22-2-14 Three Runs

I decided to go back to the lake id fished last week.I started in the better of the swims i couldnt get in last week.I made my rods up so i could float fish or ledger.I decided to float fish and chuck lures.Id been there for over 3 hours and decided to move.I walked back round the lake to a swim in the woods i fancied and changed over too alarms and sat back,watching the robin fly in and out of my swim eating bread id put out for him.

During the time i was sat there i had two runs at the same time,they were both coots,damn.............
At about 4 pm another run to a coot,i stayed till it went dark and left feeling somewhat cheated by them damn coots............

Best shot i could get,made it difficult for me,lol...........................................

With not much left of the pike season left now,the waters i fish are closed to baits on the 14th march,then its lures only.Im probably going to try a different water before the season ends and maybe a trip back to no 1 water,we will see,need some luck now to rescue a very poor pike season.........................................

A Change Of Scenery 16-2-14

After the weather we have been having of late,today looked like the day to get out.I had spoken to Paul Fernside for some info on a water i fancied ,paul said he would come to,perfect.I set off this morning and got the distance wrong for arriving early,paul text me to say he had arrived,i was 10 mins away.I parked up opened 3 gates to find nobody on the bank,i tried to ring paul,no answer.As i made my way to the gate,my phone rang,im only on the wrongside of the lake,grrrrr,3 more gates,stuff in van and drove round,finally im on the bank and had to settle for the corner peg.

During the course of the day i tried various baits,close in far out,not a touch.Paul fishes a different style to the way i fish,one rod on the ledger,the other he is either twitching a float back or sink and draw,something i havnt done much off.Paul had a dropped run and the guy in the next peg had dropped runs then a jack to a live bait.It wasnt long and the guy a peg next to me had a pike to 8 lb on a smelt.It wasnt long before paul was into a micro pike on a twitched double livey rig.The guys fishing inbetween us packed up and left well before it went dark.The water came alive as the light levels were dropping,i dropped in with paul,twitching a float.The pike were now smashing the fry and at one point paul,s float got tail smacked,we were fishing no further than 2 meters apart and the pike seemed only interested in the fry and not our twitched deads.We stayed well into dark,a really enjoyable day and good company.Thanks Paul

Will i be back,off course i will,nice to have a change of water and learned a lot today.Tight Lines,Till the next time....................................................................

Pike Biscuits.........................................................

The Micro Jack.................Fernside 1- Browny 0..................................................

8-2-14 Robin in my swim

I decided to go back to no 1 water on saturday.I was going to try another water but with the weather we were going to be getting battered with,i thought i would go back here for some hard fishing.I managed to set up before first light,the wind was blowing from left to right and ocasionally swirling into my peg.I popped the shelter up and sat back watching ronnie the robin fly in and out for the free offerings i had put out for him.

Ronnie the robin............................................

This water has a lot of dead weed on the bottom and causes problems to presentation when you tighten up to your lead.I decided to fish popped up baits,i tested my bait in the margin and with the lead sinking faster than the bait,when the bait reaches the bottom it will sit about 3 inches off the bottom.

The wire has been double twisted to make it stiffer to stop tangles...............................

I had found a gravel bar about 30-40 yards out and put both my baits out there.With the weather forecast i went back to straight ledger on both rods.During the course of the morning i had mackeral tail and pollan baits out.At around 12-30 after freshening up the baits buy recasting to the same spots,to make sure i brought no weed in,i changed to smelt and herring,i had changed the pollan earlier on to a sardine,i only like to leave sardine about an hour as they go really soft.

The swim,the brolly held up really well except a gust nearly had it,but i had hold of it in time and one off the pegs popped out,i couldnt find the peg.........................................................

So after changing my baits i sat back,had another coffee,the wind now was whipping round,it also looked like rain was coming.Considering i caught two last week a guy was blanking in that peg,its a strange water,when are they going to feed.At 2-30 a single beep,drop off fell off and it was a screamer,i struck and nothing,my bait has been stolen,hate that.I recasted to the same spot with another smelt.

He wouldnt be content till he had those last pieces of bread...................................

After the screamer i had no further action.Its time to have another break from here,i wont be defeated.


Till the next time bloggers,Tight Lines....................................................

Found the peg,lol...................................................................

Deads and Lures 6-2-14

With having a job cancelled at the last minute,it would be rude not to go fishing.It turned out handy  my mate Lee was off work this week and trying to drag him out has been a difficult task as he has 3 kids and a busy job,finding a balance to go fishing cant always happen at weekend for him.

I picked him up this morning and we headed to no 1 water with a plan to fish deads and lures.On arrival we had the place to ourselves.We headed to the comfy peg,i fished two float rods,lee one float and one ledger,in between we raked the swim with various lures.

At 12 we decided to move to the opposite bank and try a different area,more room for throwing lures aswell.At about 1 pm lee had some movement on the float rod,as it moved off he struck,as the fish was coming in it shook the hooks free,he cast out to the same spot,unlucky mate.

I decided to chuck some lures in the next peg and lee did the same,after about 20 casts i decided i wanted a brew as i walked back ,i heard a load bang,lee,s lure rod exploded,not casting he caught it on the bank.

The snapped lure rod,now a four piece,oooooop.s...........................................

At about 2pm it looked like the fish he lost was back for seconds,the float dipped and went under,fish on and this time,chinned out,quick pic and released.well done lee...........................

Big or small love em all.Nice to get back on the bank with lee,great company as usual,never a dull moment.
Till the next time,Barlow 1 Browny 0.................................................................

Three Options 2-2-14

I was having a dilemma where to go today,option 1 go to water no 1,option 2 go drop shot,jigging for perch on the  canal,and the final option was an invite from the St. Helens crew to fish an old haunt. I decided on water no 1 with a slight twist,I could do a bit of jigging while waiting for the float to go.

I arrived at the water just before first light,I ended up in a totally different peg ,was going to fish the opposite bank ,but favoured the bay with a left to right sw wind and a nice chop on the water.

When I've fished here before I haven't really tried out sardine or mackerel .I plumbed up and had 8 ft on the sardine rod, one rod length from the bank,the mackerel rod I fished 4 lengths out in 13 foot of water.
Time for a coffee and take in the scenery,the robin joined me for a bit.At 8-40 my mackerel tail rod slid under,struck pike in the net.I didn't weigh it and would guess it was short of a double.
A quick self take and slipped her back.

It wasn't long before the sardine float slipped away,I struck and nothing,I reeled in and the bait had been mauled around the head,a finicky bite no 1.

It wasn't long before the same thing happened again on the mackerel rod,chewed below the bottom hook.

I moved the sardine rod in to within a few feet of the bank as I'd seen a couple of swirls in front of the peg earlier,chucked a bit of choppy in around my float and waited.

About an hour later  the float rose ,lay flat and slid away,I struck and this time I was robbed lol.

In between all the action I was chucking various fox 7cm mini fry with a 5g jig head,it wasn't until I changed to a fire tiger pattern an bang,fish on,wasn't a perch,a small jack,rod christened.

Mackeral Tail,not a great shot,id been messing with my camera earlier and wasnt set correct......

Took a Fox Rage Fire Tiger 7cm mini fry,on my new drop shot rod,thats another blog.Tight Lines

Trip to a new canal 25 January 2014

I decided this last week i would like to try out a new canal,i spent ages on google earth looking at specific areas to fish.I made my mind up to fish 3 areas.The first area would be from the bridge to the lock,then behind the lock,approx 700 yards of leapfrogging two float fished deads,bait choice,roach and smelt.

The starting point.............................................

I had probably made my way to the half way point,no signs of fish movement at all,i had fished one rod far bank and the other down the track,rotating them as i moved.I saw something to the left of my far bank rod and thought it was a pike striking,how wrong i was,it was a minx,working its way across the far bank undergrowth..I had just moved my right hand rod when i noticed my float was now in an upright position,i picked up my rod and struck..................................

I slipped my net under this jack..................................

I moved the rod to the far bank,as i was tightening up to my float i saw the minx heading over towards my other float,dived and went for my dead bait,as i got to my rod the baitrunner was going,i struck hoping it would drop the bait,fortunately i lost the bait and the minx won........................

By now i had approached where i wanted to end up,i decided to walk back to the van,have a butty and a drink,then fish the other side of the canal.

I arrived at the other stretch hoping to get into some more fish.I leapfrogged along and moved above the lock,the sky was lovely until i moved for the second time and the sky was black,hoping it would blow over,but it didnt,thunder and lightning ,hail and now rain.There was no way i was touching the rods just yet,i crouched behind a bush till it cleared and aborted the fishing and back to the van.I had took some perch gear with me and was hoping to do some for the last 2 hours of the day,this will have to wait as i decided to call it a day,due to the weather turning bad.As i sat in the van having a brew i googled no 1 water to see how far away i was,7 miles.As i would be going near there on the way home i decided to head there and if the rain cleared i could be fishing by 2-30.................................

I arrived at the lake,set up in a swim with deep margins,there were 2 anglers carping and one other pike fishing.I stayed till it went dark,still owes me a fish this place,ill be back.

Now its time to get my headspace right and re-group and see where i go from here,Tight Lines.........

On the river with the st helens crew 19-1-14

Last weeks  pike session saw a return to my  no1 choice water,i blanked again.........................
This week i decided to look into going somewhere else,i made 2 choices,the canal or the river.I was at home on saturday and the phone rang,it was kieth,you fancy the river mate,didnt need asking twice.
We arrived at the river just after 6-30,myself,kieth,bernie,sefo and young mike who is having a cracking season.The stretch of the river had roughly 5 swims,we all dropped into our chosen swims,mine needed a bit of gardening to get it fishable,bernie dropped in 50 yards to my left and kieth,sefo and mike headed to the swims further down river.

I fished both rods on pat rigs as the river can be really snaggy,better to lose your lead  rather than your trace.
My baits were smelt and lamprey,both fished close in one a rod length out,the other on the edge of a crease
next to a bush.

The morning was going fast till bernie cracked the sausages open,time for a butty,thanks bernie,better than wyreside..............................

I moved my baits about a few times in the morning ,we had a late sausage butty again.
kieth text me to say he lost one.I changed over one rod to a free roving livey,then kieth text me to say mike had a jack.

I had to leave at about 4-30 to be home to visit my mum who,s in hospital again,had a great day out with the lads as usual,great company,good crack and belting buttys......................................

As i was leaving kieth text me to say he had a double,so even though i blanked at least fish were  banked today................................................................

Two of my favourite cloud shots today..............................................