kenj

The pike in that swim was attacking 4 oz perch. Never had that before. I will be back to the Blackwater soon for the chub, but will keep a pike rig set up. I was thinking of a sprat on a link leger/float. What do you think? In the summer I ran a plug through several times and didn't have a touch, then went back to the stick, hooked a nice dace and the pike took it straight away! Lost it again soon after.

Hi Paul, Strange, I was going to that Blackwater swim on Monday 1st Dec, to go for the chub on bread with the stick, but changed my mind because of the trouble I had with that pike in the summer. As it happened, I went to my local river for the afternoon. No chub, but a shed load of roach and gudgeon including a big perch, that took one. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/stickfloat-perch-brightens-a-dull-winters-day/http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/stickfloat-perch-brightens-a-dull-winters-day/ Ken

Got to be good news. Trouble is, with the building of new housing in the Swindon catchment, how long will it be before Thames Water have to increase the flow from the Kennet again. The rivers Misbourne, Chess and ultimately the Colne in my area have all suffered, despite promises of reduced abstraction.

Real fishing. Great read and pics. Is it a Yorkshire river Tigger?

I must gets some serious big fish sessions under my belt next year. Thought you might be interested in my recent outing this week. I just enjoy catching fish. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/breadpunch-and-red-worm-fishing-the-autumn-pond/http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/breadpunch-and-red-worm-fishing-the-autumn-pond/

As the song said "Amazing"! No need to go down the gym with that lot.

Caught this trout on a tributary of the Lodden last month, would you say mink, or otter, judging by the size of the teeth marks?

Hi Paul, It's tipping down with rain at the moment and was reading through your blog. Your picture of the lake captured the fantastic September weather we had. I was in Brittany for some of it, where the weather was ideal for cruising in a convoy of MGB's (another hobby). Some nice pics of your fish, especially the little tench, they can be fun on the right tackle, but a pain, when after better fish. I was promised a guest ticket with a friend after big roach on bread last week, but it fell through at the last minute. That rudd got my juices flowing again. I did a blog about my local river recently: http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/stick-float-nets-mixed-bag-from-the-weir/ .Sorry about the keepnet, but it's the match fisherman in me.

The lack of rain and the sight of the river running over the stones, kept my fly rod in the shed, until the pace picked up following a few days of showers. Only days before the end of the trout fishing season, I returned to a previously productive stretch, hoping for some good memories to see me through the winter, but after after a blank half hour, I was dismayed to catch a small wild brown that had been mauled by a mink. With a set of fresh teeth marks on the other side of this trout, I wondered how it had escaped the mink, also how it continued to feed, while giving a good account of it'self, when hooked. Downstream of this stretch last year, I watched a mink swim downstream past my feet, then go on to chase and catch a pound plus brown trout in the next pool. We have two mink traps and a number of crayfish nets, which have accounted for several mink this season, but it's depressing to release a trout knowing that it may soon be a mink's next meal. My blog : http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/mink-raid-trout-stocks/

Now the back end of August, I'd been preoccupied with roach and carp and had neglected my flyrod for a while and a visit to my local trout stream was overdue. The river was running clear with a good flow, but the larger trout were keeping well hidden, or were no longer there. There were plenty of dace about though. ">http:// This plump wild brown gave good account of it'self, having taken a size 18 gold head Hares Ear nymph. My blog : http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/wild-brown-trout-few-and-far-between-on-the-summer-river/

There was a free stretch downstream from the old road bridge on the eastern boundary of Colnbrook village. It is only a couple of hundred yards, to where it runs under the M25. Last time I fished it, I had to force my way through 6ft high undergrowth to the bank. On that afternoon I fished maggot on the stick, taking dace and roach to 6 oz, a pound perch, two chub a pound each and a small barbel of 2lb, plus being broken two, or three times, which I also put down to barbel rushing off on the strike. The river curves round with deep water under your rod tip. If you are in the area, you might want to check it out. There was parking on the old road up to the bridge. I moved from the Slough area to Bracknell in 2010 and I've not been back since, so can't say if things have changed.

They are in there. There is free fishing, Google a map and get you hiking boots on. Some big chub too, also big bream in pockets.

I kept my hands well clear Phone. This one had a beak on it, but nothing like a snapper. It stayed in my landing net until, I released further round the pond. An Hep-C infection and a turtle bite not recommended!

I hooked a snapper back in the 90's, when spinning for bass in Florida. I was on my own without a net. It was treble the size of the terrapin, but was fortunate to have two guys in a boat come over and flip it on it's back and unhook it with pliers. That was one scary looking MF.

Green railing? Zoo? This pond is close to plenty of houses and has goldfish, shubunkins with fan tails and some very exotic looking rudd. One of the other locals fishing, when he saw the terrapin, said he'd caught a pound koi carp last season, so I guess it's better than throwing them down the toilet, when they get too big. I bet the local heron gets confused.

I was fishing a pond at the local rec catching rudd on sweetcorn, when I got a typical crucian bite that dithered around, before sinking away. When I struck, I thought I had hit into a "sleeping" carp, that was slowly swimming away, taking out the elastic from my pole. It briefly surfaced, before swimming off again. I had to hand line it in. It was as big as a football and hooked in the mouth. ">http:// This was my blog : http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/rudd-provide-hot-pole-action/

The fresh green of spring has now given way to the dog days of summer on my little river and the trout are mostly holed up under the overgrown banks, the larger fish preferring to raid the plentiful supply of minnows, than take a fly. Sport can still be had on the fly, but the river has come alive with small dace and chub and even a cast to an observed trout often results in a splashy take from a dace. "> This chub is the best I've taken on any method and had been dimpling on the surface like a much smaller fish, until I set the hook, then it exploded into life. On a 7ft, 4/5 weight rod, this was not a one sided fight. After a short rest, it zoomed back to the pool. This was my blog post. : http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/big-chub-on-the-dry-fly-compensates-for-small-trout/

The mayfly hatch is over for another year and the usual hawthorn flies in May never appeared, but catches of wild fish have been good on my little Hampshire river, with a few approaching two pounds. The wild fish have a good range in size, which means successful spawning despite months of floods over the past few winters and the trout are in top condition as summer approaches. This was the best brown taken in my most recent afternoon session, taken on a cut down bodied mayfly. My blog report is here. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/mayfly-fishing-bonanza-mostly-small-stuff/

I hooked a snapper while spinning for bass in Florida some years back. I was on my own and was c######g myself, wondering how I'd get it off the hook once I landed it.. Luckily a couple of guys in a boat came over and pulled it over onto it's back in the water and took the hook out with pliers. Phew! They said it was common in that creek.

Months of floods have altered many of the feature pools on my small Hampshire river and only allowed members a couple of brief working parties to drag out some of the fallen trees before open day on April 1st. My first few sessions were spent more in exploration than actual fishing, pools had been scoured out and new sand bars created, while in places trees had been pulled from the banks and swept downstream. Due to cold winds and high, but clear, water levels, few members have ventured out so far, and even fewer trout netted, but those wild fish caught have been in good condition. This was a wild brownie caught and released by me last week, that looked more seatrout than brown, having a purple sheen. The fish took a size 18 gold head, gold ribbed Hare's Ear nymph. This was my blog report. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/trout-stream-warms-to-early-risers/

I thought the aim of Anderoo's post was to find an elastic capable of controlling up to 3lb crucians on 2lb hook line. More likely to get broken on 2lb line with a running tench, carp, or perch on a 12, than a 6. It's related to what you expect to catch. Where I caught the fish in the pic, the average size is one and a half pounds, but I have also landed five pounders and been broken by two pounders, it is very shallow and the commons, etc run, but the crucians stand and fight, which again was our target fish. Too heavy a bottom rig and you won't see a crucian bite all day.

Too heavy and you can pull out of a crucian due to their soft mouths and they give a juddering, spinning fight, which is absorbed by the elastic. Common carp on the other hand, tend to make power runs, which you need to slow down with a heavier elastic. My No 6 elastic is through the top two and set quite tight, giving a compromise.

I use a number 6 blue latex on my 11 metre pole, which I use on canals and ponds. This elastic copes well with crucians, but 5lb commons can cause problems! ">http:// This was my blog post for this winter carp session. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/bread-punch-fishing-finds-some-winter-carp-and-crucians/

I am in Farnborough too, but we only have the south bank meadow. Over the little bridge on the north bank was free fishing a couple of years ago and wondered, if that was still the case. Plenty of stockies went in the Whitewater upstream over the years and some must be down that end by now, plus wild fish.

The sewage works is my No1 on this section. Bread punch on the stick. Must try some worms next time for those perch.