Looking at my best chance of hiting my targets

After getting the bream target done and out of the nice and quickly I've decided to look at a few of my other target and decide the best places to go to give me a realistic chance of hitting them.

It's a little early in the year for a really big perch just yet, but I think I will give them a go this week. There is only one place close to home that gives me a real chance and so White Springs fishery is my first call, the old canal has perch to over 5lb and fish over two pound are plenty full, I've had half a dozen over 3lb over the last couple of years up to 3lb 12oz, but will the 4lb I crave show.... only time will tell.

Carp over 25lb is a target I feel I could hit with a little luck if I spend a little bit of time on the specimen lake, there is a good head of fish, and every year a good few 30lb plus fish are matted, so I feels it gives me a shout at hitting my target.

Wells, catfish is not something I've ever given any kind of time to, the only cat I've caught came to floating dog biscuits on a boiling hot Summers day a couple of years ago, but the catfish lake at Hazel Court Ponds in Cowbridge on the outskirts of Cardiff hold some huge fish to just shy of 70lb, so here is where I will try to pit my wits against this over sized predator.

The tench fishing in and around Swansea is not a prolific as other parts of the country, and although some places I fish do hold them over 6lb I will be needing a lot of luck to pull one of these out. So I Will have to do my homework but I will hit the 6lb mark, even if I have to travel a little for it.

Wednesday will see me out next hunting for a new P.B, depending on the weather it might be a carp or a perch, watch this space.

Until next time

Having a go at target number one

Looking into the night, waiting and hoping.

With my newly formed list of targets to go out I thought I should make a start at cracking my goals.
It didn't take me long to pick my 1st target fish, a double figure bream from my local club lake.

The Fendrod is a medium sized water, set in the center of Swansea's Enterprise Park.
While it does offer the chance of large carp, it’s the bream I felt would give me the best chance of getting off to a flier.

So a quick over nighter was on the cards, I grabbed a bag method mix from Dan's freezer and set off with eager anticipation of the night ahead.
I arrived at 8pm, to find the water up a good couple of feet, but the rain gave me a break and I was able to set up the tent and get the rods out and fishing before another heavy shower sent me into my shelter.

The rain stopped and the wind dropped, I sat watching the water for signs of topping fish, nothing moved for more then half an hour or so, time to get my head down and grab some much needed kip.

All stayed still, not a beep on the optics and not a single sound of a fish turning over.

Without warning at 3.30 I was up and out of my bed, before me really new what was going on, the left hand rod as giving line at a rate of knots, and I thought to myself carp, I picked up the rod and lifted into a heavy wait. Feeling that fantastic thumping transmitting down through the line, down to the rod and into my arm, but this was no carp, the fight became slow and pondering and quickly a large bin lid shape was heading to the bottom of my large landing net.

Unsure of the size I left the net in the water and readied the unhooking mat and camera. On went the head torch and to my surprise there laid the biggest bream I have ever seen.
On the mat she looked huge and my knees turned to jelly, I was in ore of this fantastic fish.

On the scales they pulled past the 10lb mark and settled a further 4oz further on.

10lb 4oz, and target number one done first attempt.

WHAT A START FOR MY BLOG.

Sadly that was the last of my action, and time to pack up came all too soon, but now it's time to look at my list and pick my next target.

So until next time, see you.

And 1st a thank you.

Just before I start on my fishing adventure I just wanted to thank a few people.
1st my Dad, for the time effort and money he has spent on me over the years, on tackle, bait, club membership and even holidays, if it wasn't for him I would not be fishing now.

2nd Is Dan, you will meet him through this blog, he started his coarse fishing a long time after me, but he has very quickly become a very competent angler, spending many an hour on the banks refining his rigs and tackle. We spend many a happy hour sat on the bank come rain or shine, having a laugh and forgetting the world.

3rd is my better half, Leah, she puts up with my hours away coming home smelling of fish, she even washes my clothes for me.

It's thanks to these people and so many characters I've met over the years, that my fishing has been so memorable, and long my it continue.

cheers all.

A quick hello.

Hello and welcome.
I feel I should share a little bit of info about me, and a quick outline of the journey I am on.

Well to start with my name is Steve and at the tender age of 32 I've been fishing for about 20 years, thanks to my Dad and a October Holiday in Devon. I live in Swansea, and the most of my fishing is done in and around my local area. The occasional trip further afield is a treat that I embark on a couple of times a year with my good fried Dan.
I am out to catch some dream fish, (well they are a dream of mine), to set new personal bests and more importantly to have some fun along the way.
The one thing to remember is what might be a good fish to one angler is a dream catch for another, lets not got carried away with some of the monsters we see in the weekly mags, it's time to look at your own Pb's and treat these as a realistic target.
Below is a list of my P.B's that I hope to beat and I hope you enjoy the few highs and plentiful lows along the way.

Carp                     22lb 8oz
Pike                      17lb 0oz
Wells                      8lb 8oz
Roach                     2lb 0oz
Rudd                       3lb 2oz
Perch                      3lb 12 oz
Tench                      4lb 10oz
Bream                      9lb  2oz

Of these I don't see me ever beating my Rudd P.B but the rest I will be targeting of the next few years.
I hope not to just up them but to add a good bit to them as well, so for this reason I've set targets, just to try and keep me going, and pushing me to try new things.
Carp        25lb
Pike         20lb
Wells       40lb
Perch         4lb
Tench         6lb
Bream       10lb

also on my to do list are catch a river Barbel and a river chub. I've caught both before but only from lakes, so its a new challenge for me.