A taste for my salami sandwich...

I was travelling north after a morning spent working in West Yorkshire, and decided to park up at a spot to eat my lunch and spot some fish. Naturally I chucked in some samples of my salami sandwich which was taken by a big set of rubber lips - game on, time to get my rod out the boot!

I only had twenty minutes, so I got down o the bank and hooked a big chunk of salami sandwich, flicked it out (free lined) and watched it gradually sink and flow to the waiting mouth, which moved to intercept the bait...all to easy this I thought! It was just about to open wide when a 1lb brownie shot out and grabbed it! Blooming thing ruined my chances with the chub!

Ah well can't win them all, I though - back to work! 

The start of this seasons challenge for an upper river barbel...

I Decided to start my challenge for this year, hunting down a barbel on the upper river river. This high up, im told, you got one barbel for every ten you get on the lower or middle reaches. If i get one i'll be over the moon!

Arrived today with the river at normal summer level, and decided to try a nice deep glide that came after to shallow rapids. A two rod approach, one with pellet and the other a big bunch of maggots with a swimfeeder.

First chuck in and the maggot rod was soon bouncing, this lively trout put up a short but spirited fight.

I recast regularly, topping up the swim and hoping to draw any chub or barbel in. The rod slammed down again, and it felt a good fish, but it was a grayling holding its dorsal against the flow (they do fight well size for size!). At 1lb 5oz, this beats my pb by 2oz...

Nothing happening on the pellet, but I felt that there may come a time when a barbel swam through, so plugged on with that. The maggot rod was away again, a small trout...

And that was it, no more bites for the next couple of hours until i called it a morning. Lovely place to be, i saw three kingfishers, and plenty of other wildlife. I'll keep trying the upper swale, one day i may just get a barbel...

A good chub to kick off my season...

I left home today without a destination in mind, but finally decided on a stretch of the river. I knew it was low and clear, but i have my barbel glasses on, even though the chances were slim. I decided to go for the two rod approach, both cast to spots under or adjacent snags where i thought they would be hiding. One rod had hair rigged sweetcorn, with a bed of hemp and the other used a pellet approach.

Within ten minutes the seetcorn rod flew over and i was into a fish, my first of the season, and a pleasing 4lb 12oz chub. In winter condition it would have probably been my first 5lber but I cant be dissapointed with that. 

I spent a good few hours more until 4pm, changing tactics, baits and trying to stalk a couple of chub that i found but with no success. 

Happy with that though, back out at the weekend.

First Fly Fishing session of the year

I was out bright and early this morning (up at 4.30am) en-route to the river. It was a bit windy for the fly, but i was determined to give it a good go. This one was a new stretch to me, so finding the right parking place took me 20 mins but eventually i got down to the river.

I started off on a nymph with a wet fly on the dropper, and gradually worked my way upstream towards a disused railway bridge. After a couple of hours flogging away without anything suddenly my fly line shot forward and i struck into a very nice fish. After a good good tussle on my light fly outfit, with the fish flinging itself out a number of times, i eventually landed this wild brownie which was 1oz off a pound. It was caught on a hares ear nymph. Very happy with the result!

I tried for a while longer without success, but went home happy

A few pics....

A day out on the River chub and Pike

Got myself out on the river today

The first swim looked very pikey, so a float fished smelt was dropped in. 30 mins later, a slow take developed and I hit into the fish. Unfortunately it came off after 10 seconds or so, but what I did do is follow the direction of the pike in the clear water. He went straight back into his lair. The smelt went back and he sat there and waited. I twitched it, about 2 foot from his nose but still she had an air of "I aint touching that again". So i sat back and waited, all the time watching the pike, a good double, while it didnt move. Suddenly, about 30 mins after the recast, she shot forward, grabbed it and swum off like a torpedo (nervousness perhaps???). A great fight ensued, and eventually I landed her at 16lb 1oz

I wandered off, far and wide, catching two chub on steak. Managed to get the take etc on camera, so ill be doing a vid this evening at some point (only the chub on video). The biggest chub was about 2 and a half pound.

Fished until dusk and evetually got collected by the wife!

An opportunistic Pike

I was on the road, and knew i'd be passing one or two rivers en route, so packed my gear just in case!
Anyway, decided what the hell, i'll drop onto a peg that i know, spend 20 mins there and see if i can get one out. And i knew that if i catch a pike, the bite usually comes pretty quickly. So after dropping my foat fished smelt next downstream of some snags, i sat back and relaxed....for 90 seconds or so until the float popped up, laid flat then disappeared. Whack, i was in! 15lb 3oz 

I was back in my car 20 mins after getting out, and continued on my way....

Budget Barbel set-up - A review of the Wychwood Rogue Barbel 12' 1.75lb Rod and Korum KXI 50 Freespin Reel

A year or so ago i decided to put a more determined effort into my barbel fishing, however with money being tight, I sought to purchase a suitable rod and reel on a budget.

Wychwood Rogue 1.75lb 12' Barbel Rod

With an RRP of £69.99, I manage to hunt one down for £55.00 by shopping online following recommendations by others. After reading the comments on anglersnet of it being "A quality barbel fishing rod at an affordable price" the first impressions were that it had a very tidy finish with a full cork handle. Comprising a "2 piece multi-modulus carbon blank, the rods are finished in a matt black 'anti flash' coating to reduce any glare". Well this certainly was the case, and the matt finish gives it a more 'professional' feel than the shiny budget rods you tend to see. 

How does it fish? Well, It was well capable of lobbing out an extra large groundbait feeder filled with groundait, and a pva bag of pellets, as well as a 5oz lead when conditions required, especially considering how slim the blank was. My next concern was that it came without a quiver section, would the bites be indicated well? Suprisingly, yes! and very well indeed. It performed well from the rattles of unwanted chub attention to the wrap round of a barbel, I now have no concern about the sensitivity of the tip.

Playing a fish is the next test I suppose. The first barbel I hooked on it, a fish of 6lb 1oz, showed off the through action of the rod nicely, and the strike was met quickly with resistance (certainly not too soft). It also had the power in reserve to bully fish if required - in fact I would have no hesitation in trying it as a river piking rod as well. In flood, I imagine i would need to step up the test curve, but I used this on a flooded river swale with no issues to report.

I dont have a bad word to say. My only caution to you all is that I have never used one of the more expensive barbel rods so I have no comparison to make. However, I own some very nice rods for trotting and chub fishing, and this rod comes under the 'very nice' category.

They are available in 1.5lb, 1.75lb and 2lb test curves.

Korum KXI 50 Freespin Reel

To complement the rod, I decided to get a Korum KXI 50 Freespin Reel. The first impression was that it was a simple design, but looked solid. It can be used with 280 yards of 4lb line and up to 160yards of 15lb line, therefore ideal really for barbel fishing (mine is filled with 12lb) and has 9 ball bearings. It feels good, the bail arm is crisp, the clutch is smooth (giving me confidence that it wont slip when playing a fish) and the freespool facility seems as good as any.  

My only gripe with this reel is some slight paint loss around the bailarm, otherwise an excellent reel. And the rrp? £45, you can probably pick one up for £40 or less - giving a barbel set up for around £95 if you shop around.

Do i like them both? Well, im just about to purchase the same combination again as a second outfit!

Fishing a flooded river for chub

An interesting day on the river! Got there first thing and the state of the river put the sh@ts up me. I've never been comfortable fishing in floods, and thats probably why I dont catch much. But i was determined to give it a right go today. The peg i wanted to fish i just couldnt get anywhere near. Massive shame, as im sure there would have been a lunker or two. However i found a part of the river where the main flow hit a row of bushes and a gravel bar, leaving some slack water downstream and a bit of a deep depression.

I was using a simple link ledger with 3 swan shots, attached via some grippa stops which allowed it to be adjustable at any time. 8lb line was used straight through (no point in going any lighter in floodwater). I tried cheesepaste and breadflake without success, and then put a nice lump of steak on the hook. After 10 mins or so I was suprised when the rod wrapped round and i was into a good fighting fish, equalling my pb of 4lb 13oz (when am i going to get a 5lber!!!). I weight it in the sling and it went 5lb 9oz, but unfortunately we sling weighed more than 9oz....damn!!

I really did try hard for a good few more hours in various spots, but couldnt bite another bite (even on my secret bait). The wind and rain were making it difficult, so i gave up! A good day out....

A snowy morning on the river, with some fish to boot!

Dragged myself out of bed this morning at 5.45am, took the dog out for a quick walk and noticed we'd had a good blanket of snow, but given that conditions haven't changed much for a week or two i still felt I had a chance.

I had intended to walk a lot further today but the snow made it twice as hard so i only really fished a small section of river, one which i hadnt tried before. The plan was to fish away from my car for chub, and back towards my car for pike.

Given the conditions i wanted my chub bait to move around with the flow, so all I had was a link ledger with 1 x AAA and a size 8 korum hook, and starting off with my favourite cold water bait ;) ;D

The pic above was the first peg, which produced no fish. A move further and my next swim, i flicked the bait out towards the centre and after 5 minutes or so the rod wrapped round to an unmissable bite. A pleasing start, at 4lb 9oz...

Despite trying 5 or 6 other pegs no more chub were forthcoming other than the odd pluck. Away went the chub rod, and out came the piking gear for the walk back. Smelt was the bait (Again!!). The first two swims produced nothing, the i had a very slow dipping of the float which i hit and hooked. After a short tussle amongst the branches i soon landed this pike, not quite a double but a pleasing 9lb 8oz.

No more bites after that and I got back to the car happy with my efforts and supped a nice cuppa to warm me up.

The sort of morning I like!

A couple of fish in the snow...

Well that was the sort of morning I love, really hard going but with a couple of fish.

The river was cold, low and clear, so I knew it wouldn't be easy. I started off in my first peg (which is often a banker) but unfortunately nobody was at home (or hungry!). It was nice to see a couple of goosanders feeding (and no cormorants!).

I moved after an hour or so (giving the pike longer today because if the temps), this time just trying a float fished smelt near a slack bit of water and overhanging tree. To my delight, the float quickly darted away and even though it only weighed 6lb 8oz, and 26 inches in length, I was happy with the result - though my target of a Swale 20 continues.

I tried one more swim for pike with no success before moving to an area that I always catch chub from. Tactics were a single swan shot on a ledger link, size 10 hook and steak. This was cast to the middle of the river and allowed to flow back into the near side bushes. The first bite didn't take long (I'd prebaited the swim on the way to my first peg) and a 3lb 7oz chub was soon thumping against the drennan series 7 specialist Avon. Happy with that....

I moved a bit further downstream and did the same again. This resulted in a verry confident bite, and a big big chub hooked. I had it on for ages but it just wouldn't give up. I had to bury my rod to avoid some snags, but unfortunately it did snag and the rest, as they say, is history. Definitely a pb, but never mind!!

I went home shortly after this, happy with mornings work.

On a cold and frosty morning...

It was a but of a frosty night, which had nearly lifted by the time I left. I was wandering the banks of the river tees, probably about two miles with nobody else in sight. I didn't have any bites in the first swim, but then a bit if slack water underneath an overhanging tree saw my float bobbing and disappearing from sight. After a determined tussle, which saw it explode out the water, I caught this low double.

Nothing else to report other than bulls, an otter, a water vole and a woodpecker. Lovely morning...

A pleasing start to 2013 river piking

Just had my first trip out to the river in over a month. Decided on a change, conditions seemed ideal after the recent floods and i had a particular peg in mind which always produces a couple of chub for me. After setting up my drennan avon 1.25lb test, with a light link ledger and cheese paste, i flicked it out, let the current take it under a tree and balled in some liquidised bread. I was expecting a bite pretty quickly, but nothing happened, and after an hour nothing had still happened to my surprise!

Fortunately good chub swims also make good pike swims and i was wondering if the chub weren't there for a reason. In came the chub rod, out went a float fished smelt. I was just pouring a cuppa when the float bobbed and disappeared. I struck instantly and a spirited tussle commenced. Fortunately it wasn't long lived and as I landed it i knew it was a decent fish in top condition. I was hopefully it might just push the needle past the 20 mark, but at 19lb 4oz i wasn't disappointed.

Shortly after, a move of swim and a change of bait to luncheon meat also produced a nice chub of 4lb 8oz. A pleasing start to 2013.

A detour to the sea

I've not been out much of late, having been out of the country. What I have done has been at the beach, albeit in the mouth of my beloved river tees. I've been practising my casting and tying rigs, catching small stuff like codling, whiting and rockling. Cold but enjoyable, however I'll be back out on the river this weekend!

A cold morning on the River

A delayed report this one. It took a while to get the fish in a feeding mood because of the overnight frost. I started off on 2lb line straight through, but ended up scaling down to a size 20 to 1.5lb bottom to buy a bite. After taking a dozen or so dace, I hit into a mystery fish which I couldn't budge. Unfortunately the hook pulled.

After taking a few more fish again I hooked into another one but it didn't feel quite as big. After a good tussle on light gear, I had this nice perch. For some reason I rarely catch perch so I was happy with the fish. Not much else to report, apart from the dace. As always, an enjoyable morning though...

 

 

 

PS, Notice the new Abu 706 which i'll do a post on sometime, suffice to say i love it

Fishing for the ladies

I've had a couple of sessions for grayling recently, with relative success. The first was on the river, grayling were obliging on the stick float...

 

The second trip was on another local river

Got there as dawn was breaking, there had been quite a hard frost after walking through a bit of a jungle, got to my first swim.







Centre pin came out, 4aa avon float, 3.2lb drennan float fish to a size 18 kamasan B911 and maggots, and the trusted drennan floatmaster (i'm no floatmaster so i need a rod that will help me!). Took me a short while to get used to it, but shortly after i was doing a nice flick out of the float and getting it 3 rod lengths out or so. By letting it come round and into the deep pool, i was hoping for a chub and it didnt take long to get an unmissable take. Loved playing the fish on the pin, definitely adictive, but it turned out to be a trout of 1lb or so which was quickly released.


I tried for a while longer, but with no success so i up shot and changed venue..



The flow was more steady here, so i decided to fish a drennan big stick with the old abu 506, same rod, and 2.6lb drennan float fish, size 18 kamasan B911 and maggot. By feeding constantly, i quickly hit into a shoal of grayling. By holding back the float, bites came just as it was let to trot again, and they were great fun on light gear in the flow, really hard to get them upstream. I had 6 or 7 overall and lost a couple (including a really big one which i think was 1.5lb+), the biggest was 1lb 3oz which is a new pb for me, but they all averaged a good 12oz. Also had a small trout which was quickly realeased. Loved fishing here, first time i've been and i'll definitely be going back.




The biggest





Overall, an enjoyable morning and though i had to scale down because of the temps, it was great fun.