Club Lake 28-8-13

So now for something completely different.

A family outing and the kid's first time fishing. I was a little nervous to say the least.

The plan was simple - a short whip, a few maggot and hopefully a chance for my two kids to catch a fish or two, without anyone falling in, upsetting the other anglers or generally committing too many angling faux pas.

We went as a family to the local club lake, heart in mouth that it would be ok - it was. No weed, no other anglers, no problems.

We set up in one swim, a 3m whip and a few maggots, with the plan to let each of the boys fish for a short while and then swap over. It seemed a little easier that way, so they'd be constantly on the go.

A few maggot fed while I set up (the rig was already attached, it just needed plumbing up), and there were bubbles straight-away.

So, Otis major was called up (4 years old). Sat down, handed the whip and we watched the float. And, it sank. A few seconds later his first fish, a pristine rudd of 3oz or so.

First fish - a rudd

Then it was the turn of Otis minor (three years old). Could we manage a repeat performance? Swing out the rig, let it settle and watch the float. It sank again! But not a rudd - this time a perfectly formed crucian carp.

First fish - a crucian carp

Well suffice to say, the next hour and a half whizzed by - catch two fish, and then change places. Total catch was 16 fish each:

Otis major - 1 rudd, 14 crucians and a tench

Otis minor - 1 rudd, 15 crucians

Two carp lost (boo) and a great little session was had by all. (I'm going back with an elasticated top set at some point.)

So two new apprentice fishermen.. roll on the next trip.

The only tench of the session

 

Look at the bend in that whip

 

A meeting of the minds

Boddingtons 26-8-13

Not much to say really. 

I came, I fished, I conked out. 

First 60 mins on the pole on peg 72 produced 8 mirror carp for 63lb (the best going 14lb). Two more fish followed in the next hour to take it up to 80lb. 

Then nothing but roach for 5 hours. 

Straight lead lost one fish, pellet waggler failed, margin line failed, pole failed. Went home beaten by Boddingtons again. 

Catch List:

Mirror Carp 10

Roach 25

Total weight 84lb

River Colne 11-8-13

All-in-all a rather mixed session. 

I'd headed down to the weir with mixed intentions - 30 mins on the feeder (big halibut pellet) and 30 mins trotting. Then, I'd see how things went.

First 30 mins on the tip - nothing. 

Waiting for that bug barbel bite

30 mins trotting - plenty of nice roach with dace etc mixed in. 

Nice trotting conditions

Second 30 mins on the tip - a few rattles and wham. A very good fish. Straight into the snags and my 10lb mainline was shredded. Boo.

More trotting - more small fish, and down to the next trotting swim. Unlike my June visit the water level had dropped and I could wade out in my wellies to the gravel bar and trot through nicely. 

Bit of a disaster as my welly sprang a leak

More roach, one decent chub (10oz) one small barbel (4 oz) and three nice brown trout (4oz to 8oz). A very nice surprise, I'd caught one before (in many visits) but three in a session is nice. All were put back to fight another day. 

Catch List:

Barbel 1

Brown Trout 3

Roach 25

Chub 4

Dace 8

Perch 3

Minnow 5

Bleak 3

Gudgeon 2

Total weight 10lb

Picks Cottage Fishery 18-8-13

http://www.pickscottagefishery.co.uk/

So the quest to try another new venue saw me arrive early at Picks Cottage Fishery near Chingford, a few miles inside the M25. I’m made the decision at the last minute and wasn’t sure what to expect, but the website looked nice, so onwards and downwards.

I arrived early to find I was the only person there and head off to the Top or Match Lake as it I known - a spacious 1 acre pool with a large island (well out of pole range) and 15 or so well-spaced pegs. I headed round to the far side where there were a few lily pads and I set about a light pellet attack on the pole, with a view to feeder across to the pads later on if required. 

 

11mm pellet on the pole line in 5ft of water produced a bite second put-in, a common of 2lb. Then a short wait, and a tench of 4lb. Then a little later a bream of 3lb. Not bad for half an hour or so. 

4lb Tench

Then it went quiet (I seem to be saying that a lot lately). I tried the left hand line to the pads (nothing), I messed around with the depth (I suspect there was some weed on the bottom in places) nothing. A couple of knocks came to nothing.

Then a couple small carp - all 3oz of them.

Lots of baby carp

I tried a few different things, but the bites wouldn’t come. The inside line on maggot blanked, which was a surprise, so out again on pellet.

Another angler turned up, but it was his first visit too, so no advice from him. So I swapped back to 6mm soft pellet on a 16 hook. And the knocks turned into bites… from more 3oz carp. I was about to try something else when a 3lb carp appeared, then a few babies, then a 3lb tench, and barring a few quieter patches this became the pattern for the day. Small carp, odd better fish, quiet patch.

After a while I had a chat with the bailiff, apparently the baby carp were spawned on site, and moved up as eggs from the specimen pool – it’s nice to see and in a few seasons they’ll be cracking little fish.

At this point I would have tried the trusty feeder to the island, only I’d left the feeder rod in the quiver. Doh. So I pushed on.

In the end it was a few nice carp to 4lb, 5 tench (4 at 3lb, 1 at 4lb) and 3 bream at 3lb each, plus a load of small carp for 40lb. Not bad for 6 hours on a new venue.

Can’t wait to see what it’ll be like in a few years’ time, or indeed in the winter on light gear and maggots. 

There are two other lakes on site - these are more specimen carp waters, but I thought I'd grab a few photos while I was there (see below).

 

Nice clean venue, friendly bailiff, great-conditioned fish, nice pegs – I can see me going back there some point soon. 

Catch List:

Bream 3

Tench 5

Common carp 35
Mirror carp 1

Total weight 40lb