Darran Goulder's Blog

Barbel Fishing on the Old Mill

2010-10-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

My alarm sounded after what felt like a mere 40 winks, however, the usual snooze function on the clock did not come in to play on this particular morning. It was 0430 on a summers Saturday, and whilst everyone else in the neighbourhood slept – I was up in a flash with the excitement of a days fishing ahead of me.

Like the majority of the readers, I also have a full time job and other commitments, so like you, I’m out on the banks when they are at their busiest, so it pays to be up at the crack of dawn so you can get one of the better spots.

As I quietly packed my lunch for the day, and loaded the car with my tackle, looking up at the sky I could see that it was going to be a gloriously sunny day. I set off on the unfamiliarly empty M25, making my way to the M4 where I would head west to the magnificent River Kennet. I had spent the best part of a spring on the stillwaters fishing for Tench, and now that the rivers were open for service once again, I couldn’t resist a trip in search of those hard fighting barbel that reside there.

The 90 mile journey on the calm roads caused no problems, and as I made my way down the last winding country road, the old familiar sign post “The Old Mill” came into view. I slowly drove up to the locked gate, and switched off my engine with a sigh of relief. It was only just past half six, and the fishery didn’t open till 8am, but whilst some would sooner have a extra hour in bed, I had a mission ahead of me, and as the old saying goes… well, the early bird and all that…

Being only one of a handful of the very few productive river day ticket fisheries in the south of the country, it understandably gets very very busy in the summer months, especially at weekends. To stand any kind of chance in having a choice of where you want to fish at the venue, an early start is indeed the order of the day. The gates would not be opened for over an hour yet, and whilst a relaxing read of the newspaper was rather tempting after the long drive, I decided to sit and tie a selection of rigs so that I didn’t waste any precious time throughout the course of the day.

Before long, a queue of cars snaked up the track behind me with the same idea, and as I applied the finishing touches to the rig, in my wing mirror I could see my photographer for the day, Paul Garner, a few cars back. We all seemed to be looking at our watches in the hope of an extra few minutes early fishing, but at 8 o’ clock precisely, the gate was opened where we paid our sub’s for the day.

No time to waste, I parked up and hastily picked up my kit and made my way to the running water that I heard all morning, gushing over the big weir pool. Naturally, first in the queue gets first choice, but as I hurriedly looked at where I fancied, I could see in the corner of the eye the stamped of fellow barbel anglers coming down to stake their terroritory, behind me.

The weir with its oxygenated water and cover seemed appealing, but I walked past this and across to the famous lawn swims to a worn peg that featured a small overhanging bush on the opposite bank. Within minutes all the swims around me were taken, and I wondered whether I had made the right choice, not that it mattered, it looked like I’d be here most of the day whether I liked it or not.

I stood assessing the meandering river through my Polaroid’s, the sun was already beating down on us, and I tried to figure the plan of attack. On further inspection, the main flow of the river was directed right along the margins of the far bank, where perhaps a 5ft deep run flowed over a clean gravel bottom under the bush. Coupled with the shelter and snags, there just had to be Barbel underneath it, it was a real textbook swim. The bush, served another purpose too, which I hoped that would give me an advantage for the trip, and that was cover of shade. Not for me unfortunately, but for the fish, and the way the sun was positioned, it would cast a small shadow for most of the day. We had dry sunny weather for previous 6 weeks prior to this session, and the low clear river was hardly ideal, but with clever thinking and an organised plan, I was sure we would be able to create a chance or two today.

My 12ft Purist Barbel Power rod was pulled out from the quiver, which coupled with a baitrunner reel and strong 10lb line, would be perfect for taming the slender powerful creatures that I hoped resided in my swim. The swim was no place for the paraphernalia of leadcore, backleads and other gizmo’s, instead, a simple free running 2oz grippa lead sat above a ‘longer than usual’ 3ft coated 15lb Two Tone braided hooklink. My thinking was that I could flick the lead so it brushed just under the canopy, where then my offering would sit on the bottom 3ft downstream, well under the cover and right into their lair.

I favour small baits matched with small strong hooks when fishing in the low, clear, daylight conditions. They are highly pressured fish and I need to make my offering as natural and inconspicuous as possible, if I was to get any chance of action. I superglued two small 6mm Marine halibut pellets onto the hair, and hooked on a pva mesh bag which housed an assortment of different sized pellets and crushed Dynamite Red Fish boilies. This pva bag would do three things; prevent any tangles on the cast, encourage the hooklink to straighten out to its full length when on the bottom, and also give off plenty of attraction as the various sized morsals drifted off downstream.

Thankfully – the first cast was spot on. With minimal disturbance, I managed to cast inches away from the spindly branches of the tree opposite, and as I feathered the lead down through the depths, I felt a hard thump at it settled on the gravel below. Feathering the lead not only creates less disturbance upon delivery, but also ensures the rig doesn’t land into a big tangled useless heap.

I paid out a big bow of line so that the pressure from the flow on the mainline didn’t dislodge the lead under the snag. The last thing I needed to be doing would be putting the fish on edge with another cast, and the heavy lead also ensured it would stay put for as long as need be, hopefully until we had a bite.

I sat an watched the tip of my rod sitting low to the waters surface, just minutes into the session. The fish in the swim should hopefully be unaware of our existence, whilst the anglers around me still tackled up the rods in their swims. This is a big advantage for me, past experience tells me that on stretches with time restrictions, its often the few moments at the start and end of the fishing hours that produce the bites when the fish are off guard.

As the first hour past, I did start to hope that we wouldn’t be waiting all day for a bite, given that now baitdroppers and pouchfuls of pellets littered the surface all around me. It really is the kiss of death on busy venues, letting the fish know you are there; be as stealthy as possible and keep all disturbance to a minimum and you might be lucky to trick one early doors.

When all the commotion stopped, I had what looked like a ‘chub pull’, a steady 2-3 inch pull on the rodtip, as a chub picked up the hookbait, and then the tip springs back as the chub feels the resistance and spits the bait back out of its lips. Its definitely one of the times when it pays to sit on your hands, as a strike would be left with no fish, and a spooked swim. It’s a good sign though, when the chub are in the swim the barbel are usually not too far behind. Thankfully barbel don’t really have the ability to spit it out as well as the chub can, and this time the tip just kept going and going!

I swept the rod back, and the strike was met with pure resistance and resilience, a clearly strong fish motored way down river. I applied as much side strain as I dared, line purred off the clutch, and luckily, the fish well away from the obstacle I tempted it from. There was no mistaking what this was, the culprit was probably 25 yards away from me now, but under control, after its first run. I could see the golden flanks of a barbel shaking its head in the clear flow doing its upmost to rid the hook.

Before long, I was teasing it out of the streamer weed in the margin, and with a couple of splashes on the surface it was now engulfed into my waiting net. Relief! The fish was a stunning example of the species, fin perfect, hard fighting and worth waking up early for! It was over 7lb, but not quite 8… and very welcome.

After unhooking, barbel need to be nursed in the river with their head upstream. This is so they can regain their strength, especially this time of year when the oxygen levels are low. I held her for a few minutes, admiring her beauty as she slowly started kicking her tail, and only when they are kicking strongly can you let them swim off to the depths.

Within minutes another pva bag was flicked cautiously within inches of the bush, and I sat back reflecting on the mornings events. It was already getting very hot with not a cloud in the sky. Although the spot was sheltered, it was no surprise that no action commenced over the next few hours. It was time for a re think. I had with me, a tub of the dynamite hemp which I know barbel cannot resist, so I reeled in, and replaced the lead with a baitdropper.

I thought that a couple of pints deposited 6ft above the snag would draw them out from their hidey hole, and hoped a whittled down boile fished in their path would be irrestible, as they swam up to investigate.

In with the hemp I also mixed in some crushed boilies, and 6mm pellets. This all went out quite speedily though the baitropper, all in the exactly the same spot inline with the marker I had picked on the opposite bank. You need to aim to get it as accurate as possible, so that feed is not spread all around the swim. With this disturbance, I thought I would leave the fish to their own devices for a few hours, whilst I investigated the rest of the stretch.

I roved around in all the available swims during the hottest part of the day, flicking an assortment of link ledgered lobworms, pellets and pastes in small holes under trees. It was incredibly hot, but I thought that if I find a hungry chub, it would be a bonus, but to no avail.

The swim had settled nicely in my absence, it felt cooler and I hoped that the swim was full of fish feeding on my appetizer I fed them a near 3 hours ago. Again, a pva bag was cast under the foliage, and my rod tip straight away registered interest. It was difficult not to strike at times, as chub mouthed the bait, and barbel bumped into the line.

I needn’t wait long, as soon enough the tip was being wrenched round for the second time as a barbel swam off at pace in a bid for freedom. Line was wrenched from the tight cluth, and the rod absorbed the energetic lunges from the authoritive specimen. Its essential to use reliable kit, hard fighting barbel make short work of light tackle. I had subdued the fish to a couple of rod lengths out, just beyond the weed, as the fish tussled amongst the strands to try and escape. I reeled down, and pulled the fish towards me as I scooped up my prize.

After resting in the margins whilst I dampened my mat, she was soon being held aloft for a picture for the album. Slightly smaller that the first, but fighting equally as hard. I was overjoyed at the success of the session so far.

Despite numerous signs of activity in the final hour of the trip, no more fishing were forth coming. I wasn’t disappointed, far from it!

It all paid off in the end!

2010-09-21T02:28:00.000-07:00

Its been a good spring across the whole despite the late start, we have had some good weather for Tench Fishing. A few weeks of prolonged cold winds slowed the sport to an extent, but now – late into June we are still experiencing some great fishing with chances of a true whopper.

This year, more than any other spring, I fished really hard. I didn’t catch a double figure tinca last season, and being my favourite species – its always nice to catch one, for me in which is the most enjoyable time of the year. So that was my target, and hard fishing for me, is a weekends angling after a grueling week in the office.

It is almost as if I have literally lived and breathed Tenching for the past two months. When I haven’t been actually fishing, I’ve been preparing bait, tinkering with my rig presentation and keeping an eye on the weather. My first session was Easter Weekend, and after two day session zipped in the Bivvy, although getting off the mark, thankfully those climates are now a distant memory.

With my girlfriends birthday, and Glastonbury both ‘penciled’ in the diary, this trip would be my last opportunity for the fish I had longed for. It would be the ultimate goal of 2 months of hard work, notching up over 40 Tench in the process. Until now though, a brace of 9lbers at 9.7 and 9.9 were the best I could manage, amongst many 7 and 8lb specimens. The week before now I was rudely awoken by a double take at 0430am, where over 65lb of carp lay defeated in the net made up of a 36.12 common and 28.3 Mirror. Great fun on the Brench rods, and it just goes to show you what can be landed on balanced tackle and size 14 Hooks!

As I arrived on the Sunday though, I had to put all that behind me and really focus on the job in hand. Everything I had learnt was to be put in practice, and I walked round the lake time after time whilst all the other weekenders packed up for home. It was an unfamiliar experience, I had the whole lake to myself, and as you can imagine, in that situation the biggest dilemma would be deciding where to fish.

Tossing a coin didn’t help matters, so I ended up in a favourite swim with most of the kit on the barrow other than 3 rods nestled in the reeds. The 3 carried a feeder full of maggots fished out to their usual spots. The weather was scorching, and as the sun beated down on me with no where to hide, something wasn’t quite right. I had spent a lot of time here in past weeks, I knew all the marks, but for some reason I had a feeling I should be elsewhere. And with that, I packed the rods back up and wheeled it round to another swim I had a good hit from earlier in the spring.

This swim was more of a gamble. If they were there you had a good catch, but I feel they very much move through here on their travels rather than frequent the area, so it could not happen at all. With the sun still shining brightly, and the feeding times still open, I opted to cast 3 feeders out to the dark areas between the bars that stood out like beacons in the crystal clear water. The marker rod and disturbance it brought with it, could wait till later.

After a couple of biteless hours spent up a tree, watching, waiting for a sign of their presence – a screaming run on the left hand rod brought me back to my senses. After a few moments the bent rod was now slack… as the culprit has shed the hook moments into the battle. I was gutted. When all the fish are swimming around at their peak weights, you can’t be losing fish. I could however, now know where to stay. And with that, I put up my house and sorted my kit for the night ahead.

When any chance of action had passed for the day, I set to work with the marker and spod rod. My favoured groundbait recipe of Dynamite mixed particle, hemp, marine halibut pellets, sprinkling of casters and pinch of corn, was prepared in a big bucket – ready to be deposited out via the spod. A dry mix of frenzied hemp groundbait would be used to cap the spod to avoid any spod spill. I chose 3 spots, all some distance apart in amongst the silt gullies between various bars that littered the swim. I was fishing into the mouth of a big bay, and was sure the fish patrolled along these on their way to and from the shallow water. I picked spots at varying distances, so I could intercept a shoal of them depending on what route they took.

After putting around a pint of particle on each spot, the traps were laid carefully for a fruitfully anticipating start the next day. Maggot feeders were fished helicopter style on 2 rods, and a inline lead was fished on the rod further out. All of them carried a supple braided hooklink, with 2 artificial casters for bait. The eels would hopefully leave me in peace until the Tench hopefully turned up the next day.

The night was quiet, but as the steam from my kettle flowed like the mist drawing off the calm lake – a few Tench porpoised not far from baited traps. For the first time this session, things felt good. I topped up each spot with 3 mini spods of feed, not too much, but enough to colour the water and catch the attention of any inquisitive tincas near by.

Come lunchtime I had two Tench to my name, an ‘8’ mid morning, and a ‘7’ come lunchtime. It wasn’t the amazing start I had hoped for, but as the wind swung round and started howling into the bay mid afternoon, things took a turn for the better…

The wind was so strong that I had to resurrect the infil panel to my bivvy, to try and shelter myself away from the strong breeze. I had often had activity in sessions past, as the sun cast a shadow on the swim as it crept below the trees behind me in the distance. Much to my surprise, one rod produced fish after fish from 6.30pm till nearly 10pm that night, a pva bag of casters fished on the smooth silt 60 yards out proved too good to resist for 7 male Tench up to 8.10. It was a great end to an otherwise quiet day, and I slept anxiously at the thought of what tomorrow might bring.

The wind was relentless, it didn’t lay up the whole night, but I managed to top the swim at first light and recast all 3 rods with pin point precession which gave me extra confidence.
The first fish made an appearance at 7.30 am and it fought like its life depended on it, at 8.5 it was a good fish, but I was slightly disappointed to see that it already spawned.

I recast the feeder full of red maggots out towards the marker on the skyline, and set the rod ready for more action. All three pole elastic markers were sitting just infront of the butt ring on all 3 rods, everything was just perfect.

It was another hour, when the rod that had remained quiet for nearly a day, let out a high pitched tone as the culprit took off at great speed. By the time I had reached the rod, it was powering away into the distance. I was scared to strike, but I leant into the fish to set the hook, as the rod took on an inspiring curve and the clutch purred away as the fish kited out into the lakes depths.

The fish was now over two bars, so I had the job of trying to coax it around and over them without getting cut off on the sharp gravel. It seemed like an age, and my legs were shaking, but the fish was not giving up – it wanted to evade capture at all costs. The wind had been so bad that the usual gin clear water had coloured up with the sediment, so despite the leadcore coming up to the surface during the fight – I never saw the fish at all.

I steadily steered the fish into the margins, where it swam deep with viguor and authority, I pretended it was boss, but I knew deep down that the hard work was done and I just needed to entice her into my waiting net. Three feet of leadcore was viable, so it was just under the surface but still I had no idea of its size. Its thick set characteristic shoulders broke the surface as I engulfed the beaten specimen, and whilst I had seen a fish before of magical proportions with similar attributes, I thought perhaps that it would be 9lb+ without seeing it in full.

The rod was put down as I regained my composure after such a dogged fight. I parted the net in the margin, and it seemed that I had to move quite a lot of mesh to see the fish in full. It just kept growing and growing – I couldn’t believe it – it was monstrous – as deep as it was long – I knew straight away it was over the target weight, miles infront, but how much?!

I let out a cheer of emotion – it seemed that all the hard work in spring had finally paid off – but a fish of this size? It beat any of my expectations for the water, a potential pb was resting in the margin. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me round to a carp angler a few hundred yards away, and before long, we were both admiring her beauty as we hoisted her up onto the zeroed scale. At just under 13lb the needle hovered, and as we held the rueben still, the needle settled on 12lb 14oz. Unbelievable!

A few snaps of both sides in the sunshine before she was back waddling off to where she came from. I was over the moon, and thankful that such a tremendous specimen decided to pay me a visit at the end of my campaign.

I floated around the swim for the rest of the morning, it was surreal, I was absolutely blown away, and somehow managed to steady myself and carry on catching, a spawned out 9lb 10oz showed how fine the line was with catching her at her top weight. Further fish succumbed to the casters, and the last fish was caught with the kit packed with just the rods resting on the grass.

I grinned from ear to ear as I pushed the laden barrow back to the car. It was time to go home now, but thankfully the memories of such a session will stay with me much longer than the journey back to reality will take.

Rod : Shimano Purist Brench 1.75lb
Reel : Shimano 10,000 xtea Baitrunner
Line : 8lb Catana
ESP leadcore fished to a 1.5oz Drennan Blockend Feeder
10lb of Sinklink
Size 14 Drennan barbel hook
2 Drennan Artificial Casters

Jar Of Dynamite Mixed Particle, 2 Jars of Hemp, Bag of 3mm Pellets, Bag of 6mm Pellets, Tin Of Corn, Gallon of Red Maggots and 4 pints of Casters.

5 Top Tench Tips

1.Don’t be afraid to use a small spod to top up the swim when its quiet, or when you’ve had fish. The Tench home in on the dinner bell.
2. If you don’t have confidence in using plastic baits, hair rig those, and nick a couple of real ones on the shank, it also disguises the hook.
3. Keep an eye on the weather and watch the water. If the wind is due to change, it might be worth investing in one of the swims it will blow into.
4. Tape up some of the holes on your feeder. It slows the maggots released and also breaks up the shape of the feeder on the lakebed.
5. If the going gets tough, a micro bag of casters on the hook along with the feeder might induce some action.

41.04 Colne Valley PB Common

2010-02-02T02:02:00.000-08:00

After a couple of blank trips, another barbel trip on the Wye and a few weekend party trips, it was now mid September and if I wanted to catch a new personal best from my Colne Valley Synidicate I had better make it sharpish. By the time I come back from a holiday to Florida with my girlfriend, it would no doubt be November for another chance, when all but the very last of the leaves were left to fall from the trees. By then, I would be looking forward to the Rivers, and the Perch, Chub and Roach trips!

The M25 was as usual not very kind to me on this particular trip. A lorry pile up one side of the tunnel, and massive tailbacks the other way round, the afternoon was spent biting my nails in the office wondering if it could get any worse. I was refreshing the traffic reports and the delays only got bigger. When I did finally arrive, it was nearly getting dark, and someone had jumped in the swim I fancied only moments before I got there. I therefore opted for a swim I had blanked in twice, enclosed in the narrow part of the lake on the basis I could be sorted in next to no time at all without having to use the marker rod. Despite not having any success in the swim before, whilst I was getting organised a couple of fish showed, and now the gruelling day was at last turning for the better.

I spoke too soon, come bite time the next morning, the water was being thrashed to a foam by an angler opposite me, I turned over in the bag and slept through the pain, and when I woke up a couple of hours later, he was still at it! By lunchtime and with his float still being cast inches from my carefully laid traps, enough was enough and I upped sticks and moved into the now vacant swim where I had success from the a few weeks back.

It was rather hot for the middle of September, I worked up a sweat pushing kit round to the other side of the lake, and when I got there, I sat back in the shade and tried to think about how I was going to tackle it this time round. I knew the hot spot where I was going to focus one rod, but the other was pretty much of a mystery to me. The left hand side of the swim is weedy, and I didn’t want to create too much disturbance or have lines going through the other area, so I settled on just flicking out a short way to the edge of a bank of weed close in. Whilst I was cooling myself in the shade, I took the time to tie a fresh rig, consisting of a blow back arrangement on a size 8 Long Shank, with steamed tubing over the eye to exaggerate the flipping over of the rig in the fishes mouth. A 10 inch combi link complimented the rest of the rig, where two inches down from the hook sat a large piece of putty to encourage the hook point to drop down into the bottom of the fishes mouth when sucked up. A 3oz Korda Pear lead fished loosely on a lead clip finished it off nicely.

By late afternoon, the House was up and the traps were set, all sorted nice and early so I could actually relax in the evening and chill out with a beer and radio on. It looked perfect, the gentle breeze was putting a nice chop on the water, and I thought would I have to wait till bite time the next morning as it looked prime for a bite right now!

No action was forth coming, it was very late by the time I drifted off to sleep, I laid there as Carp doing their best to impersonate Hippo’s leaped in the area of my spot. The atmosphere was electric and I could hardly sleep due to the excitement. It seemed like I had only just closed my eyes, when at 4am the rod fished to the plateux signalled a ripping take. Like always, I didn’t waste anytime in striking, and a heavy weight slapped its tail out in the quiet calm night.

It fought forcefully, but without the lead, it seemed to all go to plan, until I realised the fish was closer than I expected when a deep flank of bronze common carp flank spooked off the head torch literally feet from the bank. It caught me off guard, I slackened off the clutch a touch to cater for the lunges under the rod tip just as it decided to kite through my other line. Hastily moving the rod out of harms way, the mess didn’t prove too troublesome, and at full stretch I bundled the fish into the waiting net.

I took a depth breath of relief, and tried to sort out the tangled lines before looking at what I had caught. I reached in to the net to unhook the fish to get the rig out of the way, but firmly lodged in the bottom of the mouth some 2 inches back I struggled to get it out. A great hook hold, that fish was never coming off in a hurry.

With things organised on the bank, I lifted her onto the mat where through the illumination of my head torch admired her beauty as I transferred her into the sling. She looked big, don’t they all, and I couldn’t really guess how big she might go. Maybe a low to mid thirty perhaps, as I quickly lifted the scales to see. With everything zeroed, I watched in amazement as the needle looked like it went past the 40 mark!? Hold on a minute, I lifted again and sure enough it went past the magical number for a second time.

I was in a daze, and thought to myself I needed to sort it out, the Reuben Scales were a fresh purchase for the carping, so I lifted once more slowly, and literally counted it round incase I mis-calculated how many times it went round the dial! So I’d now established that it was either over 40lb or 15lb… and somehow I thought it must be the latter!

Adrenaline set it – I couldn’t believe what was happening! A fish over 40 on the mat? I popped it back in the net and secured it in the margin whilst I tried in vain to wake the angler next to me, so descended on the angler the next swim up. “Phil, can you give us a hand mate?” after some mumbling, I said, “I think I’ve got a 40 mate!” “Ey!?” He shot up and followed me down the bank to where we zeroed the sling again and used the landing net pole to steady the scales on our shoulders as we lifted her again. The dial was facing him, and for what seemed like an age of umming and arghing, I asked him to put me out of my misery. “Hold on – I want to make sure I get this right” he said. I was thinking at this point that it was never a 40, and how stupid I was given his facial expressions and time it took him to read it out. I thought I’d still settle for an upper 30, until he greeted me with “You wont believe this mate…”

“41lb 4oz”.

I cant repeat what I said back, but sure enough that’s what the dials read when he spun them round and when he asked if I was happy with that on the reading, of course I bloody was!!

I was shaking as I got the camera sorted we even managed to wake Leon next door, who could probably sleep through a hurricane, we wouldn’t of wanted him to miss such a spectacular specimen. I’m not used to lifting such big fish, a wet keepnet full of perch is one thing – but this was in a different league.

We got some awesome pictures, and we slid her back to her home, swimming strongly back to the deeps where she had just been extracted from. I was speechless, it was now colder then what I had thought, as I stood there in a soaking wet t shirt and trousers. We all stood there – silly o clock in the morning, just standing there looking out into the lake. All pretty much taken back from the events that just unfolded, but I can assure you, no more surprised than what I was. Never in a million years did I think I’d bag one of the big uns, I don’t have much time and I rarely carp fish, but sure enough I just landed the biggest of the season so far.

Ten minutes passed as I soaked up the atmosphere, then they commented that I might aswell get it back out there and bag another! That was the last thing on my mind, but I wasn’t to look a gift horse in the mouth. No further action came, and whilst I lay there texting most of my phone book, I realised that I didn’t care a jot that whether I had another bleep that morning, or even that there was a 3 hr delay on the route home… I was a very happy man indeed no matter what happened for the rest of that day… or the week for that matter!

Still at it..

2009-07-21T03:02:00.002-07:00

I've been plugging away at the Tinca stocks pretty much since april, and for what i had hoped would have been a great spring - turned into being one of the worst for me targeting Tench. Its been a difficult one, the Carp Anglers are still picking up the odd fish on 20mm boilies, which makes me wonder why the fish can resist a concoction of casters and maggots! The effect of the cold winter has dramatically effected the weed growth, and that in turn has turned the usual crystal clear water murky. The weather has also been up and down - which is where I place my blame. I have tried everything, even boilies but it doesnt seem to be alternating the catch returns too much.

I've stuck to my guns on the whole, and perceived with the usual groundbait and maggot feeder attack that I favour. I did cut down on the amount of feed I fed, and also taped up the feeders to slow down the maggot flow, so I could leave them out for over an hour, instead of recasting every 20mins or so.

I have been catching though overall, inbetween a couple of blanks and the eels i've had a few big 8's and a couple of 9's to 9.10 this season. The double has evaded me so far, and it looks like they are spawning any day yet, but I will continue to target them for another few weeks yet, because the water has thrown some biggun's up during the heat of summer. Who knows - they might get their heads down soon!

I have another water that I am looking forward to fishing, it has big eels, Tench and Carp, so i'm going to spool up my new Shimano 10,000 Xtea's with some 12lb Catana, and see what comes along. Fingers Crossed!

Still at it..

2009-07-21T03:02:00.001-07:00

Its a Start

2009-04-24T08:11:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the delay!

Oh how this time of year for me couldn’t of come around quick enough. No form of angling for me beats Spring Tenching. It’s a very pro active form of angling, with all the finding the spots, baiting up, feeder fishing, watching the lake come alive at dawn… I love it.

My campaign is now underway, and whilst it still is relatively early, it pays to put in the groundwork for when the action really does start to get underway in May. The weed is only just sprouting at best, so the hours spent with the Marker rod and notepad will be worth its weight in gold, because when the weed does take hold you’ll find it very difficult to find the clearer spots to fish into.

I have had a few tench now in a couple sessions, nothing big, yet, but what I have been learning along the way is priceless. When the sun is at its highest the gravel bars will be glowing like beacons, pop the Poloroids on and make a note of all the gravely areas and if possible plumb about to find the depths on the back of them, where the food will collect.

Sufix now do the top selling Matrix Pro braid in a coloured metered version. I’m in the process of spooling up my baby big pits with them, to eliminate any guess work with the yardage of spots when feature finding. And if you pop in on your spod rod too, you can accurately clip up to the hotspots without even having to use the marker on shorter sessions. Many advantages to list but just imagine arriving late on evening into dark, and knowing that you ideally want to be fishing at the bar at 65 yards for the morning spell. Easy enough to walk out the spod on the bank, to the designated distance using the different coloured sections off the reel. The rig can be matched to the exact distance too, so they are both spot on. A few spods delivered out in the dark to the marker on the far bank before bed, and then again at first light, your away and fishing and with hardly any disturbance too. Its little tricks and edges like these can make a difference to your catch rates.

If your new to tenching, and would like to have a dabble whilst its closed season on the rivers, have a look at a series of tactics and techniques I have put together for Carp and Coarse Angling Magazine. Part II is in the shops at the moment, with Part III being printed up at the moment, you’ll hopefully be able to pick up a few pointers to get your started.

The Ultimate Challenge

2008-09-15T04:49:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since i last updated my blog, due to only one legitimate reason, that i had been struggling! As soon as my successful Tench Campaign came to a close when they finished spawning, i moved on to eels. I had spent a few sessions the previous summer in search of the mighty Anguilla Anguilla, but without any joy. I hoped to change that...

I tried my up most to improve on that this time around, ensuring i wasn't distracted by other species that seemed easier to land in the process. I spent a good couple of months on a small mature pit, with some limited history of leviathans been accidently banked by Carp Anglers.

It seemed perfect, as often did the conditions, with warm sticky humid nights, and thunder storms if i was really lucky. Unfortunatley as hard as i tried, it was all in vain. I had 2 small scamps, a 3 and a 3.8 but no true monsters. It seemed that to really be able to contend with the Eel and give them a run for their money, a couple of sessions a week simply was not enough. The weather started to cool, and my chances for a big eel (5+) looked like they had run dry for another season. I wont be defeated though, and i'm sure one day I will succeed. As with any aspect of the unkown, i couldnt simply tell you when that success will come, but im confident it will one day....

Until then i will continue to keep up to date on the awesome captures of Barry McConnell at www.zandavan.co.uk

Top 5 Tench Tips

2008-07-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

1. Be as accurate as you possibly can with both the baiting and your casting. Confining your offerings to a tight area will produce quicker bites.
2. Make your hookbait more attractive than the bed of bait you have laid out there for them. I do it by flavouring the maggots or casters that go on the hook.
3. Prepare to be mobile, if your doing everything right and your not getting bites, you cannot be on the fish. Watch the water like a hawk at dawn and dusk. Tench do reveal themselves, and if you find em, get on em.
4. When the weed is up, use strong tackle. Adequate tackle that can stop a tench in its tracks before it makes for that weedbed will improve your catch rate. I have been using 2lb Drennen Tench Rods and 10lb line.
5. Try to find inconspicuous features, this time of year can the fish can be wary, so locate places where they are more likely to drop there guard. They love weed!

Persistence Pays Off

2008-07-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

I had been absent from the comfort of the bivvy for over 3 weeks now for various reasons, unfortunately, as now was the prime time to be out there catching those hard fighting giants as they feed prior to spawning. This session couldn’t of come quick enough, and I booked a few days off work to make the most of the fishing whilst there was still a chance of a good fish, the tackle and bait had been organised for what seemed like an age.

I barrowed the mountain of kit round to a swim on the lake that I had been targeting this spring. A lovely lake, which resembled an upside down egg box, a rich gin clear weedy pit, with a abundance of natural food- part of the reason why the tench here grew to such sizeable proportions. The weed had really sprouted while I had been gone and through the water I could see gravel patches glowing like beacons in amongst the underwater jungle. All well and good- although I wanted to find some spots that were a little more discreet – where they might feed a little less cautiously. I watched the water for a while to see if the tench would reveal their presence, but nothing was showing, and with the warm wind blowing into my swim, it was out with the marker float to find some spots to lay my traps.

I was looking for a mixture of features where I could present my baits, like light fresh weed growth, edges of gravel bars, plateux’s etc all natural larders that tench frequent. It was a chore with the heavy weed, each cast was painstakingly pulled back through the dense vegetation, the marker came back choked every time. Eventually clear areas were located, and hopefully the fish were lying up in their sanctuary nearby, not too put off with all the commotion. My sleeves were rolled up, and it was off with the lids on an assortment of different buckets, the banquet was about to be laid.

I strongly favour groundbait for Tench, as traditional as it sounds, the mixing bowl is present in many modern tench anglers’ units. Rightly so, tench love rooting around on the bottom and there is no better dinning table than a carpet of fine particles. My mix consisted of what I had confidence in and what they loved, Hemp, Wheat, a Handful of corn and a light scattering of casters. This was bound with Crumb, and a new addition to the blend, some sample groundbait from Teme Severn. It smelt so sweet, adding fizz to the mix, and with a deep red colour when wet, hopefully it would entice any browsers to come down and feed on the concoction.

Rods were cast out to the markers, pin point accuracy with the feed and the end tackle is a must. A foot to the left would land in weed, and a foot too short would be the wrong side of the bar. Pole elastic is tied onto the 10lb Esp Crystal Mainline, and when matched with a prominent feature on the opposing skyline to recast to, you’re in the knowledge of it being bang on. Accuracy is so important with feeder fishing, it can make the difference between a bite and a blank. Why bait an area the size of a tennis court and drop one rig into it? You could be sitting there for days waiting for a bite. Instead I prefer to set a small dining table, 5ft round max, then, when your sample is in the feeding zone, there is a greater chance of a faster pick up, especially if your hookbait is more attractive than the rest of the fodder. I do these by flavouring the maggots that go onto the hook, it gives the tench something to home in on.

It was now a case of sitting back and getting ready for a possible dusk feeding spell, with the warm sun now cooling down, and disappearing behind the distant trees on the horizon. No action was to commence so the next opportunity would be the following morning. Other than early spring, when the feeding spells can come night or day, I’ve never done particularly well at night.

I sat on my bedchair watching the water with a brew, as the mist burnt off in the morning sun. I saw a fish porpoise over my left hand spot, so with action imminent, I awaited the bite, but it wasn’t to be. Still though, with fish in the area I was hopeful of a take, and the morning was spent recasting the rods every 45mins or so, keeping the swim topped up with red maggots.

I waited patiently, and waited, and waited some more. No matter how many changes I made to my set up, I couldn’t buy a bite. Then they decided that they would rather spawn. Typical, I book time off, knowing that the weather hadn’t be nearly warm enough for them to spawn and then they are chasing each other at my feet with anything but feeding on their minds.

With my head in my hands, what was I to do? I couldn’t bare sit here and blank, what a waste of time that would be, even if it was better than being in the office. A few phone calls were made and no one could assist me, the fishing was patchy across the board. There was a lake nearby, deeper than the one I was on, and a visit the other evening to see what it was like, revealed some active tench. There were no two ways about it, although they were not as big, the tench weren’t spawning here and they were evidently feeding too.

I made my way to the new venue, and with not fishing it before, didn’t know what I had infront of me. The carpers said that the weed was sparse and patchy, and with a chance of a bite, forfeited the marker rod and opted for a feeder full of maggots where I had seen activity the night before. A bump down on the cast suggested I was on gravel, so I left it there whilst I assembled my other rods. Before I had that chance, I had a run! I struck into solid resistance, and the thumping on the tip as it took on a inspiring curve suggested that my target species was responsible. A spirited fight commenced and before long, a defeated tench lay beaten in the mesh of my net. What a confidence boost this fish was, and at 7.12 and filling up nicely, it looked like my timing was spot on, on this venue at least.

I was using a modified drennan blocked feeder that was shown to me by a friend. This rig when coupled with a short supple hooklink, is a very effective tangle free arrangement. It acts as a great bolt rig as the fish doesn’t have to move much before the weight of the feeder drives the small hook home. The afternoon heat was intense, but I was excited at the prospect of landing another fish.

The swim was dormant for 2 hours, so now was the ideal time to get some bait out there before dusk. The baiting ritual took place yet again, and the marker rod showed I was fishing down the nearside of a gravel bar, literally inches away from a small weedbeed. I clipped up my rod, and out to the spot went 20 balls of feed. Realistically only a pint or two of actual food, the rest was groundbait that would attract the tench, but not feed them. I didn’t want to over do it, just enough to get a bite. Content with the preparation, I couldn’t wait for the morning. What else was out there in the weed? Only time would tell.

Morning came quickly, so I started to recast the feeders, keeping a steady stream of bait going in. I was perched on my chair scanning the water, when I had a lift on the bobbin and a few bleeps. It looked like an eel bite but reeling in I could see that a small rudd had hung itself on my offering.

A fresh caster was impaled on the hook, and the feeder sailed out to the target on the skyline as the line hit the clip. No sooner had I sat back down the bobbin smacked into the rod butt, and the line started to purr off the spool, this was no rudd! I was on it like a flash, knowing that it would be trying to get back into its weedy lair, and the rod swept round as I piled on the pressure. Initially it felt decent, the bigger ones always keep their distance, forcefully kiting from left to right, with you just hanging on, praying that you’d win the battle. Once it was closer, I slacked off the clutch, knowing that it was still very much still in control, and as expected it took another 10yards of line. I coaxed her towards my sunken net, and as she popped to the surface, first attempt and she was mine. I peered in the net in excitement, wondering how big she would be. It looked awesome in the clear margins, and I let her rest whilst the mat and sling were wet.

I thought she might be a double, but I didn’t want to tempt fate, although my fingers were secretly crossed. I needn’t of worried, she was well over the magical 10 – she was 11lb! I felt privileged to land such an immaculate, well proportioned fighting fit creature. I was over the moon, in the space of a day, my session had been transformed into a belter! My sixth double and my first of the new campaign- RESULT. Throughout the morning I floated about the swim, leisurely cooking some breakfast in amongst catching a steady stream of fish. I packed up when the action died down, content that It was mission accomplished. I ended the session with the beauty at 11, and 6 other specimens, an 8.5, 7.12 and few smaller samples. It all worked out in the end. I hadn’t even got a mile down the road on my departure, yet I was already planning my next trip, where I might be lucky enough to land another. Until then, I’ll have to just think about the beauty of that fish. Get out there yourself while there is still time.

A successful session after work....

2008-05-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

I couldnt make it out this weekend, as i was up in Hinckley at the Barbel Society Conference. www.barbelsociety.com I was there on the Sat for the Social, which as always was a good laugh, depsite not gettin back to the hotel room till 4am the next day. No worries, couple of hours kip then I'm sure I'd feel great representing Teme Severn on the bait stand! The day was a success, it was good to meet and greet all of the Barbel Fishing Community. I slept well when i got in that day!

Anyway, i had to make up for not getting out the Weekend, so Tuesday night after work I found myself ascending on a fairly local, new water for me, in the hope that i might be able to snare a couple of Tinca's before i was back in the office the following morning. I was set up by 8pm, and i decided to fish over a prevalent Bar approximately 50 yards out. I could tell with the weed growth in the margins that it would be abit of a jungle out there in the depths of the pit, so I decided to bait two spots over the one feature, about 30 yards apart. One spot was shallower than the other so my eggs weren't totally in the same basket, and fish were rolling in the vicinity so i was confident of a bite.

I deposited around 8 or so spods over each spot, made up of the usual mix, consisting off Hemp, Wheat, Corn and Groundbait. This was T7 CBT Method mix www.teme-severn.co.uk, mixed quite sparingly which not only worked as a good attractant but also reduced the spod spill when baiting up. Im usually quite reluctant to make the intial baiting too attractive, in the theory that if i could make my hookbait more attractive than the loose feed, then Tench would home in on it quicker. As i was baiting tightly and lightly, i also added a good sprinkling of Mini Mix pellets. I would only be fishing till about 7am, so i decided that a baiting strategy that would bring the fish in, but not feed them would be beneficial as i was only fishing for a bite.

On one rod i fished a Maggot Feeder heli rig, with a short popped up hooklink. The maggots were flavoured with a new fruity additive and i was satisfied that if a tench moved in, it would take a fancy to the menu on offer. On the right hand rod, a method ball made up of the same groundbait as the spod mix, crashed in. Hookbait here was 2 bits of artificial corn on a short hooklenth. Everything was organised, and all i had to do now was sit back and wait.

The night passed uneventfully, not surprisingly i might add given that Tench are not notorious for being heavy night feeders. The chorus indicated the dawn of a new day, and a Bite alarm signalled the interest of a fish too- my left hand rod started to rip off!! Excellent i thought as i bent into the fish, there is nothing like catching from a new water, and i was overjoyed that being tired in work the day ahead of me, was being rewarded. A Tench of 7.12 scrapped all the way to the net, and soon after releasing her, a fresh feeder full of maggots went straight back out on the spot. The fish was mint, dark colours and lovely proportions, a very welcome customer indeed. The method rod was next away, another screaming run which left me intially thinking a carp could be responsible, but after a brief scrappy fight in the deep margins, tench number 2 was on the mat. Abit smaller this time at 6lb, but welcome all the same, i wasted no time in recasting to see if any of her friends were milling over the feed. I looked at the watch, it was only 5.25am, the sun was peeping through the trees, and a warm breeze blew into my swim. Ah to have the day off, i would not complain if i had the spend the day in the proximity of such plesant surroundings.

The bobbin on the left rod dropped a couple of inches, then literally smacked up into the butt, and the baitrunner sung its tune, i couldn't believe that another tench was on! This fish initially felt a better sample as it kited about 20 yards to the left along the bar, fighting as if its life depending on it, as it tried to make sanctury in a hefty weedbed. I made sure that i would win the battle, and the 2lb Drennan Distance rod proved its worth as i piled on the pressure.... It started edging back towards me, blinkered by the weed covering its face. It was not far from the net now, but luckily against its will, it was engulfed into the waiting mesh and he was mine. A big chunky male laid defeated in the margins, as i dampened the weigh sling ready to see how big it was. It looked 8+ and the avons confirmed it- 8lb 2oz. What a success this opportunistic session was turning out to be, anything action i would of been grateful of, but to have 3 to over 8lb, well i just didnt think it would happen. Realisticlly i could of stayed till about 7.30, but given that i had caught, i slowly started to dismantle the shelter and start packing up earlier than expected. The barrow was loaded, and all that was left to sort was 2 rods and a smelly slimey net.

Watching the water showed that their were many active tench still in presence, in some cases leaping clear out of the water, already i was looking forward to my next session. One more fish decided to pay me a visit before i departed the tranquil setting, and a twitchy take was struck and the rod yet again took on spirited curve.... it felt heavy, and although it didnt put up the scrap like the male did, it didn't want to give in easily! With such clear water, its awesome watching the fish burrowing into the weed and surging under the rod tip. It makes the fight hairy too, because when you see its a decent fish, the last thing you want to do, is lose it. I mainted the pressure as much as she did, but i need not of worried, as i had now beaten tench number 4. This was clearly the biggest, a lovely plump female of 8lb 6oz. What a perfect end to a eventful morning, and i reluctantly packed the rods away, departing a swim where i would of almost certainly filled by boots if i could of stayed till lunchtime. Oh well..... i'll be back next week!!

Tench Campaign Gets Underway! Part II

2008-05-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Following on from my last post, i was awoken by my alarm at 4.30am, it didnt even feel like i had been asleep, but i promtly put the kettle on and tried to wake myself up. I was able to watch the water from the comfort of my bag, and there wasnt really much going on out there, in the way of fish activity. Nether the less, i was confident the tench wouldnt be far way, so i put fresh baits on each rod, and swapped the corn for maggots and casters in the hope that the eels would no longer be active.

After around 15 or so minutes after recasting, the middle rod fished over the gravel patch signalled some interest. The bobbin lifted a inch or so, then dropped a couple of inches.... no line was taken from the baitrunner- i was using light bobbins so presumed it was a linebite. Then a few seconds later, the bobbin rose again, and stayed tight. I was out of the bag and on it in a flash, and i soon realised that an eel was the culprit. They seem to give a jag jag on the rod top, then ease off.... then jag jag. I couldnt believe how much trouble i had been experiencing with the eels in the Daylight! I dread to think how many i would have if i left the maggots out at night! Due to the short hooklink bolt rigged maggot feeder, it was hooked in the bottom lip, so was easily released without harm to him, or my landing net and rig!

Anyway.... i preceded to recast the rods every hour or so, leaving them out a fraction longer than the previous session as i thought it might take the tench a little while longer to find my hookbait amongst the free offerings. After several more brews my left hand rod fished out to the bar ripped off! I knew this was no eel from the take, and my new Drennan Distance Tench Rod was nicely bent into what appeared to be a decent fish. At last, all the baiting and waiting seemed to be paying off, and when i could see it powering away under the rod tip, just the size of its tail in the clear water confirmed what i had been hoping. It was soon engulfed in my net, and left to rest in the margin whilst i wet my sling and unhooking mat.

It was a pristine specimen, and at 8.8 was very welcome too. It appeared as though the warm spell we have been enjoying had encouraged the tench to not only feed, but to fill out too, as although it wasn't really fat, it was nice and plump. A couple of snaps then it was released to the depths, and it felt like it was all fitting into place.

For some reason though, for one i cant explain, the other piece to the jigsaw didn't fit into place, and that was the one and only tench of the session. Eel after eel showed, and despite topping up the swims early evening the action nether materialised on the Sunday morning/ afternoon spell either. The wind was blowing into the opposite bay on the other side of the lake, and although the carp were chasing themselves up and down the margins there, i had a feeling i had made a bad swim choice. I will be more conscious of where the wind blows on my next session, if there is room for me in amongst the carpers that is....

All in all though, alot was learnt in my weekend session, and i'll be able to put it all into practise again very soon. Highlights were obviously the nice Tench, and must mention the BBQ we had in the Evening. Chicken Kebabs, King Prawns, Sausages, Burgers, Salad etc etc.... who said fishing was dull?!

Tench Campaign Gets Underway!

2008-05-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

After what felt like a somewhat prolonged Winter, it was soon time to get the tench tackle sorted for when the conditions looked prosperous. This seemed to go on for weeks, but then i couldn't wait any longer and it was time to get out.

This weekend was my 4th session this spring, a vast comparison to the salopettes and quilted jacked i was forced to wear just a few weeks ago. So far it handn't been so bad, more of a learning curve getting to know the ins and outs of a new water for me. Over the last few weeks, I've had an 8, a couple of 7's and a few 6's. It definitely helps getting a few fish under your belt, especially seeing that in a month or so's time there could be a few doubles swimming about (fingers crossed).

My session started on the Friday after work, as usual, and their were clearly already a few anglers about, I expected it to be a busy weekend given the favourable forecast.

I will go into more detail in my Tench approach over the coming weeks, but for now i had 3 spots marked out, all at different depths to different features out infront of my swim. Gravel patches, marginal shelves and Bars, would all hoepfully be frequented by a tench or two throughout the course of the session.

Each spot was baited differently, the marginal shelf with a dozen balls of grounbait, the gravel patch with 50 balls of feed, and the gravel bar with around 3 pints of feed deposited with the spod. Groundbait was up of crumb, layers mash, wheat, hemp, corn and a good glug of molasses: Hopefully irresistible to our little green friends.

I felt that this approach covered pretty much all options, with a moderate baiting on 2 spots, and a fair bit of bait on the other.

The groundbait was catapulted out as accuratley as possible, and at the very least i would like it landing within a 5ft radius of the marker float, not easy with a cross wind!! With the bait on all spots put out nicley and rigs clipped up, i settled in for the night. Stove on and Annie Mac on the Radio, i was excited at the prospect of waking up at dawn to see the tell tale signs of some feeding Tench...

Drennan Cup Dream Becomes Reality!

2008-05-06T09:30:00.000-07:00

I have always looked up to the Drennan Cup Competition run by Drennan, in the Angling Times. Truly great specimens are awarded weekly, and any one of them prized captures is enough to wet anyone's appetite. Two years ago i won my first weekly award for a 3lb 15oz Crucian from a Surrey Estate lake. I had never imagined two seasons down the line that i would be voted and crowned Drennan Cup Champion for 2007/2008!

What an awesome feeling it is to have my name engraved on the trophy along with the Likes of Alan Wilson, Terry Lampard, Ritchie Mc Donald, Terry Hearn, Matt Hayes and Dave Harman amongst many many others!

Luckily, I had one of them seasons where everything seemed to fall into place in good time. One double figure tench became 5, and a new Pb Crucian came in the shape of a 4lb 1oz specimen. By now, in June, i had 4 weekly weeks under my belt, so i targeted Bream in the hope that i might be able to notch up a fifth. Around 6 sessions later, my tally was 20 doubles to 15lb 10oz. When they get to that size, they really are worth Catching. I upped my Barbel pb to 16lb 9oz and my Perch to a fraction under the magical 4lb mark at 3lb 13oz. Thats a pb for next winter!

I struggled with the Chub, one species that let me down that i thought i could rely on. I couldn't of really expected to just turn up and have a '7', given that i had been absent on the stretch all summer, where i had been up and around the country targeting still water. The close season came and went, and i thought that my campaign had come to an end. Much to my surprise, not for the first time this season i can assure you, i had another moment where i felt that someone must of been looking down on me. I scooped up, 15 minutes into my first session targetting them, a fish of a lifetime. A mint 32lb Pike!

The contenders were named, and the votes were cast. I thought that the 4 or so weeks waiting for the submissions lasted an age, and there was some stiff competition from some exceptional anglers. The wait came to and end and i finally got the Call from Steve at the AT, I had won! If the anticipation had gone on any longer, i am fairly sure you would have seen me with a bald patch in the shots collecting the Trophy from the man himself, Peter Drennan!

Meeting Peter Drennan at the headquarters in Oxford was such a great day. He was more than you could of hoped for, a genuine gentleman who made me feel very welcome. Some of the cased fish tell some great stories, and if anyone is lucky enough to meet him, im sure he has a tale or two to tell you too.

Thats when the dream became relality, lifting that Trophy in Oxford that day. An event i will never forget. Thank You Peter and everyone at Drennan and the Angling Times, and also everyone who voted for me. I can you tell you now that im still smiling!