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.

A Swinging Brace

Yesterday I had the day off work and we had a good tour of South Derbyshire having a Kelly brew at Calke with a nice cake and then an impromptu barby for tea at Elvaston Castle. Arriving home at just after 1800 I secured a pass out and headed off for Triangle. I have been concious that I caught no tench on my last trip and only one on the visit before. Finding my favourite float fishing swim occupied by two carp anglers I dropped in next peg up and float fished for an hour or so without any offers. Then I upped sticks and made for another swim where I had previously hooked and lost a good fish on the feeder. This was again the method I chose using that most traditional of indicators the swingtip.

As darkness fell the tip began to register some interest. I think the combination of clear water and fishing pressure has made the fish a lot shyer than they were in May. At 2130 the tip shot up and I felt solid resistance and after several spirited runs the fish above came to the net. Recasting back to the same spot near some overhanging trees yielded another fish ten minutes later. This fish was smaller but put up a great account of itself, I was convinced this may be the 6lb'er I have been after from Triangle until I saw it in the net. Unfortunately seeing was now becoming a bit of a problem as I had yet again forgot my torch and start to whittle about un-hooking the fish safely so called it a day.

What a day it was as well, out in the South Derbyshire countryside during the day with my family, a few nuked snorkers and burgers washed down with a can of Bass for tea, and a brace of Tench on the swingtip to cap it off. They don't get much better than that.

The Black Pool

This pool is one of the DRAC waters that gets rarely fished these days. I have fished it in the past but it was about 20 years ago. After some debate on the DRAC forum I had arranged to meet Chris yesterday morning to give it a go. I was feeling a little delicate after a few glasses Hardys Bin 53 to wash down some bubbly at a party to see some good friends of ours off to Oz. Chris was clearly more spritely than me and was eyeing up the swims as I arrived. He had already found a bulk spool of approximately 25lbs bs line to add credence to the rumours that the pool has been fished somewhat unconventionally by residents of the Ukraine Centre from whom DRAC rent the fishing.
The pool was also heavily weeded with a healthy growth of pond lilys. We struggled to find a couple of swims that were fishable and I would suggest any other prospective anglers took a weed rake. We ended up with Chris and I fishing at opposite ends of the pool in our chosen swims.
Maggots were my chosen bait as I often use on a relatively unknown water as a good prospective offerinf for most species. The pool was a lot deeper than I remember it dropped off pretty quickly to about 9' two rods out.
Bites soon came and I caught plenty of small rudd, perch, chub and the odd roach. I was joined by Derrick after a while who had wandered down to see how we were going on. That was a sign of course for the bites to dry up but we did notice some flashes below the water which could have been a predator at work.
Mt best rudd that was all of 4oz at best fell to bread after bites had all but disappeared on maggot. Chris pesevered with some bite to tempt a better stamp of fish and also fished a little longer. His dedication payed off with a nice bream after I had left. He has a picture of this and here is a link..

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc325/SquireDave/25072010101.jpg

Derrick and I put the world to rights on our common interests of the great fishing available on the DRAC ticket, canoeists, and the demise of the DAA. Black Pool has a lot of potential but as all waters will require some time putting in before it reveals all of it's secrets.