Where to go?

[Anderoo]

I'm unable to make this decision, so I'm throwing it open to the cracking chaps and chapesses of AN

 

I'm working from home today, so I can pop out later for a few hours' fishing into dark. The trouble is, I just can't decide where to go. I've got a big tub of lobs and can pick up some maggots, and I have perch on my mind. The choices are the perch stream or the Thames.

 

The perch stream should be just right after a fair bit of rain on Wednesday. There's a very good chance of a big perch I reckon.

 

The Thames is looking in very good condition, finally, and the guy in the local tackle shop mentioned a couple of big perch had been caught in the last week. The Thames is much more of a gamble as I haven't fished it yet this year, but catching a big perch from there would be more of an achievement.

 

Where should I go? Wherever gets the most votes is where I'll fish, and I'll tell you about it later

[Brian Carragher]

Short session go with the banker and fish the backwater where your chances of success are better given the low number of hours you intend to fish

 

 

If you'd been going all day I'd have gone for the harder venue the Thames

[wayne baker]

Big tub of lobs. Nice late August evening. The stream sounds like a good bet.

[Anderoo]

2-0 to the stream so far, cheers guys...

[BoldBear]

Another vote for the Stream, I really enjoy reading about your exploits on it.

[Anderoo]

OK, the stream it is, ta

 

We've had plenty of rain and it's very overcast - it could prove to be a wise decision. I'll let you know what happens.

[Anderoo]

Blankety blank!

 

The conditions were all over the place, very high winds, cool and quite a bit of heavy rain. Very unsettled and not ideal, I could tell it was going to be a grueller! Even getting there was a nightmare with all the bank holiday traffic on the roads. The main problem is that there's still no flow at all. I don't really think the perch get into this bit in any numbers until the first autumn downpour and a mild flood.

 

I decided to try little livebaits today, just to see what happens. I nicked a few little dace out on maggots and fished one on a mini sunken float paternoster with a drop-off, pike style. I had some traces made up with some light wire and circle hooks, so I thought I'd try those out. On the other rod I did the usual float-fished lobs.

 

The lobs just brought an endless stream of crays but out of the blue the livebait (which was anchored just of a thick bed of rushes along the far bank) was grabbed, the drop-off dropped off and line started peeling off the open spool - blimey, fish on! I gave it a good 10 seconds before winding down and allowing the circle to find its hold, but as I felt the weight of the fish there was a thump, and it all fell slack. I wound in a baitless rig and swore

 

As it turned out, that was my only chance today. Judging by the thump it was either a small pike or a big perch, there's no way I'll ever know. I know it's not a fair trial of circles, but I don't think I'll have the confidence to try them again. It may seem like I'm hoiking dozens of big perch out of this little stream but the reality is that blanks are the norm (I just don't bother posting about them ) and a good session is a single fish, so you really can't afford to mess up any chances. Ah well, maybe next time!

Edited August 28, 2009 by Anderoo

[BoldBear]

Anderoo, The conditions didn't seem that good here either, I was going to do an evening session on my local stream this evening but with the strong gusty wind and the odd thunder storm passing over I decided to give it a miss untill tommorow evening.

 

It was a shame about the weather and what a pity that your circle hook hadn't held on that take you had. anyway hope you have better luck the next time.

Edited August 28, 2009 by BoldBear

[JV44]

Anderoo unlucky chap as Boldbear said if the hook had held then we could have been treated to pictures of another stonking Perch and i never tire of looking at pics of them it must be some sort of fetish and think you are spot on about a bit of rain to kick it in to gear fishing wise.

We are out on the Thames now and there is no flow and gin clear conditions but i am going to try to replicate your experiment with a live bait for Perch and if that doesn't work then out go the Halibut pellets for the barbel as it gets dark as we are right next to where a tributary of the Thames comes in that is a bit noted for Barbel ,Full report to follow or more likely the way my luck is of late deathly silence and tumbleweed blowing through empty streets if i blank steve.

[Anderoo]

I may as well drop this in here - I'm too depressed to start a new topic

 

I had a few hours on the Thames this evening and it was going so well! Float fishing maggots brought constant bites from perch, roach (a couple of which needed the net), the odd dace, rudd, and loads of bleak. I put a few of the bleak into a bucket for later in case the lobs didn't produce anything. I still have perch on my mind, and it seemed like a good time to start sussing out my local river. I'm sure there's a chance of a really big perch (and chub) from here if I'm lucky.

 

I dropped into a nice spot about a hundred yards down from the weir, and with lots of overhanging branches just downstream. It was so nice to just sit there in the sun with a float in the water, watching all the boats and canoes and dog walkers, it made such a nice change from sitting next to a muddy field with no-one around for miles. But all the people melted away by about 5.30 and the river was mine again.

 

I lobbed a little sunken float paternosted bleak next to the branches while I carried on float fishing. I decided to be fair and try the circle hooks again. After lots of little twitches I got a proper run and, heart in my mouth (what would it be?) wound down to the fish. It was on! Phew. It wasn't a big perch, only about a pound, but I was dismayed to see that it had somehow virtually swallowed the hook. I thought that was impossible, and the point of them? You can imagine how hard it was to extract, and I'm sad to say the fish didn't recover. That's the first perch I've had die on me for years. The circles are going in the bin...

 

I swapped the hook over to a size 4 super specialist and shortly after had another run, this time from a little pike, hooked neatly in the scissors and unhooked in the water.

 

It was starting to get dark, so I set up an avon rod to float fish lobs with. This was fun but, erm, not exactly selective! Lots of perch came my way, but none bigger than half a pound. (I'd forgotten how many fish are in the Thames!) I had a bleak left in the bucket so I hooked him on and let him roam around at 3/4 depth near the spot I was catching all the fish on the maggots. He did several laps and out of the blue the float just disappeared and the line started pulling tight. I struck straight away and something strong pulled back. I was convinced it was a pike, it took line off me three times in a row. I brought it slowly in and it came up and boiled on the surface and I almost fell in - it was a perch and a really big one. It would be by biggest from the Thames my a mile, and we would almost certainly be in PB territory... it lunged for the brambles and rocks in the left-hand margin and took more line, but I turned it just in time. Then it did the same in the right-hand margin and I hung on with the rod literally bent double. I don't think I've ever had such a powerful fight from a perch before. This time I couldn't turn it and it all went instantly solid. I tried pulling from different angles and giving slack line but I was full of that sick feeling, when you just know it's gone. In the end I had to pull for a break. The fish was long gone. I would have dearly loved to have landed that perch, I still can't believe I've just wasted another great chance. There was more swearing

 

I carried on into darkness just in case I'd get a second chance, but it didn't happen. On the plus side, at least I know there are some very big fish along that stretch. Hopefully next time I'll manage to land one...