It's getting towards 'the time'

[Neil G]

The only thing left this season is to get ready for when the good fishing starts and the good waters like Chew open up for piking. Can't wait for the leaves to turn and to be going out on cold, frosty mornings....enjoy that more than fishing in the sun and heat.

 

Been a thoroughly duff summer but then I've been too lazy and have been fishing a river which islocal which seems to be devoid of fish! lol

[Chris Plumb]

I'm secretly hoping for a 4lb perch too this autumn

 

As for Timsbury, with any luck I'll be there again and the roach will play ball... I would dearly love to catch one of those huge Test roach.

 

I'll be announcing another pike/zander fish-in at some point too, for anyone interested - piking in the day and fishing overnight for zeds (probably towards the end of the season). Should be fun!

 

And there's the Itchen to look forward to too, maybe a 3lb grayling!

 

Its getting to the point that I look forward to Oct 1st as much as June 16th!!!

 

 

C.

[Stretpegger]

Yep summer is nearly over and as usual with me just a few highs and too many lows!

 

My quest to beat my long standing PB for Rudd faltered at the first hurdle! Two blanks in as many trips and my optimism was soon fading away.This lake has now been put on the back burner till next summer as it definitely has the pedigree for a few special rudd.

A day out at a local lake that heaves with small rudd at least saw me catch my target species.My somewhat faltered logic was that amonst the thousands of small rudd there must be at least a few better specimens!...wrong! all i did was catch small stuff all day long.

 

Barbel fishing has been ok,but only on one or two stretches of the Kennet out of the many miles on offer with my local clubs...have no explanation for this but it seems a lot of anglers have struggled on the kennet this season.

 

A new tench PB was most welcome, even better it came while float fishing "old skool! style in the margins

 

As for the autumn and winter, bring it on!

[wayne baker]

The sun block has all been used, the endless BBQs in the warm evenings have fizzled out and the long, blissful summer is coming to an end, leaving us all feeling satiated and charged with sun, warmth and happiness.

 

 

I haven't fished properly since early July - just a couple of short trotting sessions to keep me sane - and the whole of the horrendous summer was taken up with an endless line of tasks and duties. Another year of no chub stalking, surface carp fishing, chugging surface lures for pike, baking by a hot pond or being tortured by nettles and grass seed along overgrown river banks. Maybe next year?

 

But now I'm free for the rest of the year! After such a forced absence I'm desperate to get back out there and try again at some of the many things I want to achieve this year. OK, the summer was awful but think of what's to come - giant perch, nocturnal zander, river carp, grayling, big dace and roach, maybe even barbel! There's pike, another crack or two at monster bream, winter chub fishing when it's so cold you wonder if you'll make it back to the car OK, I can't wait!

 

And next summer, catfish

 

I think at the weekend I'll do my long-promised first attempt at a decent Thames carp. The river looks in good nick at the moment, I'd better take the opportunity while I can...!

 

How about you? What's left on your list this season?

Were only half way through the season guys, The best is yet to come. I love the winter those lovely cold mornings, Ice cold rain down the back of your neck, the wind freezing my beard so i look like scott of the antarctic lol. And of course hopefully some big pike and chub. And maybe a barbel or two if its mild enough

[KAYC]

Leon up north were not botherd about the weather in the South m8

Just as well !!

[Emma two]

I try to live in harmony with the seasons, each time of the year having its attendant country sport, trout fishing and some vermin shooting in spring, lake fishing, especially lures in summer. Salmon and the start of shooting in autum and shooting in full swing along with ferreting and lurcher work in winter. There are overlaps too of course, but I could never get away with Pike fishing in winter, despite what the books and lots of anglers say. The reason being I can't catch the buggers when its cold. Oh and how I have tried, hours over deadbaits, and lives when and where allowed. Up and down the lakes, which I know anyway, but using the fish finder for the 'good spots', certainly putting in the hours. The same waters produce 'em fine in summer. Last autumn I got one as far on as November. I was out in January on very prolific 'big fish' waters lagged against the cold and fished as well as I could...nothing, the water looked and felt shut down and resting with the goddess until the days lengthen. Maybe it's our waters? I manged a few winter Pike years ago in Yorkshire stillwaters, including some decent sized ones, however I was always dissapointed, they seemed to all meekly slide across the surface in surrender, nothing like the tail walking of a lure caught fish on a warm summer evening. If the weather is good I will have a couple of days on a fairly well known trout fishery which opens for Pike in the first of October. My son and I have done well with them at that time, but have woefully blanked during December, January and February. I keep promising myself that I will hang up my rods each winter, but end up stir crazy, and suffering from the lack of a rod in my hand, and do go out even without expecting to catch anything.

Edited August 29, 2008 by Emma two

[Dick Dastardly]

Well so far my seasons been a crock! Hardly been able to get out and when I have despite enjoying it Ive fished like a muppet and caught accordingly!

 

Now though is aproaching my favourite time of year.I normally split the Autumn between Barbel and Bream but this year it will be mainly bream I will be concentrating on.Ive always thought October the best month for big bream,well non spawn filled biggies anyway.That will see me through untill November when my piking starts untill March I will then do very little else other than the occaisional Grayling trip.

[lutra]

It might be goodbye summer (thats if you think it ever came this year), but if the last few years are anything to go by it will be a good few months before its hello winter. I may get proved wrong this year but it seems to me winter is get shorter, with it getting to almost Christmas before we have got any proper frosts in recent years. Which is fine by me, as i think Autumn is the best time of year in the fishing calender.

[Guest tigger]

It might be goodbye summer (thats if you think it ever came this year), but if the last few years are anything to go by it will be a good few months before its hello winter. I may get proved wrong this year but it seems to me winter is get shorter, with it getting to almost Christmas before we have got any proper frosts in recent years. Which is fine by me, as i think Autumn is the best time of year in the fishing calender.

 

 

I think we had 2/3 wks of hard frost with lows of about -6/-7 last November. I remember cos I was trotting the local small river every couple of days and the fish switched off for the first week of the cold snap but then the Chub started feeding when they got acclimatised to the cold and I had some corkin sessions and the stamp of fish seemed to improve with the cold. Only down side was even though the fish where of a better stamp they didn't fight anything like the summer fish.

[lutra]

I think we had 2/3 wks of hard frost with lows of about -6/-7 last November. I remember cos I was trotting the local small river every couple of days and the fish switched off for the first week of the cold snap but then the Chub started feeding when they got acclimatised to the cold and I had some corkin sessions and the stamp of fish seemed to improve with the cold. Only down side was even though the fish where of a better stamp they didn't fight anything like the summer fish.

 

November! still seems later than it used to be. I remember standing in the river end of September with two pairs of tracky bottoms on inside my waders and the banks having frost on them in a morning.