pike and perch.co.uk

A quick update to say went off to fish Bewl the first two days of the season and gees my right side aches! Was absolutely chomping at the bit to get out on Bewl for the first few days from the bank and what gorgeous weather! Perfect for a few days fishing…! Ok not overly great conditions for the fishing to be honest but still a great way to spend a few days.

Fishing wasn’t the easiest as on arrival the place was heaving with around 100+ people with the same idea as me. Doh! But still the hunt was on, not so much for the fish but more so fishable bank… you may think with over 12 miles of bank thats easy, give it a go you’ll soon be knackered and wondering where to try next. Half mile walk one way or the other… decisions decisions!

Still it paid off i managed 3 fish both days and had plenty of other takes and 4 lost. I was more than happy. I’m still a beginner but was more than chuffed when all fish were on my own little creation – wink wink! Happy days!

Fingers crossed and i’ll be back out there soon!

Tight lines to all!

ps. damn those blue trout fight flipping hard!!!!

This morning i was up at 5am and out on the river by 5:30am.  I was hoping after the rain that the river may liven up a little, unfortunately the only perch i managed to capture was probably about half a pound.  I had been trotting the a lob and moving every 30 minutes to try to cover as much ground as possible.

At about 7:30 i spotted bubbles coming up just off some reeds no more than 6 feet from the bank so crept up and slowly lowered a huge lob into the water about 2 feet from the bubbles.  After ten mins the float slowly dissappeared, i struck into thin air and the lob was gone.  There was no great movement of a spooked fish so i lowered another in, and the same thing happened again… so in went another…

This time i struck and for a split second i thought i was snagged, and then boom the clutch went absolutely mental and i was into something that went off down river like a steam train.  I thought the reeds would stop it but oh no this fish had other ideas and come very close to the surface and the tail broke the water!  Wow boy oh boy was it a tail and a half… and it signalled to me that i was into a decent Common Carp!  It run downstream about 30-40 yards before i managed to turn it round, and about 10 knee knocking minutes later the battle was over and i managed to scoop it up into my net.

Low and behold i was in total shock at what i had just achieved!  And what made it even sweeter was that i managed to land it on 6lb line with a 4lb hooklink on a John Wilson Avon 1.25tc rod!  I want another one already!

The setting was amazing for the picture and thankfully they came out really good!  A big thanks go out to Sam for rushing down from work to take the pictures, i owe you more than a few beers!  Thanks mate!

Well what an evening, i have just returned from the big lake having caught my biggest from there so far.  On arrival i walked to my favourite swim to find a guy already fishing there – totally gutted.  I set up one down behind some trees and thought i’d go have a chat with him before i start.

He said he was after alsorts and had got fed up with small perch nicking his maggots so went over to sweetcorn to go for the roach, with some success taking them to the 2lb mark.  I mentioned would he be there long and he said he was nearly out of bait so would give me a whistle when he’s done.  Low and behold i was in the spot i wanted at a little after 8pm, which isn’t bad going as that meant i’d only been there 20 minutes.  And being as i’d gone straight from work all i had to catch some livies was bread, thankfully he gave me a handful of maggots and i was away/  Third cast i caught a perfect sized bleak.

Thankfully i’d prepared and had the rod setup so on went the bait and i cast out to the edge of the trees whilst the guy was packing away.  I didn’t have to wait long as the bait was taken in under a minute by a pristine perch of 1lb 10oz.  Second biggest i’d had so far so i was well chuffed.  Out went the float for another bait…  2 minutes later a nice 4″ roach decided it fancied the maggot!  Perfect…!

This was cast a little deeper and the bait presented about a foot from the bottom.   15 minutes later another take, unfortunately this one spat it out before i managed to get him.  The bait still being ok, so it went back out to the hotspot.  Then about 10 minutes after casting it in bang bang bang on the float and then he was off…  i struck into it i and knew i was on to a good un and boy did he put up a great scrap.   Out went the net and he was mine!  Ok not massive but being the biggest by nearly half a pound i was well made up!  He went 2lb 7oz on the scales and i was overjoyed!!!

After this all went a little quiet until bang on the float again and i thought surely not!  I hit into and it felt damn good, unfortunately it was not seen nor heard but it felt bloody good and it felt perchy!  And stronger than the two previous fish……  nothing else happened after this so i packed up and headed home as it well pretty dark by now and i was struggling to see the float.  But you’d better be sure i’ll be back down there soon after nearly getting my hands on a real good one!

Watch this space…!

Friday evening was overcast with a light breeze on the water at the lake that has been my target this last week.  with over 70 perch landed between us during the my prayers were answered and i managed to catch a 2lb 1oz perch at 9pm.  I knew there had to larger in there, well i had hoped so anyway.  And after seeing this pristine Perch the full potential of the place has been exposed…!

I shall be on the river for the foreseeable future but i know that when the river is having it’s off days i have this place to head back down to.  Its barely fished which is a god send and hopefully it stays that way i can fish where and when i need to.  Phew!

Good like to all for the coming season and may all your stripeys be big ones!  I look forward to seeing captures posted on the forum and i hope a few of them are mine!

Ok back i went to the same location, it wasn’t quite as productive as the first session as it was a lot windier but we still managed around 15-20 perch.  Biggest again just below a pound… i’m sure there are bigger in there after seeing an easy 2 pounder last autumn.  Hopefully i will be back down there tomorrow to see whats about and try another very perchy area of the lake.  Fingers crossed – and whatever happens i cannot wait for the 16th to come around.  I’m counting the days now.  The new perch rods have arrived and the worms are on order to arrive Friday so i can get out and prebait a few chosen swims on my favourite section of river.

Good luck to any readers who like myself will be aiming for stripeys on the opening day!

Last night the weather looked perfect, it was still quite warm and overcast.  So I had to get myself out and try a nearby lake for some perch. Unfortunately there were no whackers caught but a fishing buddy and I managed to catch over 30 perch in two hours from a large lake a short drive from where we live (approx 20 acres). The largest was just under a pound but that didn’t stop us have a very enjoyable session, it was all about getting out there and getting in amongst the stripeys. All fish bar two of them were caught on float fished worm. We will be back down there tonight and hopefully see if we can find some of the larger ones.

Fingers crossed~!  And i’ll let you know how we get on soon!

This Friday afternoon i decided to go armed with some lobs and catch myself a few small livebaits and have another go at the same stretch that produced last weekend. 

On arrival at 3pm the jacks were striking a little further upstream so i decided to setup next to some lillypads and hope for the best a little bit downstream of the resident pike.   First up i thought i’d catch myself a few baits and then try those on one rod and a nice fat juicy lob on the other.   The small roach were most obliging and within 15 minutes i had a good 6/7 baits in the bucket.   I rigged up with my normal float paternoster setup and sat back with fingers crossed.  The float was bobbing away with some attention and after 20 minutes my first perch was bagged.  Just over a pound and i was satisfied.  I recast another bait to the same spot and the attention started after 5 or 6 minutes.  This time not resulting in much, so i left it alone and cast a cut lobworm 15 yards upstream under a bobber float.  Within minutes the first perch was on and quickly netted.   This time at around half a pound he had put up a good scrap.  The livebait still un-touched.  Out went another worm and after a further ten minutes off it ran again, again around half a pound.  I decided to cast the livebait just past this spot incase a biggie was nearby and attracted to the feeding smaller perch.   The worm went back out 5 yards to the left.

Bang!  The float bolted under and at first felt very good with the initial and a very angry pounder was landed.  This followed over the next hour by another 3 perch between half a pound and a pound.   Light was fading fast and i had around 30 minutes remaining.  Then wallop the float flew under and held tight as a struck.  This time it felt really special, the worm was taken and something nice was on the end of my line.  At first it banged and knocked and felt perchy but then it just held the bottom… five minutes later and i still had no idea what was on the end, i lowered the net and was graced with my first ever eel weighing in at just under 3lb.  Initially i was gutted as i thought it had been a large perch bite but this kind of made up for it as it was the first eel i had ever caught. 

All in all not a bad day at all.   7 Perch and a new PB – happy days!

Saturday arrived and i was back on the river 13 hours after my last fish.  This time a frost had hit hard and the temperature overnight had plummeted to around 2 degrees.  The river looked dead.  I tried all i could, had one rod out for the pike and one for the perch.  The next 6 hours passed without a touch!  Had the weather really killed it that much.  It certainly looked that way.  I tried various areas but no predators wanted to know.  Oh well onwards and upwards next weekend if its real cold i will have to go for a wander and see if i can find them.  

This saturday i decided to try a new spot!  Much of my current success has been on a stretch approx a mile down river from where i tried on Saturday.  The old spot was looking pretty much dead on a few evening visits i had made after work, and with it getting a few more anglers on that stretch i decided to venture somewhere new.

The alarm clock beeped away at 6am and there i was alone on a secluded back stream of the river by 6:30 i had high hopes for the morning.  The part i had chosen had lovely deep undercut banks and was a small fish holding area.  Livebaits were coming thick and fast and i thought this day was looking good.  I tackled up the perch rod with a float fished paternostered live bait around 3″ long, with high hopes that Mr Perch would soon arrive for his breakfast.  I also opted to put out a pike rod as this area normally produces a good few pike.  I’d had them previously here up to around 9-10lb.  On a normal morning here i’d have seen many pike striking in the early hours but this time i had seen none – weird!  After 2 hours i decided it just wasn’t happening here today.  I had positioned the perch rod in favoured spots but produced nout.  It was time to move. 

I up’d rods and went for a look at other areas of the river.  I found a nice spot with a lot of cover from reeds and lilly pads, it wasn’t an easy place to fish but looked good for a perch bite.   Out went the float paternoster rod just off the lilly pads in a nice area of shade.  And the other rod i positioned about 10 yards upstream tight to the bank.  I began to question myself after 30 minutes if it just wasn’t to be today, but low and behold the float started to bob… and then it was off i struck as soon as the float went for a swim and i was in.  A few minutes later a nice stripey as in the net!  At 1lb 10oz it sure wasn’t the biggest but boy was i glad to see it.  After thinking it wasn’t going to happen i was very happy i’d decided to move. 

So guess where i’m heading this weekend!  Got to see if there are many more Perch up in that area.  It should be a good spot after the heavy rain from yesterday as its sheltered and off from the main flow.   3 days of work to go!  I just hope the stripeys are hungry!

Well i have no idea what went wrong… the pike weren’t about feeding like normal, the perch were not up for it and even the silver fish had legged it!  What a day.  The river was dull with a slow flow to it, the weather looked good but the fishing wasn’t to be that great!  Tried different stretches down the medway and just before packing up managed a Perch just under 2lb – phew i had survived what i was certain of being a blank session.   I really thought the conditions looked good, but thats fishing i guess.  If it was always easy i suppose i’d get bored of it.  Hopefully this weekend after a long week at work the river will be full of life again and those preds will be after some of my baited rigs!

If not i guess its time to sit back and read Perch – Contemporary Days and Ways that turned up in the post earlier this week!  Seems like a good read so far and makes the daily commute to work a little easier!