What would you do?

[BREAMAGAIN]

Was in similar quandry last weekend , went for the small stream after over night frost , dead , until 2:30 when the fish started to show , hour later too dark to fish, long time twiddling thumbs !!!!!

[Tony U]

I will go down the Medway, Beult or Rother and blank as usual no matter what I am fishing for; honestly its getting monotonous.

[Steve Burke]

Was in similar quandry last weekend , went for the small stream after over night frost , dead , until 2:30 when the fish started to show , hour later too dark to fish, long time twiddling thumbs !!!!!

 

As I mentioned in the article I refered to above, I find dusk and for a few hours after dark to be particularly productive on a cold, clear river. Very often you catch little or nothing during the day, but as the light fades chub and roach, and often big ones at that, come on the feed. I tend to rove during the day, but like to nicely settled in to the swim I'm going to fish in darkness so that I don't spook the fish.

[Dick Dastardly]

Wont be fishing this weekend myself as the car is in the garage.Soon as its back I think I will be heading to a small weir pool on the Stour to try for some chub.

 

Dont know wether I Will target them specificaly with bread/cheese or just fish with a maggot feeder.

[Anderoo]

Anderoo,

 

Get to the Thames... the chub are still feeding. Being in West Oxon you must be near some very big fish... Upstream leger, paste, 6lb line, just enough lead to hold bottom. Easy!

 

(If you are doubting them still feeding I just had a call from my dad who just put back a 6lb 10oz and then had a 5lb 8oz!)

 

Just when I thought I'd made a decision! It's so great living near good fishing after years in the wilderness (10 years in London). I can't wait for the evenings to get lighter.

 

Anyway... that sounds really tempting. I'm so easily swayed. When on the thames, do you feed much (mashed bread in a feeder? groundbait?) or not? Also, what should I look for in a swim (deep steady water? slacks behind snags? weirs?)? This type of fishing is still quite new to me, and it looks as though I should be able to beat my pb chub of 4 1/2lb (from the tiny river Wey in surrey) before the end of the season.

 

I'm pretty good at catching chub out of the smaller rivers but the Thames is new to me.

 

BTW, thanks for all the tips so far from everyone, they're really helpful.

[ellioty]

Just when I thought I'd made a decision! It's so great living near good fishing after years in the wilderness (10 years in London). I can't wait for the evenings to get lighter.

 

Anyway... that sounds really tempting. I'm so easily swayed. When on the thames, do you feed much (mashed bread in a feeder? groundbait?) or not? Also, what should I look for in a swim (deep steady water? slacks behind snags? weirs?)? This type of fishing is still quite new to me, and it looks as though I should be able to beat my pb chub of 4 1/2lb (from the tiny river Wey in surrey) before the end of the season.

 

I'm pretty good at catching chub out of the smaller rivers but the Thames is new to me.

 

BTW, thanks for all the tips so far from everyone, they're really helpful.

 

Can you tell me where about you were fishing on the Wey please? I have just started fishing there on float!

 

thanks

 

elliot

[Anderoo]

Can you tell me where about you were fishing on the Wey please? I have just started fishing there on float!

 

thanks

 

elliot

 

Hi Ellioty

 

It's a stretch near Elstead in Surrey, on the Farnham AS club ticket. PM me if you want details. I didn't float-fish though, all my chub came to light leger or freeline tactics. There are no monsters there (not chub anyway - there are one or two larger 'surprises' in the river which you may come across...!) but it's a beautiful river where stealth is the key.

[Crispy]

OK, I've lurked around long enough (picking up lots of tips i might say - thanks all!) and this thread has forced my fingers into action.

 

I am a "returning" angler. Spent many happy days as a kid with my parents in the New Forest fishing for anything that might come along, but then didn't pick up a rod for 25 years or so until the end of last year after a holiday in France - my younger daughter had me go to the local hypermarche and pick up a "kit" for her for €20 to fish the lake on the campsite, and I have been re-bitten!

 

I have spent several Sundays recently on the Eden in Kent catching chub, best so far at 3lb12oz. It's a small clay (I assume - still very coloured) stream where I have been going at Penshurst. Although I have been ledgering or using a cage feeder with groundbait so far, I had planned this Sunday to take my new (Christmas prezzy) Aventa centrepin and trot some cheesepaste (from the recipes on another thread here at the moment), but now I have read the article mentioned above and it would seem to suggest that I should stick to what I have been doing.

 

I need help (apart from the psychiatric kind looking at the weather forecast!). What's most likely to catch?

 

Chris

[Anderoo]

OK, I've lurked around long enough (picking up lots of tips i might say - thanks all!) and this thread has forced my fingers into action.

 

I am a "returning" angler. Spent many happy days as a kid with my parents in the New Forest fishing for anything that might come along, but then didn't pick up a rod for 25 years or so until the end of last year after a holiday in France - my younger daughter had me go to the local hypermarche and pick up a "kit" for her for €20 to fish the lake on the campsite, and I have been re-bitten!

 

I have spent several Sundays recently on the Eden in Kent catching chub, best so far at 3lb12oz. It's a small clay (I assume - still very coloured) stream where I have been going at Penshurst. Although I have been ledgering or using a cage feeder with groundbait so far, I had planned this Sunday to take my new (Christmas prezzy) Aventa centrepin and trot some cheesepaste (from the recipes on another thread here at the moment), but now I have read the article mentioned above and it would seem to suggest that I should stick to what I have been doing.

 

I need help (apart from the psychiatric kind looking at the weather forecast!). What's most likely to catch?

 

Chris

 

Hi Crispy

 

I would go with something big, static and smelly, which is why I wanted to get to grips with cheesepaste. I'd say you've been doing it right so far, but I can see you want to give the pin a whirl! I haven't used a pin, so I can't really help with the trotting question, only to say that in this cold weather it's likely to be less effective

than legering. Sorry! I suppose you can leger with a pin though?

[Crispy]

...I suppose you can leger with a pin though?

 

 

Could do, although I think I might feel a bit "cheated" - not the right word, but you know what I mean. A bit like using an Aston Martin to do the Tesco run...

 

Chris