So how was it for you?

[GlennB]

Summer and autumn were magic, especially for perch. Winter has been a bit grim, but I don't handle the cold and "huddling" for long periods by the river until the handwarmers and flask go cold probably isn't the best winter technique

 

But my aim was "go fishing a lot more often" - achieved.

[Gaz51]

A very poor fishing season for me.

Missed opportunities due to work pressure throughout the summer.

I had several weekend stints planned for catching my first double figure carp, never materialised as work simply got in the way.

I had also planned to pay more attention to the rivers, again, not possible. River time is fast running out and the conditions are not favourable at the moment. Not to worry though, we have spring and summer to look forward to. Much preferable than shivering on the riverbank.

I'll still have the regular session on some of the stillwaters but not targetting anything specific until the weather warms up a few notches.

[medwaygreen]

Peter,

My answers are No,No,No,but there is always next season.

[Anderoo]

I've had a frustrating season interspersed with some memorable days. I moved house twice and jobs once during the season, so that didn't leave a lot of time for fishing. When I did manage to get out it made it all the sweeter. My best day was 16th June, tench fishing, when it all went right; I caught lots of tench and beat my pb twice (a 7lber then an 8lb 4ozer ) and also managed to fluke a carp (from a very large water where any carp is special). I had some great days stalking small river chub and some lovely evenings carping in the margins of estate lakes. Piking has been terrible for me this year. I have the last weekend of the season planned out, fishing with an old friend, so hopefully there's time for one last surprise.

 

Soon time to dust off the fly rods and spend the Spring trout fishing, which I'm really looking forward to. Then back to those tench on 16th June!

[BoozleBear]

I was please with a pb Pike of 9.8lb but gutted I never got a double figure one, and was delighted with my pb carp of 13lb 2oz.

 

All in all not bad but the above doesn't display my blanking rate of over 50% - mainly due to fishing in wrong conditions as I don't have a lot of free time and have to go when I can.

 

My targets for next year:-

Catch my first Barbel and Chub.

Break my tench PB of 3 1/2 lb.

Get a double figure pike.

Get a 20lb Carp.

 

If I do half of that I'll be delighted!

[gozzer]

I haven't wet a line at all this season, due to illness, hope to be back in June though.

 

I have however spent some time on the banks, just watching. My most memorable sight was on a stretch of the Wharfe in september. The spot is a walkway, so there is no fishing, but you can watch chub and perch quite close up. I was watching about 6 or 7 chub cruising the reeds, I dropped some bread and some fish from the local chippy into a gap in the reeds. Several chub swam upstream over the baits, then turned a yard or so past them. The lead chub (about 4lb), then swam to the baits and sucked in a piece and spat it out, it did this several times, before eating it. The rest of the shoal, was hovering around, then started to do the same, until all the bait was gone. Those initial takes would never have shown on a float or quiver tip, until the fish moved off. It just got me wondering how often this happens when your fishing.

[BoozleBear]

I haven't wet a line at all this season, due to illness, hope to be back in June though.

 

I have however spent some time on the banks, just watching. My most memorable sight was on a stretch of the Wharfe in september. The spot is a walkway, so there is no fishing, but you can watch chub and perch quite close up. I was watching about 6 or 7 chub cruising the reeds, I dropped some bread and some fish from the local chippy into a gap in the reeds. Several chub swam upstream over the baits, then turned a yard or so past them. The lead chub (about 4lb), then swam to the baits and sucked in a piece and spat it out, it did this several times, before eating it. The rest of the shoal, was hovering around, then started to do the same, until all the bait was gone. Those initial takes would never have shown on a float or quiver tip, until the fish moved off. It just got me wondering how often this happens when your fishing.

 

Interesting point Gozzer.

 

Similarly my mate Greg saw something amazing when piking. He was slowly bringing a deadbait in when he spotted a pike following his float. He then reeled in more quickly so that the mackerel passed the pikes nose and then let it sink to the bottom.

 

The pike attacked the bait, shark like, by grabbing it and shaking it furiously in its month. Whilst this was going on the float hardly moved - it bobbed slightly, once. The pike held the bait steadily in its mouth - no float movement. The pike decided to eat it there and than is it was still for 5 more seconds so Greg struck and had a nicely hooked pike on the bank.

 

All this with hardly any float movement.

 

It really makes you wonder what is going on when your sat there on the bank thinking nothing's happening!

[gozzer]

It explained somethingto me BB, I have had 'bite offs' when legering for chub, when the tip has hardly moved, but when you strike there is no resistance, when you reel in the hook and about an inch of line have gone. I have long since thought that the chub take the bait, and the line is cut by the throat teeth, that day proved how it can happen. I have been using much shorter hook links for many years now when fishing for chub in particular.

 

There is another swim on the Wharfe, where you can watch the fish in an anglers swim, from a bridge, I have watched several fish take a bait trotted down and spit it out before one eventually registers on the float. It's frustrating, you want to shout "strike", everytime it happens. These were decent anglers by the way, fishing traditional stick float style.

[BoozleBear]

It explained somethingto me BB, I have had 'bite offs' when legering for chub, when the tip has hardly moved, but when you strike there is no resistance, when you reel in the hook and about an inch of line have gone. I have long since thought that the chub take the bait, and the line is cut by the throat teeth, that day proved how it can happen. I have been using much shorter hook links for many years now when fishing for chub in particular.

 

There is another swim on the Wharfe, where you can watch the fish in an anglers swim, from a bridge, I have watched several fish take a bait trotted down and spit it out before one eventually registers on the float. It's frustrating, you want to shout "strike", everytime it happens. These were decent anglers by the way, fishing traditional stick float style.

 

It makes me wonder what we can do about it. It doesn't matter how sensitive a float is, I suppose, if the bait isn't being moved away that much.

 

Perhaps people will end up chub fishing with rod pods and alarms!

[Severn Wolf]

How was the river season?

 

Awful.

 

I managed about 130 barbel but for the first time in years theres not even a 9 in there let alone the elusive double.

 

I`m not chasing numbers but after ten years and countless hundreds of barbel out of the Severn I still have a grand total of one double to my name. I feel really overdue a decent fish from the river but unfortunately the weather conditions have scuppered the big fish swim that comes on form in the last couple of weeks. A temp rise may see the fish going on the feed but I`m not holding my breath. One day................