
    I arrived at the lock and tried my luck on the downstream gate exit. Sadly to no avail. Next I moved into the lock itself and sat myself down on the edge and began to make retrieves from one side and then the other. I had so many follows I couldnt even count them with the trend being that little 2-3 inch perch would chase the swivel while the larger perch would follow the lure. No amount of twitching and pace changing could entice them. I changed lures a few times and was coming to the conclusion that while they were interested in the lures they werent in a particularly eager mood.
     
    I decided on a few more casts before returning to the car as the weather in th distance was beginning to turn for the worse. On the 3rd retrieve I noticed a small shadow appearing behind the lure. As it got near to being in front of me marking the impending end of the retrieve I decided to give it some small jerks and slow it right down. As I did so the lure was ambushed from all side apart from the front. I counted 6 attacks on the lure before one of the fish latched on. It was like watching a sudden pirahna attack. Very exhilirating stuff and even the lad I was talking to at the time was impressed by the way they had gone for it. I lifted the fish out as it was right in front of me and I was happy to see a small perch attached to the lure. I had got what I came for and learned some things along the way.
     

     
    It was a greedy little bugger as you can see from the size of the lure that it went for. Incidentally that same pattern of lure has been my most successful for pike in the past so it hasonce more proven its worth! It will certainly be a staple in my lure box for some years to come.
  22. AddictedToScopex
    Well today saw me heading off after a nice lie in to a really great little river not all that far from my native Preston. The target for the day was dace and chub using the good old trotting gear.
     
    I loaded up the car and made my way down to the river with the hope that it would be at a satisfactory level to send a float down. As I arrived I hopped straight out of the car and made my way to the bridge that runs over it and peered down. Straight away I could see the level was lower than expected and certainly fishable. I could even see a large shoal of 2-3 inch dace maintaining position in the flow under the arch.
     
    I went back to the car and began tackling up. Travelling light was the order of the day after the previous time out where I had been made to suffer for carrying to much gear and wearing too many clothes.
     
    I got the rod tackled up, strapped on the waistcoat style bag, filled my maggot bag up and hopped over the fence.
     
    The first swim of the day was to be under the arch of the bridge. I began by taking 10 minutes to build the swim a little by trickling 10 or so maggots at regular intervals. I instanly saw a response with the small dace rising and flashing as they went crackers for the maggots. I dropped in with a small hook and a double maggot hook bait to an instant reply with a small fin perfect dace. This conitinued for quite some time until I could see that they were not going to be fed off any time soon. I decided to give the swim a rest and moved off to find another peg.
     
    I walked some way down the bank to where I could see some trees protruding over the waters edge. I knew they would have to be chub holding areas. I found the peg that looked like it would give me a great run towards the trees and around a corner.
     
    I set up on a larger hook and stuffed it with maggots after feeding the swim for 20 minutes. I wasnt disappointed. On the third trot down after having a few lightning quick bites the float just buried. Just as it got in line with the trees which was what I had expected. As I lifted into the fish I felt a solid resistance. I thought I had hooked a bank of weed weed but as I held the line firm I felt the telltale pulse coming back up the line. There was something on and it was bigger than anything I had caught on this river so far being quite new to it.
     
    I worked the light tackle to its limit as the fish would dive for the weed and the line would go solid. It was a very strange fight and I was almost certain I had hit a barbel which were rare but not unheard of for this tiny little river. Time after time the rod would go solid as if the fish was hugging the bottom as barbel do. Time after time I felt that I had been snagged but patience won through in the end. It was truly the most enjoyable fight I had had in a very long time.
     
    As I lifted the fishes head above the weed I felt that elation that only an angler knows when you have won the fight and can see the reward for your watercraft, feeding pattern and well thought out presentation.
     
    I had done it. A beautiful specimen of a small river chub at 3lbs! I can't describe the feeling of satisfaction I had and the smile on my face was from ear to ear. All I can say is thankyou to Ian for bringing this great little river to my attention and for taking the time to meet up with me and show me where to go.
     
    Here it is:
     

     
    Apologies to all the pin fanatics for not having a pin next to it as would usually be the norm for me but I have become fed up with the cortesi as the rod just doesnt suit it so I opted for a fixed spool reel instead. Incidentally it was the one I got free after months of waiting for my free gift from 'improve your coarse fishing' magazine.
     
    After this fantastic achievement I was then gifted a really fat dace from the same swim. That was not all I got though as the situation was soon to turn for the worst.
     
    As I put the dace back and began to rebait I felt a shifting around my feet. It was as though I was sinking and I had to stop for a minute to see what was going on. I looked down to see the whole foot square of earth I was standing on being reclaimed by the river. As I stood motionless the earth just slid into the river taking me with it. In a heartbeat I threw the rod up the bank and made a quick turn to jump up the bank. My left leg was a lost cause being up to the knee in river water and my right lef was soon to follow. I held onto the bank for dear life to avoid slipping all the way into the water. Luckily I managed to hold on and scrambled up the bank feeling like a proper tool. That is what I got for not wearing waders.
     
    I will certainly be remember them next time as I had to leave my swim as it was no longer properly accessible. I was gutted as I knew that if I could have stayed there would definetly have been more big fish to follow.
     
    I guess as they say that is just how the cookie/bankside crumbles!!!
     
    I fished on for another hour until the wet feet bugged me too much and caught another load of dace and some smaller chub but I couldnt help but think of the what ifs had I been able to stay in that swim. Maybe I could have gone better than three pounds. I will certainly be returning to it armed with waders next time.
  23. AddictedToScopex
    Well today saw a return to the wigan area for a trip to a small river with Tigger once more. We had the intention of doing some tip work for whatever came along just to make a change from the trotting.
     
    We met up at the usual spot and drove down to our destination. As we walked along the bank I couldnt help but admire how nice the river looked but also couldnt help but notice how damn hot I was. The last time I wear the heavy waterproofs on an average day!
     
    We walked a sizeable length of the river before bumping into a chap who said he had had a few roach and was moving off. We moved onto two pegs where he had been and set up and away we went.
     
    Ian was the first to have a touch and then another but no fish. We sat for a good hour chatting away and watching motionless rods before deciding we were for the off. I lifted my rod only to find I had a small stickleback patiently waiting to be unhooked. My first of the season!
     
    At least it saved a blank I though.
     
    My Swim
     

     
    After unhooking the stickleback we upped sticks and departed to a small pit that Ian had said held some decent sport.
     
    We trecked through a forest and up and down hills before finally emerging into a huge golden cornfield. No sign of the pit I though but I trusted Tiggers internal sat nav as we made our way through the field trying to avoid any farmers gazes.
     
    Finally I saw the venue. The smallest pit I have ever fished. I wasnt convinced. I set up never the less after removing my sweltering thermals and dropped a small maggot feeder by the side of the only reeds in the place. Instantly the tip started knocking and I pulled out a small roach. This continued for the next few hours catching fish after fish. I had perch, roach and rudd some of considerable size for such a small puddle/pit. Ian on the opposite bank managed to find the tench and had a great time digging me about it but I was pleased for him as he said that is what he had wanted to catch. He had plenty of them up to around 1.5lbs.
     
    In all it was a very productive day on a water that most would have walked straight past without giving it so much as a second thought.
     
     
  24. AddictedToScopex
    A rather impromptue session last evening saw me rushing back from work at 5pm to pick my brother up ready for a nice evening session on the ribble. Everything was looking great. All tackled up and ready to go. At least that is what I though. 5 minutes away from my brothers house I remembered I had taken my damn leads out of my bag when I went spinning with Tigger. That was 20 minutes lost straight away as I had to drive back to my house and back again.
     
    I picked my brother up who looked just as eager as I did to get down there. We threw his stuff in the car and rushed down to the river. When we arrived I couldnt help but think that had I arrived half an hour earlier as planned I wouldnt be staring at 6 cars parked up and almost certainly containing anglers. I had wanted to fish a swim that had done very well for me at this stage of the season last year but knew this was now not looking likely.
     
    We headed down to the river across the fields wondering where the different anglers would be and crossing our fingers that our swims would be free.
     
    As we neared the bank we could see that the river was down. Perfect for getting the barbel in the fast oxygen rich runs we planned to have a go at. We carried on walking and to our horror we only saw three anglers. That left a potential 3-6 anglers that would be on the remaining area of the stretch assuming 1 or 2 per car. Not looking good. We arrived at the swims and peered down to see two red tips poking out from the overgrown bank. Gutted. We just looked at each other and sighed. There were no other major swims free as people had set themselves up in awkward ways.
     
    We had a scout around and I pointed out a great looking swim comprising of a gravel bar that intersected two deeper glides (very similar to another swim I catch well on). It looked like barbel heaven. Only problem was we would have to make our own swims. There wasn't much room so we knew we would have to fish in close proximity to each other aswell. Probably not a bad idea given the treacherous nature of the bank as we planned to fish into the first hour of darkness and if we fell in we could at least be close enough to help .
     
    We carved a path through the undergrowth and began to clear enough space for our chairs. We were only about ten yards away from each other as trees made it impossible to get further. At least we would be baiting a nice tight area I thought.
     
    20 minutes later I was set up and ready to go. I picked my spot and cast in the first rod. Right on the back edge of the gravel bar in between the fast and slow water, perfect. The usual boilie setup on the business end. Next I tackled up and cast in the spicy meat rod. I had a quick chat with my brother as he tackled up and we remarked on how peaceful it was to be by the river.
     
    I sat down and lit a fag and no sooner had I done so, my rod slammed down into a big arc. Barbel. I knew it. The run just looked too perfect to not be a feeding ground. A great and spirited fight later I could see the powerful fish coming towards my net. It made 2 or 3 last bids for freedom which I have to say the rods (2 new JW Youngs 2lb TC barbel rods) coped very well and I was quite impressed with how they handled.
     

     
    I returned the fish after weighing it (8lb 6oz) and sat back to rebait. It was at this point that I heard the familiar clicking of my brothers baitrunner. I looked up to see his head poking above the weeds with a big daft grin on his face. He was in too. He landed another barbel at 6lb 2oz.
     
    He hadnt been fishing with me for a long while after selling all his tackle to pay for his motorcross bike but for his birthday I bought him his rods and reels back from my friend that he sold them to which he was over the moon about. He had owned those rods for most of his life and they had given him all of his best fish including double figure barbel, double figure river bream and even a 22lb river carp. He is now considering having them restored by AN's Budgie Burgess.
     
    About ten minutes after my brother returned his fish I heard the soft footsteps of my wife approaching through the weeds. She had come to join us for a while and enjoy the lovely evening by the river. Of course her being a woman and all she soon got bored and the fear of spiders was too much and she left after 45 minutes. It was nice to spend some time with her in such a nice place though no matter how brief.
     
    Myself and my brother sat and whiled the hours away chatting about news and events and talking about fishing trips gone by, occasionally landing a fish before carrying on, and how it was good to have him back with me on our evening sessions which had been such a large feature of last summer. It is hard to get time to spend with family with the job and gym etc so it is good when you can have a passion that you both share and can enjoy together.
     
    Over the course of 3-4 hours I had more bites on the meat than I could count all of which didnt result in a fish for whatever reason and also some good bites on the boilie rod. Im guessing chub and eels in the main as barbel would have more often than not resulted in a hook up whereas the chub and eels could avoid the hook being a hair rig setup. In the end we finished the evening with 5 barbel between us going to my 8lb 6oz and 2 eels (one of them going 2.5lbs) and a feeling of total relaxation. The river is such a nice place to be in the evening and your cares and stresses of the day just fall away and leave you feeling totally at peace.
     
    All in all the evening was fantastic and I cant wait to get down there again. We had a great catch up and caught well which was not bad at all considering we fished swims that we had to carve out ourselves and had no previous knowledge of and as we walked through the moonlit fields we made plans for the return journey.
     
    Cant wait!
     
    P.S. sorry for the lack of photos this time round but I will make up for it next time hopefully
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.

  I accept