June 16th - Results are in...

[arbocop]

Had an afternoon on the Kennet today and another grueller. A few fish, 2x trout and two chub, biggest 5lb 4oz so better than yesterdays.

 

 

Trotting nearly all day - bliss - with a bit of trundling thrown in. Lost at least seven fish today, maybe more. All bar one were hook pulls. Two chub lost in the fast current, at least two trout came off - one when it went airborne, and two barbel - one lost when trotting and one trundling.

 

The one I lost when trundling was huge - I guessed about 10-12lb. I saw it as it came over the gravel bar. I felt the line tighten, engaged the bale and struck. It pulled back and ran, then kited across one way, I applied side strain, then it came back towards my own bank. As it came over the gravel bar it's dorsal and tail surfaced and I nearly wet myself! There was a bit of toing and froing, with it just lying in the deep run on my side of the gravel, then there was a grating feeling and it all came back to me. I said - oh "*%$£^&*" and looked at my now limp line. How does a Size 6 pull out? The answer was that the hook didn't pull through the Peperami properly when I struck and only part of the bend was visible, despite making sure it was sticking out when I threaded it on. It also crossed my mind that the barbel may have been foul hooked. Either way it wasn't landed.

 

Distinct lack of dace today and yesterday - even from dace banker swims - where are they all?

 

 

Here is the biggest of my two chub today, and the swim I caught it from..

 

 

Tail of Weir Swim (Downstream)

 

 

 

More tomorrow! I think I'm off to the Loddon tomorrow.

 

Mike

Edited June 19, 2013 by arbocop

[Matthew Simmons]

Arbo - bad luck on the biggun' - but yes where are the dace? I spent the late afternoon and early evening trotting in a Kennet dace-banker and all I had to show for it was one bumped fish and a barbel of about 7 which detached itself near the net :-(

 

No barbs in the evening either - in fact no barbel off the stretch at all yesterday. Late spawning and off their oats maybe?

 

M

[viney]

Arbo - bad luck on the biggun' - but yes where are the dace? I spent the late afternoon and early evening trotting in a Kennet dace-banker and all I had to show for it was one bumped fish and a barbel of about 7 which detached itself near the net :-(

 

No barbs in the evening either - in fact no barbel off the stretch at all yesterday. Late spawning and off their oats maybe?

 

M

 

I was wondering whether they have spawned late and aren't on the feed at the moment, the stretch I fished last night is normally a banker for small barbel

[Matthew Simmons]

 

I was wondering whether they have spawned late and aren't on the feed at the moment, the stretch I fished last night is normally a banker for small barbel

I am probably going to give the barbel a rest for a month Viney - there's a couple of tench venues I've got my eye on and I think I'll be concentrating on them and maybe the Thames for bream. M

[viney]

I am probably going to give the barbel a rest for a month Viney - there's a couple of tench venues I've got my eye on and I think I'll be concentrating on them and maybe the Thames for bream. M

 

Hmm I don't think I'll rule them out but will leave them until tomorrow evening now, Speen moors pretty close to where I live (I think I've seen something about parking near Guyers lock now?) so I may have a crack at the chub there in the morning

[Mat Hillman]

Spent 16/17th on a stretch of the Wye near Hay, As I don't get many oppertunities to fish for barbel I fished a barbel or nothing approach, with big feeders and big pellets in the fast water. Sadly the barbel didn't want to play.

 

So a blank for me, but on one of the nicest bits of river I've ever fished!

 

Mat

[arbocop]

Ah lovely dace - that tapping on the rod top as you hold back the float - it was really missed! However, I Found the dace today - then couldn't stop catching them, but they were absent from all their usual spots. I got about 20 or so before they became uncatchable.

 

Other than that had a grueller again. Lost another barbel, several trout and a couple of chub to hook pulls and one broken hook link above the knot and one knot came loose. Managed a chub of about 3lbs - didn't weigh it - and a surprise grayling of about 10oz. I think it's the murky water that's putting them off, it's a really weird milky brown turbid colour.

 

However, the barbel were spawning on Monday in the Kennet - I stayed well clear.

 

Mike

[Sharkbyte]

The evening at the Thames was also good fun, again no big fish but a slow but steady stream of little chub, perch and roach on maggot, and a small perch and small pike on the lures. We saw a couple of decent chub swirling at mayflies...I'm tempted to go back with the fly gear!

 

It's been good reading all the reports. Sharkbyte - big congrats on the chub, that's a huge fish for this time of year. Good to see effort rewarded.

A very pleasing start to what's shaping up to be a very odd season. There's virtually no weed where it'd usually be thick with cabbages, blanket weed and lilies. It's way beyond late now, and I'm starting to think that the extremely hard winter has actually killed off some of the root systems - not that I'm complaining.

 

I went again last night and lost another very decent fish early on through a hook pull!!! Strangely, at least one other fish turned up within minutes giving me plenty of 'liners'.

 

Alas, I never did get another bite because upon checking the bait and recasting, the riverbank I was stood on snapped and punted me straight into the river! Completely submerged, phone drowned, wildfowl screaming with laughter, swim ruined and a hell of a job getting out. Thank God it was the warmest night of the year, and not one of the -8's of a few months back!.

 

I will be back!

 

An iffy self-take of the opening night 6-4.

 

[Matthew Simmons]

Well the tench didn't show up either in a 'banker' - not mine but a recommended swim on a new water (has a close season) for me. Fished hard to 11pm and called it a day. Looks top potential though for the tench. Carp spawning everywhere and I saw a grass snake swimming across my swim and check out a moorhens nest about 6 ft away. Weedy water and the new DIY rake worked a treat.

 

Interesting to hear the barbel are spawning - could explain a lot - wonder why the dace aren't in their usual haunts. New water height this past 12 months?

 

M

[Anderoo]

Rich and I fished a swim on the Thames yesterday evening, which we'd been prebaiting for the last few days. We had a few little chublets, a dace and a roach, and quite a few very finicky bites, but that was all. The mayflies are still hatching and the willow seed is only now blowing off the trees, so it's all very weird this year. I reckon we're 4 weeks behind normal.