25/02/2016 - Sunny day on the Soar

The weather forecast - freezing overnight, then cold and sunny during the day - was probably better suited for another grayling session but, as I only had half a day off work, the drive over to Staffordshire and back wasn't really an option. 

The cold light of dawn instead found me standing on the bank of the River Soar with a few pike in my sights. I'd had bumper day last season in similar conditions, so I was hoping that the fish would be similarly co-operative. Whilst I'd already had quite a few pike to mid-doubles this season whilst out perch and zander fishing, this was actually my first proper pike session of the year! It was also the first opportunity I'd had to try out the present from the wife for my birthday in December- a Korum ruckbag.

Had the whole section to myself when I arrived and, apart from passing one jogger and one dog walker, that's how it stayed all morning. Walked upstream to my starting point and, with the rods still made up from my last session last season (!), soon had two float-legered deadbaits carefully placed in the near margin. Experience has previously shown that it's always worth trying close in early on while it's quiet and so it proved again. The upstream float was first to show signs of life and I was onto the rod before the line had even tightened to the drop-off. 

After a bit of dithering about the float eventually moved off and I wound down into the first fish of the session. The offending jack didn't put up much resistance and the healed scars on its tail looked as if it'd had a run in with a bigger fish at some stage in its life. Popped him back, retrieved the only-slightly-mangled smelt out of the landing net and swung it down the side again. Within a few minutes it was off again, the float plunging away confidently this time. However, just turned out to be another, albeit slightly bigger, turbo-charged jack. Had another one on the downstream rod before it went a bit quiet and I moved one of the baits over to the far bank. The reaction was almost instant, the float popping onto its side before heading off towards a moored boat. However, the strike met with nothing. Popped the bait back over only to have this happen twice more, with slash marks on the lamprey evidence that something had managed to pick up the bait whilst avoiding the hooks. 

There seemed to be a few fish over on the far bank, so both baits were sent over as close to the moored boats as I dared without incurring the wrath of the owners, who were beginning to stir and go about their morning business.  

This included one lady who gave me an eyeful when she drew back the curtains of her houseboat dressed in a skimpy nightdress. Unfortunately, she looked like Nora Batty, so I pretended to have a keen interest in the plane flying overhead at that point! Had three more runs in quick succession. Thankfully all of these stuck, albeit resulting in yet more bait-scoffing jacks.

The rigs on both rods were in a bit of a state by now, so I had a short breather and replaced the now pig-tailed traces. Put fresh joey and lamprey baits over to the far bank again, but the action seemed to have died a death. A stiff, upstream breeze had picked up by now and it was hard to keep track of the floats as they kept getting pulled under by the drag on the line.

Brought both rods back into the near margin, casting the upstream one a bit further towards an area where I'd seen one of the "black death" regularly diving and coming up with the occasional unfortunate silver fish clenched in its beak.    

Didn't have to wait long for this upstream rod to go off, resulting in, yep, another jack. However, rather than heralding another burst of activity, it all went very quiet again. With my time running out I upped sticks and moved a couple of swims closer to the car to see if I could sneak a decent fish at the death. Whilst the upstream float duly obliged by slowly waddling off, it wasn't the pike I was after. Packed up and headed back to the car. So no biggies, but the little 'uns kept me busy at least. I was pleased with the ruckbag as well - plenty big enough for the type of sessions I do, comfy to carry and the design makes everything really accessible. Just hope I get to use it again before the end of the season!

20/02/2016 - Thank goodness for gobies!

As the title suggests, sometimes it's the humbler, or lesser, species that rescue a session and that certainly was the case today. A few days down in Wales meant there was an opportunity for the first LRF trip of the year. Picked the nicest day weather wise, although that still meant chipping ice off the car windscreen in the morning. Temperature was minus 2 degrees Centigrade when I set off and, although it had crept into the positive by the time I go to Hobbs Point, it then decided to chuck it down!

Sat in the car park, peering through the window at the near-invisible toll bridge, and waited for the rain to pass. I'd arrived just before low tide so, a soon as it was dry, I made my way as far as I could down the ramp, stopping before the algae made it too slippy underfoot. There was a bit of colour to the water after the rain of the last few days and still quite a flow towards the sea given it was slack water so, all-in-all, not brilliant conditions. However, had got some artificial baits (Gulp Angleworm and Sandworm and Marukyu Isome), together with a few raw prawns, so felt I could scratch something out. Dropped my rig straight down the side of the wall, felt it hit the bottom, and then just gave it an occasional lift. Had a couple of rattles before I had a proper bite and my first fish. Not really surprised it was a goby as they are greedy little gits!

 

Several more followed the first and, whilst there was quite a variation in size and colour, they all appeared to be the more common (certainly at this venue) rock goby.

 

 

Whilst the sun made a appearance and warmed my back up briefly, it was pretty exposed stood on the wall. After about an hour I'd begun to shiver and my nose had started that uncontrollable slow drip! However, despite the conditions I'd managed to chalk up a dozen fish, which was probably more than I was expecting when I arrived. Gave myself one last drop down the side for yet another obliging rock goby to "gob" a lump of raw prawn.

 

 

Packed up and headed to Lidl for some much-needed carbohydrates in the form of two Danish pastries, scoffing them in the car park with the heater on. We're down again in April, so hopefully it'll be a bit warmer and there'll be a few more species about. However, I was certainly grateful to the gobies on this occasion! 



02/02/2016 - Gale force grayling

Had already missed two good windows of opportunity to head over to Staffordshire for another grayling session, so grabbed this one with both hands. I knew it was going to be windy, but the river level had come down nicely and I was sure that I could find some sheltered spots. Unfortunately, I was halfway to the venue when I realised that I'd not got my favourite beanie. Not wanting ice cream head all day, the problem was solved by cutting off the arm of an old gardening fleece I had in the car - instant snood! Decked out in my unconventional headgear I stomped across the still sodden fields to the river, which was still carrying a bit of water, but which was nice and clear. Had a couple of casts in some new spots, but they weren't really doing it for me and I felt myself drawn to what was becoming one of the "bankers". First trot down without any loose feed and the float disappeared at the tail of the pool.

It was obvious that the wind was going to be a pain, gusting all over the place, holding up the float and periodically tangling the line around the back of the 'pin. The low sun wasn't helping either, the surface glare making it difficult to keep track of the float as it meandered down the swim. The first few spots weren't really as prolific as previously, with just a couple of obliging fish in each one. However, this did include a nice plump hen fish, my first one over the pound mark. 

Soldiered on and by mid-day I'd had a dozen fish and had just got to the swim where I'd bagged up last visit. I was somewhat surprised to see another member fishing there and even more surprised to find out that he was drop-shotting with live worms, which I thought was a bit cheeky given the water has a legering ban! Had a chat and found out he was actually after perch and chub, but was yet to have anything. Gleaned some useful information off him before he set off upstream from where I'd just come. Sat and had my lunch and rested the swim, before dropping into it myself. Had a couple of small ones, followed by a nice male over the pound mark, just as my fishing companion re-appeared from upstream. Had another chat and he confirmed what I'd already been thinking. He'd fished the river for many years, caught lots of grayling, but had only caught one over two pounds in all that time. 

After we parted ways I carried on downstream, taking a few more, including another nice male out of the "snag swim" - the tight, little spot I'd discovered on my first trip last year, made even tighter by the addition of a flood-borne tree trunk.

By three o'clock I'd come to the big pool where I'd had a couple of chub. Decided it was too late to have a look at the downstream section (that'll have to wait again!), so set up camp for the last hour or so. Got into the rhythm of trotting through the pool, feeding a few grubs every other cast and periodically hooking into a fish - no chub this time, but more grayling and a single out of season brownie.

The session naturally came to a close when I snagged up at the tail of the pool and snapped off above the float. The weather had turned showery so, rather than re-tackle, I headed back to the car and fired up the stove for a coffee. I'd had one trout and 27 grayling, with three fish over the pound, quite a pleasing result given the battering I'd had from the wind all day! 

15/01/2016 - It's ladies' day again!

First trip of the year and the weather was much more typical of grayling fishing than just before Christmas - zero degrees and a frozen windscreen!

Had aborted once this week already after overnight rain had pushed the river back up. However, no such repeat and, whilst the river was still up, it was dropping nicely according to the graph, so I confidently made the drive over to Staffordshire. Arrived about 9 o'clock to find nobody else there, so parked up and squeezed on the neoprenes, exchanging comments about my sanity with the woman at the stables while I did so. Walked across the fields, my feet crunching through the thin, frozen layer on top and into the saturated soil underneath, leaving a trail of muddy footprints in the frost behind me. No doubt which way I'd gone if somebody was to turn up later! Found river exactly as predicted, up slightly with a tinge of colour. The "banker" swim looked a bit boily, but gave it a go. However, found myself biteless some 20 minutes later, so headed down to the next spot. This was a bit steadier and a few trots later I had my first grayling of the morning in the net.

Had a couple more, then moved on again, criss-crossing the river looking for the quieter pockets of water out of the main flow. The next few spots only yielded up a couple of fish in each one, so I suspected that they were shoaled up somewhere due to the combination of the weather and the higher river levels. I just had to find them. 

Like last trip the typical stamp was in the 10 -12 ounce bracket and female. By mid-day I'd had about a dozen from various swims when I came to a small slack on the inside of a bend. 

It was only about 18 inches deep, but with the current pushing quite quickly through the normal holding spot on the far bank, it looked a promising place where fish could hang out in some quieter water. So it proved.  

Sat in the sun and ate my lunch, feeding a few maggots down every so often, before I eventually sent the wire-stemmed stick float on its way. Had only travelled a few feet before it disappeared and the strike met with the re-assuring thump of a fish. After the first one it was virtually a bite a trot. They must have been stacked up in there. Eventually hooked one that put the Drennan Ultralite through its paces, kiting across the current to the far bank and back again, before going airborne a couple of times. Turned out to be the biggest fish of the day - a male of 1lb 3oz.   

Popped him back and had a couple more before I struck again into another heavier fish that came straight to the net without any fuss. It was the male I'd had a few minutes earlier - obvious from his dorsal fin. He must have gone straight back to his station and carried on feeding! Had fifteen fish out of this spot before letting them have a rest. Winkled out a couple more downstream to take me up to 30 for the day. Sky had started to go black, so I thought it was a good time to finish and headed back to the car. Unfortunately, not quite in time to avoid a nasty little, sleety shower. However, certainly didn't put a dampener on the day, although I'm wondering now where all those mythical two pounders are that the club say are there!

19/12/2015 - A busy day for the ladies

Got a credit off the wife for a day out fishing as part of my birthday package so, after watching the weather and the river levels all week, I decided to have my first grayling fishing trip of the year. Not that the temperature was one you'd normally associate with grayling fishing - it was well into double figures when I left the house at about 0730 hrs!

Headed off to a club stretch on a small tributary of the River Dove in Staffordshire where I'd had some success last year. Not huge fish, but plenty of them. Got there at first light (if you could call it that - grey and gloomy more like!) to find that I was first in the parking spot. Set off upstream across the waterlogged field and was pleased to see the river running clear and at a nice level. By the time I had reached my first swim I was pretty warm, so first action was to ditch the coat before setting up the gear. Dropped into a swim that had proved reliable in the past and so it proved again - second trot through and the float buried at the end of the run resulting in satisfying thump and then the mad gyrations of a hooked grayling.

Had a three more out that swim before moving on. Was using my new Drennan 11ft Ultralite float rod with my Speedia centrepin. Found it to be nicely balanced and the shorter rod was definite advantage in some of the tighter swims.

Took my time, dropping into any likely looking spots and winkling out a couple here and there as I did so. Was pricking and losing a few fish, so changed the hook to a size 16 Drennan wide gape that seemed to improve things. Thought I'd caught the mother of all grayling at one stage when I hooked a fish that shot off upstream with me trailing in its wake. However, this turned out to be a skinny, out of season brownie that should have weighed well over 2lb if it had been in better condition. 

All of the grayling I'd caught up until then had been female, with the majority in the 10 - 12 ounce bracket. Was beginning to think where the bigger males were when I chanced on a group of fish in a really tight little spot under some trees - a small depression in the river bed (the flat spot in the photo below).

  

First trot through was another female, but then I had two males in consecutive casts, both over the pound mark.

That little spot must have been stacked with fish as I landed eight and bumped another three before moving on. I'd been so engrossed all day that I'd lost track of time and was surprised to see I'd only got an hour of daylight left. Again, I'd only covered a fraction of the water. Settled into the final pool of the day where I had a couple of small chub to add a bit of variety.

Fished on until I could no longer see my float through the encroaching gloom. Finished with 25 grayling, all but two of them females - definitely a day for the ladies!

26/11/2015 - Snakes alive!

Carried on fitting sessions in for the zander where I could this month, including a couple more trips after work to the Soar and an afternoon on the Trent up at South Muskham. However, despite some perfect (and atrocious!) conditions and a new stock of bait, pickings were very slim and not entirely what I expected. After a blank on the Soar I found myself back on the River Trent in an old favourite swim - the snag pit. The river was up and coloured, but this made the swim even more attractive as it now provided the only slack area off the main flow. I was therefore pretty confident when I cast my two baits out just before dark. Unfortunately, the zander didn't seem to be in an obliging mood. It was well into full darkness and I was contemplating packing up when I saw the tip my left hand rod knocking. I'd cast this one short close to a tree to the left of the swim. Wound down and felt a fish kicking. Didn't feel that big and I assumed it was a small zed until I saw it writhing on the surface in the beam of my headtorch - yes, another eel! This one was absolutely nailed in the bottom lip by the size 6 single and went 2lb 12oz on the scales.

Managed to get a half-decent selfie before popping him back. Hung on a bit longer, but that was that. A few days later I was back, having endured another blank on the Soar in the meantime in absolutely horrible weather conditions. Tim was already in the snag pit, so I went and had an explore further upstream. Again, the river was up and coloured, which limited my choice of swims, but I eventually settled on a slack area behind a reed bed. Put lamprey sections on out on both rods because of the colour in the water and settled down to wait. Had the rod tops up high to avoid a back eddy, so I easily spotted a couple of small knocks on the downstream rod before anything even registered on the bobbin. Picked up the rod and wound down to feel something there - what exactly I couldn't tell. Wasn't until it was in the margin that I saw.....yep, it was another eel! Shorter, but a lot fatter than one I'd had before, and a decent 3lb 10oz. This one didn't play ball with the selfies, which came out looking like I was trying to tie a balloon animal with a cycle inner tube! Fortunately Tim was on hand this time.

Moved swims after this into the bay upstream of Tim. Whilst there was not much in the way of a slack, it was only a slow walking pace a few rod lengths out. Initally put both rods out into open water, but after half an hour with no indications I brought both rods in closer. The left hand rod I dropped in next to a tree. It had been in literally two minutes when the bite alarm signalled some interest. Wound down into a decent fish that thrashed about on the surface in the shallow margins before being bundled into the net. Lifted the net out of the water to find a fat, well-conditioned zander that went 8lb 9oz on the scales.

  

I was pretty relieved to get this one as I was heading for my sixth zander blank. So far, my "zander" campaign has yielded 10 pike, 4 zeds and now 3 eels.....the latter in November! Global warming or am I just a snig magnet??

13/11/15 - Zander, the wilderness sessions!

Back from Wales the plan was to try and fit in as many evening sessions as possible for the zander. A promising report from my friend Tim saw us meet up the very next day on the River Trent near Sawley. He'd had a couple of fish from the same swim we'd fished together at the very end of last season, so late afternoon saw us both squeezed into the "snag pit". Up at our house it was brilliant sunshine and blue skies, but down at the river it was foggy, cold and damp - more suitable for Halloween the night before! Visibility was such that we were casting blind into the murk with no far bank features to aim for. However, Tim was out of the blocks early with a zed of about 5lb before it went dark. Unfortunately that proved to be the only fish of the session, with just a couple of dropped runs and some half-hearted pulls that may well have been chub. Undaunted, we met up again in the same swim three days later. This time the fish seemed even more finicky, but it was my turn to get the only full-blooded run of the evening on my last but one bait. Unfortunately, I lost track of the fish in the dark and it got snagged up on the end of a fallen tree just out of netting range. All I could do was look at it hanging there like a bizarre Christmas bauble! I was contemplating how on earth I could free it when it flipped and managed to unhook itself. It wasn't a big fish, but to lose it through carelessness still hurt (we'll laugh about it later, Tim!). 

The end of the week came and, as I was working down at Rothley again, I returned to the Soar to lick my wounds and hopefully get a fish on the bank. Obtaining more bait had been a real problem in the week. All the local shops had run out of suitably sized deadbaits and promised deliveries hadn't materialised. All I had was a packet of eel sections, a couple of smelt and some sandeels left over from Wales. However, on the plus side, the weather was extremely mild and overcast and, after slipping and sliding down the new access track, I got to the river to find it looking bang on and devoid of other anglers. The sandeels actually looked like a decent bait mounted up with the heads snipped off, so they went on one rod while I alternated smelt and eel sections on the other. My confidence in the sandeel seemed to pay off when the rod with it on started nodding a short while later. However, despite the line fizzing off between my fingers, when I wound down there was no re-assuring weight of a fish on the other end and the hook came back empty. Unbelievably, the rod tops remained stubbornly still after this. It was not until well into dark and just as I was contemplating packing up when the sandeel rod eventually went off again. Thinking this was definitely my last chance, I went through the routine of knocking off the bail arm, feeling the line being pulled out between finger and thumb, before winding down to........nothing. It was a beaten and dejected angler that made his way home that night! 

And then....redemption!

Didn't think I'd be able to fit a session in this week but, when an opportunity arose, I made the mad dash to the Trent at Sawley after work, getting there just before sunset. There was a stiff wind blowing into the snag pit, so I moved 'round to the next swim - bit more sheltered and no snags!  I'd managed to get some deadbaits since last session, so it was a small, whole roach on one rod and a lamprey section on the other. The rods had been in literally minutes when I had a very positive take on the roach rod. Hit a heavy fish and, from the head-banging, knew it was a good zander. When I got it the net I was thinking (hoping?) scraper double, but didn't have time to reflect because the other rod roared off as well! Hit another, heavier fish which made several powerful runs before rolling into the net. Not another zander unfortunately, but a mint, mid-double pike. Left them both in the water while I got the scales and the camera ready as quickly as possible. Weighed the zander first. Not quite a double, but at 9lb 11oz it was a new personal best.

Popped him back and turned my attention to the pike. This turned out to be 14lb 8oz, my biggest this year.

Quick snap and he was back safely as well. I'd literally been on the bank about 20 minutes by this stage, so took a few moments to settle down again and sort out the mess. Thing is, I could have left there and then because I didn't have another sniff! Fishing can be a very funny game......