12 November 2009

'Martin James' Rolling meat for Chub


Rolling Meat

for Chub





I woke on Wednesday morning to a clear sky, light wind and the prospect for mild weather conditions. Prospects of a good day at the waterside were excellent. I was going to fish for grayling but having seen the river with a steady flow and carrying a few extra inches of water with some colour. I decided on a session after the chub. My bait bucket contained bread, sausage and cheese paste, three baits I rate highly for chub. As I drove into the car park a dozen Canada geese flew low over a nearby field, in the middle of the bunch was a white farmyard goose which I found quite amazing. Threading the line through the rod guides, I tied on a size 4 barbless hook. A wren chattered loudly from a nearby hawthorn bush, on the other side of the car park another chirped back, the sun was trying to burn through the thin cloud, hopefully it wouldn't succeed.

Slinging the bait bucket over my shoulder, I picked up my rods then headed upstream; a cormorant flew low over the water. I cursed the bird under my breath. With so many small dace, chub and roach in the river, the last thing we wanted were some fish eating birds descending on the river. Three hundred yards further upstream, an angler fishing with stick float and double maggot on a size 16 hook was catching some nice roach between 12 ounces and a pound, plus some quality dace.

Half a mile further upstream I arrived at the area I had chosen to fish, a long steady glide below some fast swirling shallow and boulder strewn water. The swim I had chosen to fish, contained the odd football size boulder, a length of alder tree which had been in the river for several months was a spot where I have caught chub in the past. A kingfisher with its shrill whistle flew low over the river towards a large willow tree just upstream of where I was sitting then perched on one of the lower branches.

With a water temperature of 50 degrees F, a nice flow and plenty of colour. My first choice bait was sausage meat and crust fished as a balanced paste, which I would roll down the swim. If it becomes lodged I gently lift the rod tip and the bait usually bounces over the obstruction. The way I fish is similar to Czech nymphing. Casting upstream I kept the rod high then I followed the bait downstream, as the bait passes below me I lower the rod tip allowing the bait to trundle downstream. As it starts to swing into my bank I strike it off. Then rebaiting I start all over again.

A dozen lumps of sausage meat paste the size of a bantam egg were catapulted upstream, followed by three orange size balls of mashed bread. I sat back too enjoy a fresh brew. A group of noisy long tailed tits settled in the Willow tree chattering away as they hunted for tiny flies and other insects.
After about an hour, it was time to make my first cast. Fifty minutes later I had a take which I missed. Rebaiting I cast upstream, as the bait trundled through my swim the rod tip pulled over, my strike connected. It was a chub about two and a half pounds. In the next two casts I had two more chub about 3lbs apiece. A dozen casts later I hooked a better fish which weighed 4-12-0. Shortly after catching this fish the rain arrived which continued for well over an hour, during which I didn't get a single take.

After topping up the swim with more bait size lumps of sausage meat paste and mashed bread, I walked back to the car for lunch. The float fisher was still catching. With some hot soup and fresh crusty bread I sat back watching the river. Lunch over I made my way upstream under a clearing sky, stopping on the way to talk with the float fisher, who was getting a bite every cast. Mostly small dace and chub.

Back in my swim a barbel rolled, conditions looked good. On my second chuck I had a barbel about 3lbs, quickly followed by another of the same size. Twenty minutes later I had a nice chub of 4-6-0. In the next thirty minutes I had three more small barbel. Then followed a quiet spell, I tried crust, flake, lob worms and cheese paste, with just one eel for my effort. A good couple of hours followed when I probably had 16 takes hooking 7 fish which included 3 chub of 4lb plus, three big chub weighing in at 5-4-0 5-10-0 5-14-0. I fully expected this latter fish to be well over six pounds.

I suppose it was about 4-30 - 5-0 PM when I had a savage pull then hooked a heavy fish, which fought strongly heading upstream towards the Alder tree snag. Slowly the pressure started to tell and I was soon able to draw a very long fish over the net. My immediate though was, 'This could well be a six pounder' the scale needle hovered between 6-4-0 and 6-5-0 I decided on 6-4-0 It was time to go home after a great day at the waterside. Why not call into Tackle Discounts new store at Europa business Park Parsonage Road Stratton Swindon SN3 4RJ where I will be opening the new store on December 5th at 11-am Tight lines everyone

06 November 2009

BBC Radio's Martin James, 'It's time for Grayling'


BBC's Radio Lancashire 'At the Water's edge' Martin James
'It's Time For Grayling'

How many of you are sitting at home thinking What am I going to do today, now the trout fishing season has ended. The answer is quite simple go chase the grayling often known as "The Lady of the Stream" a fish left over from the ice age. Grayling are a great game fish and are available from many rivers and streams throughout England Wales and Scotland.
Your river brown trout equipment will be suitable, Yes you will need a selection of nymphs and dry flies. Its surprising how often on the coldest of days, you will find grayling rising to a dry fly. Choose a selection of Czech and Polish Nymphs, A few leaders between 9 and 12 feet with a tippet point of 3lbs bs. Of course in the colder weather you will need some warmer clothes so that you enjoy the experience of being out in the countryside during the winter season. The price of grayling fishing is relatively cheap compared with the cost of trout fishing. Many stretches of river trout fishing costing a £100-00 a day can be fished for £10-00 a day when grayling fishing. So do not hang up your rod's for winter, get out there and have some exciting fun with Grayling.

04 November 2009






Gormanston

Anglers

BALROTHERY

Bank Holiday Monday 26th October 2009

An excellent day for the final competition of the year, which also decided the Junior and Senior Angler of the year. Final league table positions can be found in this link: league table OCT 26th.xls . The weather was sublime and over 40 people showed up on the day to both fish and eat... Thanks to Mark and Ray our cordon bleu chefs on the day and Martin Browne for supplying the food. The Senior angler of the year was Stuart Marry and the Junior angler of the year was Martin Baily both pictured below receiving their prizes from club treasurer Tony Reilly

Stuart is not happy because there was no cheese for his burger

Martin Baily looks well pleased, But Tony discovered that Stuart robbed his cheese

All this season the number of fish caught so far is over 500

02 November 2009





Swedish carping
Mikael Persson sent us his report on his Carp fishing in Sweden last week. It seems that carp fishing is becoming ever more popular in Sweden and having fished for everything from roach to salmon Mikka decided last year to concentrate more on his carp fishing. Fishing a local lake that he stocked with his father around 20 years ago Mikka baited the lake before doing his first night. Unfortunately his first night was uneventful and his return to carp fishing was a blank! Not deterred he returned the next week and fished for Four nights. The results this time where better catching one carp each night with the biggest being 14.3kg(31.5lbs). A cracking start to his campaign. For Sweden this is a large fish and the only other waters that contain bigger in the area are private. Mikka's son who is 14 decided he wanted some of the action and so the next trip they both set off for a couple of nights fishing.
A great start for his son saw him land 3 carp of 7.5kg(16lb 8oz), 10.8kg(23lb 10oz) and a cracking carp of 14.8kg(32lb 9oz). By the end of the summer his whole family where fishing with his Seventeen year old Daughter also catching a few good fish.
Tactics in Sweden are similar to the U.K with Mikka using Scopex and Banana boilies, fished snowman style with pop-ups on bolt rig set ups.