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A bit of good fortune


Anderoo

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(Story of the first big one here: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/fish-2011-t2696854.html)

 

After spending all morning getting jobs done and generally procrastinating, I finally decided what I wanted to do this afternoon - go to my favourite little tributary with trotting gear and maggots, and have a nice afternoon fishing for whatever comes along, hopefully with the odd better chub and perhaps some decent dace thrown in.

 

I replaced the old fuzzy fireline on my pin, got the bits together and drove to the tackle shop...which was closed :( So, no maggots! What to do?

 

Annoyed, I drove home and swapped the trotting gear for the chubbing gear, got some bread, and went to the Thames instead. When I got there I really couldn't decide what to make of it! The colour looked perfect, but it's still very high and there's a lot of water coming through. On top of that, it was colder than I thought - the puddles stayed frozen all day.

 

At the top of the stretch I made some bread mash and had a good look at the river. It looked difficult. Every time I thought I'd found a bit of water that had the right flow, suddenly it would change and a big boil would come up off the bottom. Not good! But the flow along the other bank looked a lot more like it, so I crossed over and had a look there.

 

Along that bank there were 4 spots I thought might hold a fish, so I put half a dozen balls of mash in each and slowly set up. The first two didn't really work, and the longer I sat there the more I doubted any fish were present. The third one however, felt just right.

 

This was the same spot I had my last fish of last season, a battered old warrior of a chub of 5lb 11oz, the fish that started this winter's little project. There's an old tree hanging over the marginal shelf and a lovely deep run along the bank, and today the flow there was perfect. Even so, I had to wait quite a long time for a bite - they usually come quickly, but today (possibly because the water was very cold) half an hour or so passed before the tip showed a little interest. A couple of little taps, a long pause...and then a solid thump! As I struck the fish took a few yards of line off the clutch and I again thought I'd hooked a Thames carp. It had gone under the tree and out the other side, so I kept the pressure on and just walked upstream, easing him up and out of danger. Luckily the branches don't go very far into the water, and after a while he came out into open water and thumped around in the flow. Shortly after I was very relieved to draw him over the net.

 

What a fish it was. Deep, solid, and in superb condition. On the scales, he pulled the needle round to 6lb 8oz, a new PB, and I thanked Izaak that the tackle shop had been closed!

 

DSCF1866.jpg

 

The last spot to fish was between a tree that kicked the flow out into the middle of the river, and a little side stream. Again, the flow was spot on, and it was nice and deep just beyond the margin. After catching the previous fish I was fairly confident of another bite, and it came after another fairly long wait, a nice confident pull on the tip. This one also took line straight away and tore out into the middle, thumping away in the flow. They really are strong, these chub! This one very nearly did me in a dying reedbed, but luckily constant pressure, and a couple of well-timed kicks from the fish, pulled him free, and into the net. This one was another big fish, but I wasn't expecting another 6...but after some agonising the needle settled on 6lb exactly :o Another fish in really good condition, long and solid.

 

DSCF1867.jpg

 

I had one more cast after that but I didn't stay long. After an unbelievable afternoon like that I'd had enough, but I'll be back out again tomorrow :D Thank god that tackle shop was closed!

Edited by Anderoo

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Blimey Anderoo 2 six`s :o now you is just showing off :D ,Sometimes a forced change of venue is the best thing that could ever happen .

All those hours/days chasing them for little reward and then this massive well done :clap2:

Spent day chasing Grayling and we had a load as well as lots of Minnows some Roach and lots of spottys ...One of which was one of those truely massive freak trout farm escapees and although i was atached to it for a fair while my discision to buy the 4lb test braid proved not to be a good one as it parted nearer the rod than the fish ,Rusty had warned me that it was iffy but i wouldnt listen .

back to the Diawa Sensor i guess .

We are not putting it back it is a lump now put that curry down and go and get the scales

have I told you abouit the cruise control on my Volvo ,,,,,,,bla bla bla Barder rod has it come yet?? and don`t even start me on Chris Lythe :bleh::icecream:

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Fantastic!

 

I have never had the chance to fish for Chub :( I am not sure if they even exist to that kind of size in the area's near me (I bet somewhere holds them!) I mean don't get me wrong I have had a few over the years on the Shropshire Union Canal, but we are literally looking at Chub of about 1-2 inches in length taken on single red maggot lol.....

 

After seeing these pictures I may well have to do a little research into their preferred environments/depths/flow and see if any area's near me hold those conditions. The River Dee must hold some surely? But I have never caught a single one from there despite there being loads of overhanging trees and snaggy spots... Saying that the water in the stretch I fish is like 15 cars lengths wide, shockingly deep and also VERY discoloured due to the flow which looks slow but is surprisingly powerful... On all the fishing programs they seem to catch most of them from the smaller (Stream like) rivers which are clear....

 

Anyway, 2 lovely fish! Well done mate :thumbs:

Species Caught 2011: Mirror Carp, Barbel, Ide, Rudd, Roach, Bleak, Perch, Bream,

 

Species Caught 2010: Perch, Pike, Roach, Rudd, Bleak, Bream, Gudgeon, Ruffe, Ide, Tench, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Barbel, Chub, F1, Crusian Carp, Goldfish

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Great lookin chub, well done Andrew !

 

back to the Diawa Sensor i guess .

 

 

I swear by sensor Steve ...6lb straight through most of the time. It's easy enough to add a lighter bottom if the fish are being a bit sheepish. If I use a bottom of less than 3lb I use a 4lb mainline (sensor of course ).

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Cheers folks :)

 

I've had some good days on the bank over the years, but this is up there as one of the very best. And I so nearly didn't go!

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Congratulations, lovely fish! What rig and line strength did you use?

As famous fisherman John Gierach once said "I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't."

 

 

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Congratulations, lovely fish! What rig and line strength did you use?

 

Thanks Dave. Nothing complicated, a running link leger (with 2 swan shot as weight), 6lb mainline and 6lb lower diameter hooklength, size 6 barbless hook and a big piece of bread flake as bait. Fished with a quivertip rod.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Excellent write-up and well done on the fish mate. Superb what can happen when you think the day wasn't going as planned too.

 

Great looking fish as well.

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