With the weather being quite nice on Sunday I took Sarah for a few hours stalking over Rowley, she has an associate ticket. As the fish weren't really playing ball and a swirling wind making presentation a bit difficult. Sarah decided to kick back and enjoy the sun whilst reading a couple of mags she took and I spent the best part of an hour moving from one swim to the next trying to temp anything to take a surface bait. Ten minute before calling it a day around half four the mirror with a lump on it's side finally made the mistake of lurping down my fake dog biscuit, I was surprised when the scales went round to 22lb but obviously please at actually catching my first Rowley fish of the year. So I was well chuffed as I’ve now had 20lb plus fish from all three club waters plus I had this fish I think back in 1999/2000 at about 17lb or 18lb.
At last I've made it, my first fishing trip of the season, no of the year! I took two guests to No1 for a couple of days, my nephew and an ex member Brian Whybrow. The lake looked fantastic and really looked like it was going to produce. It was just great fun to be down there relaxing in our angling paradise. I arrived at one and the rods did not go in till about five, there was just too much chatting going on. I met in no particular order Brian and Dominic Busby, Bill Khamber, Stuart Verity, Larry Wood, Steve Roberts and lots other members, everybody was true to the Society traditions, friendly and fun to be around. As to the fishing I was completely out fished by my Nephew who cause seven Bream including his best ever at 8-0 exactly and by Brian Bream of 7-12. As for me a small Perch was all I could muster but I take home with me great memories of a Society where just being there is enough.
Having done a night down pit two Friday and waking up fishless on Saturday morning I decided to head for pit one. After the long slog of getting all my gear to the point swim I quickly got the rods out and found some shade. As the sun got higher my fore head got redder, as I stood at the front of the swim looking for signs of feeding fish. I saw many tench visiting various holes in the weed sending up great clouds of fizzy bubbles as well as the odd carp, but mainly tench so there still in there! For the rest of the day I had a half hearted go at floater fishing but I think it was to hot even for the fish. One small tench did managed to slip up late afternoon, she was quickly unhooked in the water, and let go to tell her mates. After a quick bite to eat and an early night I awoke Sunday still carpless, so stashed all the gear in the car leaving just the stalking gear out with the intention of doing it a bit more seriously. An hours stalking produced yet another 13lb plus common and a lovely looking and very welcomed 21lb mirror, the only problem with all this stalking I’ve been doing is the lack of witnesses, but managed some self take shots, so hope they come out and will follow as there on my 35mm.
Vince, What a night. It started out as a social down Pit 2 with a couple of mates and turned out a very memorable session. I decided (much to Baity's disgust) to put a Bream rod out and fish, as usual, the other rod for Carp. An uninterupted night followed until 6AM when the Bream rod stuttered into life and after a fairly hopeless battle a personal best Bream of 10lb 14oz was laying in the net. After a couple of photo's (included) I sat down for a cuppa. Around half an our later the bobbin on my other rod pulled up tight and I was soon into a fish. At first we suspected birdlife the cause but after a while a rather 'wonky' common of 19lb 7oz graced the banks. A few more piccys and we slipped her back. After just equalling my last season's tally for Carp (1) I set about doubling it. 20 mins or so after the recast another more protracted fight ensued with, this time, a 24lb Common. A beautiful Bronze fish everso long and scale perfect. Another 'Best Nights ever' fishing was had and I can't wait to do it again. Dave. P.S. I reckon I've got the Front Cover sorted already!!!!
Went for an evenings fishing last night with Dave Cargill, between us we didn't catch any fish. The weather wasn't that good for sitting around in as it was raining quite hard, but it was good fishing weather and had we stayed a bit later i'm sure we would have had something. Fish were crashing out all over the lake, a great sight to see, Carp and Tench throwing themselves clear out of the water. Also just a quick mention about Ian Kempster taking a break from his normal carp fishing and dusting off his float rod to target some of the pit one bream. He had several fish to 7lb on the float in a morning, showing that the float fishing is producing the goods with the correct application.
Having set up around 3pm I spent all day watching the water for any signs of fish, around 6pm a fish doshed clear out the water to right twice. I reposition my right hand rod where I had seen the fish jump, threw out twenty 14mm boillies and set the bobbin. No more than 5 minutes passed before my rod tip pulled round. After an uneventful night, I woke early around half five and sat watching the water with a cup of tea. Again my right hand rod tip gave a couple of nods giving me enough time to put my tea down before the ling pinged out of the clip. Yet another common, can't complain as this one went just over twenty pounds, and again in pristine condition, my second 20lb plus common so far. I've had a excellent start to the season targeting the carp in pit one and of the eight I’ve had all bar one have been in mint condition with no mouth damage, I did have a linear mirror that had a couple of scales missing but this was caught the morning after some serious spawning had happened on the evening of June the 18th and I would put it down to that. About an hour after the 20lb common was slipped back my left hand rod was away, the power of the run had me thinking I was into my third carp of the session. Everything was quickly under control and I knew I had myself a decent tinka, quick weigh in and photo as it was my first of the season.