Its Summer Time Again - July 06

Summer time for me covers various aspects of our great sport, sitting at the lakeside watching a red tipped float or silver paper indicator trying to catch tench. Stalking chub, then having spotted a fish, dropping a black slug, green lipped mussel or a chunk of bread flake, then hoping the fish will want to eat. I love my fly fishing, there is no better fish to target in our river, canals and lakes than the pike. They beat trout hands down.

I am amazed at the tremendous amount of interest being shown in barbel they are certainly a popular fish. In my book, barbel fishing isn't sitting in one spot waiting for the fish to move into a baited area. I choose to go in search for the fish, with bread crust my first choice bait. Though I do occasionally become a trapper, where I lay the table then sit back and wait for the fish to move in and dine. Another great way to target the barbel is with a seven weight fly rod, using a weighted Richard Walker Mayfly nymph.

Recently my brother Ron sadly passed away from that dreadful disease cancer. After Ron's cremation I wanted, no, I needed some peace and quiet where I could be on my own. I decided that nothing could be better than sitting quietly at the waterside in the sunshine with my thoughts of brother and some of our fishing days from the past.

I well remember him as a 14 year old who joined me for a weekend on the river Beult. A week before I had given him an Avon rod, with an Omnia reel. As we sat fishing at dawn his float disappeared, striking he found himself connected with some unseen and powerful fish which had taken the lobworm baited hook. "Take it easy Ron that might be a big tench" In fact it was a pike about 5lbs, but Ron's eyes were shining bright, he had that Mona Lisa smile, not a big cheesy grin. That's how I remember him.

Having travelled some 140 miles from my brother Tom's house in Cambridgeshire, I pulled off the tree lined country lane into the secluded car park of 'Badgers' a delightful twenty acre gravel pit containing tench, carp, roach and rudd with a few pike. Returning to a stillwater after the three month close season, everything looked magnificent even more so this year, after a proper winter and long may they continue. Oaks, beeches and sycamore trees with their new cloaks of green looked splendid in the afternoon sunshine. As did the waterside willows and alders.

I spent an hour or so walking round the pit trying to pick out an area where I might catch a few tench, in the weedy south east corner of the lake some fifty or more carp were spawning. The noise was deafening. Thankfully I didn't see any tench, so hopefully they had got the business over. The last thing I wanted was a horrid shaped tench full of spawn.

My chosen spot was a gap in the reeds on the eastern bank, where the water depth averaged some eight feet two rods length out. I chose this area having seen a few tench rooting about over the gravel and silt bottom. Half a pint of red coloured gentles were soon catapulted into the area, hopefully the fish would stay around.

I tackled up two identical float fishing outfits, J W Young tench rods, centre pin reels with six pound Gamma line, and red tipped quill floats. I decided to use the lift method, known by many anglers a shot legering. After plumbing the depth I set the float so the bait was just on the bottom with a swan shot pinched on the line about three inches from hook. One size 12 eyed hook baited with red gentles, the other a grain of corn.

Having cast out, I sat back, then put the kettle on. I catapulted more red gentles into the swim.
An hour into the session, the float lifted then dropped flat, the strike connected with a powerful fish. A few minutes later I netted a perfectly shaped six pound tench. More gentles were fired into the swim and I reckon it pays to keep the little pink grubs going into the swim. A few minutes later the corn bait float rig lifted, I didn't hang about, but set the hook. This time it was a tench about 5lbs. I felt it was time to make up some mix of brown crumb with hemp, corn and gentles.

I make my crumb so its all fluffy, not a stodgy mix. Twenty minutes later the swim is really fizzing the fish are feeding. In the next three hours I had a succession of tench to 6-3-0. At dusk having had a long drive I decided not to fish during the night, but to get a good nights sleep.

Some Good Tench

Next morning an hour after dawn with a strong wind blowing into my bank, I switched over to legering using the D rig with bunches of red gentles on both rods. I chose Mitchell 300 reels, 6lb line size 12 hooks using a Pallatrax stumpy rig with a Stonze weight to blend into the bottom. A bait fished on a short hook link next to the Stonze weight doesn't cause any problems, fish are always picking up food items close to stones in their natural environment.
It was a good move, fishing a method mix cupped around the Stonze was spot on. As within thirty minutes I was catching some lovely tench, averaging 5lbs plus.
About eight in the morning the buzzer went off, I was into a good fish. After a few minutes I netted a tench it weighed 7-1-0.

Hooked into a Powerful Fish

It was a just after ten in the morning when the buzzer bleeped its warning, I watch the bobbin creep slowly to the butt ring. The strike connected with a powerful fish which quickly ripped line from the spool, I soon realised this wasn't a tench, but one of the lakes resident carp. For ten minute it was give and take, but slowly I was gaining line. These J W Young's tench rods certainly have lots of power with a nice Avon action soon a beautiful linear mirror carp was wallowing at the net, I slight lift of the rod and the fish was pulled over the net. It weighed 21-12-0 Another great fish of summer. I ended the session with a few more tench, I also lost another carp. It was a well rested and happy angler who travelled north from another successful summer fishing trip.

Pallington Lakes

Being 69 and a pensioner, life couldn't be better as I now had lots of fishing days ahead of me. Within two days of arriving home I was off on my travels down to Dorset and Pallington lakes to seek the tench. On this occasion I was accompanied by Anthony Morris a Chef from Wigan. Last winter I first met Anthony in early January in the hope I could help him catch a decent chub at that time his best fish was about two pounds. He ended the season with chub to 5-12-0.

The drive down was during England's third World cup match. It was the perfect time to make a long trip on the motorways traffic was very light. Arriving at the lakes everything looks super as it should at the beginning of a new season. After unloading all our equipment we had a mug of tea before taking a walk around the lakes. We could see several area of water lilies, some with creamy white flowers, other a dainty shade of pink, yet more were a blood red colour. Water voles could be heard chewing on the reeds, while reed buntings chattered away ten to the dozen.

I couldn't resist looking at the river Frome where I hoped to catch some grayling and trout on the fly. In one swim I could see seven good size grayling, one perhaps weighing three and a half pounds. Before leaving Rainbow lake for the night, we raked and baited our swims with chopped green lipped mussel, corn and hemp.

I suppose it was about six o'clock in the morning when we arrived at our raked and baited swims which were really fizzing, occasionally a big yellow bodied tench would roll on the surface. One particular fish must have weighed 8lbs plus. We both chose to float fish, using red tipped quill floats 11' 9" J W Young tench rods with centre pin reels with 6lb Gamma line. Hooks were size 12 barbless. Plumbing the swim, I had eight feet of water. I pinched an AA shot six inches from the hook then bunched three AA shot another fifteen inches up the line.

Baiting with a piece of mussel I dropped the bait just in front of some yellow flag Iris to my left. Five minutes later the float lifted, I hooked into a nice fish. After a brief struggle I had a tench of about five pounds in the margins. bending down I slipped the hook from the fishes mouth then watched it swim off as if nothing had happened.

In the next few hours we caught tench, rudd and roach along with some very big eels. Anthony had one of 4-12-0 on a piece of mussel. On the tackle we were using, these eels certainly gave us a good scrap. On the third afternoon of the trip I had an amazing session, float fishing with mussel for tench. I caught two eels at 4-4-0 and 4-6-0 and four over 3lbs, exciting sport on tench fishing gear. pound for pound these must be some of the toughest fighters that swim in freshwater. A truly exciting afternoon.

Four Personal Bests

During our stay at Pallington Lakes Anthony caught four personal best fish, Carp of 12lbs tench of 5lbs as stated an eel of 4-12-0 and a surprise pike of 11-12-0. The pike like to eel was caught on a piece of mussel. I reckon a rudd had taken the mussel and the pike had probably taken the rudd. On float fishing gear it put up a good display often taking twenty yards of line from the reel in its attempt to break free. The balanced tackle in the hands of a former match angler finally had the pike close enough for netting. Anthony left the fishery a very happy angler.

The Kennet - A Crabtree River

Next stop was the river Kennet and the Wasing fishery where I hoped I could help Anthony catch his first barbel, another great summer fish. Pulling into the car park we were greeted by Paul Smythe, a match and big fish angler Paul's list of big fish is most impressive including a Kennet barbel of 17-2-0 the current river record. Having Paul around was a big bonus, I suggested he help Anthony while I recorded the action for my At The Waters Edge series on BBC Radio Lancashire. Paul was more than willing.

Handing over my rod and centre pin reel I left Paul top sort out the business end of the gear. One of the small stonze was put on the line then a bead followed by a swivel. He then tied on a Pallatrax size 12 barbless hook with a short hair which was baited with two small pellets. Paul handed the rod to Anthony then picking up his bait and tackle bag Paul and his pupil went off down river. The first swim he chose was the Watering can swim which I though was one of my banker swims, it seemed Paul like me realised the value of the swim. To the best of our knowledge we were the only anglers ever to fish this area. Within minutes of fishing Anthony had a two pound chub. Under Paul's instruction Anthony dropped the bait at the bottom end of the swim. Fifteen minutes later after a series of small taps the tip whacked round. Anthony was hooked up to his first barbel. Paul was the perfect teacher and within minutes a barbel was engulfed in the net. It weighed 7-8-0. After a couple of pictures the fish was returned to hopefully grow into a ten pounder. Just some of the summer fish we enjoy