Where to go?

[Brian Carragher]

That was bad luck

[Kappa]

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...

 

What a sickener!

 

I am sorry to hear the problems you've had with circles! I really rate them! Are they ones I gave you?

 

Rich

[Anderoo]

What a sickener!

 

I am sorry to hear the problems you've had with circles! I really rate them! Are they ones I gave you?

 

Rich

 

You should have seen this perch Richard We'll have to go back for it, or one of its mates.

 

Yes, the hooks are the ones you gave me. I've probably just been unlucky but I think it'll take a lot for me to try them again.

[Kappa]

You should have seen this perch Richard We'll have to go back for it, or one of its mates.

 

Yes, the hooks are the ones you gave me. I've probably just been unlucky but I think it'll take a lot for me to try them again.

 

Yes or its grandmother!

 

Circles are strange. I've had one deep hooked fish on them and it is hard to remove a circle in this position. That said I've always found fishing lives hard on the Thames, you never know whether the next fish is a 4oz perch or a 20lb pike! When I used normal hooks I would strike straight away as deep hooking was such a problem, of course you miss a lot of bites that way and I still deep hooked some fish, but not as many. I found the circles found a hold in the scissors 99% of the time. I still miss just as many bites though but I think this just can't be helped! I'd be very interested if anyone had any other tips or tricks to avoid deep hooking!

 

We'll have to have a proper test on the bank soon!

 

Rich

[BoldBear]

Anderoo, Im Sorry to hear about he loss of that stonking great Perch, what a heartbreaker. and it would have been a certain personal best as well. I expect you'll be back soon now you know their there, I'm looking forward to your next foray after them.

 

You will have to do a diagram to show us how your sunken float paternoster was setup, I've used one for Pike fishing on a mild winters day but not for Perch.

 

NB. The weather was a bit better tonight and the Barbel fed well on my local stream (will do a seperate Post).

 

BoldBear

[goosequill]

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...

 

Bad luck old boy.

If you were fishing where I think you may have been, then you have confirmed some musings that have been discussed many-a-time. I lost what was clearly my biggest perch at the tail of the weir pool a few years ago...........no doubt in my mind that the Thames won't just break the Perch (and Chub) records, but will obliterate them in the near future.

[JV44]

Bad luck old boy.

If you were fishing where I think you may have been, then you have confirmed some musings that have been discussed many-a-time. I lost what was clearly my biggest perch at the tail of the weir pool a few years ago...........no doubt in my mind that the Thames won't just break the Perch (and Chub) records, but will obliterate them in the near future.

 

Goosequill i concur about the Perch and Chub records massive Chub taken regularly on my local bit by the Carp lads accidentally and the marinas hold massive Perch,Anderoo unlucky never tried circles myself and don`t think i will now as having no joy myself at the mo without losing even more fish .

Caught a load of Gudgeon and full of confidence set one out sunk float pat just on the edge of the cabbages where we moored up which as usual was on the edge of the drop off shelf,caught 8 perch to this method sadly none over a 1lb and then a jack pike that had some very impressive scars down his flank but that's another story for when i can post the photo and lost a big pike on the Gudgeon last knockings the big single hook let go trying to bully the fish out of the cabbages .

We had a free listen to the Reading festival last night whether we wanted to or not and late afternoon we had the treat of a Spitfire and p51 Mustang fly by on a couple of occasions .

Henley later today dontcha know for essentials [beer] and to try for a big stripey there Steve.

Edited August 30, 2009 by JV44

[Anderoo]

Bad luck old boy.

If you were fishing where I think you may have been, then you have confirmed some musings that have been discussed many-a-time. I lost what was clearly my biggest perch at the tail of the weir pool a few years ago...........no doubt in my mind that the Thames won't just break the Perch (and Chub) records, but will obliterate them in the near future.

 

Yes, it's where you think it is, although on the other side of the river - the first fishable spot down from the lock. I'm going to be spending almost all my time on that bit of the river this autumn and winter for both chub and perch. God only knows how big they go! And with empty banks all year round, they're not exactly pressured...

 

It's very cloudy out today. I won't be able to fish into dark but I may nip out for an hour or two this afternoon and see if I can break this spell of rotten luck.

 

I wish you'd seen this perch old chap! And the bend in my rod! I think it must have been washed out of the nile in the 2007 floods!

[Anderoo]

You will have to do a diagram to show us how your sunken float paternoster was setup, I've used one for Pike fishing on a mild winters day but not for Perch.

 

It's the same as a pike sunken float paternoster, except scaled down BB. On the boom there's a little fox bait popper for the float, a plastic run ring for the mainline to go through, a length of 15lb line (stiff to prevent tangles) and a 1.5oz flat lead on the other end. The mainline goes through the run ring, a couple of beads, a rig sleeve, a swivel, then the hooklength/trace with another bit of rig sleeve on it, again to stop it tangling, with a no. 4 hook on the end. The length of the boom obviously decides how deep/shallow the bait fishes. I fish it pike style with a mini drop-off and open bail-arm.

 

Hopefully this pic makes sense:

 

This is with mono rather than wire.

 

I tried again yesterday in perfect conditions - heavy cloud, very dull, a light westerly - and caught several small ones but none of the biggies. Free roving was about as successful as the paternoster, but the paternoster meant I could anchor it next to the overhanging trees.

 

Using bleak certainly isn't selective either, here one greedy sod from yesterday, and believe it or not on the next cast I caught one half that size!

Edited August 31, 2009 by Anderoo

[Anderoo]

This is turning into a kind of blog

 

Anyway, I went back again yesterday evening and into darkness with Richard. I suffered a couple of dropped runs (one of the float, one on the pat) but Rich did much better with a few smaller perch and one real beauty of 2lb 12oz - I really thought it was going to go 3lb when I first saw it!

 

Nice one Rich