Making Hay

Yesterday, me and The Chubmeister General recorded another podcast, this time "live on the bank" of the local river, on a very deep, slow stretch.

We chucked a couple of rods out and pressed record. Some local kids came by with their lure rods and told us what they'd been catching. One of them had just had a cracking pike, well over 10lb, on a ten inch soft lure. A swimbait I think he called it. It was great to see young kids on their bikes and out on the bank getting into their fishing.

We heard tawny owls, saw a barn owl and surprise surprise, an otter, working the far bank. 

We saw a couple of decent fish splash, rather than roll, just as it got dark. Chub, I said. TCG was not convinced. 

After we'd finished the pod, TCG cast a lump of his new prawn based paste out and ten minutes later, the quiver pulled over and he was in.

He hustled it into the net and we gazed down at an absolutely massive chub.

It went 6lb 12oz and TCG was like dog with two dicks. Understandably so !

Today, I headed to see Baz on his local river.

No sign of him, so I had a cast on a big bend, with a raft and adjacent slack water. Couple of swan shot cast upstream , right next to a raft and a bit of flake on the hook. No free offerings.

After a minute a drop back. I whacked it and the rod bent double. It felt very heavy and was jagging viscously. I had a horrible premonition of losing it and that's exactly what happened. 

I was gutted. I knew it was a very big chub.

Two swims further downstream were baited with dead maggots and sweetcorn and left for a couple of hours to settle.

The first swim produced nothing, but in the second the tip was showing indications, probably liners, from the minute the feeder went in. The tip eventually went round and this time all went solid. Stuck on the bottom? No, it was moving, very slowly. It was very, very heavy and the 12 foot IM8 Quiver groaned.

Bazza scooped it up first time, 21lb 5oz of pristine river carp.

That'll do nicely, even if it wasn't a 6lb chub.

I saw several fish roll, but no further bites were forthcoming and as the fog came down I walked back to the car reflecting on an eventful and productive day.

Just Down The Road

Van in for MOT and I'd left all my tackle in it too. Cobbled together some bits and pieces, including a ridiculous landing net with a one foot handle and, most importantly, a bucket of mash.

Travelling ultra light I walked the two or so miles to the river, along quiet footpaths, away from the madding crowd.

Half dozen swims were baited with a generous helping of mash and first cast in a "banker" swim the tip dropped back. Missed of course.

For the next couple of hours I had bites in almost all the swims, some hit and some missed, ending up with five decent 

chub to around 4lb.

At dusk, the rain clouds gathered, so I packed up and headed back through the mud and puddles, with the sound of geese and wildfowl calling from the floodplains.

Land of the Giants

Barry the Mullet Man text me about 08.00, saying he'd had an 8lb 4oz bream and a 5lb 13oz chub in the first hour. What a start.

The river he was fishing is in my self imposed "exclusion zone" and I've only fished it twice in my life. The reason for this is my absolute hatred of the drive there, only forty minutes, but along the worst road in the world.

Come down and see me said Bazza. I "ooooh'd" and "arrrr'd" and by the time I'd decided to go it was midday.

I text him. "Where are you?"

"A bit further upstream" he said.

I walked and walked. No sign of him. Nothing.

No matter. I selected a couple of likely looking breamy spots, a slow, straight, deep stretch with far side cover and deposited seed, dead maggots and corn with the feeder. Not much though, maybe four or five small feeder fulls.

I tackled up with my "catch anything" rig              ( anything decent that is ) of 8lb line, size 10 Guru super strong hook, worm hookbait and a very small cage feeder. That would give me chance of a bream, chub, perch or even a rogue carp. In theory anyway.

First swim, no activity,  so after half hour I moved into next one. Couple of rattles, looked like small chub to me. Re baited, more small rattles, so I struck, whereupon the clutch shrieked and a very powerful fished surged downstream, towards some far bank snags.

Piling on the pressure, I turned it and gained some control. It could only be one thing, a carp. After a few minutes plodding around I netted it, an immaculate common of around 20lb. I say "around 20lb" as my batteries in the scales were flat.

I know, schoolboy error.

Whatever, it was a clonking fish.

I rebaited, left it a while and next cast had a decent chub. That'll do.

By now it was getting dark and still no sign of Bazza. More texts, no reply. 

Just as dark was descending a made out a headlight. There he was.

" I walked a bit further that I intended" he said.

You don't say ? 

A really enjoyable day with some cracking fish.

The other two blokes fishing both had very big fish, one a 6.10 chub and the other a 22lb pike. 

Blimey, you don't get that on my local river.

Let There Be Light

Up at six, walked down stairs without the light on....what's going on ? Poked my head out the door. Not cold. Clear sky. Dry.

Quick cup of tea, boots on, out the door for a walk. It was like a heavy, grey veil had been lifted after months of depressing nothingness.

Colour returned, the birds were singing and General Winter was on his way out. Good riddance.

Five hours later I was home, having bagged fifty seven bird species, including a pair of bullfinchs, something I've not seen for ages.

I was "buzzing" (copyright da yoof).

Lunch in the garden. Boiled eggs done perfectly. 

Finished the day on the little noddy rod at the local river catching bleak, perch, roach, a hybrid and three ruffe. Lovely.

First day of spring and one that'll be hard to beat.

Social

Met up with Bureboi Baines on Monday for a session on the local river.

Mild as forecast and the river looked lovely, if a little pacey.

Wak was shocked when he looked in the back of my van at what he felt was a lack of order and cleanliness. Looked alright to me.

Still a bit of water on the flood plains, Wak gingerly manoeuvred himself through the deeper bits and started off in a "banker" swim. A nice chub on the quiver quickly followed.

I, on the other hand found trotting extremely difficult and after an hour had a break.

After putting the world to rights, specifically on VAR ( get rid ) and Mandleson ( ditto ), trotting commenced, resulting in three nice chub.

Also found a dead cormorant, congratulations to the otter or whatever killed it.

Before Waaaak made his long drive home, I gave him a very tasty wrap from said van. An hour later I had a text saying he was eating the wrap and narrowly avoided getting a mouthful of an escaped brandling . Maybe it does need a clean.

Times Are A Changin'

The weather is, at last, changing.

We're promised double figure temperatures almost all of next week. About time, it's been bloody awful.

With that in mind, two spots were prebaited with seed and maize. 

The first spot received a light scattering of seed in the still margins of a wide pool, the fast water flowing much further out.

The deep mill pond received a barage of rock hard grapefruit sized soil balls packed with goodies.

Next week we'll see if there's anything in residence and willing to feed.

Get out there and fill yer boots, only a couple of weeks left.

Take A Breath

Lost a bit of enthusiasm last week, so haven't been fishing for almost a week.

Been out and about though, yesterday had a lovely walk on the northern bank of the estuary in glorious sunshine ( albeit with a cold ,blustery wind ) . Another couple of months and the bass and mullet will be back, can't wait.

Found absolutely loads of cuttlefish bones at the top of the tideline, never seen this in the estuary before this far upriver. A new phenomenon or have I just noticed them ?

Another walk the next day and early signs of wild garlic growing by the stream, nature is waking up.

When I was a school, I remember getting the fishing books out the library. One of my favourites was Successful Roach Fishing by David Carl Forbes and the other day I read something about this book that jogged my memory.

A quick Google told me that a first edition currently goes for between £40 and £80 quid. A bit more searching and I somehow found one for £5.00. Delivered !

Worth a punt. I was expecting a dog eared reprint but no, a first edition in good nick. Bargain and what a bloody good read.

If you see a reasonably priced copy then buy it.

Work today then fishing tomorrow.  Less than four weeks of the season remaining, get out there and fill yer boots.