Some intermittent fishing at the Decoy

[Vagabond]

"One or two heavy showers in the morning", they said, "followed by a fine day"

 

Due to make my sixth visit to the Decoy in an attempt to improve on a 1-14 PB roach, I thought I could live with that, and took the Landie, knowing I could back it right up to my swim.

 

Got there at 6.30am, in the middle of the first "heavy shower" Waited till 6.45 when it stopped, prepared my swim, set up a roach rod, cast out, started catching roach, then a black cloud came over the downs, "the heavens opened" as they say, at about 7.30, and there was "heavy shower" No 2.

 

I hadn't taken coat or brolly, so fished from the back of the Landie, which I had positioned nose to wind.

 

But Oh dear! a bream shoal had moved in, all 3 lb clones, covered in slime, and mopping up maggots, casters, corn and even chick peas. There are no photos, I was too busy cursing and trying to keep the tackle slime free, and getting the unmentionables back in the water, so no question of submitting the camera to that sort of risk.

 

So as to avoid the bream, I decided to fish up in the water, loose feeding even more often, and even more sparingly - it worked ! Back to roach and the odd rudd, but all small.

 

Then a really solid thump as the float buried. Had to yield line on the Royal Supreme, and the fish seemed tireless. I thought at first it was one of the chub that I have been catching on previous visits, but this thing had stamina as well as strength. The fight went on for ages, and I was beginning to harbour the fear that some misguided individual had put carp in here. Wrong again! When I at last saw the fish, I was astonished at how small it was! A male tench, scrapper extraordinary - in boxing terms, not a Heavyweight, but certainly a Champion, punching well over his weight..especially on a roach rod.

 

Here he is - chunky little feller.... and not the first tench I have caught "up in the water"

 

Looking forward to the "fine day" I was outraged when a third big black cloud loomed over the Downs, and the resulting deluge flooded my pitch. So moved round to the other side of the pond where I had caught plenty of chub on previous visits.

 

Set up leger tackle there to fish along the long reedy margin (had the pond to myself so as Poledark says, my swim was defined by how far I could cast) As I have discovered on previous visits, the reedy margins are full of eels of a pound or so, which means cockle, maggots and worms are out, so on went 16mm halibut pellets.

 

A surprise - a decent rudd first cast. I have had my share of two and three pounders in my "yoof" but rudd over a pound are scarce these days. This one I weighed .....1-10, with a mouth only just big enough to get round a 16mm pellet!

 

 

Now came deluge No 4 of the "fine afternoon" I took a pictureof the decoy, reeds flattened by the wind, and a leaden sky. The picture hardly does the blackness of the sky credit, the camera's auto function has made it as light as possible, but it really was almost too dark to read.

 

 

 

After the shower it was more chub - the main feature of this pond.

 

Here is just one.

 

Then appeared the biggest and blackest cloud of the day , just before 5pm, so I called it a day and packed up. As I drove away, there was a cloudburst, with hail, thunder, lightning, the lot.

 

So much for the "fine afternoon" forecast, but there was a consolation. Everyone else had believed the forecast and gone coatless to work.

 

As I drove through Lewes, the streets were full of young ladies going home from shops and offices, and the net result was a sort of "Wet T-shirt" convention.

 

I managed to get through the town without hitting a lamp-post

Edited July 8, 2009 by Vagabond

[Worms]

An enjoyable story!

 

I've just had my second tope trip of the year postponed because of the weather on the Welsh coast!

 

Oh well, I have recently found out about a local natural pool with tench, crucian carp and rudd in. I'm all a-tremble with anticipation as, I've never caught any of those three species (poor addicted river angler that I am). The elderly owner allows the odd angler to fish for the princely sum of £5!

 

By the way Dave, if you want to cheat on the char front our minnows are spawning at the moment and, if you squint or take a blurred photo the cock fish look a little like char, resplendent in their green and red spawning livery

[BoldBear]

A very enjoyable report with a nice Tench (I love Tench whatever their size) and a lovely humungus sized Rudd (what a beauty) plus the other fish you caught all during such bad weather, and to Cap it all, some lovely wet teashirts to round the day off.

What more could anyone want?

 

Great report.

[Alan Stubbs]

I always enjoy reading your reports. They're informative with an element of humour.

 

On my last trip before this morning, I ended up catching my rod, landing net, unhooking mat and chair from the canal. I retrieved them all without damage.

Whilst I was tidying up bits and pieces to put back in the holdall, the wind gusted very suddenly and blew the chair forward, taking the rest with it.

 

It seems strange to say it, but during the session I most enjoyed catching the smallest tench I'd ever seen - less than 2" long on floated bread punch. It seems it hadn't learned

etiquette yet.

 

The oddest thing was the number of fish which shed the hook either whilst being landed or in the landing net. I was using Kamasan barbless 911's in sizes 18 and 20.

I thought it may have been that the rod was too meaty and unforgiving, but the fish would presumably been bumped off on the strike had that been the case. I am confused.

 

The line was the finest I've ever used - 3lbs main with 1lb 12oz hooklength, and it's never previously caused me these problems.

 

As roach are my favourite species, I always devour anything written about them, and the saga of a quest for a 2lb roach is something I would home in on almost religiously!

[Anderoo]

Thanks Vagabond, great story - and a really belting rudd. You are certainly finding some good fish there (plus bream )

 

If you find that you just can't avoid bream - have a quick session at Wingham, you never know!

 

I hope the roach of your dreams will grace your net soon

[lutra]

Great story, nice pic's, good fish and what a lovely looking pond.

 

Nice one Dave.

[Vagabond]

Great story, nice pic's, good fish and what a lovely looking pond.

 

 

Thanks for that - how is the Ribble fishing?

 

Went to Decoy again yesterday morning - 4 chub, all 3 to 4 lb plus a 2 lb tench.

 

I now have a dilemma - good, but not exceptional, fish each time I go. Meanwhile, the season is ticking by, and the river is getting neglected.

 

Reviewing the results of six days fishing

 

Roach - hundred or more up to 5 oz. One of 1-14 NOTHING in between

Rudd - about twenty tiddlers One of 1-10 NOTHING in between

Tench - 3, all around 2-3 lb

Chub - 21 in total, all 3 to 4 lb

Bream-Roach hybrid - One of 4-8

Bream - several of 2 to 4 lb. NO small ones. I always move or change tactics if I get three bream in succession, (one is happenstance, two is coincidence, three is enemy action ) so a bream fisher might well get a hundredweight.

Eels - Ten minutes with cockle, worm, maggot, dead gudgeon or small halibut pellet on the bottom will produce an eel - from bootlaces up to 2lb, so stopped using those tactics.

Perch - One small

Gudgeon - Two

Baits used. Maggot, casters, worm, cockles, crust, flake, breadpaste, chick peas, sweet corn, halibut pellets of 4,8,12 and 16mm, dead gudgeon.

Methods used, stick under rod tip, waggler, (both at various depths) freeline, link leger

 

So, do I persist in the hope of bigger chub? (I am beginning to suspect repeat captures, so this last time took photos of all the chub)

Do I continue to hope for a big roach?

 

The size distribution is very strange, because except for eels, I have had NO fish of any sort between 5 oz and 1-10

 

I'm missing my river fishing, and the estuary too, so I think I will give the Decoy a rest for a week or two.

 

Will return though - has anyone any thoughts of what else I might try ? Wheat, hemp or tares for the roach is one tactic I have up my sleeve.

Edited July 10, 2009 by Vagabond

[Anderoo]

You're learning an awful lot that will come in useful later, though - I'd have a go on the river just to scratch the itch and then carry on. The proper river fishing won't start for a few months anyway. Hemp and tares for the roach is a good idea. Have you tried fishing into darkness yet? Maybe you're doing everything right but the timing is a bit out?

 

For fun, you could try to snare a chub or two on fly gear

[lutra]

Thanks for that - how is the Ribble fishing?

Not great, just lots dace, minnows and the odd better chub but nothing bigger than you've been catching.

 

I'm back working at a house and pond i built a few years back at the moment. So Ive taken up carp fishing this week.

 

 

Its not that bad carp fishing, I think it might even be better than sitting in the same old van to eat my butties at dinner time.

 

By the way it wasn't me that put carp in it.

Edited July 10, 2009 by lutra