Mild, clear, high pressure

[Chris Plumb]

Well I blanked, sad to say, but while I was blanking away I realised I had a further question to ask Chris - or anyone else interested! The question is this. Chris, you fished a long day on Sunday and understandably found the time when the sun was bright was tough going. But aren't those conditions (bright, high pressure winter days) exactly what the pike anglers crave? So wouldn't it have been more productive to put on a live or dead bait and trot down those carriers and bag up on pike?

 

Never planned to do any piking especially as these water's had been electro-fished in the last 6 weeks and the pike taken out!!! (the fish aren't culled but moved to other waters). So wouldn't have been that confident of there being any pike to catch! I don't do much (any!) piking now-a-days. I used to deadbait a lot - but the signals put an end to that!

 

 

C.

[Anderoo]

TFT, that's what I do in these conditions, if I'm out all day. The target species change as the day goes on. At the weekend I'll be all out trying for a big chub (or more accurately, any chub!), but it's going to be bright, clear and cold in the daytime, so I'll be piking then and baiting up spots for the chub later.

[Leon Roskilly]

Preparing some ground to plant my garlic, I ended up with a bucket of lob worms

 

Tomorrow promises to be a cloudy day, so I'm saving them until then.

 

Where to fish, what to go for?

 

I'm tempted to fish a section of the Beault, targeting chub but with the prospect of a largish perch or two.

 

We shall see.

[BoldBear]

As Far as Chub go in this bright sunny weather; one of my friends went for a short 3 to 4 hour session on the upper lea near wheathamstead (Herts) on Sunday and he said that the Chub were feeding well.

he said that he caught approx 35-40lb of Chub from 8oz to 3lb+ with a 4lb 8oz thrown in and they didn't seem to get spooked and they were all caught from the same swim using trotting tactics in the sun.

NB. The Lea near Wheathamstead is just like a deep stream about 10 to 15 foot wide and 2 to 4 ft deep.

I hope the fishing is the same this weekend.

Edited February 12, 2008 by BoldBear

[Houseplant]

Hi. Got out yesterday, so will add my experiences. Day didn't go off as planned with my local tackle shop closed and a couple of lager drinking chavs in my pre-chosen swim. Anyway, had half a dozen clonking bites on big baits intended for chub (but also happy to pick up bream or even that elusive river carp), but no hook ups.

 

Also had a pike rod out. Couldn't face the task of trying to catch lives in these conditions, so reluctantly fished with mackeral tails (an appalling bait on this venue). Nothing all day, then remembered a 'hot spot' from spinninig trips in the summer. Put the bait in there and it was away in seconds. Big single/low double came off at the net. Recast the bait and the same thing happened and no more baits. Very, very frustrating

[MikeT]

I went chubbing on the Stour at Durweston on Sunday. It was a slightly frosty start, and utterly beautiful as the sun rayed pinky-golden through the river mist. I thought I was in for a cracking day.

 

One bite. No fish. All day.

 

I fished a sheltered and shadey stretch, under trees, in Crabtree-perfect swims. Plenty of classic chub and big roach features, and a reputedly big head of fishes. Colour and flow ideal. I stayed until almost dark, expecting a witching-hour finish, but not a bit of it. It was weird- there was absolutely no sign of activity at all- no ripples to disturb the mirror-flat surface. It was like something had mysteriously killed all the life out of the river.

 

Until a pike rolled, fifty yards upriver.

 

Luckily I'd brought my little spinning outfit, and within two minutes I was casting a Mepps Lusox into the fading ripples. Instant success, with a 8lb jack. I had five pike in one hour, moving up and down the river. Nice creatures, in good condition. But not a single proper fish all day.

 

It was a gorgeous day though!

[Houseplant]

Couldn't let it lie after yesterday, so despite all common sense I went back for more, this time with some small roach deadbaits. Result was two fat jacks which I'm very happy with. Had four dropped runs as well. If I had connected, could have been a really good afternoon! Unusual on this venue, I suspect that zander could be the culprits. All the action came as the sun was going down, but before dark.

[WayneX2]

Interesting thread, I'll add my results for this week.

 

On Tuesday morning I went chubbing on a local river. I started just after 9 when it was still very foggy, cold, clear skies and the ground was covered in frost. I was fishing liquidised bread through a cage feeder with a big lump of breadflake on the hook. The first swim was just down from a small weir opposite an overhanging tree which has a lot of branches trailing in the water. As the water passes the tree it swirls around in behind the tree where the flow has cut out the bank. I had a lot of fish from this swim in the summer so was hoping for a bite or two.

 

First cast nothing. Second cast I had a little activity on the tip but wasn't sure if it was a bite or not so I half struck at it and felt a nod from a fish before it was away, should have struck properly. Within a minute of recasting I had a fin perfect chub of a pound and a bit on the bank. Five minutes later I had another chub of three pounds exactly which didn't start fighting until it was under my feet when it went ballistic trying to bury intself in the weed. Luckily it didn't succeed. After that it went quiet and I probably stayed in the swim an hour too long before moving on.

 

The next swim I set up 15 yards above an overhanging tree with its roots underwater on my bank. Within five minutes of my first cast I had a tap, tap and then the tip went round and it was fish on. Luckily he headed out into open water away from the snags or it could have got very hairy. A short battle later and a nice chub of 2.11 was in the net. I spent another half an hour there but nothing else was forthcoming so it was time to move on.

 

The last swim was another classic chub swim with overhanging trees on both banks and a small raft on the far bank. The first cast went a little wayward being too short and not close enough to the far bank but I left it out anyway and settled down on my bucket. As soon as I had tightened up the tip went flying round and I was into another fish and this one felt bigger than the others. I gained a little line and then lost it back but soon it was mine. This one was the biggest of the day at 3.11 and was the most beautiful chub I have caught, with a lovely golden sheen on its flanks compared to the other chub which were really pale and washed out.

 

I packed up soon after content with my haul. What was weird is that apart from the last bite all the others were very timid and not like the very aggressive bites I would normally expect from chub. Maybe they weren't feeding properly and only taking baits right in front of their noses which would explain the instant success in each swim.

 

I went back again yesterday for a few hours and didn't even get a bite. Same weather conditions, same bait, same tackle, same swims but very different results. Still a good day though.

[Dick Dastardly]

In top conditions for Pike (ie high pressure) Ive always found the fishing for other (prey) fish to be pants! The real question Ive always asked myself though is it the same conditions that turn the pike on that turn the others off.....or is it the simple fact that the pike are so turned on that the prey are keeping their heads down?

[Anderoo]

In top conditions for Pike (ie high pressure) Ive always found the fishing for other (prey) fish to be pants! The real question Ive always asked myself though is it the same conditions that turn the pike on that turn the others off.....or is it the simple fact that the pike are so turned on that the prey are keeping their heads down?

 

I suppose the way to find that out (and it's a good question) is to fish a water which doesn't hold any pike for prey fish in high pressure conditions and see what happens. I suspect it's a bit of synchronicity in nature, and they'd behave the same (pretty much) regardless of pike activity. Perhaps live prey fish are easier to catch in high pressure because they're less active/more dormant? Which is why moving baits are better than static deads?

 

Having said that, when perch fishing on waters that contain crayfish, it's interesting to see how things change when the perch decide to feed. You can be pestered by the little sods all day and all of a sudden they disappear just as the perch come on to feed. In cases like this it's clearly just self-preservation and nothing to do with pressure or any other conditions.