Wednesday dawned cold and foggy in Nottingham and at just after five am its was dark too. Into the car, carefull not to wake the dog on the way out, and drive two and a half hours down the M1 to Willow Lakes near Hatfield. I was planning to be there by dawn but due to traffic I actually saw the sun rising on the motorway. It was 7.30 by the time I arrived and reached the swim and found my good friend Pete Rutledge waiting for me. Willow Lake is a gravel pit and has a very good head of carp along with most other species but it is the carp that seem to attract most of the attention. carp from a few pounds to well over 30lbs are to be found along with some very large uncaught fish.
Although the sun was shining strongly there was a thick frost on the ground. PVA bags are a well tried method so my first rod was set up on a bolt rig in a PVA bag filled with broken boilies and koi pellets and chucked just short of a gravel bar. The second rod I decided to try something a bit different and used a stringer with loose boilies pulted around it. Pete arrived with a cup of tea as I was tackling up the second rod just in time to see the first rod scream away. A mirror of about 10lbs put up a good fight before sliding into the net. 'Hmm' I thought 'this could be an interesting day!'.
Finally both rods in the water and it was time to time to catch my breath. Not for long though as about 10 minutes later Pete was in and landed a common of about the same size. 'Hmm, a very interesting day! Wonder if we have enough bait?'. About thirty minutes later I was in again and another small mirror graced the net, now I knew we didnt have enough bait for this pace.
And then it stopped, not even nine am, three fish on the bank and it all went quiet! Pete managed another two small fish in the afternoon and we both landed a couple of bream but that was that.Dusk was going to be the time to catch we decided, but come the failing light our indicators barely twitched.
I fished the venue in early february in the cold and it fished better. Pete informed me that he and his nephew Jimmy fished it the week before in a blizard and it fished better. So what went wrong? Also I only managed one twitch all day on my stringer rod, how come PVA bags of smaller feed was more successfull than 4 or 5 boilies on a stringer with another dozen in a loose area? Anyone have any ideas?
On a different theme, I was using my new bite indicators,FOX mk2 swingers, and must say they are excelent but more of them later.
I will be back to Willow lakes and very soon because I do know the fish very well on most sesions...... just not last wednesday!
Saturday 31 March 2007
Monday 26 March 2007
Items For Sale
To advertise any items for sale for free email your details and a brief description to catchemall@hotmail.co.uk and I'll post them as soon as I can. Items will stay on the board for 8 weeks and can then be resubmitted. Thanks.
Saturday 24 March 2007
Clothing
With the winter still fresh in my mind and some cold wet sesions still a vivid memory I thought I might share some rambling opinions on keeping warm and dry. Firstly let me explain where my experience comes from. After leaving colege I joined the army and one of several postings saw me working and training in Norway during the winter, my next posting took me to Bosnia over winter too, how lucky is that!!!! On leaving the forces I was drawn into the world of comercial diver. So as you can see I've made a living from being cold and wet and feel reasonably well placed to talk about it.
Lets start off with some basics.
1. Clothing works by trapping air within its fibres and allowing our body heat to warm it up. Different clothing has different jobs, a base layer traps a small amount of air very close to the skin, thermal layers (often made from fleece) trap more air within them, windproof out garments prevent our warm air being displaced by wind and finally waterproofs do exactly as they describe and keep the rain out.
2. Affects from the elements depend on three factors COLD, WET and WIND. Any two of these conditions can really cause us trouble, therefore if we can excluded them from our person then we stay warm and dry.
Whilst traing for winter in Norway the main rule for clothing was to dress loosly and in layers, in this way we trap lots of air to be warmed and the layer system means we can add or remove layers as conditions dictate. The army has even adopted the system accross the board with what they call their 'onion skin' design in their '95 kit. The other thing to remember is to avoid tight boots.
Clothing can be bought from lots of outlets depending on your budget.
Army surplus shops have everything you will ever need and cheap too.
Tackle shops and mail oder companies sell a good selection of clothing.
Walking and climbing outlets sell some excelent though pricey gear.
And finally, diving shops do a great range in thermal under suits.
Just put all this into perspective let me give you an idea what I'd be dressed up in on the worst possible day. First on is a long sleeved vest, on top of that is a T shirt (extra layer around torso without adding bulk to arms), a jumper (ussually fleece), fleece jacket, army issue windproof artic smock and finally if nescesary a set of army issue waterproofs. If its really cold a pair of Ron Hill running bottoms can go under my combat trousers. This selection is topped off with a good fleece hat, gloves of your choice and boots to suit the ground.
The beauty of this system is that layers can be removed to match temperature and weather conditions or inside a bivvy or behind a brolly etc.
If you decide to go the army surplus route for waterproofs there are three main choices; goretex, waterproofs with a black coating inside and then those with a thicker clear coating inside. Incidently, that is the order in which I would choose them too.
Most of my gear is army surplus because is very good and well priced. Better clothing is available from walking and climbing shops but the prices start to rise very steeply. I would recomend steering clear of thick undersuits for all but the worst weather but if you decide you want one try one the many diving shops for a different angle (mine is an Arctic 2 piece from Fourth Element and its brilliant but far from cheap) Northern Diver would be a good place to start.
So there it is my ramblings almost complete! Dress in several thin loose layers instead of one thick one and keep your head and hands covered whenever possible. Try to avoid overheating while carrying all your gear to your peg too. Finally my favourite piece of clothing is an arabic type of scarf called a Shamagh, warm and versatile. If anyone has any queries or comments then please post them in the comments section. Roll on summer!
Stay warm and dry!
Lets start off with some basics.
1. Clothing works by trapping air within its fibres and allowing our body heat to warm it up. Different clothing has different jobs, a base layer traps a small amount of air very close to the skin, thermal layers (often made from fleece) trap more air within them, windproof out garments prevent our warm air being displaced by wind and finally waterproofs do exactly as they describe and keep the rain out.
2. Affects from the elements depend on three factors COLD, WET and WIND. Any two of these conditions can really cause us trouble, therefore if we can excluded them from our person then we stay warm and dry.
Whilst traing for winter in Norway the main rule for clothing was to dress loosly and in layers, in this way we trap lots of air to be warmed and the layer system means we can add or remove layers as conditions dictate. The army has even adopted the system accross the board with what they call their 'onion skin' design in their '95 kit. The other thing to remember is to avoid tight boots.
Clothing can be bought from lots of outlets depending on your budget.
Army surplus shops have everything you will ever need and cheap too.
Tackle shops and mail oder companies sell a good selection of clothing.
Walking and climbing outlets sell some excelent though pricey gear.
And finally, diving shops do a great range in thermal under suits.
Just put all this into perspective let me give you an idea what I'd be dressed up in on the worst possible day. First on is a long sleeved vest, on top of that is a T shirt (extra layer around torso without adding bulk to arms), a jumper (ussually fleece), fleece jacket, army issue windproof artic smock and finally if nescesary a set of army issue waterproofs. If its really cold a pair of Ron Hill running bottoms can go under my combat trousers. This selection is topped off with a good fleece hat, gloves of your choice and boots to suit the ground.
The beauty of this system is that layers can be removed to match temperature and weather conditions or inside a bivvy or behind a brolly etc.
If you decide to go the army surplus route for waterproofs there are three main choices; goretex, waterproofs with a black coating inside and then those with a thicker clear coating inside. Incidently, that is the order in which I would choose them too.
Most of my gear is army surplus because is very good and well priced. Better clothing is available from walking and climbing shops but the prices start to rise very steeply. I would recomend steering clear of thick undersuits for all but the worst weather but if you decide you want one try one the many diving shops for a different angle (mine is an Arctic 2 piece from Fourth Element and its brilliant but far from cheap) Northern Diver would be a good place to start.
So there it is my ramblings almost complete! Dress in several thin loose layers instead of one thick one and keep your head and hands covered whenever possible. Try to avoid overheating while carrying all your gear to your peg too. Finally my favourite piece of clothing is an arabic type of scarf called a Shamagh, warm and versatile. If anyone has any queries or comments then please post them in the comments section. Roll on summer!
Stay warm and dry!
Wednesday 21 March 2007
Farlows
As I expected work did take me south again as it ussually does, hence my absence for 10 days. The thing I didnt expect was that my day off changed from wednesday to thursday or in other words the last day of the season to the first day of the close season! So the intended trip to the Thames fishing for pike was off but where was I going to go?
My work is usually in Uxbridge and a quick look through the Yellow Pages brought me the answer, Farlows Lakes near Iver which is litereally 10 minutes drive away. Even better than the proximity they even have a shop on site with all the bait you could ever want and free advice and inside information too.
By 10 o'clock I was set up in the top corner of the motorway bank well away from everyone else and baited up with Dynamite Baits 'Spicy shrimp and Prawn' boilies. Because of the presure these fish receive I opted for a running lead with a 14 inch hook length and size 8 hook. An island ran diagonally in front of me about 30 to 40 m out and as recomended the 2 baits were cast reasonably tight against this feature. Again because of the presure I avoided PVA bags and pulted 15 to 20 boiles and some loose Koi pelets around each bait. The other reason for avoiding PVA bags was that I knew with my rusty casting and the accuracy needed I'd probably need 3 or 4 attempts to get the baits in the right spot.
By 2 pm I was begining to loose a bit of faith when off went the right hand rod and I pulled nicely into a fish. All seemed to go too well untill the fish arrived under the rod tip and seemed at last to wake up and plunged around on a short line for a few minutes. Finely with a sigh of relief i slipped the net under a well conditioned mirror carp that pulled the scales around to 13lb 2 oz. Not a massive fish by any standards but my biggest for a very very long time.
That was to be my only action for the day, because the gates get locked at 6 I had to pack up early before dusk to avoid being locked in.
The attached picture is the carp of the day, my question is though, how can you take good photos when on your own which give a sense of scale? Anyone have any ideas?
Next week sees me off again and with any luck my good friend Pete will be meeting up with me at Willow lakes inHertfordshire. Fingers crossed, be lucky.
My work is usually in Uxbridge and a quick look through the Yellow Pages brought me the answer, Farlows Lakes near Iver which is litereally 10 minutes drive away. Even better than the proximity they even have a shop on site with all the bait you could ever want and free advice and inside information too.
By 10 o'clock I was set up in the top corner of the motorway bank well away from everyone else and baited up with Dynamite Baits 'Spicy shrimp and Prawn' boilies. Because of the presure these fish receive I opted for a running lead with a 14 inch hook length and size 8 hook. An island ran diagonally in front of me about 30 to 40 m out and as recomended the 2 baits were cast reasonably tight against this feature. Again because of the presure I avoided PVA bags and pulted 15 to 20 boiles and some loose Koi pelets around each bait. The other reason for avoiding PVA bags was that I knew with my rusty casting and the accuracy needed I'd probably need 3 or 4 attempts to get the baits in the right spot.
By 2 pm I was begining to loose a bit of faith when off went the right hand rod and I pulled nicely into a fish. All seemed to go too well untill the fish arrived under the rod tip and seemed at last to wake up and plunged around on a short line for a few minutes. Finely with a sigh of relief i slipped the net under a well conditioned mirror carp that pulled the scales around to 13lb 2 oz. Not a massive fish by any standards but my biggest for a very very long time.
That was to be my only action for the day, because the gates get locked at 6 I had to pack up early before dusk to avoid being locked in.
The attached picture is the carp of the day, my question is though, how can you take good photos when on your own which give a sense of scale? Anyone have any ideas?
Next week sees me off again and with any luck my good friend Pete will be meeting up with me at Willow lakes inHertfordshire. Fingers crossed, be lucky.
Friday 9 March 2007
Return
As the forcast predicted it was indeed cold and windy for my first trip back to the reservoir where I really started fishing. What surprised me most was the excitement I felt as I drove up the track.
Things hadn't changed much though there were more trees and overhanging bushes than there had been on my last trip, that was more than 15 years ago. I chose a swim out of the wind and was pleasantly surprised by how warm it was in the sun. My original plan was to fish only a float rod for roach and perch but on seeing the old place I couldnt resist putting a carp rod down the margin. Throughout the day there were several dips and lifts on the wagler but nothing to call a solid bite, a blank was definitely on for my first trip back. With only an hour or two to go I made an effort and dropped to a size 22 hook and dotted the float right down, this resulted almost imeadiately in a bite. Relief! A small roach was swung to hand followed by 2 more which manage to shed the hook and a few that didnt. Then the perch seemed to move in amongst the roach but not one was over 4 inches long. It also appeared that the bites came within a few minutes of being cast.
So the lessons learnt today? Well when its quiet it definitely pays to keep busy and go fine with the tackle with regular recasting. I also learnt that all the carp lads are fishing boilies on stringers with no sign of any particles .................. that'll be 10 kilos of black eyed beans then please! I reckon that doing something completely different on the bait front will pay off.
Apparently theres some good perch in the water too but no one seems to target them so that'll be another trip.
Work is taking me south for a week or two, I might just scrape a day piking on the Thames at Chertsey before the curtain goes down on this season but I'll let you know!
Things hadn't changed much though there were more trees and overhanging bushes than there had been on my last trip, that was more than 15 years ago. I chose a swim out of the wind and was pleasantly surprised by how warm it was in the sun. My original plan was to fish only a float rod for roach and perch but on seeing the old place I couldnt resist putting a carp rod down the margin. Throughout the day there were several dips and lifts on the wagler but nothing to call a solid bite, a blank was definitely on for my first trip back. With only an hour or two to go I made an effort and dropped to a size 22 hook and dotted the float right down, this resulted almost imeadiately in a bite. Relief! A small roach was swung to hand followed by 2 more which manage to shed the hook and a few that didnt. Then the perch seemed to move in amongst the roach but not one was over 4 inches long. It also appeared that the bites came within a few minutes of being cast.
So the lessons learnt today? Well when its quiet it definitely pays to keep busy and go fine with the tackle with regular recasting. I also learnt that all the carp lads are fishing boilies on stringers with no sign of any particles .................. that'll be 10 kilos of black eyed beans then please! I reckon that doing something completely different on the bait front will pay off.
Apparently theres some good perch in the water too but no one seems to target them so that'll be another trip.
Work is taking me south for a week or two, I might just scrape a day piking on the Thames at Chertsey before the curtain goes down on this season but I'll let you know!
Thursday 8 March 2007
A Journey Into Angling
This should maybe titled 'A Journey Back Into Angling' as I've recently rediscovered my passion for fishing, a sport I effectively left 17 or 18 years ago. I cant really say why I stopped fishing but I suppose it mainly had to do with the end of my teenage years and joining the army meant that I was no longer at home with my gear. Does that sound familiar? Like most lapsed anglers, though, I never stopped looking and wondering every time I passed a pond, lake or river. I was never the greatest angler so hopefully this time around will be more successfull.
So here I am again! Having started up a few months ago I'm still using the gear I owned when I stopped though I have bought some new stuff over the last few months my old Conoflex glass fibre rods and Ryobi reels are still in evidence. Its a strange thing to say but after all these years away things have completely changed and at the same time stayed exactly the same. Bolt rigs are still the order of the day and used unquestioningly, pike rigs are identical and maggots still catch almost everything.
I've had a few sesions over the winter with enough fish to keep me happy mainly on the Trent where I took a few pike including a personal best 18lb fish on a sardine. The rivers have been very full this winter making fishing them a bit hit and miss. I fished a late afternoon sesion on the Trent, the steps section just upstream of Trent Bridge in Nottingham, I spent hours trotting a single maggot under a stick float trying in vain to catch anything at all from a river flowing about 5 to 6 foot above normal. I would have been happy with anything of any size that afternoon, my one and only bite resulted in a heavy slow dogged fight which plodded around for 5 minutes or so before I slipped the net under 5lb 8oz chub. I was nervous to say the least with a size 18 hook on a 1lb 10oz bottom!
I'm off to a local reservoir tomorow but the weater isnt lookin very good, cold and windy. It holds a special place in my memories as its where I spent most of my spare time as a kid and where I did most of my carping. Its only 3 1/2 acres and esentialy a square concrete hole in the ground! Roach, bream and perch are my target tomorow but I'll be back for the carp later.
I hope to use this space for you to answer my queries and maybe to post some of yours to get answered too. I also hope to be able to write up on new bits and pieces I buy and post a list of tackle and bait supliers and venues.
So here I am again! Having started up a few months ago I'm still using the gear I owned when I stopped though I have bought some new stuff over the last few months my old Conoflex glass fibre rods and Ryobi reels are still in evidence. Its a strange thing to say but after all these years away things have completely changed and at the same time stayed exactly the same. Bolt rigs are still the order of the day and used unquestioningly, pike rigs are identical and maggots still catch almost everything.
I've had a few sesions over the winter with enough fish to keep me happy mainly on the Trent where I took a few pike including a personal best 18lb fish on a sardine. The rivers have been very full this winter making fishing them a bit hit and miss. I fished a late afternoon sesion on the Trent, the steps section just upstream of Trent Bridge in Nottingham, I spent hours trotting a single maggot under a stick float trying in vain to catch anything at all from a river flowing about 5 to 6 foot above normal. I would have been happy with anything of any size that afternoon, my one and only bite resulted in a heavy slow dogged fight which plodded around for 5 minutes or so before I slipped the net under 5lb 8oz chub. I was nervous to say the least with a size 18 hook on a 1lb 10oz bottom!
I'm off to a local reservoir tomorow but the weater isnt lookin very good, cold and windy. It holds a special place in my memories as its where I spent most of my spare time as a kid and where I did most of my carping. Its only 3 1/2 acres and esentialy a square concrete hole in the ground! Roach, bream and perch are my target tomorow but I'll be back for the carp later.
I hope to use this space for you to answer my queries and maybe to post some of yours to get answered too. I also hope to be able to write up on new bits and pieces I buy and post a list of tackle and bait supliers and venues.
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