Its Now Time To Get Out On The Rivers

Fishing this season can best be described as an average one, yes there have been some good days, on others its just a few average size fish, but occasionally I've had some good fish or good catches. The past couple of weeks have certainly been a bit up and down, just when I think I have got it all sorted out, the better fish were once again rather hard to find. Yes, I had days when I caught several barbel though they were often on the small side perhaps 4lbs. The fishing can be described as rather mediocre, in fact sometimes they have just switched off. Just before the air and water temperatures started to rise I caught a nice looking River Ribble barbel of 8-10-0 half an hour later Brendan Ince had a super chub of 6-2-0, now that's a big fish and caught on cheese paste. Brendan's only bite of the session. 16th of February I am fishing the River Kennet where the water temperature was a nice 44 degrees, at around 9-30pm as I sat holding the rod with the line across my index finger, I had a small twitch, followed a minute later by another small twitch. I could feel the line under tension as it lay across my finger, with nothing happening for about thirty seconds I decided to strike. Nothing moved, at first I though I was attached to a bit of wood or the bottom, suddenly several yards of line was taken. The fish moved across the river then upstream, I quickly gained back some of the line which had been stripped off the reel, when the fish decided it wasn't going to hang about. After a spirited struggle a good fish was netted. After zeroing the scales the fish was weighed at 11-14-0 After a couple of quick pictures it was released.

On Wednesday 18th I was lucky to get a brace of five pound chub from two different beats of the River Kennet, my first fish during the morning weighed 4-4-0 on legered crust, the second fish caught just before dusk on cheese paste weighed 5-5-0. Friday I visited the River Avon at Britford catching several chub on lobworms and bread crust the best at 4-12-0. What I enjoyed most about this day was trotting the stream for perch, nothing big. I had several fish between 10 - 12 ounces with occasional fish pushing one and a half pounds. At about 5 o'clock I spotted a perch that would probably go two and a half pounds. Ten minutes later the float dipped then the rod arched over, I had the feeling it was the "Big One" half a minute later it was off. To say I was gutted, would be an understatement. Ten minutes before packing up the float dipped, striking I felt the surge of a powerful fish as the reel gave line. I quickly realised I had hooked a pike. For some ten minutes it was give and take. Slowly I started getting line back on the reel as I realised the fish was losing the momentum. When I had my first good look at the fish I put its weight at ten to twelve pounds. A minute or so later as I pulled the fish over the net. I punched the air saying "Yes" The fish was lightly hooked in the scissors, so the line didn't come into contact with those razor sharp teeth of this predator.

Ribble Chub

Back home on Monday 23rd I had a later afternoon into the dark session, the mild weather had certainly switched the Ribble chub on, I fished three areas, in my first spot I had three chub averaging about 3lbs, on legered crust, I then moved up to a weir pool taking two nice chub both in the 4lb bracket again crust was the successful bait. Finally I chose a swim further upstream, where changed over from one or two LG shot, to fishing a small open feeder packed with .liquidised crumb, its the first time I have fished the method on my water. Bait was a small cube of crust on a size 6 hook in 3 hours I I had chub 1 trout. I should have had at least another dozen fish which were either missed, pricked or lost during the struggle to get them in the net. I was fishing a three foot deep channel about 18 inches wide where the rest of the river was about two feet deep. Walking back to my car I certainly had a spring in my step.

Next day I fished further down river, where I found conditions near perfect, with a light wind thick cloud base and a water temperature of 46 degrees F I chose to fish two rods both Avon action designed for lines between 4-7lb, matched with Mitchell 300 reels and 6lb Gamma line, on one rod I tied on a size 6 Pallatrax hook then pinched 2 LG shot fifteen inches from the hook. Bait was sausage meat. On my other outfit I chose to use a small open end feeder with a size 8 Pallatrax hook about fifteen inches from the feeder. After catapulting a dozen pieces of sausage paste towards the far bank. I went off to check on the cormorant population, finding five of them at the top of the beat. I was also disappointed to find a person trying to hook a kelt, telling him in no uncertain fashion, that it wasn't sporting to fish for kelts as they tried to get back to the ocean.

Half an hour later I am back in my swim ready to fish, baiting with sausage I cast out dropping the bait onto the far crease then set the rod in the rest. I baited the size 8 hook with a chunk of bread flake filled the feeder and cast out so the bait was positioned on the edge of the near crease. For about 45 minutes nothing happened, suddenly the sausage paste rod pulled over a small barbel was hooked and soon into the landing net. ten minutes later I hooked a good fish on flake. In the net I realised it was a good five pound chub. the scales said 5-12-0. I managed to find another angler who shot a couple of pictures. I then watched the fish swim off strongly. With the light fading bites were becoming more frequent on both rods. As darkness enveloped my I switched on my light to illuminate the rods. I was very pleasant seeing the rod tip dip every now and again then hook a nice chub or barbel. As I was talking to my mate Will I had a good take hooking a powerful fighting fish which turned out to be a chub of 5-10-0. Thinking that's not bad a brace of fives. I fished on for another hour catching chub and barbel, including a chub of 4-14-0. The barbel probably averaged 4-5lbs. Hopefully the mild weather will continue and the fish will keep feeding.

Big Perch Chub and Barbel Being Caught

My friend Paul Smyth fishing one of the Aquateks gravel pits on Wednesday caught a big perch weighing in at 4-8-0 on legered lobworm. while another angler Andy Smith had a brace of Ribble barbel weighing in at 11-10-0 and 12-8-0 one fish on a fishmeal boily the other on 2 lobworms. Danny Collins a member of the Wasing Syndicate fishing the Aldermaston beat caught a personal best barbel of 13-8-0 on hair rig pellet wrapped in soft paste with a small pva mesh bag on the size 10 hook. The fish was in immaculate condition, not fat, but solid and took few minutes of brute force to get it off the bottom and then it
fought hard all the way to the net. As Danny said "The 10lb Gamma line done me proud I was elated at my capture and shaken by the power of the fish. Now I know what it is like to catch a big Barbel in a fast running winter river"

Following on from his personal best barbel Danny Collins has another personal best this time a chub of 5-9-0 for Danny age 67 from Carshalton Surrey who was. trotting 25 yds to overhanging trees, bait was 3 gentles on a 16 hook to 4lb line 14' float rod with 40 year old Allcocks Match Aerial centre pin and a Drennan 4 1/2 swan chubber. The venue was the River Stour Throop Fisheries day ticket water.



Stunning Carp From Redmire

Check out the pictures on my site and see what must certainly be one of the nicest pictures of a carp I have ever seen, and I have been around the carp fishing since 1949. Its a 23lb 4oz common taken from the Willow Pitch on Redmire Pool. Caught at 7.15 am on Tuesday 17th February 2009 using two 10mm Mainline Active 8 boilies fished over a bed of Hemp, pellet and maggot. The tackle was a 3lb T/C Greys Prodigy + rod, Shimano 5500 XTBreel and 16lb Pro clear line. As Lyndon Barrett the captor said "Its a dream come true"