10th to 11th April and a load of tench
Having gone 4 days of not so good tench fishing at Horseshoe I decided to try one of my easier waters. Primarily to see how things were because I was taking Tyler fishing the following day. What I didn't want to do was to blank. This is not good for a 10 year old guy. My first day turned out to →
Horseshoe again! But success!
Well here I was one week later on Horseshoe. The temperatures were up and down all week and as I arrived I didn't feel too confident. I fished a good swim where I've caught before. Now as I set up I had a friend Graham call me on the phone from across the lake he was fishing for carp and I →
Perching on a commercial
Andy phoned me to ask if I wanted to fish for perch close to him on a commercial fishery. I'm unsure why they are called commercial, as all fisheries are commercial in that they are run for profit and at a cost. So with a spare Friday we headed off to fish there. There are a couple of key places →
Well here we go the first Tench trip of the season
As most of you know I prefer to spend my tench fishing on Horseshoe lake at Leachlade. I will be spending sometime there again this year. Now for those of you who don't know last year they had a terrible fish kill (carp) on the water. All sorts of experts were call in to find the source of the problem →
Vince Williams and a great week in fishing
I first met Vince and his lad Dan when fishing at Newlands lake near Oxford for tench about 3 years ago. Both are very good anglers and have caught some good fish. Well Vince has just had a very good weeks fishing. First I was with him on Monday last week when he caught a pb rudd of 2lbs 11oz. Then he told →
Willow Pool March 19th and 20th
The pool had been fishing very well over the previous few days with a few of those big roach showing. Still not in the numbers of last year. Rob, Mike, Vince and myself had been keeping each other informed on catches, times and swims etc. It still wasn't easy fishing. On getting up at 4.30am on Monday morning saw me driving up →
12th and 13th March Willow pool and 3lbs 3oz roach
There are 3 days left to fish running water before the season ends. I've looked back through my last two diaries and noticed that on each occasion I've tried to fish Throop and found it very difficult. It's no the conditions but the number of people who descend on the fishery. People are queuing to get to swims early in →
7th and 8th March D.Stour and H.Avon and a few chub
Well after the rain on Sunday I decided to fish the Stour and H.Avon on Weds and Thursday hoping that the water level would lower plus the colour drop out. A call to Brian the bailiff the day before concluded that there was still plenty of colour on the river and not much being caught. I still decided to fish the Stour →
Monday 4th March Bristol Avon
After the rain of Sunday where we had a welcomed 12mm but no where near enough to help us out for the spring and summer. I looked at the river after the rain on Sunday and it hadn't risen much and was quite clear. So I was shocked to find a very coloured river when arriving for a short afternoon session. →
Thursday March 1st Bristol Avon and plenty of chub
Having just returned from a holiday in Mexico where the temperatures were 28c it wasn't so bad to go fishing today at a warm and pleasant 13c. A trip to Keynsham Angling centre and two pints of red maggots I was ready for a short afternoon session on the river. We had no appreciable rain over the last two weeks →
Thursday 9th February Bristol Avon
Well I should be fishing in the surf on the beach in Cape Verde today, however after two days somewhere in the Midlands hanging around waiting for the green light for the flight the holiday has been cancelled. Sand Storms from Africa has caused the problems. Oh Bugger. Wasting little time I decided to fish the Bristol Avon. I phoned my mate Steve →
Weds 1st February, day two on the D.Stour and H.Avon, and three 6lb chub
The night was not as cold as I expected. I woke to -0.5c and clear skies. Well I woke at 6.45am then the next thing it was 7.15am and time to see Martine for some maggots. Later after a new batch of 6 pints I was off down to the Stour again. My thoughts were to fish the Stour in →
Tuesday 31st January D.Stour and two 6lb chub
The plan was to fish for two days this week however the forecast was for sub-zero temperatures. As I set off down the Bristol, Wylye then the H.Avon valley the outside temperatures read -3c on the car display. I pulled into the car park where I met Mike another angler who was down for the day. He doesn't fish it too →
Wednesday 25th January Throop, loads of chub!
Well after another good nights sleep in Ringwood I was around to see Martine in Avon Angling to pick up another 6 pints of red maggots. I had decided to try the Throop beat two stretch again today. The weather was a perfect overcast and dull with little wind. I decide to fish one of the swims I fished last week. Being →
Tuesday 24th January Hampshire Avon a 6lbs 6oz chub
I feel terrible about not fishing Willow lake for those huge roach but the chub fishing conditions have been perfect on the D.Stour and H.Avon for the last month. Low clear. I have a saying in winter"low and clear chub are here, up and brown the barbel are around". Well it's been low and clear now for weeks which is most unusual. At →
Sunday 22nd January Upper Bristol Avon with David
I had guided David on several occasions in the past mainly during the summer. He had caught tench over 6lbs and a barbel over 8lbs on his last visits and now wanted to catch some chub. The stretch I was taking him to doesn't hold huge fish but can produce them over 5lbs. Just a mile or so downstream there →
Friday 20th January Bristol Avon
I've been thinking for quite sometime about fishing for the chub on the lower Bristol Avon. Earlier in the week I walked a section which does hold some good fish. Last year a 6lbs 14oz chub was caught in a match so I do know that they are there. With the river being low and clear it's perfect time to catch →
Tuesday 17th January Dorset Stour and some great chub fishing
I was still planning for my campaign to Willow lake in Oxfordshire in search of those gigantic roach that live there. However some feedback was proving that they haven't started to feed properly just yet. With the conditions being just spot on for the chub on the Dorset Stour it was here that I decided to head. The summer river flows had →
Wednesday 18th January D.Stour and more big chub
Some people would find it strange but I enjoy sleeping in the wide boy bed chair in the back of the car. I just crack the window open to allow a good feed of air. I put the radio on and listen to radio 4 for a while, in fact one hour as the radio is on a timer. I set →
Wednesday 11th Jan Hampshire Avon, 5lb plus chub and missed opportunities
I set my alarm at 6.45am which would give me sufficient time to sort myself out before taking the short journey to Bournmouth and the D.Stour. I was soon up and ready to get fresh supplies of maggots from Avon Angling in Ringwood. I get there at 7.10am and Martine hasn't arrived just yet to open up. Soon though she arrives and →
Tuesday 10th Jan Dorset Stour and 6lbs 9oz chub
I had my chances to travel to Oxfordshire to fish Willow lake for a couple of days for the roach, however with reports coming back from two friends that 2 or 3 days each and no bites gave me a hint that I should be traveling south to the D. Stour and the H.Avon. The rains of the last week →
Friday 6th January Bristol Avon perfect barbel conditions
The rain from Tuesday had pushed the river very high and cleared the debris of the last 11 months. I arrived at 8am just as the sun was rising. There was a very slight frost clinging onto vegetation in certain area's of the fields but not enough to spoil the fishing I'm sure. On arriving at the swim things looked perfect. →
3rd January 2012 Bristol Avon Happy New Year
Happy New year to all who read this. Let your rods catch you plenty of big fish this year. Having be moaned the fact that the river hadn't had a flush through since last February I was woken last night with the rain pounding on the bedroom window. The storm raged for what seemed ages but at 11am the rain stopped →
29th December Bristol Avon chubbing
I just can't believe that this is the first time out for weeks. The Xmas period has been one of many emergencies or another, travelling up and down from Bath to Taunton with Dad in hospital plus all the normal associated things with looking after Mum and then the festive season parties. I've also had man flu which has laid me →