Thursday, 22 January 2015
The Ice is here !
Monday, 29 December 2014
Big Bold Ballans
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Sorry about the title but I read an article with this title in a fishing magazine years ago and the use of alliteration as an angling journalist's favourite tool has always amused me !
Out from Littlehampton on " Jupiter's Moon " , Jeff led the way with a string of Bass to lures . I managed a few as well but really enjoyed the Wrasse . I managed to lose a load of gear so my pay pal account has had some action and the lure box replenished . Roll on the Cod season !
We took a couple of the Bass and a stray Pollack home for tea. The Pollack is really under -rated as an eating fish in my view and Bass a bit over-rated , but as Dave N says , " No fish is properly caught until you have the chips round it ! " . Bass recipes to follow ......
Friday, 14 November 2014
Erik's First Fish
Its always a pleasure to take someone fishing and to help them catch a fish . This is especially pleasurable when its the first one they have ever caught .
Malanie's brother in law Erik came fishing with me last year to a local lake where I assured him that he would catch a fish . Well he did get a load of bites but no fish were landed , and it was me that caught . So this time same place and same float fished pellet paste but I wouldn't fish and would concentrate on helping Erik catch , then I would have a go .
Well we set him up and fed regularly and he hooked one of the carp !
Then another small one . Mission accomplished ! On with the bacon sarnies ! Now its my go !
The day was changeable and the weather flitted between rain showers and sunshine and it was interesting to take a few pictures of the scenery and the wildlife .
Gold at the end of the rainbow ?
Malanie's brother in law Erik came fishing with me last year to a local lake where I assured him that he would catch a fish . Well he did get a load of bites but no fish were landed , and it was me that caught . So this time same place and same float fished pellet paste but I wouldn't fish and would concentrate on helping Erik catch , then I would have a go .
Well we set him up and fed regularly and he hooked one of the carp !
The day was changeable and the weather flitted between rain showers and sunshine and it was interesting to take a few pictures of the scenery and the wildlife .
A Milestone met
I am a great fan of lists . Each year I create a fishing " wish list " of species and weights of fish that I would like to catch .
Well I managed to reach one of those with a 3LB Perch from the local club lake .
After my last trip in which I had used groundbait , mixed with maggots and chopped worm , I had some success but I also managed to catch virtually every skimmer Bream in the lake ! So I hatched a plan to feed maggots and fish prawns . I hoped that the prawns would put off the small fish .
I had a bit of trouble ( I immediately thought of Michael Crawford then , must be my age ! Oh Betty ! ) with carp and lost a few in the lilies luckily most seemed to be fould hooked as I retrieved a few scales each time . thinking about this I may actually have hooked them fairly then the hook slipped to the scales as they fought through the lily stems ?
The small Carp above was fairly hooked and landed with no worries , but its mouth was badly damaged from previous captures . I always hate to see this and unfortunately the mouth of a Tench I caught also showed really bad damage . If the fish had been bigger I might have thought they had suffered cuts from braid whilst being played but as they were both less than 5lbs in weight it must only have been anglers poor hook removal . WHY !! we owe it to the fish to take care of them , barbless hooks work , carry artery forceps or a disgorger and use an unhooking mat please .
I was fishing with a loaded float fished one end only so that I could sink the line out of the way of the strong and blustery wind . I had hoped to fish my small pole float but the wind put paid to that .
Anyway two other perch of 2lb 8 oz and 2lb 12oz graced the net . I like the plan of fishing the prawns and next time I might feed some chopped worms and chopped prawns with some nice red worm extract liquid via a pole cup and see how that works . I also plan to use a " lively " and see if that will bring out the big one !
Well I managed to reach one of those with a 3LB Perch from the local club lake .
After my last trip in which I had used groundbait , mixed with maggots and chopped worm , I had some success but I also managed to catch virtually every skimmer Bream in the lake ! So I hatched a plan to feed maggots and fish prawns . I hoped that the prawns would put off the small fish .
I had a bit of trouble ( I immediately thought of Michael Crawford then , must be my age ! Oh Betty ! ) with carp and lost a few in the lilies luckily most seemed to be fould hooked as I retrieved a few scales each time . thinking about this I may actually have hooked them fairly then the hook slipped to the scales as they fought through the lily stems ?
The small Carp above was fairly hooked and landed with no worries , but its mouth was badly damaged from previous captures . I always hate to see this and unfortunately the mouth of a Tench I caught also showed really bad damage . If the fish had been bigger I might have thought they had suffered cuts from braid whilst being played but as they were both less than 5lbs in weight it must only have been anglers poor hook removal . WHY !! we owe it to the fish to take care of them , barbless hooks work , carry artery forceps or a disgorger and use an unhooking mat please .
I was fishing with a loaded float fished one end only so that I could sink the line out of the way of the strong and blustery wind . I had hoped to fish my small pole float but the wind put paid to that .
Anyway two other perch of 2lb 8 oz and 2lb 12oz graced the net . I like the plan of fishing the prawns and next time I might feed some chopped worms and chopped prawns with some nice red worm extract liquid via a pole cup and see how that works . I also plan to use a " lively " and see if that will bring out the big one !
Wednesday, 5 November 2014
Lure Fishing - christening a new rod and the law of diminishing returns
Jeff and I had been discussing a lure trip for a while , so off we went to the Arun . It was a lovely day , unseasonably warm for the time of year with a bit of rain . I made the mistake of bringing a landing net but forgetting the spreader block doh !
I quickly picked up a small jack on a spinner bait .
Yes I know the spinner bait is nearly as big as the fish ! but wait .....
I then lost a decent fish which unfortunately dropped off ...next time !
Then I swapped to a spoon ....
The bigger the lure the smaller the fish ?
We then moved to the Rother and Jeff struck gold !
My new rod , a Dave Lumb Duellist 2 , was not really tested (!), no duels today that's for sure , but felt really nice , but I need to get a new reel to go with it ......back to the tackle shop then !
I quickly picked up a small jack on a spinner bait .
Yes I know the spinner bait is nearly as big as the fish ! but wait .....
I then lost a decent fish which unfortunately dropped off ...next time !
Then I swapped to a spoon ....
The bigger the lure the smaller the fish ?
We then moved to the Rother and Jeff struck gold !
My new rod , a Dave Lumb Duellist 2 , was not really tested (!), no duels today that's for sure , but felt really nice , but I need to get a new reel to go with it ......back to the tackle shop then !
Perch Again
A quick fishing fix was the order of the day , so I popped off to the club lake for a try for a Perch . I decided to fish with a small pole float on a float rod . I dont know why but anyway !
The plan was to introduce some groundbait laced with chopped worms and maggots then fish a worm over the top . I baited up two areas one on each side of the swim next to the lillies .
The first Perch interrupted a succession of Bream , (maybe the groundbait wasn't a good plan ?) At just under 2lb it was a welcome sight .
Then followed a Bream fest ! Then a better perch at just over 2lb. Now I don't wish to be unkind but some of the pictures of three and four pound Perch in the fishing mags must be a tad exaggerated .This was a big Perch , yet it "only" weighed two pounds . Tishing stories .... I was pleased anyway !
Friday, 12 September 2014
Blue Shark Cornwall 2014
Well the old fishing cliché of "You should have been here yesterday " rang in my ears as I drove through the night to get to Falmouth . Jeff and Wayne had been out over the weekend in perfect weather and had had a few shark . Yet the weather app was suggesting an increasing wind from the east which might give a small window of fishing , before the wind increased . So it was with fingers crossed that I joined Jeff and " Jupiters Moon "for a crack at the Blues .
Off we went into a glorious Cornish morning with a few lumpy waves making the trip 13 miles offshore a bit wet at times . Out went the chum and we sat back to await events .
I had purchased some new fluorocarbon wind on leaders for the trip . They were 175 lb test and the reduced diameter meant they were easier to load onto the reel , and in turn the ability to load on more line . Well you never know when that Mako might come along ......some hope !
My Shimano TLD 25's purchased only last year , and only used a few times immediately started to play up . One of them completely seized up . The lever drag sticking and becoming virtually immovable . Only becoming " unstuck " with a most unsatisfactory clunk ! Apparently this is a common fault and Jeff had seen Wayne suffer the same problem . An internet search seemed to indicate a fault in the reels produced in Malaysia .
Perfect in appearance but better in disappearance .....
Anyway my bait had barely been in the water when off it went in company with a Blue shark . The visitor was about 40lbs and a welcome sight . It was hooked in the corner of the mouth with the ubiquitous circle hook .
Jeff managed another slightly bigger but that was the end of the action for the day .
The Mackerel were present in numbers and on our way back in we stopped to stock up , both for supper and for tomorrows bait .
Delicious !
Day two looked brilliant , so we steamed off towards the North African coast ! All set for a long drift in virtually perfect wind a wave conditions . The chum slick looked the business , but we apparently forgot to invite the shark to the party ! Only one lost fish to the boat all day .
Day three dawned with the promised wind ( must have been the chilli !) and a trip after gilthead Bream within the estuary beckoned . The Fal Estuary is a beautiful place and the fishing potential looked superb but the wind made our life very difficult and with its strength increasing all the time we retreated and decided to finish early . The on going weather forecast didn't look good so we collected Jupiters Moon for an early bath , and a pie and a pint down the pub !
The estuary seemed to be a boat park in places . The size of the ships is really only obvious when you get right next to them ! They are huge !
Well next time .......
Off we went into a glorious Cornish morning with a few lumpy waves making the trip 13 miles offshore a bit wet at times . Out went the chum and we sat back to await events .
I had purchased some new fluorocarbon wind on leaders for the trip . They were 175 lb test and the reduced diameter meant they were easier to load onto the reel , and in turn the ability to load on more line . Well you never know when that Mako might come along ......some hope !
My Shimano TLD 25's purchased only last year , and only used a few times immediately started to play up . One of them completely seized up . The lever drag sticking and becoming virtually immovable . Only becoming " unstuck " with a most unsatisfactory clunk ! Apparently this is a common fault and Jeff had seen Wayne suffer the same problem . An internet search seemed to indicate a fault in the reels produced in Malaysia .
Perfect in appearance but better in disappearance .....
Anyway my bait had barely been in the water when off it went in company with a Blue shark . The visitor was about 40lbs and a welcome sight . It was hooked in the corner of the mouth with the ubiquitous circle hook .
Jeff managed another slightly bigger but that was the end of the action for the day .
The Mackerel were present in numbers and on our way back in we stopped to stock up , both for supper and for tomorrows bait .
Delicious !
Day two looked brilliant , so we steamed off towards the North African coast ! All set for a long drift in virtually perfect wind a wave conditions . The chum slick looked the business , but we apparently forgot to invite the shark to the party ! Only one lost fish to the boat all day .
Day three dawned with the promised wind ( must have been the chilli !) and a trip after gilthead Bream within the estuary beckoned . The Fal Estuary is a beautiful place and the fishing potential looked superb but the wind made our life very difficult and with its strength increasing all the time we retreated and decided to finish early . The on going weather forecast didn't look good so we collected Jupiters Moon for an early bath , and a pie and a pint down the pub !
The estuary seemed to be a boat park in places . The size of the ships is really only obvious when you get right next to them ! They are huge !
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