A few hours out yesterday.....

[BoldBear]

Looks like you had a brilliant day Ian; Nice Fishing  

Keith

[The Flying Tench]

Sounds like the catch of a lifetime to me, well done!

[Tigger]

Had another go today, bites were slower in coming and only five barbel pulled my string, but I did have a nice chub also .

 

 

 

 

 

[Tigger]

 

I decided to pop out to the river this afternoon to use up maggots left over from the last couple of trips. Anyhow, the conditions were quite grim, with strong winds, a rising river and heavy rain showers.

Despite the conditions and walking a couple of miles I finally got lucky and dropped onto a shoal of chub.  I'm not even going to say how many chub I caught because it will soumd like I am telling porkies!

Anyhow, here's a couple of pics of the stamp of the majority of the chub...

 

 

 

[Martin56]

Well done Ian, keep em' coming bud.

[Vagabond]

Nice work Ian

Now here is one for the philosophers

How small a roach can one catch and not be disappointed ?

Heres the story      As a change from targetting perch, I decided to try to catch a decent roach on hempseed, which I haven't used for years.   So - tin of hemp, emergency reserve of sweet corn (no tares available) and  a 3 lb mono leader with size 20 hook, a mini antennae float and .... wait a bit, gotta get this shotting right.  I know the depth (6 ft).   Bulk shot to take line down 3 ft, then size 8 shot shirtbutton style for a slow fall from there  to just short of the bottom,     OK  just try that to check I have it right.   Cast (no bait on)  float body goes under, halfinch antenna showing, then dip, dip, dip as the "shirt buttons" take effect one by one.   Now just an eighth of an inch showing - perfect !    Pull in to start fishing for real...... but what's this ???

A roach 0.9 inches long - taken on a bare silvery hook

Why was I pleased to catch it ?   As I took it off the hook I saw that in my haste to get fishing I had omitted to clip off the tag end of the knot.   So put that right - Did it make any difference  ?   Dunno, I like to have the business end of the gear neat and tidy, but I caught no more roach on hemp, nor on plan B (sweet corn)     Meanwhile Norma was pulling in perch on dead (frozen) maggot in the next swim so cadged some and saved a blank with a last gasp (not very big) roach. As I said - one for the philosophers.

[Tigger]

I had a few hours out on the river today, river was up a couple of feet and so that banjaxed any thoughts ofwading in my thigh waders. I know of places where I can fish off the bank and there I headed, about a mile each way!

Anyhow, I used a 13ft inch browning sphere spliced tip rod which I haven't used since last november, no point having them if they don't get an airing at least once a year lol.  I used a Chris Lyhte float master SU on the rod, and both worked great together.

I finnished up with ten or eleven chub, nothing huge but all decent ones, here's some of them...

 

 

 

 

 

[JV44]

I have been out Pike fishing a few times 

9 fish first visit 

4 second time 

2 third trip 

3 today 

Most have been doubles to a top weight of 19 ,still awaiting to reacquaint myself with the big girl I lost last year 

Going to have a couple more goes then start my Chub hunt 

 

 

[The Flying Tench]

Stupendous, Steve! I don't know how you do it catching so many solid pike!  I'll be interested in how you approach your chub hunt. Round here the favourite bait seems to be cheese paste, and the surprising thing to me is that quite a few anglers use straight lead rather than feeder as they reckon the chub feel the resistance. So for attractant they have to rely on throwing in a few scraps of cheese paste. Surprising to me that it works, but it seems to.

[Tigger]

Fished 2pm until 4pm today.  A distinct drop in temp's and atmosphere from last weeks trotting session.  There was a nasty biting wind blowing downstream which wasn't good, but the bright sun cast an awful glare on the waters surface which proved to be far worse than the cold wind!

Anyhow, I manged to land six chub and one grayling, lost two more fish that I thought were chub to hook pulls through a crappy blunt hook.  Also lost a huge grayling at the net because I thought it was a chub and dragged it up from the bottom as I got it infront of me....darn it, should have changed that poxy hook!