Greenacres

My pal Martin and I had been commissioned by the Parish Council to investigate the fishing at a gravel pit at Barrow-upon-Trent. We were looking forward to the prospect of fishing this virgin water particularly after seeing a shoal of large bream going through their spawning rituals earlier in the year. Plans were made on Friday evening after taking refreshments and an 0830 start was in order.
We should have stopped in bed though as no recce since May meant we were greeted by pond weed stretching out about 15 yards from the bank pretty much round the perimeter. We eventually found a gap where our lads could get a line in but it was to no avail. I tried putting out a feeder about 30 yards but it just bounced off the weed. One to cross off the list but may fish well earlier in the year if the Parish Council decide to issue day tickets.
That was Sunday morning and today I went off to the River Dove at Ellastone for a quich sortie. Didn't stop long though as it is still low and the bright conditions meant no sign of trout or grayling in an hour and a half. After a summer spent after tench and barbel it has whetted the appetite to get the fly rod going again.

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

It was certainly grand at Scropton this morning and I was the only angler out to enjoy it. Perhaps not the best of fishing conditions and and everyone clearly knew better than me as I returned a nice blank. Very strange activity at the rod tip though. I was fishing halibut pellets on a hair. As soon as the feeder hit the bottom there were little knocks and tremors on the tip. None of these developed into a good pull round though. After a while I was easily distracted from the rod tip by a pair of kingfishers working the river. Each time I retrieved the pellet was gone and twice a river minnow had impaled itself on the hook. Has anyone else had experience with gangs of minnows poaching halibut pellets?? How queer.

The One That Got Away

I've been a bit slow clocking onto this one but that is just my age. This is another blog from an angler that fishes the same club waters as I. Patrick has put some really detailed info on here, none of this tripe like 'from a midlands stillwater', he even divulges the peg!! Completely honest and open with no bull5hit. Keep it up Patrick.
A recommended read:

http://patrick-theonethatgotaway.blogspot.com/

Cross Jolly Boys Outing

My son and I went to Glazebrooks pool this morning so Sam could have another go with the whip. He had about half a dozen perch and a chub. I set a rod hoping for something a little more substantial but failed miserably.
Grandad appeared to watch Sam in action with his old whip so that is all three generations on the bank at the same time. Next step is us all to have a session together.

Nuisance Fish

Is it too much to ask for a chap to have a decent evenings tenching??

This week I have done rather well for pass outs and last night I decided to continue my quest for a monster tench. Also, long overdue, I have finally bought a unhooking mat that I needed to commission but was nervous about the karma created by the presumption that I was going to put something on it. The size of the thing was also rather embarrassing I was worried about actually getting it on the peg. It was about 1930 when I arrived at the pond and it looked in great nick. I had decided to fish with the feeder on the swingtip, I method that was reasonably successful a couple of weeks back. Soon after starting I had a chat with another chap from the DRAC forum who was also just about to commence.
Soon afterwards I had a great bite and in the excitement of my sweeping strike rolled straight off the back of my basket, good job no-one saw that one. This was followed by the perch below that I used to christen the mat so that was the monkey off my back.
Like a big chump I then swapped my feeder for a plain lead and cast it straight into the far bank trees. By now it ws 2100 and I debated packing up but in the end persevering and was all fingers and thumbs quickly tackling up again in the dusk. It was now the last few casts as fishing ends on DRAC waters at 2130 in August. A good indication on the tip met with something very solid that took some playing on my avon rod with the fish initially taking line so needed careful guiding to keep out of the many snags at Triangle. This was clearly a good fish and if it was a tench then this was the monster I had been searching for. It was difficult to tell when it surfaced but as I drew it over the rim of the net all was revealed. A bloody great carp! The fish weighed 9lb 4oz and well and truly broke in my new mat. A great way to end the evening and left me with a tired arm. The bigger brothers must pull hard.

But oh if it was a tench.......

Tench in the Gloaming

Last night I had the last couple of hours on a local club stillwater. After my experience at Cullens on Sunday evening I expected that the fish would not bite until later on. This last hour I think is the best time of the day at this time of year unless you want to get out of bed at stupid o'clock. One angler was just leaving the car park as I arrived and commented that the fishing was not too good. Well tackle up I thought and get settled in and wait for the witching hour. The first hour was indeed slow and biteless but as the wind died down I felt that I might be lucky. I was floatfishing as close to the reeds as I dared but have now stepped up to 6lb line straight through. I had been fishing 4lb bottom but the fish have got so canny here that they make straight for the reeds and you just have to hold them as giving line spells disaster. The first couple of bites were greedy perch who seem to be able to consume a large lump of prawn. The float was now registering some activity and eventually it slid away to be answered by the thump of a tench. This fish went straight for the reeds but the Avonmaster stopped it dead, so much that it flipped it out of the water! Having been played in such an undignified manner the fish was soon in the net. This was probably the smallest I've had from Triangle this year, about 2lb ish I'd say. Quickly I rebaited and had the float back out as light was fading fast. Soon afterwards another slightly larger fish 3lb ish graced the net and then I was into last cast territory. Although the float had a few good bobs and dips the hat trick was not to be. Perhaps also not to be is the whopping tench I've been hoping for to end the summer but I had an enjoyable evening nonetheless. Recently I read on I think Leo's blog about playing the numbers game for a big tench and that may well be the case so I will keep trying. Maybe I should be using feeder tactics more but fishing the float is so captivating. First rule is I think find your water and I think this pond holds one.

An Evening at Cullens

Yesterday I spent the evening on Cullens but in truth I might as well have gone just for the last hour. No bites until dusk was falling. It was a delightful evening though with the dipping sun picking out the trees on the far bank.
Unusually for me I fished two rods in the hope of tempting a monster tench before the end of the season. A waggler fished a couple of rods out was complemented by a feeder on the swingtip rod.I started getting knocks on the feeder rod but it wasn't until I cut off the hair and hooked the corn directly that I got a confident bite from the bream below which went 4.5lb. It came in like a sack of spuds though and from the state of my net probably swam off 1lb lighter. It was approaching 2100 now and I was struggling to see my float, fishing a little closer though and I caught two small tench before it was too dark to continue.
We are having a staycation this year so I am at home for the next fortnight or so and hope to get in a few more sessions.

Triangle Back End'ish Tench

It seems incredible as it is only early August but Monday evening had a distinct back end feeling to it with the light really drawing in now. I fished the last couple of hours and eventually pulling stumps just before 2130 having one last cast after I landed the fish above. This is not one of the 4lb plus specimens I was catching through the spring and I've noticed that since mid June the average size of the fish has not been as good.
These Triangle tincas fight like demons though and this one was hooked on the float only a few yards out from some reeds. The Avonmaster was bent double and it still made sanctuary but was so close to me that I managed to net it in the snag. As dusk was falling I did not notice at the time but the fish had what appears to be discolouration on the flank I wonder if this is from the rigours of spawning. Before this I had several greedy perch swallow quite large lumps of prawn they seem to have got a taste for it now. When the tench took I could only just see my float go but it was a confident bite that I have found occurs on this bait.
I hope to catch a 6lb'er this season but the summer seems to be fast getting away from us.

Glazebrooks

A big day for me at the Glazebrooks. Firstly I finally broke my duck there albeit previous attempts have been in depths of winter. Secondly my son really enjoyed himself fishing with the 3m whip that his Grandad has just passed down. We caught stack loads of small perch, I think Sam had about three before I even got the line threaded through the old Alpha match rod. As we were fishing maggots it was to be expected however and although Sam caught about twice as many as me I did have the best of the day which would have gone about 12oz. We also caught bream, chub and roach, with some better stamp of the latter starting to respond to the feed.
The swim we were fishing was quite shallow for Glazebrooks which is very deep in places and drops off really quickly. I fed hemp and corn and had some bites on corn but did not connect. They usually occurred just as I was re-baiting Sam's hook or removing a fish for him. His pole is actually a 5m whip but we just used the top few sections and he handled it well. Grandad has passed it on as he has just purchased a Middy 'White Knuckle' margin pole which I think is a little un-dignified for a retired gentleman!! He has come a long way since his Apollo Taperflash and in the week had put the Middy to good use on some carp at a small commercial near Elvaston Castle.
I really enjoyed the fishing it was a delightful morning to be out and I used my Abu 501 for the first time in a couple of seasons. It reminded me what a pleasure these reels are to use for floatfishing. I use the centre pin too infrequently to be really profficient but the Abu is just so easy.
So I will hope to get in another couple of sessions with Sam this year and hope he takes to the sport. We are not going away this year due to a new puppy and I have next week at work then a couple of weeks break so we may explore some more DRAC waters then.

Triangle

Sport was a little slow to say the least yesterday evening at Triangle. I fished the same swim I had last Monday but did not get a tench, just a solitary 4oz roach. This seemed to be the pattern all round as of the other three anglers I saw none had caught. I was casting into the gap between the trees on the left had side of the picture. The shot was taken as the light was fading and consequently a slow shutter speed has left it a little fuzzy.