Hopes and plans for the new season

[JV44]

There's loads of water on the LAA ticket isn't there, I might be getting one this year too. They have some good bits of the Cherwell - big chub if you're prepared to work for them...

 

 

Anderoo if LAA is london anglers then they also have some good and vastly unfished bits of the Thames near me which i am thinking of checking out also a few other small clubs with bits that have taken my fancy including the local bit you saw ,Not sure of levels in the kennet this season but you are more than welcome to come visit some of the bits i have tickets for in search of your Barbel and even off the mooring........all of above subject to there being any H2o in it

[Steve Walker]

Trout, then tench and maybe bream. I'd like to get into the Thames chub properly next winter, and also to have another crack at the Thames perch. There are a couple of local stillwaters which I hear contain big perch, but they have very restrictive rules which make targeting the perch difficult. I'd like to figure out a way of getting at them.

[Rusty]

Interesting thread, generally I pack up until mid June but last year I fished for tench during the close season and thoroughly enjoyed it so I’ll be doing that again this year on some club stillwaters. I don’t think I’ll supplement that with putting my name down for Wingham, my experience last year was so good I wouldn’t want the possibility of another visit to be an anti-climax so I’ll remember it how it was.

 

I’ll be renewing my NAA & TAA tickets this year for a concentrated barbel effort. My fishing into dark escapades at the user friendly Goring venue have given me an insight into night time fishing so I’ll be trying it on some of the more remote club river stretches. My new breathable waders will allow some serious summer trotting sessions too.

 

As regards new clubs I’ll be signing up to books that’ll provide access to the Thames, Steve has suggested a few which are great value and provide more water than we could possibly fish. Much of it is a similar distance away from me as the Kennet and if the latter has no water then I’ll need somewhere else to fish.

[JV44]

Oh get you and your "My new breathable waders will allow some serious summer trotting sessions too. " well just being a humble non breathable wader type fisherman guess i will have to buy a cheap PVC pair so as not to cook in the neoprene's ,Yours do look rather good though so after you have product tested them i may have to take the plunge .

[RUDD]

My plans this year are simple:

 

1. To catch a fish on every rod/pole/whip I own - no mean feat, there are alot

waggler/carp/feeder/specialist/spinning/beach casters/pole/whip

 

2. To catch as many species as possible.

 

3. To try as many methods as possible.

 

4. To try the many local fisheries in my area that I have neglected over the years to go match fishing.

 

5. To enjoy all of the above.

 

As many know I have given up match angling and will only fish a local clubs doubles comp (could not let down my partner) and a few charity matches.

On the days when I would of gone match angling I am going to go to various local fisheries, pick what rod/method I am going to use then pick the peg of my choice to suit.

 

Infact I am going to turn into a Noddie

[Anderoo]

 

I won't be at Wingham much this year, six 48-hour sessions in the spring for the tench are in the diary, so I'm looking forward to those. I won't be chasing the bream this year, although I have a couple of other gravel pits in mind for big bream in the autumn, if the urge gets me.

 

I think my main things this season will be re-doubling my efforts for the big Thames perch (they're making me look silly now ) and doing more of the zander lure fishing, probably less on the Severn and more on the canals, and then on the ressies when they open in the autumn. Hopefully next winter will see some water in the rivers, and I can get back to the new stretch of Thames and try to find those big chub.

 

Oh, and the Thames roach we found this year - I want to go back for them in the autumn and early winter, I really enjoyed the roach fishing last season.

 

...and I just remembered barbel. I still haven't got round to doing any barbel fishing!

 

It's interesting to look back at my plans for last season, and see how they compared to what actually happened.

 

The bream urge didn't get me and so I didn't start exploring new gravel pits in the autumn. The tench fishing went pretty much as expected, it was hard overall (I think tench fishing everywhere was tough last year) but I did manage an equal PB and my second biggest hit of tench, so in the circumstances I'm pleased with how it went.

 

I did redouble my efforts for the Thames perch, along with Rich. I've posted about that elsewhere. We finally cracked it, and that was a very satisfying feeling after several years of not much!

 

I didn't make it to the Severn at all, and neither did I go looking for canal zander. I did have a few trips to Grafham and Rutland in the autumn again though, and that was great fun. No big fish, but plenty of them, and on such an enjoyable and electric method.

 

As for the rivers, talk about be careful what you wish for! We certainly got some water in the rivers, they were flooded pretty much all winter, meaning my usual winter chubbing was totally messed up. I did manage a couple of goes for the roach before it became impossible and was extremely happy to get another good one. Not a '2' but over a pound and a half, and a big looking fish. A little taster of what's there, I think.

 

Still no barbel fishing (surprise surprise!).

 

Things I didn't forsee was some carp stalking in the summer evenings with floaters, something I hadn't done for ages but really enjoyed, and the commercial perch fishing in the winter, which was totally new to me and a great experience. Loads of big perch and all on new baits for me, prawn and fresh deadbaits.

 

For this coming season, I almost daren't say anything out loud! Will the rivers be fishable? If so, the recent dace topic has rekindled my interest in them, and I'd like a chance to go back to a tributary and do some trotting for them, and hopefully edge my PB up an ounce or two. I'm becoming more obsessed with the Thames roach, and (again, if the river is OK) I'd like to give them a more concerted effort and see if that magical '2' could become a reality. I definitely want to carry on where I left off with the river perch, and also get back out and try to suss out my new chub stretch. I'm also considering trying to find a good crucian water and giving them a proper go. We'll see

Edited April 4, 2013 by Anderoo

[Matthew Simmons]

A lot depends on 2 things - the state of my tennis elbow (I hate tennis and it's my left arm - go figure  )and the state of the rivers.

Tench in the spring has been an annual non-negotiable and happily not dependent on either of the above, likewise my aspiration to renew the search for a 2lb Rudd from Frensham and a 3lb Perch from the KA canal.

I also intend to take up Steve's kind offer and hopefully pool our resources to get stuck into some serious Thames roach and chub this autumn.

Anything else rather depends on the elbow and the river (I can't net anything heavy and/or in a serious flow) which precludes Barbel and I am not interested in Carp.

M

Oh and it would be great to meet up with local ANs and put names to faces!