What happened in 2013 - part 1

What happened in 2013

1^st Quarter – January to March 2013.

January – The year started mild, the fishing should have been good yet the high pressure put paid to this then come the 19^th the ground was covered with four-inches of snow and night time temperatures down well below freezing before another mild front flew in come the last week. My fishing was rotated between chub fishing on the Loddon, trotting the Wey for dace, pike fishing at Frensham, as well as targeting the rudd. The only consistent sport was the dace and chub throughout Farnham town centre and the pike fishing, yet if it wasn’t for one mid double that seemed a mug for a sardine things would have been quite different.

February – Another month of high atmospheric pressure and temperatures all over the place. Fishing once again was similar to January apart from the chub fishing on the Loddon which is far tougher than in previous years. I have continued to bang my head against a brick wall at Frensham, only catching on three occasions from the last sixteen sessions and then only the odd fish showing. I did get the river conditions spot on in Farnham resulting in a mixed catch of chub, dace and trout totalling more than 35lb!

March – My records show that on one day the temperatures rose from a chilling -4 to a mild 12 degrees in just a few hours, yet on a whole, a chilly raw month. The longer days obviously has got the fish feeding though with a couple of five pound chub falling as well as some good roach, the biggest 2lb 6oz, yet it was the bream that seemed most willing to feed and a chance visit to a large gravel pit on the south coast supplied six double to 12lb 8oz on a night when the temperature stayed at just one degree all night! A session just days later when it was 10 degrees, in the same swim produced a blank, proves how fine the line is between success and failure!

What happened in 2013 - part 2

April to June 2013

April – The month things really started to hot up, oh how I wish every month was like this, yet it wasn’t until well into the month that things started to happen. The atmospheric pressure was far lower and although the odd frost towards the end of the month proved that winter hadn’t left, daytime temperatures were on the rise, 22 degrees in fact when I visited Whistley Mill. Bream and carp featured mostly in my catches yet the odd tench and crucian were also starting too appeared. It was also the month that saw myself starting a tench campaign on a P&DAA venue; however it was a couple of sessions towards the end of the month that were simply unforgettable. The first saw four double figured bream taken, the biggest providing me with my first personal best of the season at 16lb 1oz, then a session targeting their smaller cousins, silver bream saw six over two pound taken including another personal best of 3lb 3oz, just an ounce short of the British record. Another session just days later saw a further three over 3lb landed!

May – Typical of this month was the warm days and cold nights, often frosty as well as a spell of wet and windy weather. It was crucians that provided me with one remarkable session; just a short session of three hours at Enton when no fewer than ten over three pound graced my net, the best 3lb 13oz! Two more personal best fell in the shape of gold and blue orfe taken whilst on vacation at Anglers Paradise, the best a blue weighing 4lb 4oz. The tench finally arrived at Sinah but only after a risk taking exercise of filling it in with groundbait.

June – The tench campaign was gaining force with numerous males to just over 6lb falling on every visit, yet just when it looked like a big girl was on the cards the club closed the lake. Having to make a u-turn it was back to Frensham and with the cold spring seeing the tench holding onto their spawn it looked good for a double, yet although the average size was up the best taken was one of 8lb 2oz taken on the float. A few big rudd also showed, albeit to tench tactics and yet another personal best was taken, this time a rainbow trout of 6lb 8oz from Avington.

What happened in 2013 - part 3

July to September 2013

July – One night after eels produced a mid four, why I didn’t do more nights for these I will never know! Apart from numerous enjoyable guiding sessions to Frensham big pond it was a night spent under the stars with fellow Nash man Paul Garner that stole the show. Not for the fishing, which was good, but the spectacular sunset we witnessed at dusk, where was that coming from. Another great weekend was spent with Stuart Jupp at one of the Nash Roadshows, this time at Broadlands. Fishing scaled down surface tactics we showed the carp boys how it was done with a couple of twenties to our names. I think this one might come back and bite me on the bum, game on!

August – Looking back at my records it was this month when everything started to go wrong, or should I say most venues toughen up. It was also a month when I decided to give up carp fishing the Thames as it was proving just impossible throughout the middle reaches. In all honesty much of my time was spent guiding customers and although everyone caught it was this that stopped me getting my teeth into anything, hence the reason for being unable to string any consistency together. I did manage one big fish during the month, a 14lb 7oz barbel, so it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

September – The news was that the river Wye was fishing badly yet a week spent guiding on this incredible river bought exactly one hundred barbel to my customers! Another week later in the month, again on the Wye was also good, yet a couple of attempts piking was disappointing. It wasn’t just the Wye that was being kind, the Loddon was also hitting form and it seemed everyone I took out was landing a double. One lucky angler took two doubles, two modest chub, but the fish of the session was a bream weighing 10lb, where did that come from?

What happened in 2013 part 4

Last quarter – October to December 2013

October – Seeing September fish so well on the Loddon I found myself rubbing my hands together, yet for some unknown reason the river decided to toughen up. In fact it became almost impossible and sitting watching a motionless tip had me rethinking why I go fishing as it certainly couldn’t be classified as ‘pleasure fishing’. I was hoping to have, maybe a last attempt at the zander at Old Bury Hill but due to the mild conditions, after dark fishing wasn’t allowed. The most memorable fish of the month, apart from a few good crucians that were also tough, was a barbel taken on the float, once again on the Wye.

November – Not a lot to say about this month, it was that bad. The night restrictions at Old Bury were lifted, yet the fishing was appalling as was everything else I tried. Blank after blank was being recorded, and it wasn’t just me as everyone else I spoke to was also struggling. In the end I had to head to the Loddon with bread in the hope of a few chub. Two graced my net, however after struggling to get a bite all month the first was ironically hooked in the tail. If I was asked why the fishing was so bad then I would blame this on the long cold spring as the rivers were still full of weed and the trees full of leaves still.

December – What a start to the month as a trip to the river Test produced fish all day including a personal best dace of 11oz plus roach to nearly two pounds and all on the float. It was also a month that me and fellow Nash man Chris thought we had found a fantastic free stretch on the river Itchen only for a pacing jogger to point out the private fishing sign in the tree above our heads, something we had completely missed due to our eyes being transfixed on big grayling subsurface! Another fantastic day was spent once again on the river Wye and although our chosen species pike didn’t show I managed more than 50lb of chub on the waggler. The month just got better and better as it seemed everywhere I fished produced, and some specimen fish as well and this form has carried on into the New Year. Long may it continue!

I suppose that for a specimen angler like myself the year has to be judged on personal bests landed and although these are becoming harder by the year, six has to be considered as a real result. If I beat six next year then I will be more than happy!

Tight lines!

Duncan’s monthly Blog – Dec 2013

December 2013

Any month that sees a personal best fish landed has to be classified as a red-letter month and December has certainly made up for the two previous months being almost non-starters.

Fortunately the first session really got the month of in fine fettle and luckily I was treated to a days fishing on the famous Testwood Fishery by a very generous customer of mine. Our target was to catch the pinnacle of all our coarse river species, a 2lb roach and although we never achieved this goal, we came bloody close with myself taking five quality roach, all on the stick and pin, with the best going 1lb 13oz. It wasn’t just roach that showed, seven other species were taken including brown/sea trout, grayling, roach/bream hybrids, bronze bream, chub and one massive dace of 11oz that gave me a new personal best. For me the most pleasing part of the session was that I stuck with the float rod, stick float and centrepin all day and although come the end of the day cramp was setting in it was the most rewarding session I’ve had for a very long time.

Booking the pool doesn’t come cheap at £150 but the cost can be divided up between a maximum of three anglers so it is affordable and will probably see a once yearly pilgrimage by myself and Alan to the venue.

Unfortunately the second trip of the month bought me back to ground as although it wasn’t a blank it felt like it as I headed to a day ticket venue with big roach on my mind yet come the end of the day which saw my father and girlfriends father fish as well, apart from two roach around a pound to Mick all myself and dad had to show for our efforts were small frustrating roach. Anyway, just like Old Bury Hill it’s another venue that can be ticked of the list for the rest of the season.

Back in November myself and fishing companion Chris had walked a stretch of the river Itchen and had spotted a big grayling and with a free Sunday morning we headed south full of anticipation. Before starting to fish I said that if we had half a dozen fish each the session could be classified as a result. Well in the second swim I settled I managed eighteen net fish mainly grayling and trout with the odd salmon parr thrown in. Chris was catching far less fish but seemed to have a knack of putting the net under far bigger fish with the best grayling going a good pound and a half plus. Just as we were rubbing our hands together thinking we had uncovered a gold mine and jogger on the far bank stopped and informed us that we were on a private, exclusive trout beat, ouch, that hurt. Amazingly we had walked the stretch the previous week and with our eyes concentrating on the water had both totally missed the private fishing sign. Time to leave I think!

A trip to Hereford and the river Wye although not producing our desired species, pike, did provide me with a 50lb plus bag of chub. Not big fish, between 8oz and 2lb but brilliant sport and again all taken on the float, this time the waggler fished up in the water down the centre of the river.

A couple of guiding days saw fish landed, the best fish being a 4lb 2oz chub taken from the Loddon in far from ideal conditions. The perch didn’t want to play ball and proved difficult on both flowing and still water.

I did try for barbel on a flooded river Loddon, again without any success mainly due to the session being cut short due to the river rising and knowing that a stream that I struggled to get over on route to the river would most likely cut me off if I didn’t make a premature retreat. To be honest with the weather as it is, consistently mild and the rivers up in flood I’ve forgotten about barbel as these conditions allow the fish to feed when ever they want and trying to get any consistent results is almost impossible. In fact I’ve just taken a picture of my back garden, its Christmas Eve and the river Blackwater is within inches of breaching my tackle shed. It’s the highest I have ever seen the river, maybe I should cast out a barbel bait and leave my receiver in the lounge!

Checking my diary inputs I’ve been fortunate to get out on the bank on twelve occasions, these being split between personal sessions (8), features (1) and guiding (3) which again is a good split. These sessions total 67 hours, almost six hours per session which is acceptable knowing that each day only sees around eight hours of daylight.

On a more positive note I have been fortunate to discover and catch a few specimen fish come the end of the month, yet as its early days and with the Christmas holidays stopping myself from getting out till the New Year I feel it best to keep these quiet for now, but just lets say December has been very kind! I may well get out and have pencilled in a session on Friday 27^th as well as a customer promising to take me out sea fishing on Monday 30^th, yet with storms forecasted I’m not holding my breath.

Have a great Christmas and New Year!

January edition of Coarse Angling Today out on the 27th December.

January edition of Coarse Angling Today

Anyone not familiar with CAT (Coarse Angling Today) need to get a copy of this monthly magazine as its filled with great content and features including Part 4 of my series title – Approaching tench on a new venue.

I’ve been lucky enough to receive a copy well in advance and I was particularly interested in the HOTSEAT answers. To be honest when I started reading the answers I thought that I must have read the question incorrectly, yet I hadn’t. The answers just show a massive divide, and how some anglers are so selfish and single minded and are only worried what goes in their landing net, yet others, mainly us older mature anglers feel that the tackle shops and firms that provide what is needed to catch these fish are of up most importance as well as getting kids into our wonderful sport!

It’s all well and good being ambitious and having goals but if the arse falls out from beneath us and you can’t buy maggots, boilies or pellets to catch those lovely big fish, then, well, you will know what it felt like when I was a youngster!

There’s a bigger picture when it comes to ‘The world of Angling’ and we all need to look at it in a much broader way.

Get your copy now!

In Session with Duncan – Thursday 19th December 2013.

'In Session' with Duncan

Venue – Badshot Lea Big Pond.

Controlling club – Farnham Angling Society.

Anyone that’s fished the Helicopter rig at Badshot Lea Big Pond in early spring will know just how good this method is and the exceptional fishing that can be had. I fished this with fellow Nash angler Stuart Jupp back in April and that day fishing around fifty yards out from the swim that allows the centre of the lake to be reached at the end of the woods (not the one facing the island) he managed around 80lb of fish in just a few hours. It was his first ever session on the venue and the first time he had used the rig in such a delicate fashion yet with numerous bream, mostly around 4lb along with big hybrids, tench and the odd net perch he proved that with a little help anyone can bag up on this method and venue.

Knowing the venue well and the variety of species it holds should mean it’s a good winter water so with this in mind I headed out knowing that I needed to get swim choice spot on. Unfortunately the weather was doing its best to limit my choice as a storm was brewing and with weather warnings across the south I knew that my session would have to be cut short due to sensibility kicking in! On arrival the wind was coming from the main car park and heading across the lake to the small pond, a south westerly. The temperature was just seven on arrival and on the increase, as were the storm clouds and wind. Even before arriving I knew that the fish in this lake follow the wind so the area to the right of both pins was my chosen area and the centre of the lake was where I needed to place my bait, however trying to fish with such a wind in my face or from the side wasn’t an option so with peg 57 free and with the wind coming from behind this swim was the obvious answer as well as offering some shelter.

Tactics as mentioned earlier was the helicopter rig in conjunction with a groundbait feeder. Red maggots would be squashed within the feeder by placing groundbait to both ends, creating what’s known as a maggot sandwich and with two red maggots placed on a size 16 hook and the use of a three inch hooklink any fish that picked this up would almost certainly get hooked.

The first item that needed sorting was the umbrella as the rain had arrived slightly earlier than forecasted. Having mixed the groundbait up the night before, wetted down and sieved, and with rods made up it was simply a case of filling the feeder and punching this out in the general direction of the island some sixty yards, something made easy by the strength of the wind. With both rods out it was a case of working the swim as best I could in such conditions so every fifteen minutes the feeders were refilled and cast back out to the same spot as by now elasticised stop knots had been tied to the mainline and the reels line clip used.

Forty five minutes past, three casts, before a couple of bleeps showed that fish were around yet it was another forty five minutes before the left hand indicator pulled tight before dropping to the ground resulting in a bream around 5lb. Over the next three hours four more similar sized bream graced my net, yet come 1pm it was a case of gritting my teeth, packing up in torrential rain and gale force winds and heading for shelter, yet this short exploratory session provided everything that I wanted of it.

Badshot Lea is a brilliant early spring venue, however with a little thought and dedication its also a great winter water, I just wished that the conditions had allowed me to fish a whole day, however with the banks deserted it wont be long before l return.

Unfortunately due to the adverse weather and holiday period I cant see myself getting out before the New Year, well not to create a weekly ‘In Session’ blog report, so to all my customers and readers have a great Christmas and here’s to a rod bending New Year.