Latest ventures out on the river....

[Tigger]

 

 

Since I posted on Kens thread i've had a couple more ventures out swimming the stream .

A friend of mine dropped a free spirit  1.6lb power float rod off for me to try out last saturday.  Next day "sunday" I was out testing it.  The rod is heavy which makes it unwieldy in use, but I managed to use ok.  It is a specialist float rod, apparently made for float fishing for large carp and would normally spend most of it's time in a rod rest where the weight of it wouldn't be an issue.

Anyhow, I managed to cast accurately with it dropping the float onto the correct spot in the flow at up to 30yds away.  I caught lots of dace, chublets, some half decent chub, some very decent roach and seven small barbel using it and even with the rods power no fish were bumped off, I don't believe in the old bumped off fish theory because a rod is to harsh.

I think the reason for having a fish on for a second or two and then it coming off is because the hook isn't sharp, or because the angler isn't striking hard enough or quick enough and just nicking the fish...anyhow, that's a thread of it's own really I think?

I used 6lb sensor straight through to a size 12 drennan superspade and loaded the hook with 15 or more maggots, or a maggot and corn cocktail, or three or more grains of corn squashed onto it.  

The treble corn seemed to be the most effective bait on that day.

 

 

 

 

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[Tigger]

 

I had a couple of hours out trotting last wednesday also.  I used a daiwa Dave Harrell RS PF rod which is supposed to be a power float rod (PF) but it's a lightweight compared to the 1.6lb test free spirit my friend had lent me!

To be honest it was much nicer to use and it wasn't a bad couple of hours fishing.  I used a reel I haven't used in ages, a 4 3/4 inch kingpin zeppelin reel which are usually shipped out to the americas for the steel head anglers etc.

It was nice to use on the daiwa rod and they made a good set up.

A few pic's from the session...

 

 

 

 

[Martin56]

Nice couple of sessions Ian.

I have 2, JW Young 13 foot specimen float rods - great piece of kit & they turn up on the Bay now & again.

I bought my 1st one from new in the tackle shop £60.

The 2nd one was off the Bay £70 but it had a spare middle & top section.

They fish like a Match rod but with a through action with plenty of stopping power.

Two rods in one!! Great for smaller fish but come into their own for the Donkeys!!!!!!

 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Martin56

[Tigger]

 

 

30 minutes ago, Martin56 said:

Nice couple of sessions Ian.

I have 2, JW Young 13 foot specimen float rods - great piece of kit & they turn up on the Bay now & again.

I bought my 1st one from new in the tackle shop £60.

The 2nd one was off the Bay £70 but it had a spare middle & top section.

They fish like a Match rod but with a through action with plenty of stopping power.

Two rods in one!! Great for smaller fish but come into their own for the Donkeys!!!!!!

 

 

Thanks Martin, it was nice to get out for a go, although, if i'm honest i've kind'a lost a lot of interest in fishing just now.

I think i've seen those rods you have Martin, if I remember rightly they had a purple blank?

A friend of mine had the barbel rods out of that range of rods, same purple colour blank twin tipped rods, I think one had a white tip.

 

[Martin56]

2 hours ago, Tigger said:

 

 

 

Thanks Martin, it was nice to get out for a go, although, if i'm honest i've kind'a lost a lot of interest in fishing just now.

I think i've seen those rods you have Martin, if I remember rightly they had a purple blank?

A friend of mine had the barbel rods out of that range of rods, same purple colour blank twin tipped rods, I think one had a white tip.

 

Yes Ian, they are a sort of purple/reddish blank.

Maybe 3 or 4 weeks Cold Turkey from fishing will set you right again? - I'm sure 

Edited July 10, 2023 by Martin56

[Tigger]

I wasn't realy in the mood for fishing today, but since the weather was nice and the river had dropped to a fishable level, plus I have a load of maggots shrivelling up in the fridge I decided to force myself out for a couple of hours trotting. As usual I wore my thigh waders and at times when wading out or back to shore I was literally on my tip toes as the water was lapping the very tops of my waders.  Now and then I felt a cool sensation on my legs as the water came over the lip of my waders. The fishing wasn't up to much at all and all I caught was a load of roach to about 10 ounces, a few chub of about a pound to a pound and a half and one average barbel.

I fished from 12pm to 2pm before i'd had enough.  The sudden dissapearence of the sun behind a cloud made me look up and see a huge bank of dark angry clouds coming over me which made me quicken my steps to the motor.  

I'd drove half way home before the rain started, it's still hamerring down now and forecast to carry on overnight and possibly tomorrow !

Here's the only barbel of the session...

 

[chesters1]

Well done ! never caught a barbel in the Wey infact I have only ever caught one full stop .As a nieve 9 year old I fished at Yalding lock on a Saturday a lifetime ago.and caught what I thought was a huge gudgeon until I was informed by an older wiser angler it was a tiny barbel. Perhaps I need to strap on an intrepid match reel but it won't run quite as easily as your aerial

Edited July 27, 2023 by chesters1

[Tigger]

I had a session on the river last friday, the river was up a meter and the wind was howling!  I had a good country mile walk to get to my intended fishing spot and I had to fish off the bank, no wading due to the extra water going through. Things weren't ideal and I spent most of my time crashing through undergrowth trying to get to fishable spots on the bank.  Anyhow, I caught a lot of roach and dace before having my fill of 'em.

 

I don't normally visit the river on a weekend, but because I had several pints of maggots turning and a pack of sweetcorn de frosted in the fridge I decided to go fishing on saturday just gone.  The river was still up but had dropped off from the previous day so I could just about wade out on my tip toes lol. This was a different stretch than yesterday and more chance of a barbel.  Anyhow, I had a lot of very nice roach up to around a pound and a lot of huge dace.  I also caught a few chub and 18 little barbel ranging in size from the one in the picture to about 3lb in weight.  I was stood about 40 yards out in the river so released all the fish there appart from the one in the picture which i'd taken back to the bank with me when I had to go back to refill my bait pouch. It was an unusual session catching so many little barbel like that, that'a the most little ones i've ever caught in one session.

Edited July 31, 2023 by Tigger

[Tigger]

 

A week ago today I had a ride down to the river seven for a day for a change of scenery, it was really nice, but unfortunately was a little to high for me to wade in my thigh waders.  It was dropping off and was carrying colour but still looked good.  I stood at the waters edge, or just in it and cast out into the middle or towards the opposite bank.  I had roach, dace and some small chub, then dropped on a shoal of very nice chub and had 14 virtually one after the other. My spider senses told me that I was due a barbel amongst those chub, but my friend had to get off and I wasn't sure of my way back to the main roads and left with him.  It turned out my phone took my the exact way he took me so I could have stayed after all....darn it!

I had planned on another ride down today but the river was way above last weeks level and so I stayed local. I'm hoping to get back down there asap as I enjoyed the change.

 

 

I had a couple of hours out trotting on a falling river today, the river was heavily coloured with what looked like sewage again!...so not a tanning from peat which often comes down from one of the tributaries that comes from peat, it was tiny brown particles which looked like mashed up bog roll and shyte!

Anyhow, the river never fishes well when this stuff is coming down, I saw no sign of a barbel but managed a few decent chub, roach and dace.  It was quite precarious wading out around 40yds on a rocky river with no visibiity so I only took one chub back to the bank for a photo when going back to re fill my bait pouch....

 

 

Edited August 16, 2023 by Tigger

[Tigger]

I fished on sunday, target species was chub, mission accomplished....

 

 

 

I had a dabble on the river today...30 degrees and blazing sun!

Luckily for me I know of a spot that's shaded by a huge steep banking covered in large trees.  Anyhow, I fished the swim from 1.30pm to 3.30pm theis afternoon, packing up just before the sun came round and fried me!

I was lucky and had a good few dace, chublets, a few decent chub and 6 or 7 barbel, I lost count .  The barbel weren't big, but a barbel is a barbel and they all fought hard for their size....

 

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Tigger