Short & Sweet

Short and Sweet!

Well with literary a few hours to kill, I decided to head up to the local Coventry Canal in Bedworth to have a very short session fishing for Zander?

Rods packed into the car, predator kit bag picked up and the frozen Roach collected from the freezer, I was ready to go? The short journey took me all of 5 minutes and I was in my swim by 8:15pm?

I choose a swim which had some overhanging bushes on the far side with some zander looking bays carved into them? The plan of attack was a free running ledger, with a roach head section on my right hand rod, and a light zander bobbin float with a whole roach on my left rod?

The ledger rod was the first to be set up and cast into its spot. Whilst this was in the water the float rod was set up, I had decided to fish really light, so the float was a small bobbin, which had no weights on the line, I was going to rely on the weight of the roach to set the float?

After two boats had came through my swim quite quickly, I could now settle down to fish. The float registered some movement, then started to move with some vigour to my left, the rod struck and I had half expected to see a pike fighting for its freedom, but the familiar thump thump thump, signalled my first zander of the season, a fish all of 1lb 2oz. I was glad that the towpath was empty when I weighed this fish for the challenge competion?

The rod was rebaited and recast out, but both rods remained dormant until I had to pack up and leave at 9:45pm.

Short journey home and I was soon sitting at home with a cuppa and in front of the TV?

Severn Heaven

Well Sunday's fishing trip was supposed to be on the Avon around the Bideford area, but when I was picked up, my fishing buddy wasn't keen to try there as he thought the water is still low, so with a quick change of plan, and a change of postcode in the sat nav, it was off to Hampton Loade on the severn.

When we arrived the signs didn't look good, as we were getting our kit out of the car, another angler came into the car park, when questioned about his day, his response was 'not even a bite all day mate'. We set off anyway asking other anglers along the way, who pretty much gave us a similar response to the first?

Anyway after choosing a couple of pegs, that had a lot of weed in front of us but what appeared deeper water beyond behind them, we set up?

My choice of setup was to use my feeder rod with the heavy tip, fished down to a 6lb bottom? Terminal tackle was a oval swimfeeder with an additional lead weight to hold bottom, Bait was 16mm halibut pellet, the swimfeeder was packed with hemp & red maggot? Loose fed pellets were fed over the top of the swim.

The swim was dead for the first few hours, only small fish knocking the swim feeder I suspect to get the maggots out quicker? At about 5:45 the action started in what was to be a hectic few hours? My buddy Mark was first to get off the mark, a hard fighting Barbel of 6lb dead. Soon after it was my turn to get a fish, the rod tip bouncing twice then doubling over, after a decent fight the fish was landed, a baby at 3lb 4oz. Fish landed, and rod recast out, Marks rod bent into action again, this time a similar size fish to mine landed and released safely. My turn again, this time no indication on the tip, it just bent double, fish on and landed at 5lb 4 oz. The swim then suddenly died and the bites had finished.



We carried on fishing, with neither of us having any indications, just me still getting small fish knocking the swimfeeder, then out of the blue and with an hour to go before we were going to leave the rod bent over once more, and the fish had a good go at ripping it off the rest, but I was on it and into my third fish? This fish powered off on a couple of runs and took line, but it was safely netted and weighed a new PB for me at 6lb 10oz. Then came the surprise, a roach of 12oz hooked cleanly in the top lip on a 16mm pellet, how the how it got hooked I will never know as the pellet was on a hair rig, but a welcome bonus for the challenge?




The light faded and we headed back, with me arriving back in Coventry at 10:45, tired, but very chuffed?

Double Jeporady!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I had arranged for a half days fishing for pike at Bishops Bowl, but due to a late postponement of the Kids footy game on Sunday afternoon, I was able to make it a full day, lucky for me as you will see as you read on.

I turned up just after seven hoping to fish the first peg on Greenhills, the largest lake on this complex, but me and my fishing buddy were just beaten to the peg by a few minutes, oh well, we decided to fish the second peg instead?

It didn't take long for the rods to be out, I was fishing a static dead bait (roach) on the right hand rod at approx 30 yards out, and a roving dead bait (bream) on the left hand one? My friend was fishing dead bream on his right hand rod in the margins and lamprey popped up again at approx 30 yards out?

I didn't have to wait long for the right hand rod to register interest and the indicator duly rose upwards. I struck into the fish and started to play it towards the bank? The fight didn't last long as the fish slipped the hooks, and the fish was lost?

I re-baited and cast out waiting for the fish to return, I had to wait quite a while? After about 4 hours, at 11:30 the indictor rose and the bite alarm signalled interest, but this time the run was aborted, and I was to change over both rods to fish the bottom, one rod hard on the bottom, the other with a popped up mackerel?

Well at about 2 o'clock the indicator rose and alarm sounded, this time I wound down and struck into a fish, after a short fight the fish was landed, unfortunally for me the fish was deep hooked, not badly, but enough for me to have to go through the gill rakers? I don't know how, as I always hit the bites as soon as they register, and this is my first deep hooked fish. Anyway the fish was out of the water longer than normal, but went back fine, swimming off strongly. So unfortuanlly I didn't have chance to weigh the fish, so we estimated it at 7 - 8 lbs?

The rod was re-baited again and cast out to near enough the same spot 30 yards out? A celebratory cup of tea was then made? Whilst supping this tea, the indicator and alarms go again, again winding down I pulled into the fish and I was in again? This time this fish felt better and gave a better account of itself, after a short while the fish was banked, with the trebles being just inside the mouth. The fish weighed in at 8.5lbs and a chance for me to register some more points on the board. it wasn't until I turned to fish over to have a better look, that we realised it was the same fish from 30 minutes before, I'm absolutely shore as both fish had a distinctive mark on its face, it was a wound of some sort? My buddy also was in agreement with me and spent the rest of the day ribbing me that it didn't count lol.

My mate had one run at about 3 o'clock which resulted in a fish of approx 5 - 6lbs, again on popped up mackerel?

The irony is, if the footy game hadn't been postponed I would have left at 1 o'clock and missed out on this strange story?

Off the Mark?

Well my fishing buddies,

After joining this years fishing competion (i dont know if its a good thing or not?) i finally have some points on the board, not many but some he he.

I ventured out last sunday for a cheeky few hours on the canal at Hawkesbury Junction. All i had to show for that visit was one dropped run, and nothing else? So this week i arranged a morning session at Bishops Bowl with Pike my Quarry? I arrived half an hour late due to me taking a wrong turning, dont know how as i have been here on many occasions? Anyway i arrived to meet Mark, my fishing partner already in our chosen swim for the day and just tackling up? After the normal hellos, i started to tackle up too?

As only deadbaits can be used here, i had recently stocked up on course fish from a company called online baits, i purchased in bulk saving myself a few pounds in the process? I was starting on roach on one rod and bream on the other? Within a 10 minutes of Marks rods being in, his float signalled interest on his lamprey section, the bite developed well but when he struck nothing was present?

He rebaited and cast out to the same spot? After a short while there was interest again, this time resulting in a fish of approx 8lbs? This fish had a very large teeth wounf which was larger than my hand, and proberbly was an old one which had grew with the fish? His second rod soon shown some interest and a second perfect condition pike of about 6lbs was banked?

In all this time i had been searching out a bite for myself but to no avail? Then mid morning whilst reeling in, and within a few feet of the bank a pike rose out of the shallows to launch itself at my bream, the pike was on and banked very quickly. My prize for this was a jacke pike of 2 lbs 6oz? Not much of a fish but enough to get me started? lol. On release the por bugger sat in the shallows for a good hour, having a sulk i think?

11:30 soon came and it was my time to leave and try and manage a kids football team?

So points on the board for me and looks like i have a lot of catching up to do already?

P.S next time i will photgraph it opps?