A little trotting yesterday...

[BoldBear]

Lovely Dace Tigger.

 

Shame about the downstream winds on your previous posts although you still had a few nice fish; have you ever tried using a 'Ducker' in a downstream wind?

NB. I haven't and suspect they're not that good especially on shallowish streams, but I just wanted to ask your opinion on how good they are if you have ever used one; as I know they used to be used quite a lot in the past to combat downstream winds .

 

At last I can join the party! - my first float caught barbel of the summer - from the Kennet this morning - a rather snubbed nose fish of 5lb...

Congrats on catching that first 2015 summer float caught Beard Chris.

 

Keith

Edited September 17, 2015 by BoldBear

[Tigger]

Cracking dace Tigger - a foot long dace is going to be north of ¾lb and closer to a pound if it's a female in spawn come Feb... I love big dace - completely envy you!

 

C.

 

 

Thank's Chris, they do go big in some of the rivers round here.

[Tigger]

Lovely Dace Tigger.

 

Shame about the downstream winds on your previous posts; have you ever tried using a 'Ducker' in a downstream wind?

NB. I haven't and suspect they're not that good especially on shallowish streams, but I just wanted to ask your opinion on how good they are if you have ever used one; as I know they used to be used quite a lot in the past to combat downstream winds .

 

Congrats on catching that first 2015 summer float caught Beard Chris.

 

Keith

 

 

Funny enough Keith i've never used a ducker. I have got some bodied wagglers that are identicle to those in Billy Lanes books. Next time i'll give one a go and see how it works...good idea !

[Vagabond]

Funny enough Keith i've never used a ducker. I

If you travel light then I can understand why you carry no duckers.

 

However, if the downsteam wind is troublesome, and your Avon float is attached by rubbers top and bottom, it is the work of a few seconds to turn it upside down, add another shot to keep the body submerged, and Hey Presto ! its the nearest thing to a ducker you ever did see.

 

I never see big dace these days, Fifty years ago there was a flour mill spanning the River Uck at Uckfield.. Fine flour sifted down through the various floors and into the mill race. Dace must have liked it, because the mill pool always held cracking dace. Half-pounders were common, and most sessions would yield at least one three-quarter pounder. The best I managed was 14 oz, - twice. Alas, the mill went out of business and the dace are long gone.

[Tigger]

Good idea Dave . Only prob's with doing that, for me at least , is the fact that my avon floats have a very thing carcon stem and the others have a wire one.

 

 

I had a quick session today but things seem to be slowing down on the barbel front when float fishing for them. I had two bites and got two fish, short and sweet lol.

 

 

 

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Anyone notice 'ewt missing from one of the barbel ?

Edited September 22, 2015 by Tigger

[Paulg]

At least one fin, and it looks to be a very pale fish compared to others, but I guess that might just be lighting conditions when you took the photograph?

[Tigger]

At least one fin, and it looks to be a very pale fish compared to others, but I guess that might just be lighting conditions when you took the photograph?

 

 

Yeah Paul, the fish was missing it's pelvic's. It appeared as though it just hadn't developed them as there was no sign of any damage, even old marks/healing. The fish weighed 8lb 9ounces so obviously hadn't been held back by it's missing pelvic's. As you say I think it was just the camera/light that gave it the apearence of being pale, all it's other fins where quite strong orange also.

A strange occurance but one things for certain...i'll recognise it easy enough if I ever catch it again lol.

[Tigger]

I had a few hours on the river today...river was up about 8 inches on my last session, cloudy skies and a decent temp of 16 degrees, according to the car thermometer. I spoke to a couple of chaps fishing with rods in rests pointing skyward and they'd had a couple of dace and trout. I set up the float rod seventy yards above 'em and I got a long carp straight off . I landed seven, pulled out of two more and one snapped me off on a snag just above my hook... I hate leaving hooks in fish !

 

 

 

[BoldBear]

 

 

Yeah Paul, the fish was missing it's pelvic's. It appeared as though it just hadn't developed them as there was no sign of any damage, even old marks/healing. The fish weighed 8lb 9ounces so obviously hadn't been held back by it's missing pelvic's. As you say I think it was just the camera/light that gave it the apearence of being pale, all it's other fins where quite strong orange also.

A strange occurance but one things for certain...i'll recognise it easy enough if I ever catch it again lol.

Ive never seen Pelvic fins missing as on your Barbel, but I've had a couple of deformed fish in recent seasons from my local stream; one a deformed Carp trying to imitate a Barbel as it had a longish narrow torpedo shaped body and an under slung mouth and the second was a 9lb barbel with a deformed dorsal fin which looked more like a chubs dorsal fin, I'd recognise either of them too if I ever caught them again Lol.

 

Great reports as usual Tigger.

 

Keith

[Tigger]

Thank's Keith .

 

Yeah, it was an unusual deformaty, and I can't say i've ever seen it before.

 

 

I had a couple of hours on my local stream today, only targetting tiddlers and I had my fair share of 'em. This was about 10min's worth (there was a few more in there but they kept on jumping out lol)....

 

Edited September 27, 2015 by Tigger