The end to another season.
I’m not entirely sure how it works
nowadays, yet for me a season’s fishing ends come midnight on March
the 14th, a time which coincides with the closing of
angling on running water.
To be honest it’s some relief when
the season ends as with the closure of the rivers and the end to the
predator season, many complications are removed and I can seriously
get my teeth into the odd campaign. I say odd because over the last
three years my big fish head hasn’t really been on, yet that’s
all about to change as I’m sick of swapping from one species to
another along with constantly altering kit, its now time for some
consistency and distress.
This change want involve not being able
to cater for customers wanting to target different species, it will
just mean that my own personal angling will be spent with a certain
species and size target for a set period of time. This may include
species such as tench, bream and crucians through the spring then
barbel, roach and grayling through the winter, however these targets
and campaigns will be kept relatively quiet until its time to move
on, and only then will captures be revealed. Sadly this will mean
less information within my monthly reports but to make up for this
I’m going to try and show more tactical features upon my website.
So looking back on last year, was it a
good one?
March – Just prior to the end
of the season we finished a winter’s campaign once again on
Frensham Great Pond after my favourite species rudd. Although not as
productive as other winters it certainly wasn’t the worst and on
most occasions we caught, yet it was noticed that the size of rudd
was well down and a fish over 2lb 8oz seemed a rarity. It was also a
period that I decided to broaden my knowledge of different day ticket
venues in the area; however this season it will come to an end as
searching for monsters will take up most of my spare time.
April – Probably the month I
love the most as everything’s springing into life and the fish
started to feed. Mill Farm Fishery was one venue that I visited a few
times, yet the hope of a massive silver bream just didn’t happen.
In fact I never even surpassed the two-pound barrier, yet my mate
Chris did with this personal best of 2lb 6oz. Badshot Lea on FAS
portfolio saw big bags of bream taken and Harris Lake on Godalmings
Marsh Farm complex was also a regular haunt with myself and many a
customer taking some amazing catches of tench and crucians.
May – This month has to be
remembered for an unexpected capture as whilst targeting carp a
crucian picked up my bait, all 3lb 14oz of it and no, it wasn’t
from Johnsons or Harris! It was also the month that l started to
target catfish at Badshot Lea and with the help of my mate Chris
these became regular appearances to the bank along with many a gate
crashing grass carp that seemed to like double 22mm pellets! May is
also a fantastic time for eels and I spent the night under the stars
at a favourite venue of mine, Sumner’s Pond and managed to take a
couple of three’s.
June - Although 20lb and the odd
30lb catfish graced mine and Chris’s net regularly it was the
capture of a 37lb cat by Jake Curry that stole the show. Just check
out that smile. You will be happy to know that during May and early
June guided catfish trips will be available, however due to our
campaign else where, dates will be limited so send me an email now if
you are interested. Frensham Pond fished well with big bags of tench
to over 7lb and Johnsons produced a few crucians to 3lb 8oz.
July – It was a month that saw
two personal bests taken, the first being a 6lb 10oz rainbow trout
that picked up 13mm pellet intended for barbel and the second was a
4lb 10oz golden orfe. However it was my dad who showed me the way in
terms of quality and put my orfe to shame after taking one weighing
5lb 9oz. The catfish continued to grace our nets with the most
memorable being a customer Tim who landed three including two
twenties to 27lb 12oz.
Aug – A tip of from good
friend Fred Healy saw me heading to Bucklands, the now mega of rudd
fishing and just before it went syndicate. In probably the worst
weather imaginable I took an amazing catch of rudd which included
sixteen over 2lb 6oz. The biggest two weighed 3lb 10oz and 3lb
12.8oz. I also fished the river Avon for the first time ever and
managed a good chub although I was trying to catch a carp for an
Anglers Mail feature! A few trips to the Wye proved successful with
plenty of barbel falling even in extremely low water conditions.
Sept – More trips to the Wye
saw numerous barbel landed however the politics surrounding the beat
I was fishing was becoming uncomfortable and unbeknown to me after
the final trip I decided to depart and never return. Yet as they say,
when one door closes another opens and a couple of exploration trips
with my dad and brother located new stretches and although the fish
weren’t quite as abundant, they were certainly bigger. Johnsons
continued to supply big crucians and come the end of the month it was
time to pack the suit case and head of to Spain for a spot of monster
cat fishing on the Ebro.
Oct – Although tough due to
some diverse weather conditions the Ebro didn’t disappoint with all
three taking cats over 100lb. My biggest was a 140lb with Steve
taking a pure albino of 178lb. On my return the crucians were still
feeding yet getting over 3lb 8oz proved impossible. A trip nine miles
out of Portsmouth saw me catching my first ever cod, and by god it
tasted good and the zander fishing at Old Bury Hill started in
unspectacular fashion.
Nov – Not a great deal to talk
about November apart from I managed to catch my first barbel from the
Thames, not a monster but a start. The crucians had disappeared at
Johnsons and the zander although still feeding all seemed to be on
the small size. I think the biggest we took in numerous trips was
around 8lb.
Dec – With the weather cold
and frosty it was time to look at the river Test and Itchen and my
first visit to Timsbury proved a success with a roach of 2lb gracing
my net. Plenty more visits saw loads of grayling and trout taken but
the coarse fish just didn’t show. The pike fishing at Frensham was
warming up and the start of a pre-baiting campaign was an eye opener
with loads of doubles taken. I even cast out a helicopter rig one
morning and managed a tench in temperatures below freezing!
Jan – This month was taken up
with guided trips to the river Test and pike fishing at Frensham. The
Test was just a fantastic place to be with customers happy seeing the
float constantly dip below the surface and as for the pike fishing,
it was brilliant and although nothing huge was taken plenty of
doubles to just short of 16lb kept me happy.
Feb – A month when a new
stretch of the Itchen was explored. Target was a 2lb plus grayling
yet although everyone we spoke to assured us they were there,
numerous visits only produced them to 1lb 14oz.
March – Another couple of
weeks exploring pastures new, this time for barbel yet it was chub
that liked my new style of fishing and bait. A last trip to Old Bury
in the hope of a double figured zander fell on an almost impossible
evening with a chilly easterly wind and temperatures dropping below
freezing. Seven of us fished and five blanked including myself, it
was that tough!
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