An update, including a brace of chub for 12lb

Well its been a week or so since my last update, and I've been out a few times....

02/01/17 - A quick couple of hours on the tees

I had intended to go Stillwater piking in the morning, but for various reasons couldn't get out in the end. I still wanted to have my first trip of 2017, and had a small window of time to get out.

The swim I wanted to fish was a good half hour walk, so It was a case of getting there, walking half an hour, fishing for half an hour, then walking back to the car fishing a couple of pegs on way back.

River was up, leaves coming down (although I was managing to avoid most by fishing the really slack water), and temps were dropping to close to 0C.

After 15 mins I had a knock, then nothing else. I twitched the bait back, which resulted in a quick bite, fish was played in the tight swim and landed. To be honest, I wasn't bothered about size, just wanted a fish as it was difficult conditions.

Nothing else but happy to catch

05/01/17 - A lovely night to be out on a frosty Tees

I managed an hour on a cold and frosty River Tees tonight. The sort of night where the net freezes and goes rock solid, and the stars are out, with temps hovering around 0 - Awesome.

Caught the one chub on steak, a low 4. I gave up after two otters swam past.....

06/01/17 - A couple of clonking chub, including my 2nd 6lber!

Had a few hours spare in the afternoon, and despite the weather was just too good an opportunity to miss (in trying to make sure I take every opportunity to fish in 2017, regardless of conditions).

I spent a couple of hours under a brolly, trying to catch a perch on lobworm, but without getting a touch. Eventually, I got bored and decided to target chub. First chuck out, and the rod tip barely had time to settle and I was into a fish (I'd been flicking pieces of steak out for a couple of hours, which had obviously done good for their confidence). After a short but spirited fight, I landed a nice chub, didn't bother weighing. Next cast, and after a short while I had a couple of touches which didn't result in anything. I twitched the feeder back, and quickly got a good bite which I hit and everything felt solid. I had to give this fish some welly to keep it away from a couple of snags, and netted a cracking fish. Weighed in at 5lb 15oz, I was over the moon (second ever biggest chub).

The light was failing now, but I had time for one last cast. The tip quickly plunged round, and I hit into what felt like something special. This one stripped line on a tight clutch, and managed to get under a tree. I had to plunge the rod, hold the spool and heave it out before it had time to think. Fortunately it came, and I netted this great fish of 6lb 1oz

08/01/17 - Not an easy morning!

Decided to get on the river this morning. Alarm went off at 6am, and I felt like I'd drunk ten pints and hit a brick wall. Coming down with a cold. The snooze button was being used, but eventually I dragged myself off the pillow, smashed a lemsip back, walked the dogs and went fishing.

Target was a Swale perch. Tactics were feeder fished lobworm, with red maggots, and moving from one swim to another. I also had some steak thawing out just in case the perch weren't having it. It was frosty when I got there, ice dropping off the branches.

Well - the perch weren't having it. Absolutely nothing - I'm a complete failure at perch fishing, never have had a good one! Anyhow, chub fished a few swims and only had the odd rattle. After a few hours, I decided to go back to the first swim where I'd thrown in a few samples, and see if there were any takers. Within minutes the rod hoofed round and I played a fish which felt much bigger than it was. Mind, it was well fed and fighting fit, weighing at 4lb 8oz. And that was that! Went home, straight to bed again after smashing back another lemsip

Frosty morning chasing River Swale Chub

Well thats the sort of fishing I like. A cracking morning to be out, following a hard overnight frost, and a misty morning. I decided to fish the River Swale, and given the conditions I picked roving for chub.

Tactics were a paternostered feeder with mince, and raw steak on the hook, using 6lb line and a feeder rod. Arriving at dark, a bite was had within minutes of casting which resulted in a chub of two pound or so. I sat it out in this peg until I could just about see where I was going, then moved downstream to another likely looking spot with a nice crease in the flow. Similar as before, I was getting knocks pretty quickly but with the daylight they weren't taking the bait down. A quick pull on the line to move the feeder slightly resulted in an instant wrap round which I hit, catching a slightly bigger fish of 3lb or so.

The next peg performed similarly to the previous, but this time a nice swale chub of 4lb 1oz was landed.

I then caught up with a mate who was fishing the downstream section, and had landed a nice fish, and we leap frogged a couple of swims but without action. I had to leave at this point, and there was a long walk back to the car, but I decided to drop in to a peg where I had missed a bite earlier. Result - another 4lb chub.

Just as I was packing up, a load of hounds came to inspect me, followed by the horses, which was great to see in the fog / frosty conditions.

On another note, I tried a new rod today, Greys x-flite, which I recently got at a bargain price, and it's definitely a smashing bit of kit.

Happy days

Fishing update - Rivers back open

Since my last post, my quietness has been solely down to a lack of action. I've been fishing a tough Stillwater which has really tested me, but the rewards are potentially brilliant. Half a dozen trips including an overnighter have so far resulted in a boilie munching pike, but I am hoping for one of the resident bream or carp in the near future.

The rivers have been open 11 days now and I've had a few trips so far. The first one, on opening day was a disaster as I forgot some gear, got bothered by locals etc etc cans ended up giving up very quickly. An evening on the tees followed this a few days later, which although gave me plenty of knocks, didn't produce the wanted barbel. Another late evening followed, and again the chub were interested, or should I say, chublets, which kept attacking my 10mm elips pellet

I stayed into dark and was rewarded with the sort of run that gets the heart racing, as line quickly peeled off the baitrunner, but I soon realised the culprit was a chub, which when landed had the length to be a good winter 5, but at this post spawned time of the year, only hit 4lb 5oz.

My last trip was yesterday; I had a few hours spare during the day so took a couple of pints of casters to the river Swale to try and get a barbel on the stick. I quickly landed a decent grayling, followed by small face and chublets. 

Shortly after, the constant feeding had me hook into what I though was a boulder, as it didn't budge so I pulled hard to free it, and it went does treat as quick as a rocket. Chasing after, I got it into some slower water and played it for around 5 mins before, unfortunately, the hook pulled. A barbel was the culprit, and I went home despondent. 

Next trip will be another late one in search of the elusive tees barbel. Here's hoping....