28/07/2010 - River Soar

As shown by the photo, my mate is lucky enough to live right next to one of the weirs on the River Soar.

View from the lawn!

Although he is an out and out carper with several fish over 40lb, including two English 50lbers, to his name, he mentioned that he had caught a few barbel from the weirpool. I therefore badgered him incessantly until he agreed to take me on a short evening session. Started off by freelining for some chub that were present in one of the channels between the islands downstream of the weir. Had two small ones in quick succession before we waded over to the main pool, which he'd baited up with a tin of spam earlier. Fishing was pretrty simple - big lumps of meat with just enough lead to hold on the rocky bottom. Then it was just a case of holding the rod and waiting for bites.

Good heron impression.

Unfortunately, apart from a few chubby rattles, those bites never came, so it was a case of back to the house for a cup of tea and a natter! No doubt that fish were there, will just have to try again......

27/07/2010 - River Trent

Had a couple of meetings up Newark direction, so put trotting rod and a few bits and bobs in the car for afterwards. Headed for an area where roach have been showing the last couple of seasons. Swim was on the outside of a bend where the current just started to hit the bank and where the river had been dredged out on the approach to a weir and the spoil dumped on the bank. With a decent depth right off the rod top despite the low river level it was perfect for the stickfloat.

The "sandbank"

Had a fish first trot down and that continued steadily for the next two and a half hours. Ended up with over 60 fish, three quarters of which were roach. Had some nice dace as well, which was encouraging, and a few perch. The "hotspot" seemed to be a depression right in front of me, about a rod length in front of a luncheon meat can that some kind soul had thrown in for a marker (!), the float rarely making it past this point. Definitely a spot to remember for when it cools down and possibly one for the predators as well.

25/07/2010 - River Dove

Mind was made up for me where to go when my mate Tim phoned up and asked if I'd like to join him flyfishing on a syndicate water on the River Dove near Ashbourne. He even offered to provide all the kit to save me digging my own out from where I'd left it several months, or even years, ago! Met him in the carpark later that afternoon and, with the beat to ourselves, we had a leisurely stroll upstream. River was low and clear with a few fish visible in the pools, but none really rising with any great deal of enthusiasm. Those fish that were showing proved to be very cagey.

Tim fishing the "Klink and dink"

Managed to wheedle out one apiece, mine on the tiniest CDC "F-Fly" I'd ever seen and Tim's on a Klinkhammer. It was nice to do something different and may well go back in the winter for the grayling.

23/07/2010 - River Trent

Looked in on the Trent near Beeston on my way home. The swim where I'd had an 11 lb a couple of seasons ago showed some signs of recent habitation, as did the swims on the opposite bank. However, the river looked really low and lacklustre. Further upstream the sandstone slabs were sticking out like ribs, with all the flow pushing down the middle. Margins were gin clear.

Bare bones!

Might drag myself out tomorrow night, but the rate things are going I might have to something drastic like go eel fishing, or God forbid, carping!

16/07/10 - River Derwent

Fact finding trip to the Trent at Newark found it low, clear and "peggy". The fish were there if you knew where to find them - one peg had recently produced catches of 30, 20 and 19 fish. Not suprisingly it was very popular! I am not into hammering fish, so decided on another trip to the Derwent instead. Arrived early evening to find the carpark nicely strimmed and not another soul in it, so had a leisurely wander upstream again. Found a nice near bank crease running down to a shallower, weedy area and promptly put two baits down it. Had a bit of bother with floating rafts of weed, but managed to avoid getting wiped out by slightly re-positioning the rods. Crease was alive with bits and as it got dark there was quite a bit of predator action with bow-waving on the surface and small fish scattering everywhere. That fact got filed away for future reference. Apart from a few chubby rattles, that was the extent of the excitement and I was just about to pack up at around midnight when the right hand rod shot off. Had a bit of a moment when, after losing track of the fish in the dark, I found that it had kited around and was buried in the nearside bank. Thankfully the hook held and another pristine Derwent 6lber was in the net. Fished on for a little bit after that, but my new-found adrenaline-fuelled enthusiasm soon wore off......

30/06/10 - River Derwent

Headed down to Draycott again. Thought I'd cracked it last week - how wrong could I be! There was one other car in the car park when I got there and I could see the occupant settled in downstream on the big bend, so I headed in the opposite direction to where I fished last week. Wasn't really expecting a fish much before dark, but it wasn't until 2320 hrs that the left hand rod finally wrapped round. Up until that point I'd spent a couple of frustrating hours without even a suicidal chub to show for my efforts, despite them trying their hardest to pull the pellets off the hair - the little beggars! Again the fish charged off downstream before doing such an abrupt about turn that I thought I'd lost it. Finally caught up with it almost under my feet where it dogged around in the deep water for a bit. Turned out to be another mint barbel of just under 6lb. They really are in good nick down there. Had a second one just under the 5lb mark within the half hour. Hung on until just after midnight in case there were a few more on the feed but, with work the following morning, that was that.