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I was going to spend the evening at Alders, but when I arrived there was quite a breeze rattling from the west causing quite a chop. With showers planned, I defaulted for the sheltered north corner of adjacent Willows. For the second consecutive week, I watched the carp mouthing at the surface just yards from my feet. With no biscuits/bread/pellets, I suspended a pop-up on the surface from a bomb, but they weren't interested. While the pop-up bobbed on the surface, even the terns ignoring it, I gently loose fed corn in the margin to my right and eventually put a float out. I had a few bites, none connected, and the corn was nabbed each time. Finally I hit one, and whatever it was took off towards Reading. It took me right so far that I looked down to make sure I had enough line on the spool. Then it went across to the far bank, and turned left making for the reed bed some distance away. All I could do was hold on, my heart jumping a couple of times when the line slackened for a moment before the fish took off again. I just about managed to turn its head with max pressure as it neared its destination, so it changed it's mind and went for the overhangs to my left. Whatever it was, it was clearly bigger than the 10lb intended maximum for the lake. Holding the rod as far out as I could, I managed to keep it in open water and suddenly the fight was out of it. As I wound, I noticed it was coming in backwards and my suspicion was confirmed - I'd foul-hooked it in the side. The Mirror came in at 'only' 14lb 10, I thought it would be bigger, but foul hooking always makes for a double-hard fight. Having spent the afternoon on my own, I was surprised when at that moment a young lad came up to me and agreed to take the pic. He said he'd come to fish for half an hour, and then went. Very odd. That was the last bite of the evening, but meeting a member as I closed the gate who'd endured a biteless blank at Warwicks, I was even more grateful for that little bit off luck. I'll be off to the pet shop for some doggie biscuits anon.
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It's a funny old world. Last Tuesday evening there was such a strong wind blowing through that I had to pop back to the car for gloves. But through the chop, I could see the silhouettes of the carp, dozens of them, swimming in packs under the surface. I fished a zig rig on the bouncy surface and just under it, then tried the bottom, 6-inches and 2ft off it. I've rarely seen as many fish as I saw that evening, but left with a blank. Saturday - A Spring scorcher. Lovely to sit in the sun. Bit quiet. The carp didn't show for me, but I got to read my book, get a bit burned and have a tench and a couple of bream either side of the 7lb mark. Easter Monday - an unexpected bonus 4 hours. At first light the carp were on the surface everywhere, but again weren't interested in my surface-suspended pop-up, so when they melted away with the rising sun I reverted back to plan A and jumped across to Alders. On the east bank, a chill westerly breeze had me uncomfortable and fishless, so I swapped back to the sheltered side of Willows. Fishing a corn and maggot combo under a float, I had 2 more bream of 3 and 6lb, and, 10 mins from packing-up-for-lunch time, a feisty and rather beautiful Common of exactly 11lbs. Happy Easter.
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Another frosty start, and having had a 'meh' day at Dobsons yesterday, I made for my default lake of Willows. Here the water temp at 11 degrees was down a degree, and I wondered if it would have any effect. Maybe it did, because after fish at 9:20am (a pretty Mirror of 6lb 6, 10:20am (a Common of 8lb 9) and 11:20am (a 1lb 3oz tench), the old '20-minutes-past-the-hour' trick evaporated and so did any more catches. The surprisingly few anglers around the bank also struggled. The morning warmed to a point when my jumper came off, but clouds bubbled up and a breeze came in giving the water a chop and had be reaching for the woollens again. Each time the sun burst through for a few moments, I could see groups of 5 or 6 carp circling the water under the surface, before the returning cloud rendered them invisible again. I fished a zig-rig either on, or just under the surface hoping to ambush one of these patrols. A good strategy, would you agree, but the fish didn't, though in one moment of clarity I saw a fish approach and mouth the floating pop-up, but it immediately spooked and disappeared with a swirl. Bit disappointing really, and Saturday night TV was even worse.
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I turned up bright and early after yesterdays winds to find a chap fishing in my chosen swim. Turned out it was celebrity commentor from this parish, PeterJG, who said he recognised me from this blog. What a top gent he turned out to be. Very quick to play down his undoubted angling abilities, I didn't believe a word of it, as he out-breamed me 4-3 and threw in a few of his beloved roach on top. A total pleasure to meet you, PJG. My estimations that the air pressure being sub-1000 would have the fish queuing up to be caught proved unfounded. I varied tactics, depths and baits, and apart from a roach that gave no bite, 2 bream in 5 minutes and one mid-afternoon, of 3lb 7, 4lb 14 and 4lb 14, that was that. PeterJG sensing he had a winning lead in our bream-off. packed up early afternoon. And so it proved, though Peter, once you'd gone I couldn't help notice all those roach jumping in your swim - all over the 2lb mark, I'm pretty sure! I would have stepped into that swim and bagged up, but that would have been unsporting, and understandably I remained where I was, biteless, but hopeful of an unlikely hattrick of 4lb 14oz bream. Quote of the day from PeterJG - 'I'm not very good at fishing - but I do love it.' Hear hear, PJG.
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A good evening, even if it was pretty chilly in the strong S-SW breeze. But it went to plan. I set up in my swim at 3:15, anticipating fish arriving in it about 6 (though hoping they might be there already, of course) 6:00 - The first bite came on-the-dot. It was a slow bite and a long lethargic fight, but it eventually came in as a perfect 13lb 8 Mirror. 6:15 - A personal best 8lb 3oz Bream 7:00, 7:35, 7:55 and 8:10 - Commons of 8lb 2, 6lb 6, 9lb 9 and 4lb Not sure if it was a coincidence, but I put 2 maggots on the hook of the hair-rigged wafter. Will do that again.
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30.3 - 2.4.22 -Willows
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
Wednesday - A last short afternoon of the season as the gardening season has properly kicked off, and I have to pay for the maggots some how. Arrived at Willows at 2:30 to two surprises: There was only one other chap fishing, and the carp were up on the top everywhere. It was a still afternoon, certainly not the warmest, but there they were, sucking at the surface, some only 3ft from the bank, with groups of 3 or 4 fish seemingly liable to pop their heads up at any point. I fancied I’d either catch a hundred, or none at all. I fished a pop-up on a hook length long enough for me to see it bobbing on the surface. Casting at small groups, my bait was mouthed and spat out a couple of times before one took it. A 9lb 4 Common. Then the temperature dropped and so did the fish. Eventually I changed to a float and corn and lost a big ‘un after a 10 minute fight when it decided it’d had enough of toying with me and turned on the afterburners. Friday - It was zero degrees when I arrived at first light, and felt much colder with a solid northerly breeze. I knew it would be a tough half-day, but one can only fish in the hours ordained, and if you stay at home, like all of my other angling brethren, you can’t catch a fish. At least the snow showers of yesterday had passed. And it was tough, just the single bite around midday for a perfect 8lb Mirror which made it all worthwhile. Hmm. A cormorant took advantage of me being the only angler, and worked the lake for much of the morning. I rarely if ever see one on the water if there are a few more of us on the bank. Saturday - Even colder. Minus 2 start plus the same wind. Froze my pop-ups off, it did. Nothing all morning then just as it warmed up slightly, I had a 4lb Mirror and 5lb Common in the last 45 mins. Highlights of the day were watching a territorial Canada goose and equally territorial Egyptian goose having an all beaks and wings fight. Violent stuff, oh, and a duck limbo dancing under the impromptu otter fencing. Roll on Spring -
26 & 29.3.22 - Willows
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
Ok, so my experiment didn't work. 3 small roach in three other venues had me cross at my lack pf skill and back at the shallows of Willows until the water warms up. But then Saturday only saw my bad run continue. A day spent in the sun was pleasant enough, but only one bite and a face-saving 5lb 8 Common was a disappointment. Tuesday brought the first cloudy day in a fortnight and temperatures half of last weeks 16 degrees, My first evening stint since the clock change had me changing tack from last Saturday and I stuck to the margins rather than pinging towards the island. This didn't work either until the last hour when as darkness came in, I had a fab Crucian of 2lb 14 (my p.b.), a tench of the same weight, a 7lb bream hooked mere inches from the bank, and finally, while packing up, a bonus Common of 9lb 7. I'd have stayed longer, but I only had a torch and the beam of my smile, and it was getting pretty chilly. To cap a morale-boosting session, I saw the kingfisher (twice), had my float mouthed and spat out by a Canada goose, and packed up beneath circling bats to the sound of an owl. I love fishing. -
22 -25.3.22 - More dilemmas
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
Tuesday - 3 hours available after work and went to Warwicks, given intelligence of large perch being caught there . Dilemma: given it was a bright sunny day, did I pick a swim already in shade knowing perch prefer low light levels to ambush, or, a sunny swim where the sweltering sun would stay til sunset, attracting roach to the surface so drawing the perch in. Hmm, what would you choose? I chose the latter, and though it was very pleasant sitting in the warmth, I alternated between caster, work and prawn for no bites Wednesday - An afternoon at Dobsons by the floating islands. Two rods allowed, so had one on bottom, the other with a zig exploring the mid and upper depths. No bites. Towards the end a chap came round walking his dog. 'Blimey, you should've been at Willows,' he smirked. 'Fishing it's nuts off, today' he added, 'Evryfinks coming out.' Selfishly, I did not find this great news but it made me think:. Dilemma: Though us land creatures were enjoying consecutive days of unseasonably warm weather, the water temperature was probably a few weeks behind and though the Angling Times and NAA Facebook page were showing fabulous catches, should I have stuck to shallow lakes, such as Willows, where the waters would be warming the fastest. Friday - Dilemma - Though on this logic Willows was the place to be, what you won't know is that I've been pre-baiting a swim on Dixons all week in front of a section of far bank weeds and tumbling willow, which struck me as a fish holding area, so it would have been churlish not to fish it. So I spent a lovely day in the sun there for just three roach totalling a pound, one of which gave no bite at all so I presumed it was a twig until I lifted it from the water. But while I'm sure the carp were leaping into landing nets at Willows, and probably barracudas and mako too, I felt I really fished well for those three paltry silvers. The only other chap on the seeming sterile water drew a blank while I still enjoyed every minute. OK, so I'm almost certainly going swallow my pride and limp in to Willows tomorrow, but I'd missed the feared hattrick of blanks. -
12.3.22 - Dobsons/Alders/Willows - The Dilemma
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
Well, today summed up quite nicely the dilemma I'm at with my fishing. Regular readers will see that I generally choose to fish at Willows. Well, it's easy to park, sheltered from most winds, otter-proofed and there are no crays. It's also pretty easy to catch good fish. Since re-finding fishing in June 2020, the vast majority of the 149 Commons and 101 Mirrors (between 1lb and 18lb) I've caught have come from Willows (not including the many tench, bream and crucians) I have 12 written rules of fishing borrowed from such angling heroes as Jeremy Wade and Chris Plumb. One, painfully learned after many largely self-inflicted blanks, is 'always fish where you have the best chance of catching fish'. So why wouldn't I fish Willows? One reason is that though it's great fun, it doesn't really develop my angling skills. So today I started at Dobsons, to pit my wits at a much larger lake where the water depth is more variable. After 2 hours I'd not had a touch. So OK, one cant be an angler without patience, but another of my rules is 'be decisive', and with many previous blanks there, I headed the 5 minutes to Alders. Here I sat for another 2 hours, again getting no bites, so with Willows just a cast away, I crossed the bank to my spiritual home. It was a quiet few hours, but with a Common of 8lb 2 and decent bream of 7lb 8*, maybe I did the right thing. Hmm. So do I carry on favouring Willows, or probably catch less, but potentially learn more? Without the distraction of rivers and canals for the next 3 months, and the netting and moving of 50 carp from Willows next week undoubtedly freaking up all remaining fish, I pledge to give the lake a miss for at least 2 weeks and spend the time between Dixons, Dobsons and Alders. Wish me luck and watch this space... * Ha. Big as it was, the bream rose to the surface as soon as it was hooked and insisted I dragged it across the surface like I was hauling in a soggy focaccia. This caught the attention of a number of terns who flew in and circled the floppy excuse for fish as it gave no resistance beyond it's not inconsiderable weight. I honestly thought they were going to dive at it, maybe even hitching a ride on it back to shore, and I'm sure the bream was even more relieved than me to be landed safely in my net. -
OK, so its the close season, and I fully understand the reasons for it. My personal opinion with fishing NAA stillwaters is that without human presence, the cormorants will be straight on them, predating. Certainly, I regularly saw them this week and think my presence may have contributed to them flying over the lakes rather than in them. I also wonder if a 3-month stop in bait going into the lakes which would certainly be a good thing in regards to build up of nutrients etc, would leave the fish hungry. I know the NAA fed the waters in lockdown. Who knows: there's an argument both ways, but having lost 20 years of my fishing career to bringing up family/other vices, personally I am happy to continue to fish. Maybe this is why the fish gods turned against me this week... Tuesday - Had an engagement at the club hut to retrieve NAA trophies for awarding at the April AGM, and with only 3 hours to fish, stayed at the venue. I've hardly fished there at all, and never done well. My continuation of poor performance was compounded by the Fishery Management team who rowed around the lake servicing each of the filtration pumps in turn. Blank. Wednesday - Started to rain as I got out of the car at midday. It was pouring down by the time my brolly was set up and did not abate through the whole afternoon until I packed up at 6. Changed methods/baits/depths umpteen times, but not a single bite. Miserable. If there was any good side, it was that there was no wind, so I stayed pretty dry under the umbrella, though every excursion out to make another cast was unpleasant. Friday - Alders. All day. One bite leading to (hurrah!) a 4lb 4oz bream. Stiff easterly wind took every degree of temperature out of the sunshine. Got fed up and walked around Willows at 4pm to find the sheltered North corner black with carp cruising in the late afternoon sunshine, despite 29 of the larger fish being netted and moved to lakes anew the day before. A beautiful sight. I knew where I was going to fish tomorrow. Saturday - Willows - All day. Bite first cast resulting in a beautiful 12lb 2 Mirror. Seemingly identical weather conditions as yesterday, mine was again the only corner of the lake not hit by easterlies, but did the carp fraternity arrive for their afternoon sunbathe? No, they didn't. No more bites. OK, the water temperatures peaked at only 10 degrees on the Saturday, but it was a bit disappointing. Still, I enjoyed every minute, and that's what it's all about really.
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Hmm, though the end of the running-water season approacheth, I could not resist a last chance at Willows before the planned transfer of 50 of its larger carp to other lakes the next day. What's more, with rain is due, I always feel it will be easier to huddle under a brolly on a lakeside rather than a river bank. It started off dry and still, and with two fish in the first three casts, I anticipated a fine haul. Then the first of two, two-hour rain stints kicked in and the strong S/SE winds of the last week or so kicked in. Bites slowed, though I caught fish as regular intervals and lost a few too. By the time I started to pack up, everything was sodden and I'd been the only angler all day. But there was time for one last fish that had my heart jumping for a moment or two as it came to the net. What do you reckon - Common or Crucian? No barbels, humpy back, but with 37 scales on the lateral line, it must have been a hybrid. Shame. It was an old warrior and at 4lb 10, would have made it a very different day! Commons - 7lb 14, 6lb 12, 5lb 5, 4lb 8, 7lb 2, Bream - 6lb 8, 4lb 8, 4lb 1, Mirror - 8lb 8 Hybrid - 4lb 10
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A rare opportunity to fish on a Sunday, so thought I'd do something different and went for a last piking session of the season. I'm very drawn to Dixon's Mere; it's quiet, underfished, and has no crays or (on the few occasions I've fished it) any nuisance waterfowl. On the other hand, there's no otter fencing or much in the way of recent catch reports, so I'm not sure what's in there. Fished the east bank, spending half an hour in each of 8 swims, reading that if pike are present, they'll have a bite pretty quickly. I did get a run at swim 2 that came off at the net, not a big fish, but certainly over 5lbs, but nothing went near my mackerel after that. Though it was suitably overcast, there was a fair east breeze that made it feel uncomfortably cold. I returned to swim 1 for the last hour and stuck a worm on a float hoping for one or two of the perch I've caught there before. No such luck, but as the wind started to whip the surface of even this sheltered swim, I lost sight of the float. Turned out there was a fish on the end, a 3lb 2 pike. Oh well, wasn't quite the day I'd hoped for, but I'll certainly be coming back to look for other stuff.
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With just a week left of the moving water season, I probably should have spent my 3-hours in a river or canal, but given the blanks lure fishing on my last two Tuesdays and the pretty strong winds, I pitched for the comparative shelter of my tree-lined default location, Willows. Sorry guys. But it was a good move. The fish turned out to be where I suspected they might and in that short session came 7 carp: Mirrors of 6lb, 10lb then 6lb 10 and Commons of 5lb, 6lb 8, 2lb 12 and 7lb 10. Four of the fish came in the last half hour. What fun! Never try and repeat a success, they say, but that wind was still blowing next day and well, with fish you never know. My 6-hour session brought the same number of fish. Commons of 8lb 4, 3lb 14, 7lb 2 and 6lb 14 plus a chunky Mirror of 7lb 2 and two beaming bream of 6lb 12 and 5 lb 2. I might have got blown to bits by the incessant wind, but almost 90lbs of fish in 9 hours made it very much worthwhile
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1 - 4.3.22 - Enborne and Willows
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
(1) Tuesday pm, had another 2 hours to waste my time tossing a lure around, despite the persistent rain throughout. You can't say I'm not keen. The water below the bridge was thick with run-off from the fields, whereas above the lock it is gin-clear through lack of boat traffic, but neither proved conducive, as I didn't get a touch (again). Lure fishing always looks so easy on YouTube. The occasional explosion of bleak suggested the perch were about, but I couldn't tempt them no matter how many times I changed lure, depth or retrieval rate. (2) Wednesday pm. More rain, so hid under the brolly at Willows. A nice afternoon's mixed fishing with a Mirror of 8lb 8, a surprise tench of 2lb 9. bream of 5lb and finishing with 2 x Commons on 7lb 6 and 5lb 6. That was more like it. (3) Friday. No rain, but the gentle breeze was bitter. Nothing from first light except having to watch lovey-dovey grebes necking in my swim, as well as regular shameless duck gang-bangs putting me right off my bite detection. Then a million black gnats hatched and insisted on swarming over my head. But finally, at 2pm, two Commons of 6lb 9 and a stonking 14lb 2 arrived within 5 minutes of each other and suddenly it wasn't a bad day after all. The fun died down again, but there was still time for a 7lb 8-er to make it a hattrick. -
16 - 23.2 - Willows & the Kennet
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
My last couple of weeks of Feb were blown off-track by the storm winds of Eunice and her pals, and by a trip to Wales that usurped a booked trip to the famed river Itchen. (hope it went well for you, fellers). Pre-storm, I'd had a weekday afternoon where threatened rain had me at Willows, where a brolly is better suited than my planned trip back to Speen. The weather kept others away, apart from a very friendly fully-kitted out chap just along from me who with bait boat assistance, already had 4 carp to his name by the time I plonked down. With my puny rod and scattergun casting technique, I felt rather rag-and-bone man in approach as I sat staring at my bobbins made of bottle corks and hair grips swaying in the wind, quite untroubled by fish while his bionic bite alarms screamed time after time. As we both packed up at dusk, I'd missed a couple of bites but did have a mirror of around six and a half just before close of play which I was too embarrassed to formally weigh for you as my new friend hadn't bothered with any of his l3 fish. I had a couple of hours a few days later, the first windless day after the storms blew through, so I took some lures to the canal/river stretch either side of Bulls Lock. Don't ask why, but I'd not appreciated that the NAA's stretch of river to Widmead Lock is not only pretty long, but looks quite powerful, comparatively deep and full of fish-holding features. Whilst the only thing to trouble any of my lures were submerged branches and snags, I was enthused by the prospect of future visits quivertipping to trailing branches, or trotting the straight sections and wondered why I'd heard so little about the section. Was it because members were keeping it a secret? Or the nuisance of large numbers of pedestrians and dogs sharing the towpath, or simply the distance from any carpark? Then there was a crashing in the water as a huge, oily cormorant made it's take off run from midstream and I knew that perhaps I'd found my answer. Next day, more winds planned (and it was a cold one too) so again lashed my brolly down at Willows. A 4lb-er first cast with a brand-new bite alarm/bobbin combo promised a bag-up, but that was it, until last cast, where a particularly pretty 8lb10 Common brought the end to my fishing month with a needed surge of spirit.-
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Friday. Got to Speen in the frost at first light with some cheese paste and link legers. Threw a few freebies in half a dozen swims, then fished them in turn. Had a 3lb 6 chub early doors (I'm only 97 behind you now, Chris!). No more chub action was to ensue, just three swim-thrashing trout each around the two and a half pound mark. Sitting watching the quivertip not move very much, I switched to a trot for just a roach and a dace, but thought how 'pikey' (the fish kind, not the scrote) and pledged to come back with some dead baits next day. Saturday. Returned with the dead baits. Soon worked out to fish them paternoster to keep them above the heads of the crayfish. Spent 20 mins in each of a number of great looking swims, but nothing. With the wind getting gustier, which I hear is not to the pike's liking, I took my baits to Dixons Mere where the trees would shelter the find and block the afternoon sunshine that unexpectedly broke. I had just the one run for my efforts, but it was from a lovely conditioned pike of 9lb 9. Thank you, Dixons. It's a lovely looking lake and I must fish it more. Bit of disappointing return really, but now home with a glass of red, a takeaway and watching my football team become World Club Champions, I'm pretty sure I've had worse days!
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I had planned to fish the Kennet at Brimpton, but the sun was so bright and with the low water level after weeks of no rain, I felt the fish might be too spooky, so risked repeating my error of last Wednesday afternoon and went to Willows. On arrival, I was told a good number of carp had come out that morning, so I set up expectantly in 12 degrees of warmth. Tried a few things, but nothing. Brought out the float rod for a blank-buster and had 15 small roach before the bites dried up. At 3:30 a couple of fish jumped where I'd been casting earlier, so I cast back out to them. Nothing. Not a touch, and an hour later, I started packing up. With bait away, float gear disassembled, even rod rest in the bag, all I had left to do was to wind in and sulk off home. Then the rod fell off the tacklebox I'd propped it on, but rather than creating a slack line, it went taut. I had a fish on. It came in like a sack of potatoes; I've dragged in branches that have put up a better fight, but boy, it was welcome. A really good looking Mirror too, freezing cold to the touch, and bang on 10lbs.
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2.1.22 & 5.1.22 - Willows & K&A Canal
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
Two short sessions squeezed in around Jo's shifts. Sunday - Willows. Why, oh why, do I repeatedly tell myself that lakes are a good idea in winter? OK, the temperature has been double-digit for 10 days with a steady SSW, wind and the water temperature has risen from 5.5 a few weeks ago to 10.5 degrees today, but the water was choppy and seemed dead. Dead enough to put a blank-bustin' maggot out on float for the last hour, but even that was a struggle. Managed just three roach to 3oz when for the second day running, un-forecast rain moved in. Everything got drenched in the next half hour, and presuming the water temp to have dropped, I gave it up. Naturally, as I loaded the car the rain stopped: just like that. I walked to speak to the two other poor souls fishing. Mat and Dan had caught one small carp between them. I'd not met them before and this was only Mat's third trip as a new member, but as I invariably find with members, they were friendly, chatty and keen to swap tips. They were even kind enough to let me use some of our conversation in issue 2 of the NAA newsletter, due out by next week, fingers x'd. Wednesday pm, I gave myself the choice of the Lambourne or 'my' swim on the canal. Sadly, it seems to me there are always too many anglers on the Lambourne, particularly in the afternoons to the point where I feel sorry for the grayling. So while I thought I still might do better there in terms of weight, particularly given the return to minus temperatures last night, I plumped for the canal. It was beautiful sitting in the sun, it really turned when it hid behind the trees and was a chilly 2 degrees when I left at dusk. There was also a fairly persistent westerly breeze causing a bit of a chop which, given the bright sunshine, I couldn't decide if it helped or hindered the fishing. Slower than other trips, I still managed 23 roach, a few bigger than the one photographed, being 3 or 4 ounces, plus three bleak. Sadly no gudgeon. No perch either, though there were a number of surface attacks sending the bleak into explosions of panic. Perhaps I'll take a worm or two next time. -
With the temperature in unseasonable double-figures and the rivers low, I thought it rude not to have a bash on the lake. Not an auspicious start as mid-first cast, the pop-on spool on my reel popped-off and flew into the drink. I carefully hand wound the 100 yards or so of line and had it on the surface about 10 foot from the bank when the backing knot gave and it sank irretrievably lost to the depths. Spare spool clicked firmly on, I had no bites as the showers lashed in until 11am when the bobbin gave a lazy, winter lift and in came a ponderous but vey welcome mirror of 8lb 10. With nothing happening after that, I took advantage of the 2-rod winter rule to put a light float a rod length out and tossed in a couple of balls of liquidised bread and hooked a maggot on an 18. I caught a roach first cast and over the next couple of hours had 49 more (biggest 6 oz), 4 bream (to 6oz), 1 perch (tiny) and 1 rudd (2oz). Would have liked a second carp, torpid or otherwise, but it was a fun afternoon in the improving and warming conditions.
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22.12 & 24.12 - Hambridge & Knotts
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
Wednesday: Had a little under two hours to fish before dark, so took a second trip to the canal swim that produced so many (small) roach last week. It had been minus 5 when I started work that morning, and by now had only now climbed to a balmy 2 degrees, but despite being bothered by a narrow boat and canoeists, all of whom I gave hard stares, the roach didn't seem too bothered. The perch didn't show up however, but even so I thought I was going to beat the 50-fish barrier when, having nailed 2 bleak and 43 roach (some tiny, some 3oz, most in between), I added none in the final 20 minutes of light, the exact opposite of what seems to happen a mile upstream at Enborne. Fish eh? Xmas Eve: Temperature now a scorching 9 degrees (water temp 6) and I changed my mind from roving Speen Moors given the revered CP's relatively slow showing yesterday. Plumped for Knotts, in a corner swim where I'd caught relatively decent roach and perch in the past, with enough sinister vegetation to also look pikey. Huddled under my brolly when the rain came, the fish weren't in a Christmassy mood and all I brought in was the half-mackerel I sprayed around the swim. Allowed a second rod, I didn't get a bite either on tiny hook and single/double maggot at ay of the swim's 6ft depth. Ah, well. Saw a few cormorants and two herons, who also received my hardest stare. Did manage to feed a few maggots to a robin who kept coming down to stare at me quizzically. Happy Christmas fish, and the same to you all. -
Wednesday, and I had the chance to fish for an hour or so before dark. I thought I'd give lure fishing ago given the number of guys marching up and down Speen Moors last Friday with their 7ft rods and multoplier reels. I dug out an old 9ft rod from the garage, and popped into Tony's for some artificial crayfish, rubberised worms and some wire traces. Thus kitted, I wound in fast, slow, jaggedy and twitchingly, but after an hour in various swims, all I'd landed were sunken leaves and submerged branches: very frustrating. I reached Bulls Lock and managed to cast into an overhanging branch on the far bank. First yank shook the branch but the lure remained in the foliage, so I tugged again and again, each time increasing the tension hoping to pull it clear... The crack of the line was inevitable. I looked at the branch - the lure was no longer snagged there. I starting to wind in the slack and immediately realised my rod was shorter than it had been moments earlier. But it hadn't snapped: that would have been careless, no, the end section had simply disappeared! I saw no splash in the water in front of me, nor did I hear it thrash into the trees behind me. I hunted until pitch black to no avail. It had gone. The only conceivable conclusion I could draw was that it had disintegrated into a million billion atoms. I stomped back to the car very peeved, cursing myself for not ditching this ridiculous sport and threatening to take up golf, if not embroidery. Two days later, my mental wounds had healed sufficiently, combined with continued unseasonably warm weather, to make my way to Willows with renewed enthusiasm. Not a touch in four hours, so I decided to go and float fish the canal. As I picked up the rod to pack the bite alarm it was resting on, it jumped in my hand and I was into a fish! It was only a 4lb 8 Common, but it brought a huge smile to my face. If I'd have picked the rod up 10 seconds earlier I'd have blanked. Ahh, fishing, eh? After a wasted 30 mins hoping for a repeat, I went to the canal to dangle a stick float for the remaining couple of hours of daylight. What joy. 50 roach (to a max of 4 ounces), and 10 bleak. I hoped that the roach's bigger brothers would turn up at dusk, but while they didn't, two perch of 12 ounces renewed the hope of a bumbling angler suffering the hurt of several recent blanks
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The day after my last trip to Speen Moors, two bones in my instep started hurting. By the days end, I could barely put my foot to the floor. Not wanting a trip to casualty for an 8-hour wait plus possible Omicron exposure, I did the typically male thing and left it to get better on its own. What could go wrong? Well nothing really, as over the next couple of days while the pain didn't really subside, the swelling didn't spread and a bite-like head appeared in the area. I reckon something particularly insectular and angry must have sneaked into my boot and taken vengeance through my sock. By Wednesday, while I was still walking like a pirate, the pain was just starting to ease, though I could not have survived a working day's gardening with it. So I recuperated, by resting it by the swim by the car park at Willows. I fished far, short, thick and fine, but didn't get a single bite all day. For fishing Friday, I had Dixon's Mere to myself. I managed to miss 2 pike runs on mackerel (mercifully no crayfish here), and had no bites whatsover on feeder/floated maggot. Today, Sunday, was the Newbury Angling Association's Xmas Match. Around 20 anglers braved the cold wind to eat bacon rolls at Bellwood before moving out to fish their choice of lake, river or canal. With my gait more a limp than a hobble now, I was still not quite ready for a tackle-laden yomp, so stayed at Bellwood. For 4-hours I almost froze in the wind, but avoided the dreaded hat trick of blanks with two perch on a cage feeder, both pushing the scales at, say, around 1-ounce each. Come final whistle, I didn't bother claiming them, but as anglers returned to HQ, it appeared that everyone on the canal had blanked, though there was talk of a large perch lost. One angler weighed in 14 ounces at Bellwood, while a 4lb chub came out of the river. So whilst this isn't a classified result, it could well be that my mighty Percas may have been enough to claim 4th prize, but I didn't have the nerve to claim it.
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Well, like a fool I'd been listening to the hyperbolae of recent weather forecasts, warning us of a huge drop in temperature. Sure, it was 6 degrees, but the sun was beautiful when I pottered in the garden potting up bulbs and sweeping leaves this morning, so I hurried up and made my way to the lakes. After my disheartening river stint on Friday, and believing the canals to be no-go zones at times of temperature drops, I elected for Willows thinking the sun on the shallow water might at least make the carp peckish, if not exactly hungry. I must say it was very pleasant sitting in the sun, despite jumper, gillet, coat and no bites for four hours. On the pellet feeder rod, I switched baits five times to no avail, but it changing from lift method to a slow sinking shot pattern on the float that tipped the fish scales. Finally the float sank and something powerful took off for the island. When I say took off, it leapt clear out of the water. Fishing a 15ft rod, 4lb braid, 3lb hook length and thin wire hook I knew I had to take it gently, and so began a half-hour battle. It was a real tug of war. Five times I got it to within 10 yards of the bank for it to show its displeasure and rip back into open water. But finally it came to the surface and felt confident enough to lower the net. It came in tail first - I'd only gone and foul-hooked it in the pelvic fin. I was disappointed, but philosophic. I've lost many fish due to unlucky even ironic circumstances, so I reasoned It would be churlish not to accept this gift from the carp gods, particularly as it weighed 17lbs 2. By the time the fish came to bank the light had started to fade and a chilly breeze whipping up. With the margin swim trashed for a while by the landing process, I decided to rest on my laurels and return home for a hot bath, bottle of Proper Job and later, the Antiques Roadshow.
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9 & 10.11.21 - Willows
Bayleaf the Gardener posted a blog entry in The Newbury & Port Talbot Blanker
9th - 3:30 til 7:45. Had just a few tentative bites, then, at last, a solid one. I struck, there was strong resistance and I brought in...a large branch. Did the vegetation really make a grab for my bait? Then I struck into a carp which pulled yards from the centrepin. I played it for a minute or so, but sensed that it wasn't firmly hooked. I was right, and off it fell. After that, while I always felt the fish were close - though not as near as the rats than were scampering around the undergrowth behind me, (one even swam out to examine my star-lite float before paddling back) this was my first blank since May. 10th - 2:30 til 4:45. A bonus session before dark, my being keen to right yesterdays wrong. Hmm, not much happened again, a handful of knocks on the float before it sailed away with 15 minutes to go, and it took all of that time to land a 6lb 6 Common on light tackle. Very happy to see him. -
A Saturday morning to fish, and yesterdays frosts gone (though still requiring a fleece, waistcoat and thick coat). With the winter rule of 2 rods being allowed on the lake, I fished a light float to my left, and a boilie on a bomb in the margin to my right. I've never used a boilie before, but these were kindly donated to me and with it still nippy, was not sure the fish would be bothered to break into the cargo of a method feeder. Nothing on float, not even a bite on maggot/caster or corn, but from three huge 'takes' on the boilie. I lost one, but had commons of 10lb 5 and 7lb 4. Very happy with this, and a new bait to experiment further with.