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A bit of good fortune

Anderoo

By Anderoo
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Anderoo Member

Anderoo

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Hopefully a number 7 is just round the corner!

 

Well...

 

Today I went to a totally new stretch, one I had in mind for next year. It seems to have the right ingredients, deep and boring. I chose a stretch about a mile long and baited up 10 swims with lots of mash, left it all alone for 4 hours, then at dusk baited them all again. Then fished each in turn in the dark. It had been a very bright sunny day and the water is very clear, so I thought after dark would be my best shot.

 

First cast and I had an instant bite, a tiddler of about a pound! Second cast in the same spot and again, a little chub. Third cast and another bite, but this time the strike hit something very solid, which thumped and pulled with serious weight and power. It just hung under the rod tip for ages, thumping away, and when it came up and boiled on the surface in the red light of the head torch, I knew it was a bit special. Thankfully there were no last minute nightmares, and this huge chub came over the net.

 

It was very big! It looked awesome. It looked so huge I actually wasn't surprised when the scales settled on 7lb 6oz - it was deep, solid and had that extra length that most of these chub don't have. It's a real shame Chris or Rich weren't there, but on my own in the middle of nowhere under the light of the moon I took a couple of quick snaps in the net, shook my head in disbelief and watched him glide away back into the depths of the river.

 

I'm still very dazed by it all!

 

DSCF1928.jpg

 

The rest of the swims produced a mixture of very small chub (5 in total, with a biggest of 3lb 12oz) and bream. There seem to be quite a few in this bit of river. The biggest was 5lb 12oz and gave a very good account of itself!

 

DSCF1929.jpg

 

It has been a truly amazing evening. Before dusk I watched a barn owl hunting over the meadows and fields, and several times it flew right over my head, really close to me. After dark I saw an otter silently slicing through the water, hunting the chub and roach. Once the sun had set the temperature plummeted and there was an eerie atmosphere as ice formed on the rod and landing net, sparkling in the moonlight, and banks of freezing fog drifted down the river making everything cold and foggy.

 

Very memorable, very special :)

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

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Steve Burke Member

Steve Burke

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Not just a memorable evening, but a memorable season! And what a way to finish!

 

Many, many congratulations indeed! :clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:

Wingham Specimen Coarse & Carp Syndicates www.winghamfisheries.co.uk Beautiful, peaceful, little fished gravel pit syndicates in Kent with very big fish. 2017 Forum Fish-In Sat May 6 to Mon May 8. Articles http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/steveburke.htm Index of all my articles on Angler's Net

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tiddlertamer Member

tiddlertamer

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Simply stunning fish.

 

Well done - you've put in a lot of hours and used the right tactics in pursuit of your quarry.

 

Thanks for sharing this triumph on this forum.

He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days without taking a fish. (Hemingway - The old man and the sea)

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j_s Member

j_s

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Excellent news and well deserved :)

 

Just watch now for June as hundreds swarm to the Oxford Thames trying to find the stretches you've been fishing after reading your reports on here.

James

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Dales Member

Dales

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What a stunning fish and way to top an amazing season. It's been fun following this thread and reading about your Chub campaign with it's many winning battles. Top stuff :thumbs:

Stephen

 

Species Caught 2014

Zander, Pike, Bream, Roach, Tench, Perch, Rudd, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Eel, Grayling, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout

Species Caught 2013

Pike, Zander, Bream, Roach, Eel, Tench, Rudd, Perch, Common Carp, Koi Carp, Brown Goldfish, Grayling, Brown Trout, Chub, Roosterfish, Dorado, Black Grouper, Barracuda, Mangrove Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Tarpon, Red Snapper

Species Caught 2012
Zander, Pike, Perch, Chub, Ruff, Gudgeon, Dace, Minnow, Wels Catfish, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Roach, Bream, Eel, Rudd, Tench, Arapaima, Mekong Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Marbled Tiger Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Thai Redtail Catfish, Batrachian Walking Catfish, Siamese Carp, Rohu, Julliens Golden Prize Carp, Giant Gourami, Java Barb, Red Tailed Tin Foil Barb, Nile Tilapia, Black Pacu, Red Bellied Pacu, Alligator Gar
Species Caught 2011
Zander, Tench, Bream, Chub, Barbel, Roach, Rudd, Grayling, Brown Trout, Salmon Parr, Minnow, Pike, Eel, Common Carp, Mirror Carp, Ghost Carp, Koi Carp, Crucian Carp, F1 Carp, Blue Orfe, Ide, Goldfish, Brown Goldfish, Comet Goldfish, Golden Tench, Golden Rudd, Perch, Gudgeon, Ruff, Bleak, Dace, Sergeant Major, French Grunt, Yellow Tail Snapper, Tom Tate Grunt, Clown Wrasse, Slippery Dick Wrasse, Doctor Fish, Graysby, Dusky Squirrel Fish, Longspine Squirrel Fish, Stripped Croaker, Leather Jack, Emerald Parrot Fish, Red Tail Parrot Fish, White Grunt, Bone Fish
Species Caught 2010
Zander, Pike, Perch, Eel, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Mirror Carp, Common Carp, Crucian Carp, Siamese Carp, Asian Redtail Catfish, Sawai Catfish, Rohu, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Pacu, Long Tom, Moon Wrasse, Sergeant Major, Green Damsel, Tomtate Grunt, Sea Chub, Yellowtail Surgeon, Black Damsel, Blue Dot Grouper, Checkered Sea Perch, Java Rabbitfish, One Spot Snapper, Snubnose Rudderfish
Species Caught 2009
Barramundi, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Wallago Leeri Catfish, Wallago Attu Catfish, Amazon Redtail Catfish, Mrigul, Siamese Carp, Java Barb, Tarpon, Wahoo, Barracuda, Skipjack Tuna, Bonito, Yellow Eye Rockfish, Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, Black Fin Snapper, Dog Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Marble Grouper, Black Fin Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Mutton Snapper, Redhind Grouper, Saddle Grouper, Schoolmaster, Coral Trout, Bar Jack, Pike, Zander, Perch, Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Common Carp, Golden Tench, Wels Catfish
Species Caught 2008
Dorado, Wahoo, Barracuda, Bonito, Black Fin Tuna, Long Tom, Sergeant Major, Red Snapper, Black Damsel, Queen Trigga Fish, Red Grouper, Redhind Grouper, Rainbow Wrasse, Grey Trigger Fish, Ehrenbergs Snapper, Malabar Grouper, Lunar Fusiler, Two Tone Wrasse, Starry Dragonet, Convict Surgeonfish, Moonbeam Dwarf Angelfish,Bridled Monocle Bream, Redlined Triggerfish, Cero Mackeral, Rainbow Runner
Species Caught 2007
Arapaima, Alligator Gar, Mekong Catfish, Spotted Sorubim Catfish, Pacu, Siamese Carp, Barracuda, Black Fin Tuna, Queen Trigger Fish, Red Snapper, Yellow Tail Snapper, Honeycomb Grouper, Red Grouper, Schoolmaster, Cubera Snapper, Black Grouper, Albacore, Ballyhoo, Coney, Yellowfin Goatfish, Lattice Spinecheek

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Anderoo Member

Anderoo

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Thanks folks. The Thames chub are well known and it is a very long river, so I expect it will be too much hard work for the fish chasers. I've been deliberately vague with the details, and perhaps there's even been a little bit of mis-information, for which I apologise, but you know what some people are like. I also haven't told you about all the long, tiring blanks, all the dead-ends, and the frustrations when nothing goes right, and there have been plenty of them!

 

I have a feeling that fish is probably either the biggest in the stretch and I had a big stroke of luck catching it on my first session, or it's a nomad, and I was lucky that it happened to be there last night. All the other chub along that bit were very small, the smallest only about 8oz! I'm not sure yet, but I think it makes sense. The average size there was very low.

 

I'll be spending the closed season scoping out new stretches that fit the big fish formula ready for next winter, and I will definitely be moving on as I think I've had the best from the bits I have been fishing. Plus fishing new water is always so exciting :)

 

I'm really glad now I resisted the urge to try to finish off the season with a big perch. It was a bit of a dilemma but I'm relieved I stuck to the chubbing, as seeing that enormous fish in the light of the moon last night will live with me forever. It really was the fish of a lifetime.

 

One last go after work tonight with Rich. It will be nice to see the season out with a mate, and hopefully we'll manage a bite or two each. I'll be at such a loose end next weekend...!

 

(Steve, I just counted your smilies - very good! And thanks for the idea of fishing for them after dark, it has made such a difference.)

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

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