A few hours on the centrepin

BA Decided, after looking at levels, that the upper river offered a decent shot for some fish having quickly fined down. I was after big grayling, but in reality struggled to find them. The water was coloured and up a little, plenty of trout to keep me busy (some excellent fights!), until eventually I got my target species, albeit small.

A nice evening to be out. Tackle was a drennan float master, 15ft, rapidex centrepin and 3lb supplex, with double maggot fished on a size 18 Kamasan animal (excellent grayling hook). 

A recent chub trip on the River

Had a few hours one evening last week, conditions seemed ideal, nice temp, coloured water. I fished pellet with soaked pellet in a feeder. The first peg produced nothing, so I tried two or three others in search of the hoped for barbel. 

In the last leg, plenty of chub were trying to run with the bait but not hooking. I wrapped it in paste and that did the trick, nothing special but it avoided a blank. 

Then I absolutely p'd it down so I ran for the car having got a soaking! 

 

Pictures on phone so not the best

First bass of the year

I always try to get out and catch bass each year, I just love the hit you get when it smashes into a lure and gives you a chill up your spine. And they are just the most awesome fish around.

With that in mind I went to a mark I love with a bit if a cliff descent. Getting there at dawn and chucking out expensive bits of plastic, it took half an hour or so before something grabbed it. 

Love it....

Fishing on the edge

I decided to attempt something a little different recently, so did some fishing on the edge of a cliff face in search of cod, under the guidance of a couple of mates. I fished from 3am to 8am and loved it.....the photos say it all. Bait alternated between frozen crab and runnydown. I'll certainly be doing this again! 

A couple of sea trips

For some reason I've been wanting to get the beach caster out, stand on a beach and try for something different of late. My last two trips have seen me practicing my otg technique (which leaves a bit to be desired), and threading huge worms onto oversized hooks! 

It happens to me every year actually, usually later than this. I start dreaming of catching cod - usually fail miserably as well. Up to now I've managed a dab, and some coalfish. 

My mate rob though did manage one (he is an expert at this lark...)

The dog is enjoying himself as well. He doesn't usually get to come along fishing!

Drennan Website

Nice to see one of my blog posts on the Drennan Website! A Quality company, with quality gear......

http://drennantackle.com/thelatest/2014/08/fantastic-sport-on-the-tees/#more-7618

River barbel and chub

I went out Last week on the river, fishing into dark. The pellet approach got plenty of chub attention but would they he'll take the bait properly. Nothing from my target species - barbus maximus.

I manage one very small chub...

A brilliant well done to my brother. Prior to Thursday his biggest chub was 1lb from the Leven, he's rarely fished over recent years. I told him he'd have a good chance of a 4 from the swale, which a good proportion of the chub seem to be. He went and match my pb with a 5lb 1oz fish...

Also Had a nice evening session last night. This little beauty put up a right spirited fight, but was eventually landed.

This was followed up with a battered and bruised chub....

Off the mark with the barbel, time to target some more!

At last a 5lb chub!

Decided to give the river a try today. When I got there I could see that the river was down to its bare bones and gravel bars were above the water line - the lowest I'd seen this particular stretch. I knew it wasn't going to be easy. 

I decided to set up with the drennan acolyte plus, 5lb drennan supplex, and a size 18 kamasan animal (in the hope of an animal!). I waded to one of the gravel bars and trotted maggot and caster against a tree lined bank. I'd brought 2 pints of each. It didn take long to get the first bite - a minnow. And about 20 more followed before something a little better in the shape of a dace.

A few more dace followed before I hooked a kamikaze trout, which went wild and destroyed everything before dislodging itself - time to move on. On the next swim, I could see the odd decent shape moving in the flow and thought to myself - chub. The problem was, they weren't interested in my crude tackle but took the freebies. I ended up stepping down my gear to 2lb drennan supplex and a size 20 kamasan b911F1 - this could be interesting I thought!

First trot through, a chub took the double maggot and the fight begun. I often find that fish respond like for like with the pressure being exerted - if that makes sense? Ie, if you pike the pressure on, they do the same. So I played it very softly, and for a couple of minutes it just sat in the flow. It then got bored and went for the far bank trees, making it underneath so I sunk the rod tip and hoped. It came back out, then dashed for my bank, near snagging me twice, before eventually netted. A good 4 I thought, and put it in the keepnet. It wasn't until I packed up and emptied the net, that I weighed it at 5lb 1oz, a new pb and my first 5. Happy!! It had a hollow belly, in prime winter condition I think 5 and a half at least.

A few more dace followed, and I went home with a smile. 

The river is open! A day on the stick float

The alarm was set for 3.30am- but I was awake from 3.00am. I had a bit of a journey ahead of me, with the walk to the peg being more than a mile away from the nearest parking spot, I could more or less guarantee I wouldn't see anybody else on the river. 

Usually on opening day, I get all excited, lob a big pellet in knowing that I'm guaranteed a tees barbel, and end up blanking. So this season, I decided to guarantee some sort of success by fishing the stick. Tackle was a drennan acolyte, Preston pxr 3000 reel, and 4.9lb supplex (as I was hoping to hook to decent chub), to a size 18 kamasan b911x. I had brought 3 pints of maggots and 2 of caster. 

It didn't take long to start catching roach and dace, and this seemed to be all I was catching for an hour or two. I decided to step up the feed, feeding a dozen maggots before, during and at the end of each trot. This had the desired effect, and a nice 1lb grayling was soon in the net. This was released back into the river rather than kept in the net...

This was followed by more dace and roach, and the odd decent perch. 

I wanted some chub, and the maggot didn't seem to be working. I decided to stop casting for half an hour and trickle in a pint of casters gradually. First cast through, and the plan clearly worked as I struck into something solid and determined. A 4lb 3oz chub...

No more chub were forthcoming, so a switch back to maggot soon had grayling, trout, perch, dace and roach in the net. 

A switch back to caster again, after half an hour of baiting, brought 2 more chub, one of them 4lb 3oz the other about 2lb. Fought brilliantly on the float rod. 

And after more dace, perch and roach, I decided to call it a day at about 2pm. I finished off with 22lb 4oz of fish, which to me is a good river weight. Really enjoyed being back on the river. 

The long walk home.....