13/03/2014 - Last gasp double

Had booked the day off with all sorts of fanciful notions of it being a multi-venue, multi-species affair. However, an incident at work meant that I didn't get to the tackle shop as planned and was too knackered to get all my stuff together from the four corners of the shed, garage and attic. Instead, I cobbled together as many dead baits I could find from the freezer, grabbed my pike gear and headed out into the freezing, foggy darkness. Was just about getting light when I got to the venue and walked up the towpath to the same area I fished a couple of weeks ago. Stuck to my vow of "don't ignore the margins" and duly stuck a rod down the side, along with one on the far bank in the crease formed by the back end of a houseboat (the old dear that lives there must love the sight of me when she opens her curtains in the morning!). Clock had just ticked around to 7 o'clock when the near bank rod set off. Hit it and felt some weight. Turned out to be a short, but very fat fish that, at 10lb 7oz, was my first double from that particular section of river (after eight sessions and forty fish to be exact!).

A double at last!

Re-baited with another joey and dropped it in the same spot. A few minutes later that trundled off as well resulting in one about 8lb. Sorted that one out and was just thinking that it was time the far bank rod saw some action when the float started to head off towards the boats. Unfortunately, it was back to one of the run of the mill jacks this time. Moved upstream after these fish and had a couple more on the same bit of lamprey, again from the far bank. The fog had started to lift and I could just make out figure in the gloom at the sat at the end of the access road (was that you, Leo?), otherwise I still had the section to myself. Things then went a bit strange as I had three dropped runs and completely failed to connect with a fish that steamed off with a lamprey section. Had to wait a good hour for the next one, but at least it made some old chap's day for him as he stopped for a chat. He said he'd never seen anybody catch anything before and insisted on taking a photograph to show the wife! The sun had finally broken through by now, burning off the remains of the fog and forcing me to shed a layer. 

Sunny

Was down to one roach dead bait at this stage and was thinking I'd had it for the day when the drop off smacked the rest on the near side rod as the float disappeared without any prior indication. 

  

Last fish of the season

Stayed on for another half an hour or so, but that really was it for the season. The sun had started to bring the boats out again and I was nearly caught out by low flying Canada Geese on two occasions and had to rush down to drop the rod tips as they came skimming up the river. The smell of frying bacon from the cafe on the other side of the river was the final straw. My co-angler had already left by the time I got back to the car, having "not had a nudge" according to two dog walkers, so my season had ended better than some and at least the wife will be glad I've made some room in the freezer!

07/03/2014 - Back to deepest Derbyshire

Was itching to have another go for a big grayling before the end of the season so, after making the necessary arrangements with my friend Tim, I was off up the A52 towards Ashbourne again. Was wet, cold and windy on the way up, but thankfully it had started to clear up by the time we came to head upstream from the car park to the first section and eventually it turned into a nice Spring day. Once again Tim pointed out the likely lies as we went and I have to say now that throughout the day his advice was bang on the money, with every spot indicated yielding a take, if not a fish in the net. 

Had a few casts in the first spot we came to, then switched to a heavier team of flies to cope with the flow. Next cast in, literally where I'd been wading around a few minutes earlier, a small male duly obliged and got me off the mark.

Just a little 'un

Had an out of season spotty from the same swim before we moved down to the next section. Tim was then quick off the mark with two grayling, including a 43 cm male that really got my interest going. However, it was just another small male and an oos brownie to me before we were off again downstream. Started at the top of a long glide and, under Tim's instructions, dropped the flies into a small pocket behind a mid-stream boulder. Unfortunately, I lost the resulting fish after giving it a bit too much line to play with in the flow. Tim then left me to work down the rest of glide myself and I had nearly reached the bottom when I had a good clonk on the tip. Saw the fish twist in the clear water and knew immediately that it was a good one. Gestured the fact to to Tim who was also occupied downstream (in fact he hooked and landed two female grayling in the time it took me to get mine in!). Played it with my heart in my mouth and sank down on my knees in the shallows when I finally got it in the net - a 45 cm male fish of 2lb 9oz and a personal best.

Clonker!

Took a quick snap before holding him in the shallows to recover, but to be honest I think he was in better shape than me after our joint ordeal!

 Back he goes

Once I'd got my breath back, Tim suggested I moved down and try just upstream of where he'd just been as he suspected that the males would be hanging in the shallower water above the females in preparation for spawning. Again, he left me to it and headed off to try elsewhere. Second cast I lifted into a fish that again twisted under the surface, giving me a glance of a long silver flank. Had a hairy moment when my landing net fell to bits and I had to scoop the fish up minus the handle, but was soon looking at another clonking male of 44 cm.

  

And another!

Got even better as next cast saw another take and another 40 cm+ fish, a male of 42cm with a dorsal fin like a sailfish, which was then followed by a small female. Caught up with Tim shortly after this and we carried on downstream, taking a few more fish between us as we did so. Having reached the bottom of the beat we walked all the way back upstream to try another glide where Tim suspected a few fish might be gathering pre-spawning. Second cast in the line hesitated, literally where my head was casting a shadow on the water, and I bent into what turned out to be a fat, deep-bodied female of 41 cm.

   

My fat hen

The sun had disappeared behind the hills at this stage and it started getting distinctly chilly so, after one more oos brownie to me and with aching backs and joints from being in the river all day we headed back to the car. A great day all 'round and the perfect antidote to what's been a pretty dire winter. Thanks mate!

26/02/2014 - Back on the river at last!

Apart from a couple of sessions with the lure rod, this winter has been very lean indeed when it comes to fishing. The constant rain hasn't helped, often dashing hopes just as conditions were looking suitable and I became all but addicted to XC Weather and the Environment Agency river level graphs. Finally, after a period of relatively settled weather, the local rivers started fining down to "normal" winter levels, so I decided to take advantage of a favourable window in the weather to do a spot of piking and blow away a few cobwebs. Luckily it seemed I chose a day when they were "having it"! First light saw me heading up the towpath to a section where I'd had a few in the past. Set up the two float-legers as usual, both baited with joeys to start with, but instead of chucking both of them over to boats on the far bank I dropped one in quietly down the near side next to an old reed bed. It was this rod that went off first about 15 minutes later. I was still playing this one out when the rod on the far bank also decided to trundle off. A hectic few minutes of rod-swapping later and I had two pike safely in the landing net. A quick snap and they swam off happily together.

Brace #1

Sorted out the gear and got two more baits out into the same spots. Didn't have to wait long before a better fish picked up the bait down the side. Had just popped that one back when the far bank rod went off again - this time a jack sporting a decent set of jaw marks across its back. Went a bit quiet after this, so leap-frogged the rods down to the next peg. This time the reaction was instantaneous and simultaneous! The drop-off indicator smacked the rear bank stick on one rod just as the tip bent over on the other as fish made off with both baits. Another hectic few minutes of juggling saw two more pike grace the net at the same time, one sporting a head that really should have belonged to a much bigger fish. 

Brace #2!

By now I was glad that there was no boat traffic and that I was using semi-barbless trebles! However, I wasn't done there. After half an hour I moved down to the next peg. After a short wait the lamprey section on the inside rod trundled off. As I was playing this one I kept half an eye on the other rod just in case.......and yes, you guessed it!  Soon brace number three was in the net, which included a short, fat, spawny fish of 9lb 1oz.

Brace #3!!

At this stage I'd been fishing for a little over two hours and had eight fish, four on each rod (I won't be ignoring the nearside margin in future). However, amazingly the next two hours passed without another sniff. Not that I was complaining - I was grateful for the rest! A gusty, downstream wind had got up during this time, which had made presentation over the far bank a bit tricky anyway. Also, the appearance of a few boats saw me having to play hokey-cokey with the rods, so I headed home for a well earned and early lunch.

22/11/2013 - Somewhere in Derbyshire

Finally managed a break from work, decorating and building kitchen cabinets! Arranged with my friend Tim to go for a "grayling masterclass" on his syndicate water in Derbyshire. The landowner had imposed a fly only rule since the last time I went with him, so it was going to be a day of Czech nymphing, a method I'd never tried before, instead of the float and maggot. Got to the venue to find that the river was dropping nicely after the rain in midweek. At the first swim Tim got me set up, explained where the fish were likely to be lying and then gave a quick demo of the technique before I had a go myself. Soon got used to pitching the two weighted flies upstream then watching the line for any unnatural movements as they bumped back along the bottom towards me. The first spot proved fishless, so it was off downstream to try the next one. Tim pointed out where there was a hole scoured out in the bed, which was likely to hold a fish or two. More by luck than judgement I managed to drop the flies right on the spot first time, the line twitched and I lifted into fish, not huge, but my first grayling on the fly.

Hello Lady!

Moved down to the next swim and again Tim's local knowledge was spot on as he pointed me towards a flat spot in an otherwise pacey section of water. A couple of trots through and everything went solid. Thought I'd hooked bottom, but then felt the throb of a better fish on the end of the line. Played it into the side under Tim's instructions, keeping the rod tip low until it was time to net it. Turned out to be a nice male around the 2 lb mark.

   And the lady's other half!

After a quick coffee it was down to the next spot, a deeper glide at the tail end of a pool. Had been chatting away with Tim, fully into the rhythm of casting when I had another take in front of me. Lifted into a fish that shot downstream towards against a fully bent rod and then just hung on the end of a taut line in the faster water. Knew it was big fish as I could do nothing with it other than just keep the rod tip low, keep the pressure on and pray that the hook didn't pull out. Eventually I started to make headway, the pressure of the rod and some scare tactics by Tim, wading into the river downstream,  forcing the fish back up towards me. However, it soon became apparent there was a problem as the angle of the line into the water was all wrong. Lifted the rod tip to find the line festooned with leaves, there was a judder and the fish was gone. Tim's expression said it all,  I'd lost a very big fish.........Oh well, onwards and upwards! Carried on for the rest of the afternoon, trying a variety of spots, picking up a few more grayling between us and three out of season brownies to me before the light faded and we made out way back to the cars.

Thoroughly enjoyed the day despite losing that fish and the fact my right shoulder was in agony by the  time I got home (Czech nymphing is hard work!). Will certainly be a method I'll be using again and hopefully I'll be back after the "one that got away".

Bits and bobs - 05/11/2013

Work, buying a new kitchen, weekends away at friends and relatives......I could go on! Needless to say there hasn't been much fishing done lately. A trip down to Saunton with the lads was an opportunity for another crack at the bass with the lures. However, day one on the coast near Woolacombe drew a blank. The next morning saw me on the estuary just after dawn for a social with Joel Squires (http://www.joelsoul.co.uk/). Conditions seemed perfect - the light was good, the wind had dropped and there were even birds feeding on shoals of bait fish, albeit tantalisingly out of casting range most of the time! Worked hard with surface lures, following the incoming tide up the gullies and making sure we didn't get cut off in the process. 

Joel on the estuary

Retreating back onto the beach I tried "trotting" a soft plastic on the current but, apart from a tiny "basslet" to Joel, our luck just wasn't in. Bit frustrating given such good conditions and the fact that the following weekend in Pembrokeshire (and the last chance for a bass) was completely blown out. Never mind - next year! Back in Nottingham, a couple of trips with the light lure outfit following up a "hot tip" about some big perch just resulted in a few small pike before the heavens well and truly opened and flooded rivers brought things to a halt.

Jack on a Big Hammer

At least I've caught up with my reading, not least the great blogs and online magazines that are out there. One of the latter is http://www.esoxworld.com/, which is currently available as a download, an iPad App and PC/Mac App and has some great articles on pike and muskie fishing in the UK, Ireland, Europe, Canada and the United States. Another good fireside read is http://www.catchmagazine.net. Even if you're not a fly fisherman, you can't fail to be impressed at the amazing photography and visually stunning locations. It's certainly got me hankering (on a less global scale!) after some fly-fishing for grayling once the rivers have dropped back to normal. If you're cack-handed like me and can't tie the simplest fly to save his life, http://www.islandflies09.co.uk/ are well worth looking at for value, quality service. Just hope the weather improves a bit now!

07/10/2103 - Trent and Mersey Canal

With the mild weather continuing, another trip to the canal had to be on the cards. Went with some new rigs this time to try and get to the bottom of those "unmissable" runs. My usual approach is a hair rig using a size 6 single. However, rummaging in the garage, I managed to find some small, but very strong and needle sharp Partridge outpoint trebles. Coupled with a supple wire trace in a sensible breaking strain I felt confident that they'd cope with any bigger fish, i.e. pike, that came along, so made up a couple of snap tackles to try on one rod. Got down to Burton shortly after 6 pm and soon had the rods out, hair rig on the right and snap tackle on the left. First run came on the right hand rod when it was still light. The manic head thumping indicated a perch. Not quite 2lb, but a good start.

 

Predator #1 - perch

Rather surprisingly dusk came and went without any action and it was fully dark before the left hand rod was away, resulting in a micro-zed of about a pound hooked on the bottom treble. If that had been on the hair rig I would have struck into thin air! As if to prove the point, I missed a run on the right hand rod before the left hand rod was away again, resulting in another zander not much bigger than the last. A long quiet spell followed before two better zander showed up in quick succession on the right hand rod. 

Predator #2 - zander

Packed up at about 9.30 pm having had two runs with a 100% hookup rate on the snap tackle, compared to four runs and 75% on the hair rig. Not very scientific, but at least I know what was responsible for those unhittable runs. Also, the bigger zander and the perch (and the pike last week) were all hooked firmly in the scissors by the single hook rig, so guess I'll stick with that and just put up with missing a few small fish now and then.

02/10/2013 - Trent and Mersey Canal

Mild nights had been forecast this week, so arranged to meet Tim for another crack at the zander on the canal. Got home from work early, did a few chores, then headed down the A38 and was in the swim fishing by 6 pm. The Canal and Rivers Trust had been along and kindly cut the grass on the towpath again. However, most of it had ended up in the water, so sunken rod tips were the order of the day!

 

Grass soup!

 

Tim turned up as the light was going. The bobbin on my right hand rod had been doing a Michael Flatley and jigging around all over the place just prior to his arrival, but I had failed to connect with anything. Sod's Law then that Tim should cast in and soon after land the first zander of the night!

Zed!

Almost immediately after his zander I landed a pike of about 6lb and then a perch of 1lb 10oz, so we at least had the "treble" in the bag  between us. However, whilst Tim went on the catch another three zander from the right hand side of the swim, I couldn't seem to connect with any of the crafty beggars. Both of us experienced full blooded runs with line disappearing off the reel, only to strike into thin air or, as happened to me, find yourself connected to a) an old shoe or b) a sunken branch! My highlight of the night came when I struck into a heavy fish that took a bait positioned tightly (more by luck than judgment!) against the pilings on the far bank. Not a zed, but a nicely conditioned pike of 15lb that had obviously fancied a quick snack on a roach head.

Pike!

 

Once we were in full darkness the action dried up, which seems to be the pattern here. Gave it another hour anyway, but were packed up and away by 9.30 pm.

 

Postscript - I checked my photos from last season and found that I'd had the 15lber on 14/10/12 at 13lb 12oz. Pattern on the anal fin was a giveaway. Shows they don't move far. Wonder if that 18lb 12oz that Tim had last year has got any bigger?!