Any one given any thought to targets for next year?

[Dales]

I'm in the middle/start of a mini break from fishing. Which is to say I did not fish last week and with Christmas stuff planed for the next few weeks, I doubt I will out until the tail end of December. I've been promising my other half that once the weather turned bad I would do all those things that needed doing but up until then I needed to make the most of the weather and fish every week. So with the snow and a good run of getting out every weekend from February I can live with a mini break.

 

But not fishing has filled my head with targets, wish lists of fish I want to catch.

 

So my wish list to Santa, God, Good Fortune, Whoever is as follows.

 

Tench - Anything over 9-06 lb (Not been greedy, will settle for 9.08 or 9.10, but secretly want a 10

 

Zander - Must be double figure, nothing to huge 10.01, 10.02, 10.03 any of these would be fine.

 

Eel - Over 5 lb

 

Perch - Over 4 lb

 

Common Carp - 20 lb (Never caught one, those bloody Mirrors get in the way)

 

Pike - Want a new PB. I feel a little uneasy about my PB being caught by accident. Some how it's just so wrong and rather embarrassing for my PB to be flook.

 

Bream - A low double would be nice.

 

Wels - Must get a double and beat my partner.

 

Chub - Must catch one. Have not caught one for years, but have an idea for a few sessions after Christmas on the lea for Pike, Perch, Chub.

 

Plus plenty of other stuff around wanting to catch new species Greyling, Ide, Sturgeon etc

 

But thinking about it, the new year has not even started and I just can't see myself fitting all that in. But it will be fun trying

 

 

Any one else got any targets?

Edited December 9, 2010 by Dales

[Peter M]

Give over i have not finished with this year yet, mind you with that list of targets you must be a cross between matt hayes and john wilson. . my target for the next couple of months is i would like to beat my pb of any fish caught december or january, which so far stands at just over three pounds (a pike) so am going to a runs water after xmas to try for a carp, my biggest carp in December or January stands at just over 2 pounds.

Edited December 8, 2010 by Peter M

[Anderoo]

Nothing that specific, but I do have a few plans. Top of the list is the Wingham bream of course (sorry to everyone on here, it must get boring!). I will be trying new areas of the lake this season when conditions suit as there must be some forgotten fish in quiet areas. So I may well not get anything, we'll see. The day before the work party I'll be markering and measuring these areas so they're all mapped out in advance, having seen the effect a marker float has on the bream this season. I don't care about the size of them, and let's be honest, even the smallest ones are still big.

 

At some point the lake is going to throw up a genuinely big tench and put several pounds on the current lake record, and I'm sure it's inevitable that at some point (the right year, right conditions, right swim) there will be a staggering hit of really big tench. That would be nice! I'm in two minds how to approach the tench fishing next season, do I continue to try to catch everything in the swim, or do I do the baiting differently and try to be more selective and catch only the bigger fish? I haven't decided yet. I also have a slightly crazy urge to catch some tench on fly gear, drifting buzzers and bloodworm imitations around on the breeze - that would be fun! Might even get a bream, like they do at Farmoor!

 

I've had some recent info on some local barbel, and if I'm brave enough I may have another go for them. To catch one by design would be quite something as they are very thin on the ground, but it will be hard work and I may let it slide again.

 

I think I will get some drop-shotting gear and try to master a new method, which should breathe a bit of new life into my perch fishing, which I am losing interest in.

 

A really big Thames chub is still on the agenda, but whether I continue to fish my current stretch will depend on whether the idiot fish chasers turn up after some recent publicity. If the banks get busy I'll find a quieter stretch and find my own fish there. There is also some big chub fishing at a different river that Chris and I will be going back to (especially if the Thames does suddenly get busy). It would be lovely if between us we could briefly hold a 7lb chub.

 

If I can get through the season without hooking an eel, I'll consider it a success

[Sportsman]

Boy, where to start.

To get back into proper river coarse fishing, something I haven't done for over 45 years (25 years of sex and alcohol and 20 years of living in Scotland)

Chub or barbel of almost any size from the river Lot

A 2lb roach from anywhere

A catfish, any size

A Black Bass on the fly, ideally from my float tube

A large (20lb+) river carp

There are lakes around here easily capable of throwing up a 40lb+carp so I suppose just one of those to say that I have done it.

A bit spoiled for choice really

[viney]

My only aim is to get on the bank and enjoy fishing and avoid another summer sat in a bivvy behind bite alarms waiting for carp.

[Rusty]

I’ll be trying to fish as much of the Kennet as possible. I’ve almost ticked off everywhere that my two club books permit, I’ve fished Barton Court and a nice bonus section plus a Civil Service Angling Society exchange stretch. I think NAA has an exchange permit deal with Wasing Estate which will allow me to fish another section so that’ll be fair few miles covered. May even treat myself to syndicate membership for a lot more access.

 

Also I must try and generate some interest in the K&A canal. I have access to loads of it but fishing canals leaves me a bit cold despite the potential for big perch.

 

Finally I want to try as many brands of posh pork sausages as I can. Surprisingly Tescos are winning at the moment with Waitrose coming up on the rails and Sainsbury’s trailing a long way behind.

[viney]

I’ll be trying to fish as much of the Kennet as possible. I’ve almost ticked off everywhere that my two club books permit, I’ve fished Barton Court and a nice bonus section plus a Civil Service Angling Society exchange stretch. I think NAA has an exchange permit deal with Wasing Estate which will allow me to fish another section so that’ll be fair few miles covered. May even treat myself to syndicate membership for a lot more access.

 

Also I must try and generate some interest in the K&A canal. I have access to loads of it but fishing canals leaves me a bit cold despite the potential for big perch.

 

Finally I want to try as many brands of posh pork sausages as I can. Surprisingly Tescos are winning at the moment with Waitrose coming up on the rails and Sainsbury’s trailing a long way behind.

 

 

The wasing stretch is the stretch above where we were on saturday? I too will be focusing all my efforts on the kennet and avoiding still waters!

[CR41G]

i dont really have any goals , im just quite happy trying different things at different times of the day and catching what evers happy to take the bait , but i would like to catch a 20lb plus mirror and common ,the biggest common ive ever caught was 16.06 and i cnt remember the best mirror ive caught to be honest, but my favourite is fishing for perch beautiful fish and great little fighters , plus id rather catch 15+ 1.0 -2.0lb perch than wait around allday for 1 monster carp

[Chris Plumb]

I really don't think in 'calendar years'. Call me old fashioned but this angling year still has 3 months left - still time for that debut 4lb stripey or that 7lb chub!!!!

 

Well I can dream!

 

 

C.

[Andy_1984]

going to attempt to beat my pike pb of 20lb and lots n lots of tench