kenj
-
Posts
187 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
4
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Blogs
Gallery
Posts posted by kenj
-
-
Has anyone tried gound sturgeon pellets as a feed additive for carp or bream. They have very high protein rating a an equally smelly. I've ground some down , but not had a chance to try them yet. Any ideas?
-
Hi Phone, Mine did. It was a bit slow. Try it again if you like fishing in ditches.
-
I made the most of my last afternoon on my little river. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/
The last day of the season dawned with one of the hardest frosts of the year, but bright sunshine had soon thawed the white from the grass and left me feeling optimistic for an end of season chub bonanza from my little river. A mile out of town, it's course brings the river out from private land at the bend in a road, scouring a channel in the gravel as it turns sharp right, before heading off into impenetrable undergrowth. I have driven by this spot many times, but never fished it and was on my "one day I'll fish it" list.
I was expecting great things from this swim and tackled up a 14 ft rod with a stick float rig, 5lb line to 3lb link and a size 14 barbless hook. There were plenty of snags and with the shallows dropping away to a deep pool, there could be decent chub, or even a common carp to wrestle from the high bank. A couple of balls of crumb were dropped into the channel and a further two towards the tree shrouded tail, where a log was jammed between the banks. My heart was beating faster as the first pinch of flake was drifted down towards the log, the float dipped a couple of times, but nothing to strike at. I held the float at the log, another dip and missed. More flake, more missed bites. I thought I saw a flash of silver on the shallows below me and dropped the float in, only for the bread to disappear and the float to lift sideways as a small 8 oz chub fought for all it was worth, the long rod giving me the leverage to keep it out of danger. This was a very lean fish and for it's length, I would have expected another four ounces. It had obviously been a hard winter. I dropped into the same spot and away the float went again, this time from a much stronger chub, taking me along both banks, before it's mouth gaped ready for the net. Yet again very lean, about 12 oz. Ready for another I tried again, but that was it. Easing the flake down over depth produce more pulls, but no fish, until I punched a 6 mm pellet from the thick slice and up popped a gudgeon, then another. I'd only been fishing for an hour and decided load up the gear and give the park another go, at least the mums keep them well fed with bread.
At the park I set off to another of my "one day" swims, a tunnel of overhanging branches, where the river narrows to push the flow through a no-go area of snags, but with this tackle I was confident of success. I didn't have to wait long, the float going down just as it entered the danger zone and the rod responding with a healthy bend as I pulled the chub upstream. These chub go mad in this shallow water, making long runs towards whatever snag is nearest. A fat pound chub was soon in the net, contrasting with the two taken earlier.
`Dropping further into the trees brought a pair of roach, before a tentative nibble and a slow sink set the world alight as the best chub I'd hooked from this stretch buried it's head under a pile of flood debris, snagging me. Steady pressure brought the fish out, but a branch was still wrapped round the line and I watched it Vee upstream towards a sunken supermarket trolley festooned with branches, turning it in time for the possible three pound chub to rush off back downstream. This was like a frantic game of tennis, with the powerful fish charging all over, me putting on conterstrain in an effort to wear it down. At last it's gaping mouth came out and I got the net out to land it, but the branch was still attached to the line and as I drew the chub towards the net, the branch caught in it. This was a signal for the chub to thrash around outside the rim and now in a state of near panic, I dragged the lot in, the fish diving under the bank, with me trying to net it out, but the branch kept it away. Suddenly it was gone and I was left staring at the empty net.
I laced the water with a few more balls of bread and inspected my line. The hook link had broken at the spade end and I resigned myself to try again as I whipped on another hook. As if fitted with radar, a swan appeared round the corner and made a b-line for my swim, searching out the bottom with it's neck outstreched.
Bread was now beginning to drift downstream with yet another mum feeding the ducks and the swan followed the trail, while I trotted through again hooking more small roach and the odd gudgeon. The commotion had probabaly put down any more decent fish, so cut my losses again, with the season ticking to a close. I was travelling light anyway, with just my rod, bag and nets, so made my way downstream to another chubby spot, only to find an ivy strangled tree had crashed down rendering the bank unfishable. This part of the park has been left unmaintained and many of the trees are in a dangerous condition, but continuing down found a bit of bank cleared by another fallen tree. This was on the inside of a bend with muddy shallows giving way to a far bank trot round the curve. It was greedy to hope for another big chub, but the tangled far bank looked up to the job and with the last of my crumb, fed over to the deeper water. The first few passes yielded nothing and I deepened up six inches, holding back, then letting it run, tap,tap, sink, big gudgeon, one a chuck, then whomp, a chub hooked it'self as I held it back on the edge of the shallows. Back-winding I held the first lightning spurts of power, before getting the upper hand and with snag free water brought it across the shallows to the net. This was another round, plump chub of about a pound, more roach shaped and yet again fought hard in the cold, clear river. That was my last chub of the season and I continued catching the voracious gudgeon, the bites being so predictable that it was cast, tap, tap, lift and reel in. My time limit was 4 pm and made my way back to the van, watching a kingfisher as it skimmed between the trees along the river. A good sign for next season.
-
I went out after a warming lunch of trout and vegetable soup, to try a very chubby looking spot on my little river, where it follows the road round a bend and has dug out a channel under the road bank. I trotted bread along the channel and had two very lean chub in two casts, then no more, so loaded up and headed back to the local park, where I had a gudgeon fest I ended up with with about forty of the 1 oz bait stealers and one near pound chub, fattened by the many duck feeding mums. Have you noticed that the last day of the season is usually a very sunny day?
-
In the 70's and 80's Kevin Ashurst used to win matches at Burton on gudgeon. He even had a gudgeon rig for fishing among the rocks. That was in the days of stick and waggler. Only novices used the feeder. Long gone.
-
1
-
-
Hi guys, Some eloquent theories here. Like most older anglers "I've been there and done that" and today I go out to enjoy myself with out dated tackle and methods, but still catch plenty of fish.
Anyone who read my blog post can see that. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/roach-come-out-to-play-in-the-park/
Today I went out to catch some chub from an overgrown bit of river and with a pound chub in the net, struck into a good two pounder, which snagged me then came out complete with the branch, fought all over the river, still with the snag on my line and I couldn't get the chub in my landing net, because the branch caught in the net with the chub thrashing about outside. Dragged the lot in, only for the chub then to dive under the bank and snap the hook link. Now that was as exciting as any fish I've caught and must admit that I was in a state of panic for the last minute. That's what fishing is about, not Matt Hayes and co bringing in yet another 20lb carp from some exclusive water.
-
Thanks Andy, that was an interesting link. Of all the roach I've had from that water it's the first I've seen with the spots. Tried to rub it off at first, as I thought it was flecks of mud from the bottom. The roach and chub there often spew mud, along with the crumb. They must scoop it up when the crumb settles. A friend has messaged to remind me that we were catching roach with black spots as kids, when we got caught poaching in a pond in Eton College. I remembered getting caught, but forgot the roach spots.
Matt, sadly beer cans and rubbish go hand in hand with free fishing round here. The council closed two carp lakes last year due to the litter despite litter bins at the bankside. There is always a plastic bag in a tree available to pick up the litter. Ken
-
Another visit to my urban river for some nice roach and a surprise common.
http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/rubbish-tip-roach-after-a-change-of-plan/
-
I went back and fished a bit of this river this week, where it runs alongside a lane. It was like a rubbish tip. Most of it was beer cans and angler's discards. Such a shame as the fishing was brilliant, plenty of nice roach and chub.
-
That sounds like the exact float. Now I've got a name for it. My original ones were from my bleak fishing days on the whip, as they flicked in without tangles.
-
I used to liquidize hemp for fishing casters in the feeder for chub in my match fishing days. Also mixed it with liquidized fish pellets and balled it with maggot and caster for roach and tench. On it's own, it gives a milky cloud.
-
It's a short, 2 inch long piece of peacock with a bottom only fixing, cane insert, making it a small waggler 3 inches overall. It's got a flat top and fish it with a top rubber with just the flat top on the surface. I fish it slightly over depth, held back and bites show up as a bob, followed by a slow sink away. The fish don't notice any resistance, ideal for the punch on that shallow river.
I use the same float, but as a waggler, usually on the pole on shallow lakes for carp, crucians and tench.
-
I respect your fears Latimeria (a member of Latimer Lakes Trout Fishery?) and have posted my views on the new thread by dave on the subject of keepnets.
-
As this thread is in response to my net of roach from my local park this week, I think the subject has been fairly covered here. I have fished a few matches on commercials and these fish are the saddest examples you'll find. Due to inventions like pellet wagglers and method feeders, 100 lb of carp are regularly caught. Undersized fish are just ripped from the hooks with no respect and as philocalist said, the tip of a carp dorsal fin has a barb that attaches to the main dorsal, which gets caught in the net. With so many fish to weigh the scalesmen will just strip them out as quickly as possible. For many anglers they assume this is the norm.
I like to have something to show at the end of a fishing session and use a net, but make sure it is staked at both ends and fish have plenty of room. At the end of the session, I may breifly transfer them to my landing net for a photo, before spilling back at water level. Large fish are returned as individuals and allowed to swim off. If hunting big chub, or barbel it's catch and release when the fish is ready.
-
Thought I might get a comment on using a keepnet. It's a soft knotless net with pull handles to access the last two compartments and all the roach were handed out into my landing net for a quick photo. I use barbless hooks, which usually fall out in the net, unlike many of the other locals on that hard pressed little river, who must use fully barbed jobs, judging by the number of lips missing on some of these roach.
Regarding perch, I've been catching dace on maggot in a match, then had the perch move in, getting a fish a cast, then lost one and started catching dace again for twenty minutes, before they were crowded out by the perch, until again I lose one, probably due to small hooks, then more dace. This was obviously on a river, but assume similar for lakes.
-
We put them in a keep net and let them go at the end. Roach will go on feeding if you catch and release.
-
Old Windsor AC are part of the TVAA with the Thames at Windsor and Datchet, a lake at Abingdon and membership of the Basingstoke canal, plus the chance to join RDAA. The TVAA gives access to many waters in the area. OWAC also fish club matches all year round on a range of local waters. A nice friendly club. Contact Bob Skinner owac@hotmail.com,
-
Urban chub last week. This week it was the turn of the roach.
Read my blog. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/roach-come-out-to-play-in-the-park/
-
1
-
-
I'm in a small flyfishing syndicate, which is part of a much larger coarse fishing club. We have the upper reaches of a small river and keep the banks clear with regular working parties, but the lower section is controlled by the coarse fishing club, of which i am also a member, who have left the banks to turn into a jungle. It's a pity as there are some nice trout down there along with big chub and barbel, but unless you can poke a rod out between the trees, fishing is impossible. Might just take my chainsaw on my next visit.
-
Hi Andy, do you fish the Kelvin? At least there is an association of anglers for that river. We have to rely on the local councils on our urban rivers and they have one policy, slash and burn. The feeder stream to my little river got the treatment last year. We walk along it to Tesco and used to see kingfishers and goldcrests along the banks. The council came in and cut down half the trees and shredded the rest, leaving the banks exposed. Rare birds gone.
There is very little free fishing down south.
-
The shopping trolley in the canal, or river are a bit like having a skip and finding someone has put a mattress in there. It always seems to happen. As you say Ken L a shopping trolley can give good cover once it's accumulated a few polythene bags! On one of my other urban rivers, which is full of brown trout, the council cleared out one of the best reaches a couple of years ago, all the bits of concrete, bricks, lumps of wood, plus the odd trolley went, leaving a clean gravel bottom and no trout. I am worried that my little river is due for the treatments soon, as it's very overgrown.
-
No, the Blackwater is brilliant in Sandhurst, this little river flows out of Bracknell. Don't tell anyone.
-
My latest outing on my urban river.
http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/urban-chub-fishing-among-the-shopping-trolleys/
-
1
-
-
Used to fish liquidized bread in a big open ended feeder with flake on a 12 at Medley. Always worked well, even in floods. One or two fish then move. Vicious bites.
Supermarket baits!
in Coarse Fishing
Posted
I was looking for a high protein additive and having used ground trout pellets in the 70's went to the local aquarium shop at the garden centre for a looksee and they suggested these baby sturgeon feed pellets.