Specimen roach quest

I had never managed a really big roach. Like many, I had caught some nice ones over the years but a 2 pounder had never graced my net albeit I had never made a concerted effort.

I was fishing with a friend in the summer and the subject of roach came up. It was then that we hatched a plan to catch a big roach. The Cotswold gravel pits would be the target venue in the first instance.

With some research and planning taking place over the last few weeks, the time had arrived. The plan involved two nights on a large gravel pit. For me, this became one night after an incident that resulted in a trip to A&E and nine stitches. Not a great start but I arrived the next morning. My fishing companion had drawn a blank overnight but we high hopes for the remainder of the trip.

The pit itself is over 30 acres so there's lots of places the roach could be. The mild weather meant there were plenty of anglers on the bank meaning that the areas noted for roach were not available. The swims we chose were not fancied for roach and had no previous. There was an element of finding a needle in a haystack. However, it was the cards we were dealt so it wouldn't stop us trying, especially with a southerly wind blowing towards our bank. 

Tactics were relatively simple. Two rods set up with helicopter rigs. A very short fluorocarbon hooklink tied to a size 16 hook. A heavy feeder would create a bolt rig with maggots as bait.  

A fabulous 2lb 4oz PB roach

My swim turned out to be weed free and presented a clean open area over gravel. I was fishing at about 40 yards in 12ft of water. It meant I would fish both rods very close to one another. I had one on an open end feeder with dark  coloured groundbait sandwiching maggots and some hemp. The other was just a standard blockend feeder approach. Casting would be every 30 minutes to keep a trickle of bait going in. 

There was little to report during the day. This wasn't a huge surprise. As light began to fade, the first fish was caught. A perch of about 8oz meant there was no blank and this was quickly followed by another of just over a pound. It then became dark and the action ceased. By 9pm, the alarms started to give some indications that there were fish in the swim. The weather was also pretty grim with Storm Ciaran putting in an appearance. At 9.45pm, the alarm screamed into life and up I jumped to find myself connected to a fish. You can imagine my excitement when the silver flanks of a roach surfaced. Using lighter tackle meant the roach was able to put up some stern resistance and I was really conscious the hook could easily pull from its soft mouth. The fish was safely netted. It was clearly a personal best roach and it looked huge. If you have never seen a big roach in the flesh before then they are really impressive creatures, likely over a decade old. The scales showed the fish weighed 2lb 4oz and it was a super result on my first attempt.

A specimen 3lb perch

Out went the rods again. I was continuing to stay active and trickle the feed in as the rain pelted down. Within the hour, another screaming run saw me connected to another fish. This felt better and made a dash for a nearside tree. I remember thinking, if this is a roach then it's going to be good. It wasn't a roach but it was a super looking fish. The stripey flanks of perch came into sight and having caught plenty of decent perch before, I could see this one fell into the 'decent' category. It went 3lb 1oz. 

It capped an amazing 60 minutes that saw me land a 2lb roach and a 3lb perch. I can tell you that this doesn't happen very often so it certainly exceeded my expectations for the trip. 

Nothing happened overnight other than the bivvy taking a battering from the wind and rain. The next morning saw a small roach landed and a huge roach spotted rolling in front of me. By the end of the morning it was time to leave but I did so with me planning my next roach trip and a potential 3 pounder. 

Tench - Heaven 17

If you're here because of the 80s synth band, Heaven 17 then you're going to be disappointed. However, if you enjoy tench then read on as I'm about to describe a super day on the banks. With some recent warm weather, I decided it was time to catch some tench so set off for a water I fished a couple of times last spring with some reasonable success. The fish are average size with some over 5lb but give great sport on the float. There are rumours of fish to 8lb but I've not found any evidence of them yet.

The first tench of the session

Despite the warmer weather, the day I visited was quite cool with a persistent wind blowing towards me. This was punctuated by some pretty strong gusts and the occasional rain shower. I'd had my heart set on fishing relatively close in using the traditional lift method. A size 16 hook was baited with double maggot and I was up and running. It didn't take long before the float started to twitch. The culprits could have been some of the roach and rudd that also inhabit the lake but I was sure that the tench were not far away. Eventually the float disappeared from view rather than lifting and my centrepin started to spin gently as a fish moved away. A strike saw me connected with the first tench of the day. My new Avon rod gave a satisfying bend as it toyed with its first fish. A fish of over 3lb gave a good account of itself and was safely netted. I thought this would open the flood gates but the next 2 hours were pretty slow. Lots of dips of the float but nothing worth striking at. I tried some modifications. I put a fake maggot on the hook along with a live one. I hoped that a better balance might enable a more confident pick up and also enable the bait to sit on, rather than sink into the weed. The result was instant. I was tighening up to the float when it lifted, fell flat and I felt the line pull. The second tench was netted and a third followed not too long after. However, I was

5lb 7oz and the best of the day

not happy with my presentation. I was convinced tench were in the swim but my optimism was not converting to bites. The wind wasn't helping which by now was pretty strong. I made the decision to switch to a thin tipped waggler. This change proved pivitol as bites came regularly and were now positive. No more maybes, just a twitch and gone. These bites proved easy to hit and the result was tench after tench. I had a few hours where nearly every cast resulted in a tench. I ended with 17 tench. Most were 3-4lb with the best going 5lb 7oz but provided non-stop entertainment. I even had a roach of 1lb 7oz which somehow found a way out of my net as I set up the camera for what would have been a nice photo. It was a great session in what were less than perfect conditions with the troublesome wind. I'm already planning my next trip.

Perch bring spring action

With almost a month passing since the close of the river season I was beginning to get a few withdrawal symptoms. With the weather still cool, my target was perch so I headed to my stillwater destination full of confidence. Arriving at around 1pm, my intention was to fish through until around 6.30pm, which would give me plenty of time for the perch to decide on feeding.

2lb 2oz to kick things off

Two rods were set up. The first a running ledger baited with a large prawn, the second a more traditional bobber float and worm combination. Although there have been occasions when the fish have fell to both baits during the same session, I have often found the perch have a preference to one or the other on any given day. One day can see all the fish fall to worm with prawns ignored while another can see the complete opposite. I hoped that my approach would cover both bases. I started off catching a few fish on maggot for a bit of entertainment. A large gudgeon and a few rudd made an appearance. Soon after a worm was placed into position with the prawn rig positioned just outside the main feeding area. The little and often approach to feeding maggots meant that there were plenty of smaller fish in the swim and I hoped the

The 2lb 7oz

perch would not be far behind them. Any stripy predators observing from afar could pick up the prawn and then when they decided to go on full hunt mode and enter the fed area then the worm would hopefully provide an easy meal. After an hour I was perchless. A few fish had shown signs that perch might be about. I was convinced they were not far away so I put a prawn on the float set up as well and dropped it right under where the maggots were being fed. Within moments the float buried and I was into a perch. It put up a super fight, probably the best I've had from a perch and the prize was a lovely fish of 2lb 2oz. Within twenty minutes another fell to the same approach weighing in at 2lb 7oz. A carp of around 6lb then found its way to the bank marauding through my swim in the process. After a pause in the action the ledgered prawn was then picked up and the third perch of the day was landed. Again the fish put up a great scrap with this perch registering 2lb 5oz on the scales. Another carp came along with a perch under a pound and  then sport curtailed around 5pm. Just at the time you'd expect fish to feed the opposite happened and I packed up as planned with no further fish. However, that 90 min spell during the afternoon and produced three 2lb+ perch. Prawn had won the battle of the baits and given me a great day's fishing in anyone's book.

The third and final 2 pounder of the session

I was then given an unexpected opportunity to return a few days later. I was keen to experience more of the same and even attempt to beat my PB which the lake is more than capable of doing. The conditions were spot on so I was optimistic and deployed the same set up as the previous session. After 2 hours I had only managed to catch a dozen or so roach and rudd. The prawns and lobworms had been ignored as far as the perch were concerned. I was convinced they hadn't wandered too far from the area so I took the decision to try a livebait. Within ten minutes a familiar fish was on the bank. A repeat capture of the 2lb 2oz perch and its distinctive split dorsal fin fro a few days earlier. Another live was lowered and mullered instantly. I hadn't even put the rod down. This perch went 2lb 6oz. I lost another decent perch later to a hook pull but that was the end of the action and then banked a smaller perch of around a pound. They had certainly been more difficult to catch on this day. Neither prawn or worm had returned me a perch and a blank would have been the inevitable result but for the change to live baits.

The 2lb 6oz from the return visit

Autumn Perch and Chub

The end of October coincided with high pressure meaning cold nights and bright days. Despite having the week off, I still ended up having to fish on one of the brightest of them. I had decided to target some decent perch and as we all know, bright sunshine is not the perch anglers favourite condition. Arriving at a stillwater that had been kind to me in the past, I tackled up with a ledger set up with prawn and a float set up with worm. Regular feeding soon had the swim filled with the resident roach and skimmers. With perch sport slow, I changed to a maggot hookbait and enjoyed some nice roach.

As the afternoon wore on and the sun began to dip behind the trees on the far side of the lake. I was left in the shade and the temperature dipped sharply as another frosty night loomed. Although chilly, I knew the low light would give me a better chance of a perch so it was all systems go with prawn and worm baits cast into prime position. The waiting game began. Regular feeding kept the prey fish in the area and I just had to hope the big perch would turn up at some stage.

A 2lb 4oz perch

Some of the resident day ticket anglers fishing for carp started to depart. It was now as the lake became quiet that I noticed something a little different. The smaller fish in my swim seemed to have disappeared. Had the perch moved in and caused them anxiety? I recast my ledger rig baited with a prawn. I then placed the rod into the rest. I was still holding the line as I set about clipping on the bobbin but there was no need. A sharp tug registered. Then another. I struck and a decent fish was on. I quickly decided it had to be a perch so I just had to ensure it stayed on. Every time a good perch surfaces it never fails to be a breathtaking sight. They have been described as the biggest fish of all and there's no doubting they make for impressive viewing. The fish was safely netted and although it wasn't going to threaten the 3 pounders I'd had from the venue previously it was certainly over 2lb.

A carp approaching double figures

The scales confirmed this at 2lb 4oz. I hoped this would signal a flurry of activity and another perch around the pound mark fell to the worm. Another positive bite on the worm put a huge bend on the rod and signaled one of the resident carp had been hooked. Whilst good fun on a through action rod and centrepin its marauding around the swim put an end to end hopes of anymore perch. Soon enough the light had gone and the session had ended.


A few days later I was on the Warwickshire Avon. The river  had been low and clear for what seems an eternity. With the temperature dropping it was a toss up between pike or chub with the latter winning. Tactics were going to be simple with trotted bread flake the order of the day. By the time I'd faffed about it had gone 3pm by the time I'd thrown some mashed bread into the head of my chosen swim. With the nights drawing in I probably only had about 90 minutes to make this work. One thing in my favour was the fact the Avon has a great head of chub. Most are in the 3-4lb class but they are great sport especially on fair tackle.

The first fish of the session

A piece of flake was presented on a size 12 hook to a 7lb hooklength. My first cast was made and the float started its journey through the swim. Half way down and the float sunk from view. My strike was met with solid resistance as the first chub of the day made a bid for the nearside cover. It was a great start. The next cast saw a repeat with the float burying and another good chub hooked. This was beginning to look like a super session in the making. It was maybe the next run down that another fish was hooked. However this one had a bit more intent about and took off across the river towards the far bank trees. I was unable to tame it and the hooklength parted. I have no idea whether this was an over energetic chub or whether I had connected with a barbel. I will never know. Another chub showed meaning I had managed three chub and a lost fish within the first 6 or so casts. It was then that the chub vanished almost as quickly as they had been caught. I persevered hoping some more mashed bread would entice them back upstream. Had I not started so late in the day I would have moved and most likely added some more fish but with light fading it was time to call it day. It had been an enjoyable hour or so and something I must do again soon.

A nice return for little more than an hour

Carp off the top

This spring has seen a distinct lack of fishing trips but the recent sunny weather afforded me the opportunity to fish for carp using my favourite method: surface fishing.

A trip to a local stillwater saw me settle in a quiet corner that is rarely fished yet always has a few fish present. It always amazes me how many anglers choose their swim by proximity to their car rather than where the fish are. I was in no rush to set up so started feeding dog biscuits. It wasn't long before a few fish started showing interest. By the time I had set up I had a number of confidently

The 11 pounder

feeding carp in front of me. I cast out using an imitation biscuit with nothing else on the line. The weight of the biscuit was enough to get me a couple of rod lengths out and I had no need to go any further. It was no surprise that a fish was hooked soon after and after a spirited battle on a 1.25lb Avon rod, a common carp of around 9lb was banked. This of course sent the other fish to cover and I spent the next half hour feeding to regain their confidence. The next fish arrived in the shape of another common at 11lb 7oz. As the sun set, the fish became more confident and a good fish was hooked that shot for the nearside cover. On this occasion, the fish won its freedom but it wasn't long before I found myself connected to what turned out to be the best fish of the session. The fish rarely displayed any rapid runs but instead stayed stubbornly low. A fat common came to the net and troubled the scales at 16lb 7oz.

The best fish of the session

Two more fish came to the net at around 7lb and 4lb respectively but their splashing about killed the swim and at just gone 9pm I wasn't going to hang around for another one. An enjoyable three hours in the sunshine!

More perch success and a fisherman's tale

With my tench campaign just around the corner I am close to concluding my perch chapter for the season. So a second visit to the stillwater that gave me my first 3 pounder on my last trip was unsurprisingly my venue of choice. The weather forecast a cloudy day, perfect for perch fishing. The reality was a glorious spring day coupled with bright sunshine. With the weathermen wrong (when aren't they?) I knew my chances would have to wait a few hours until the sun dropped down behind the far bank trees to the west. In the meantime, I fed regularly to attract the silver fish. The plan worked because after a couple of hours I had dozens of roach boiling on the surface to beat their shoal mates to the feed. I caught a few, well it would have been silly not to given not much else was happening or likely to.

At last, the sun began to drop and my fishing became a bit more focussed. With this a neighboring carp angler appeared and decided to start what turned out to be a very long chat. Now I don't mind exchanging pleasantries but this chap wanted to tell me about everything from his holiday to his mountain bike trip. After a while it became somewhat tedious but fortunately one of his bite alarms beeped which had him sprinting back to his peg. Moments later my bobber float slid away and the first perch of the session was hooked. A spritely looking perch of around a pound and a half kicked things off. Surely another would be in close attendance? My own alarm sounded as the ledgered prawn was taken but the surging runs told me I was into a carp. A nice looking common was soon tamed and it was a decent fish too that I suspected was not far off a double.

The first perch of the day

A nice common

It was at this moment that the 'carp' angler started to call. Whilst my peg has suddenly jumped into action after hours of slumber the friendly angler had managed to get himself in a mess. Despite having a carp on, his reel had somehow gotten in to a twist and he had a bird's nest. The phrase 'All the gear......' sprang to mind. Although I admit to it being a wrench to leave my swim at that time I did in order to help him out. With line everywhere I attempted to unravel the mess but it wasn't straightforward. Meanwhile the carp, which was marauding out of control had decided that despite having the whole lake to swim in it would station itself right in my carefully and painstakingly prepared swim! At this point I suggested we hand line the fish in. I assertively took the rod and brought the fish in with the specialist carp angler doing the honours with the landing net. With the fish safely banked I decided I would return to my swim and actually do some fishing. In went some maggots but there were no boils this time as it looked like the disturbance had cleared my swim out. I was a little frustrated by now. Light was begin to fade and I was convinced I had missed the window of opportunity. It was at this point that our friend appeared again deciding he would like a photo of the carp as it was 'a venue record' for him. I then proceeded to take a photo of him and his fish refraining from pointing out that I caught the bloody thing.

Finally, I was free to fish on into the final 30-45 minutes of what remained. I felt I deserved the good will of the fishing gods and it came. The prawn rod went off and I was hooked into a definite perch,

The 2lb 14oz fish

and a good one. The head shaking always gives a perch away. It was promptly landed and another prawn recast. Perch often feed in short spells so I was keen to make the most of this window of opportunity given the earlier disturbances. About 5 minutes elapsed so I decided to weigh the fish but before I could do so the alarm sounded again. This perch was smaller at around a pound and half but it was stocky fish that was fit to burst, I then finally managed to weigh the bigger perch - not quite a 3 pounder at 2lb 14oz but a fine fish all the same. The light was disappearing fast but there was time for the final prawn to be hooked and cast. Within moments I was rewarded with the best fish of the session and another new personal best of 3lb 2oz. By the time I weighed and photographed this fish it was dark. It had been a hectic hour or so with 4 perch and a carp in addition to the events in the next peg but I trudged back the car a happy angler.

My new PB of 3lb 2oz

Perch: Two personal bests

There's never been a better time to catch big perch, After years of neglect, autumn saw me have my first real go culminating in Severn 2 pounder. My PB has crept up slowly but I was still awaiting a big 2 pounder or landing that magical 3lb fish.

A friend of mine arranged for us to make a trip to a new stillwater. With live baiting banned the approach was going to be worm and prawn based. A simple running ledger rig was baited with prawn while a small bobber float and centrepin were employed for the worm. The plan was to feed maggots regularly to attract the small fish and hopefully see the perch follow. 

Personal best number one - 2lb 11oz

Arriving at 10am the next few hours were slow. My friend then managed a a great looking perch of exactly 3lb. The fish came completely out of the blue as did the sunshine. This killed the fishing and the next few hours were a non-event. I did change the hook to a size 16 to get a few bites. A few roach and the first perch of the day arrived.  It was a 3, about 3 inch but it was beautifully marked. By 5pm the cloud arrived and with it much better prospects. I chopped some worms and threw them around the float. Within seconds the float buried and the tell tale jagging of the rod tip told me a perch was on. It was safely netted and I was confident that a new PB had been landed and so it proved at 2lb 11oz. The float went back out and within 30 minutes I had another perch on. It felt a better fish. It then surfaced to reveal a huge stomach and also a very precarious hook hold. The fish was landed and it was no surprise to see my PB beaten for a second time and with it my first 3lb perch. Like my friend's fish earlier, it was 3lb on the nose. I did manage to hook another fish soon after but instead of another perch a beautifully coloured linear carp of around 6lb came to the bank. Following this spree the only other thing to report was a dropped run on the prawn rig before the light faded. 

My first 3 pounder and new PB

The artistic shot

It's not everyday that you catch a personal best fish. To do it twice in less than an hour is some session and makes up for all those tricky days that we all encounter throughout the year. Thanks must go out to my ghillie for giving me the opportunity to fish a new water. It looks like I'm going to have to find a venue in the summer to pay him back.

Back for Perch

I can't deny it's been a tough few weeks. A couple of river blanks and some failed perch expeditions meant it had been a lean month or so. I was still looking to up my Perch PB so I was back on a small stillwater that holds some fish to over 3lb. .

A nice looking mirror

The weather had become mild after a cold week so I hoped the fish would be obliging mood. First task was to catch some live baits so a few sections of the pole and maggots were employed. The float soon shot under but instead of a small roach the elastic told me that I had connected with a carp. On relatively light gear I had no option but to take my time to eventually net a chunky mirror of around 7lb. The next hour was a little frustrating in so much that all the roach were too big for perch. One roach went 1lb 2oz which was a most welcome capture. Roach always look resplendent in the cold months when they take on their winter colours. Their flanks glistened blue in the low watery sunshine. After an hour or more I finally landed a roach of the intended size. This was

This roach went over a pound

attached to a paternosted float set up and cast not far from the feeding zone. The afternoon followed a similar pattern. The roach kept coming but the perch tackle remained unmolested. By now I had also set up a ledgered live bait which I had cast a little further out towards the middle of the pool. There was a tentative run that failed to materialise so I plugged away waiting for a feeding spell. Perch tend to feed in short spells but it's possible to catch several in a short space of time if they are really feeding positively. Another angler managed a nice perch of just under 3lb to keep me feeling optimistic. As late afternoon approach a peg was vacated by a carp angler and this gave me the opportunity to put a bait near some overhanging willow branches. I would have happily chosen this area on arrival had it been available. The cast was spot on as the ledgered roach landed just shy of the overhanging cover. Five minutes later and the alarm started to bleep as line was being taken in earnest. I felt the line to check the run was still positive and my strike was met with solid resistance as a perch was hooked. I could tell it was a low 2 pounder as it lay in the net and the scales confirmed 2lb 2oz meaning my modest PB had crept up by an ounce. It's been my first winter focussing on perch so to have managed several two pounders in the half dozen or so visits is a pretty satisfying outcome. I might manage one more visit for the magical three pounder before my attentions turn to spring and different species.

Target achieved

In search of specimen perch

The best carp was around 4lb

After blanking on a perfect looking Warwickshire Avon at the weekend, a change of plan was the order of the day. So a return to the pool that gave me a personal best perch a few weeks ago beckoned [here] and with a cloudy albeit a very windy day, conditions looked promising.

Tench in December!

A mixed bag

The first job was to set up and catch some live bait. As my last visit proved, this was not easy as a string of lovely roach, some of which were around the pound mark, came to the net. I did manage a handful of suitable baits so set up a perch rig and continued to fish maggots for whatever turned up. Apart from the roach, a few skimmers, a rudd, three inevitable carp and a December tench all put in an appearance in the mild conditions. However my target, a specimen perch, proved elusive. I did manage a few on large lobworms, the biggest going 1lb 3oz but with fish over 3lb present I fished on in hope as the light began to fade. As dark fast approached, I had no choice but to call an end to the day. The big perch had not been tempted and my live bait was no doubt please about that as it swam away. It was an enjoyable few hours spent catching several species with the only negative being I clumsily managed to step on a pole section.

It will probably be after Christmas before I am out again so Merry Christmas and thank you to all those that have visited this year.

Perch to 1lb 3oz but no biggie this time

Perch: A new PB

After promising myself a good crack at big perch for some time, I have finally got round to dedicating some time to them. In October, I caught a 2lb perch which represented my biggest to date so when the opportunity to fish a stillwater arose containing fish to almost 4lb I needed no second invitation.

This carp was not what I expected

I arrived at the water's edge at around 9.30am to meet my companion for the day. The water itself was quite small and its appearance did not suggest it would contain perch of specimen proportions. The first job was to catch some live baits although this proved more difficult than hoped. Several larger roach came to the net so a move was in order. First drop in on the opposite bank saw me connected to a carp, which on number 3 elastic took a while to tame. However, once landed I did finally catch several small roach of the size required.

Worms managed to find some perch

I returned to my original spot and lip hooked a small roach on to a simple float paternoster rig with a loafer float. This was placed close to a nearside reed bed and fed regularly with maggots to keep bait fish in the area and hopefully attract some feeding perch. I also set up a worm rig to double my chances. A couple of perch under a pound fell to the worm to get me off the mark but I was still awaiting my specimen.

By mid afternoon my loafer float finally showed some indications of activity in the murky depths. The bait fish became agitated and moments later the float shot from view. A firm strike saw me connected to what was certainly a perch. It made a few bursts for the bankside vegetation but it was safely landed and rested in the net. Perch are pack hunters so it was important that another bait was in place quickly. Within minutes the float again disappeared as a fish almost pulled the rod round. Unfortunately for me, the fish dropped the bait almost as quickly and my strike met with thin air. On reflection, if I had more slack line then I might have had the chance to hook it before resistance was felt. The brief feeding spell ended with that failure. All that was remained was to weigh the fish and hope I had a new personal best. The fish looked like it could be a winner but the scales showed it to be closer than I thought. My scales showed 2lb 1oz. Too close to call. I decided to weigh the fish on my friend's scales and I was fortunate to see him also register the same weight and with it a new PB. A few photos and the fish was returned. I am already plotting my next visit when time allows as I know that a 3 pounder really is a viable target. Finally, thanks to Ben without whom I'd have never been on the venue in the first place.

My new PB at 2lb 1oz

Carp: So near yet so far

Another sunny spell saw me again seeking surface feeding carp. I attempted to set myself a challenge. After four fish around 6-7lb last week, I attempted to search out a larger specimen.

Upon arrival, I was greeted with the sight of about two dozen carp basking in the warm evening sunshine. I didn't arrive until 5.45pm so I was aware I had to get fish feeding quickly to see a return. The basking fish had no real interest in feeding and were almost statuesque. A few chased each other, maybe suggesting spawning may not be too far away if this weather persists. Rather than flog a dead horse, I stationed myself in a quiet corner of the lake where my loose fed dog biscuits were noticed almost immediately. Furthermore, some of the fish looked significantly bigger than the ones I caught last week. A slight breeze had blown the baits to the next swim and it was here a decent fish was lying in wait. I moved positions and put my bait in just the right place. Minutes later, a carp surfaced engulfing the bait. The line snaked away at speed as the fish raced off towards the middle of the lake. It was a very good fish but it found its freedom all too easily when my line snapped. I have to say I was surprised this happened as my drag had been set correctly and I was using 10lb line. It was pretty disappointing as it was definitely the stamp of fish I had targetted from the outset. It was only when setting back up that I realised the problem. A twist in the reel line had caused a knot on the spool. It was obvious that the fish had run until it hit the twist and under the pressure it had snapped. It was enormously frustrating yet it was such a freakish event, the type that only seem to happen when you least need it. The loss was also compounded by the fact the fish were spooked. I did manage to land two carp, both commons with one around 7lb and the other going a bit bigger. Perhaps I'll be rewarded next time?

The session opener after the disappointing loss

This fish was tempted close in

Carp: Off the top

Warm weather equals surface baits

After the river season closed a few weeks ago, I decided to take a break from fishing. I think I needed it and they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. On the back of a beautifully sunny week, I decided to visit a local stillwater in the hope that the venue's carp would have been tempted towards the surface to sunbathe.

On my 4pm arrival, I walked around looking for any sign of cruising fish. Despite the sun still being quite strong, there was a distinct lack of action. A couple of fish were seen but it was hardly convincing stuff.

Fishing at last

The lack of activity on this site is indicative of how hectic the last few weeks have been. I won't bore you with the details but last week's sunshine finally provided me with the opportunity to visit a local fishery in the hope of some surface caught carp.

Whenever there's some prolonged sunny weather, carp will be seen just under the surface taking advantage of the warm rays. For a cold-blooded animal, it's the perfect way to warm up quickly. By offering them loose fed, floating baits such as dog biscuits or bread crust they can usually be tempted into feeding off the surface.

My setup for this method is pretty simple. Mainline of 10lb, connected to a similar breaking strain of fluorocarbon to form a hooklength of around 4ft long. Using fluorocarbon means that the line immediately above the hook is pretty much invisible and as a result fish are less cautious when approaching the bait.  A size 10 hook and an imitation dog biscuit complete the setup. I also smear a little Vaseline along the hooklength in order to keep it on the surface. Often I will freeline, using the weighted bait to cast since most of my fishing is within a couple of rod lengths. However, a small controller can be added if I wish to fish a little further out.

A pretty mirror around 8-9lb

The key to this method is loose feeding using the 'little and often' approach. The idea is to get fish taking the baits and increasing with confidence. Once this is achieved, you can introduce your hookbait. Takes can be pretty instant and it's great fun (and frustrating) watching fish approach your bait only to turn away at the last second. However, a fish will eventually be fooled as you capture the moment it engulfs the bait or notice your line straighten as a fish moves off. This is the moment to strike!

After a slow start, I eventually found some fish that were cruising the upper layers of the lake. After a few false starts I managed to hook a reasonable fish just shy of double figures.
This went on to to be the largest fish of the session. Four more carp followed averaging about 5-6lb. Although none of the fish were large by carp fishing standards they provided great entertainment on a warm May evening, especially to an angler starved of fishing for the last month. Hopefully I will be able to get a few more times before my attentions turn back to rivers.

In search of perch

Sunday was a fine day. Bright and sunny weather meant it was rather pleasant at times although the conditions were not textbook as far as my quarry, perch, were concerned. I had decided to fish a pool in Warwickshire with a reputation for large perch and despite the unfavourable conditions, I stuck to the plan knowing opportunities are thin on the ground these days.

Having never fished the water before, I spent the first twenty minutes or so having a chat in an attempt to glean some useful information. I decided to opt for a spot in the shade, which I felt was important, with a large, snaggy tree to my right and around 4-5ft of water. Waggler fished worm would hopefully winkle out some perch while the loosefed maggots would pull a range of species to the area.

The clear conditions made for some cracking reflections

After about thirty minutes, a lack of action saw me change tactics. I had packed a 4m whip and decided to fish maggots to hand. Immediately, I encountered bites and the next hour was pretty busy with small perch, a string

A decent stamp of roach followed

 of nice roach to just over half a pound and a silver bream (of which there are a good head in the pool) of around 10oz, which I'm guessing is a PB having not caught many of them in the past.

Soon after however, disaster struck! My only rig tangled beyond repair and I found myself cursing my own laziness for not being more prepared. It was around 3pm so I decided to turn back to the worm approach and hope to pick up some perch as the light started to lose its intensity. A few perch did put in an appearance but nothing of the size I had hoped for.

Although the session had drawn a blank as far as a 2lb plus perch was concerned, it had been an enjoyable first visit to the pool on a beautiful January day. I will certainly look to return when conditions are more perch like and ensure I am better prepared.

What I think was a PB Silver Bream

A net of three species cut short by the tangle

The next generation and a new personal best carp

A proud nephew

The start of the week saw me take my nephew you out for a few hours fishing on the Birmingham-Worcs Canal. I set him up with a 2m whip to fish down the inside. Bites soon arrived and he managed to catch almost 40 fish, mostly perch with the odd gudgeon thrown in for good measure. He was very proud of his efforts and so he should be. I'm sure he can't wait to visit in the summer with perhaps the promise of his first river fish.

Yesterday evening saw me looking to take advantage of the recent warm weather by surface fishing for carp. I visited the same pool as a few weeks ago [here] where I managed six carp, the biggest just over 14lb in an evening session. With me looking to emulate that success I set off with hopes high. I arrived at the venue and immediately saw dark shadows sunbathing just beneath the surface. I headed towards the area I had fished last time out. Although I could not see any fish, I was aware that the nearby island represents a carp magnet so remained confident. However, a breeze had started which seemed to cause the carp to be less interested in taking surface baits. I did briefly try a bottom bait but apart from a few liners there was nothing to report so I persevered feeding dog biscuits. There were carp taking them but not with the gusto they had showed on my previous visit. By now the breeze had blown all the tree pollen that had fallen on the water into the area in front of me. This made fishing very challenging since I could not spot my bait easily amongst all the other similar shaped floating objects and it made presentation tricky. I toyed with the idea of moving but two things prevented me from doing so. The first was that although the floating debris was causing problems, it also meant my line was disguised. If only I could keep a bait in the right place for long enough I was sure a fish would take the bait. The second reason, and the one that had even more bearing, was there was a sizeable fish now taking a fleeting interest in the baits. 

With the fish remaining cautious, I knew that I was only going to get one chance and finally it came. A fish approached where I believed my bait to be and it decided to take something from the surface. I have to admit I was not 100% sure whether my bait had been taken but a mixture of intuition, luck and a vague memory of possibly seeing the line move all meant I swept my rod backwards. The rod hooped over yet the fish itself didn't seem to be aware of proceedings and within seconds it was underneath the rod tip. Then without warning, just as I was reaching for the net, it took off on a blistering run towards the island resulting in the reel screaming; a sound greeted by every angler. A few more surges followed but eventually the fish was beaten and drawn over the waiting net. It looked a cracking common carp, which I knew would threaten my modest 17lb personal best. A quick check on the scales confirmed this at an ounce under 18lb. I had hoped it might be a bit bigger but I could not complain. I fished on with the carp giving my hope that another fish might be on the cards, but despite some interest in the biscuits I could not tempt another. As the light started to fade so did my chances and I left. A PB in tricky conditions, off the surface is a good result in my book and I was very pleased as I made the short trip home.  

My new PB carp at 17lb 15oz

First tench session of the year

With the warmer weather finally here I thought it was time to tackle a tench or two. My choice of venue was a pool reputed to be hard going but with some reasonable tench and chance of carp or bream putting in an appearance. 

With it being bank holiday weekend coupled with fine weather it was hardly surprising to see a number of anglers already fishing when I arrived at around 4pm. With the sun bearing down, fishing appeared to have been slow all day with no fish being reported by the anglers I spoke to. I had never fished or even visited the venue before so I had a dilemma as to where I should fish. With this in mind I decided to have a walk to see if I could find any sign of life. The centre of the lake showed vigorous growth of lily pads all

A stunning sunset

reaching for the water’s surface. I noticed a couple of small carp cruising amongst them. I finally settled at the top of the lake in a quiet corner littered with sunken branches with a gentle breeze pushing towards me. Immediately, I was aware of a couple of reasonable sized carp present amongst the trees. One of them seemed to have a sizeable wound behind its dorsal fin but it seemed unperturbed. I threw a few dog biscuits in their direction. I always carry a few as I see myself as something of an opportunist and don't want to be sat there regretting my inability to snare a feeding carp. However, these carp were not feeding. The largest did cautiously take one biscuit while the remainder were nibbled by small fish. In fact I saw these carp several times through the session but they never seemed settled or catchable.

Anyway, I decided to get myself back on track and commence my tench fishing. The idea was to fish the float and maggot close in and then set up a groundbait feeder rigged helicopter style baited with boilies or sweetcorn. This rod would be set up with a bobbin and alarm but I was keen to recast every 10 minutes to get some bait down. The hours passed in the blazing sun and both rigs remained untouched. I tinkered with the feeder rig as it was picking up weed so I tried to balance the hookbaits to ensure they did not disappear amongst the debris. I figured my best hope would come with sunset. 

A lovely rudd, but where were the tench?

As the sun dipped behind the trees my float finally started to show some signs of fish. It rose, it swayed, it sank. Strike! Frustratingly, it met with thin air but my maggot hookbait had been damaged. Had some tench finally moved in on my bed of hemp and maggot? A recast saw my float back in position. Again my float dipped but this time I made contact; however this fish was not taking line. Seconds later a small rudd was swung to hand, a beautiful little specimen of a few ounces. I continued to feed and it soon became apparent that all the fish in my swim were rudd, and unfortunately all of a similar size. It was no longer difficult to muster bites and I took further fish of a similar size. With darkness fast approaching I knew my best bet of a bigger fish would be via my boilie bait. Although I had a few bleeps on my alarm nothing developed and my session ended.

It would have been nice to have recorded a tench of course, but it was a beautiful evening as the sun set on the lake. The rudd, although small, were perfectly formed and they are undoubtedly one of our most stunning species of course fish. Fishing a venue for the first time is always a learning curve and never beaten I will be sure to return with amended tactics. Next time I will change my location slightly and also I'm going to investigate using the 'naked chod' rig to enable me to sit a bait just above the weed. It's not a rig I've used before as I'm not really into carp fishing too much apart from surface fishing. I will of course scale it down a little to target tench but I think it could be effective at this venue. Only time will tell so if anyone has any ideas or tips then let me know. 

Surface Carp Fishing

Although I love my river fishing, the close season does force me to vary my tactics and species. With cooler weather promised I took advantage to of the final day of spring sunshine to target carp. I returned to the lake which had seen my previous visit punctuated by frustration as I tried to tempt fish from the surface. However, today’s weather was much kinder and I was pleased to arrive just after 4pm to see only one other angler present.

I set off towards the island, scouring the surface for dark shapes basking in the late afternoon sun.  Upon reaching the island I noticed several carp cruising so immediately scattered half a dozen dog biscuits towards the island while I set up. I rarely use a controller. Since most of my surface fishing is done with 3-4 rod lengths, I prefer to use 10lb mainline, a 4ft fluorocarbon hooklength with an imitation biscuit hair rigged to a size 10 hook. Since the imitation bait incorporates a split shot to balance it I find that it provides enough weight to reach my desired spot. The main advantage of this is that it causes little disturbance when hitting the water and is very inconspicuous once in position. The fluorocarbon line again ensures my hook bait looks as close to the other biscuits as is possible. My final tip is to keep out of sight; on this trip that involved squatting, which was rather painful on the thighs but ensured the carp continued to feed confidently about 10m from the bank.

A great way to start the session at just over 14lb

It took about 20 minutes of regular feeding but eventually the carp started to show real interest and baits were being taken readily.  I made my first cast soon after  4.30pm. With the fish feeding well and competing for the bait it was hardly surprising that I connected with a fish within about 10 minutes. The fish produced a dogged and determined fight that seemed to last for ages. I managed to catch a glimpse a few times and could see it was good fish and easily a double. Finally, the fish was landed and the scales showed 14lb 4oz; a great start to the session.

By 6pm I had managed a further three fish of around 4lb, 7lb and 8lb. The fish as expected started to behave more cautiously so I wandered around the lake to give the swim a rest. I did find some fish but they were not really feeding so with about 20 minutes of my session remaining I returned to my original spot with the hope of one more fish to cap the evening. I had to be patient but it paid off as another carp of about 5lb was hooked and landed. The fish was safely returned and with I called a close to what had been a thoroughly enjoyable 3 hours, five carp to just over 14lbs and all off the top. Let’s hope the warmer weather hasn’t left us for too long.

Taking the biscuit

Friday saw me set foot on the bank for the first time since the river season closed. I have to be honest when I say I needed the break following my post-Christmas run. So with some respite and a trip to Dubai to warm the cockles I set off for a local pool.

Some of the roach were nicely sized

My plan was to float fish with maggots for whatever turned up while a carp rod would deposit a bait close to the island in front of me. Unsurprisingly, the maggot setup attracted lots of attention and saw me build up a steady stream of roach and perch. Some of roach were reasonably sized and provided good sport on light tackle.

I had been aware of carp activity near the island since my arrival and this obviously had a bearing on my swim choice. However, what came as a surprise was the fact they were up on the surface despite the lack of warm weather we have experienced this spring. Experience has taught me to always take dog biscuits with me when carp fishing as I find surface tactics for carp one of the most enthralling ways to catch a fish. Although the carp showed interest, catching them proved to be more difficult than I had first imagined. This was further compounded by the indifferent weather, which seemed determined to wreck my plans. Almost as soon as the carp were feeding the heavens would open and make spotting my bait difficult or send the fish back down towards the bottom. I switched back to my float tactics but despite continuing to feed this area throughout the rain seemed to kill sport and bites were very hard to come by.

At last, this carp finally took the biscuit

The afternoon wore on and with it my window of opportunity decreased, especially since I had to be home by 6pm. It was during the final heavy downpour that I decided to pack everything away except my carp gear. I was determined not to go home empty handed and when the shower cleared I once again tempted half a dozen carp to the surface. Finally a carp approached my bait but with the pressure on I struck too early and my chance was gone. With time almost up I had one last cast. A minute or so later saw a dark shape approaching my imitation biscuit and this time its lips closed around the bait and I was into a carp. The fish put up a spirited battle but was eventually beaten. At 7 ¼lb it was hardly a monster but it had not been easy to catch and to take a fish from the surface in unfriendly conditions was pleasing. Hopefully we will some rising temperatures and tempt something bigger.  

As always, comments and new followers are welcomed.