End of a long lay off.

After not being able to get out onto the banks for well over a month, due to work and then the weather, the time arrived where I could dust off the rods and get back on the banks.
It was still as cold a day as I can remember ever fishing in, with a freezing wind that was chilling me to the core.
Myself and Dan set off at 9am for a days pike fishing on a private water a few miles from home, this water has in the past give up a few 30lb fish but over the years it has become a real challenge to to get anything of any size with a mid to high double now being a very good fish, but the thing with pike fishing is that you just never know, there must be the odd big girl still laying in an ambush point some place and maybe with a little luck I might be the one who puts that bait in the right place at the right time.
Our attack for the day was to walk and try any likely area we found, this we did for about 4 hours with the only action being me hooking into a pike not much bigger then the lure but it came off after a few seconds.
With the wind ripping my ears off my head we thought we should head to the car and try another venue and try bait fishing.
Ten minutes later and we where at our new venue and set up to fish half a small mackerel under a float.
We had only been there about 20 mins when Dan let out a cry to catch my attention from the next swim a walked down the narrow path to find him bent into a fish and after a short fight a long lean predator was in the net. Not record breaker but at 7lb 2oz it was nice just to see a fish on the bank in such conditions.
We sat it out for a few hours with no more joy so I moved to sit my bait rod next to Dan, I flicked it tight to some bushes and asked Dan to watch it as I was going to flick a lure around a couple of pegs down.
On my second cast with my lure Dan called out with a short whistle, and I rushed back to short distance to see him bending into a second fish, but this time it was on my rod, so Dan handed my rod to me and I was soon netting fish number two of the day, as I brought the fish to the net it gave a tail walk that was great to see and the gave up and rolled into the waiting net.
Smaller then Dans at only 3lb 10oz, I didn't mind at all, because the day for me was about being on the bank and catching a fish was just the an added bonus, how nice it was to get a bend in the rod after such a long lay off, I hope I am able to get a few more days in now the weather has changed a little, I will keep you updated and will upload my photo's from this trip soon.

Bad times on the bank

All has come to a grinding halt over the last few weeks, even though I have spent a few hours in search of my first winter pike of the year, and a few night freezing in my tent trying for a large carp and bream, I've not managed a single fish, this is why I've had no updates as late.

Fishing is funny like that sometimes, you can go for long spells of time where everything seams to work, fish jumping into your net and the camera flash constantly lighting the evening Sky's, then as is someone has flicked a switch and nothing works, bait, rigs and time spent on the bank have not changed, hooked fish seems to find away of finding a weed bed or sunken tree.
One thing is for sure, I will fish on and my fortunes Will change, so until I next have some news....... 

A tough time of it.

Saturday saw myself and Dan on the Fendrod for the 24 hour carp match, it was a sunny day with a little wind, just enough to cause an inviting ripple on the surface, conditions were great and when our names came out of the draw bag 1st it meant we had the pick of the lake, but true to form Dan was running a little late (in truth the draw was early) so it was down to me to pick, I had walked one bank of the lake before the draw and on checking the peg numbers on the map of the lake thought it best to g for the same pegs I caught my 10lb bream from a month or so ago. What I did not know was the map was slightly out so on picking begs 15 to 17 I had put us further down the lake then I had wanted.
Dan arrived and we went to our pegs (I was living in the hope it might be a blessing) and started to set up.
An hour in and we watched the first carp of the day being caught, from the peg we came 3rd from last year, and at 13lb 8oz it was a great start.
About 6.30pm I had a slow pull on my left hand rod, the drop back lifted and fell back, but no run was forth coming.
The temperature dropped and by 9pm we got into our sleeping bags and lay there waiting and praying for a take. Dan came for a chat at around midnight, and while we talked his left hand rod was away, with a burst of short sharp beeps. Dan got to the rod and lifted into the fish, a healthy bend formed in the rod, but after a couple of small thumps and bream came to the surface and into the waiting net. Not our target fish but a start. At 8lb it was yet another great looking fish, but on this occasion not what we came for.
2.20am I was pulled from me slumber by Dans voice out side my tent, got another bream he said, come and photo it for me. I duly obliged and watched as his next prize was returned, all 8lb 8oz of it.
The rest of the night past with out action, and as the first frost of the year was settling on the ground I slept through till the morning.
9am, the sun was winning the battle and warming the air quickly, on chatting with other anglers we learned that one carp was caught all night, an 8lb fish again on the opposite bank to us, this time at the other end of the lake.
So it was still all to play for, and when I had a slow steady run mid morning I thought it might be my turn to be the hero and catch a carp, that would by default put us in the top three, even if it was only a small stocky.
It was not to be, and a small bream of about 3lb was soon netted and put back with a minimum of fuss.
With only and hour left we both started thinking it was not to be, then with out warning a couple of beeps on Dans left hand rod again, lifted our hopes, we both watched as the drop back lifted to the rod and line started to pull from the free spool reel.
Dan hit the fish and with a confused look on his face said, "I don't know", it stayed deep and plodded for a while, and I was just starting to think he had hooked the carp we needed another bream came to the net.
This one looked massive and I thought It would be a new P.B for him, His best is a fine fish of 10lb 14oz.
We weighed the fish, and I was shocked to see the needle stop and 8lb 10oz.

That was it for the action and with only two carp being caught in the whole 24 hours you could say we came 3rd, but then so did everyone Else.

If this had been one of our pleasure sessions we could not have moaned, but we packed up at for a little gutted, this was a good chance to have snatched a placing, it was not to be.
We both talked about what we did and didn't do and agreed we did little wrong, sometime you have to admit that the fish are the winners, that's what keeps us going back for more.

Oh and in case you were wondering, the pegs I meant to pick Drew a complete blank, so at least I managed to pick a peg with fish in it.

Hope you join me next time as I have my first real try for a 4lb perch. Then it's time to have a look at the pike, October is nearly here and it's time to get the wire traces sorted again.

till the next time.  

Getting Ready for a Comp.

Next weeks sees Myself and Dan heading for the Fendrod Lake, it's our chance to pit our wits against not only the fish but also other anglers as we are fishing a 24 hour carp match.
Last year we managed 3rd place, thanks to Dan's two fish, while I blanked.
This year I hope to pull my weight a little more, but as whenever we fish together it is a team effort. Below is a link to Dans Blog site, and to the write up of last years success, I am now off to make sure all my tackle is ready to go, so wish us luck I will let you know how we get on when I get home.
http://carpcoarseandswansea.blogspot.com/search?q=doubles

a quick go at the carp.

The Pit, on a boiling hot and clear day.

With only a few days left until I headed off for Spain I found a few hours free to get some fishing done.
After a little thought of where to turn my attentions to I loaded the car and headed for White Springs fishery.
My first thought was to head for the Old Canal lake and have a look  at the outsize perch that like to hang around the reed lined margins, but with the sun beating down strong and the temperature gauge in the car reading 24 degrees I rethought my plans and decided to have a go at the carp.
I paid my day ticket fee and headed down to the have a look at the Pit, a small water with three inviting islands to go at, as I drove to the lake I stopped to have a quick look on the pleasure lake, and seeing a few fish moving thought I would make a start here even though It gave me no chance of my target size carp, I thought I a good idea just to try and get a couple of fish on the bank first.
I set up two rods, both very simple, a float fished set up to fish casters up in the water and a size 8 hook tied directly to 6lb line to free line prawns or a floating bait depending on what was showing and where.
I feed a small handful of casters every cast and soon enough the quality roach where boiling the water, I watched as several large silver flashes raced through the swim snatching at the bait as soon as it was hitting the water, while all this was going on something took off with my  prawn hook bait I had dropped no more the a rod length out, as the line pulled tight and the tip of my rod pulled around I went to lift the rod and bend into what was hopefully going to be my first carp of the day, only for the rod to be pulled away from me and into the lake, all I could do was watch and the rod moved through the water at a rate of knots. I managed to loop the line of my float road around the butt of the rod and slowly pulled it towards me, I could feel a fishing kicking back so had to take my time. Just as I got the free line rod back into my hands the line snapped and my prize was lost, (not that I deserved to land that fish)
I fished on another hour, taking some of the roach on caters before moving down to the Pit.
There are only a few swims on the pit and with four of them occupied I started thinking the Canal might be a better option again, so I parked up and had a walk around the Pit first to see if there was any sign of lift on the one side that had no anglers on it. Well it was perfect and the fact I could see fish on the top as well as patches of bubbles I did not need telling this was the place to start.


I could see the other anglers on the lake where not having much luck, pulling in a small bream now and then, but no carp were falling to any of the rods that had been there for a few hours I was in little doubt that the fish were in front of me, but would they feed???
I set up a light method feeder and put a peace of meat on a size 14 hook and flicked it towards a patch of bubbles then cast a double dog mixers towards the the island closest to me, It landed no more then a few inches from the corner of the island and was taken straight away, I lifted into the fish and a large swirl in the shallow water was followed by a run I could do little about the only issue being the the fish was going one way but my line was still pointing towards the grass at the edge of the island. I had to find direct contact with the fish or it would be lost, then lady luck gave me a little smile and the my line came free of the snag and I was back in the game The fish charged to my right and before I new it, the fish had the upper hand again as it found a patch of weeds close in and tried to get as deep as it could into the center of them.



I walked to the weeds with my net in one hand and the rod in the other, still not sure just how big this fish was, it could have been 3lb or 33lb i had no idea. I changed the angle of the rod to see if I could workout where the fish was, again I was not in direct contact as the line entered the water well away from the fish, which was now sitting still, just below the surface, I pulled the weeds apart carefully with my landing net to see a the back of a lovely looking mirror carp, not anything to challenge my target but a stunning looking fish all the same. With the good old lady luck still grinning in my direction I managed slip the net under my prize.
The weight was a modest 7lb 4oz but on a day when all others on the lake had not caught I was happy to have banked a fish, first cast, using the simplest of water craft.

My stunning looking Mirror, not a monster but still worth the effort.

I went on to catch a few bream on the method feeder before taking a a single rod to the canal to catch a further four small carp of around 2lb each, before packing up, happy with my days fishing, a little sun burnt and very hungery, but worth it I think.

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.