30/4/12 You Little Tinca!

 Dave and me had another unsuccessful day last week chasing the tench at Chichester Pits' 'Boat Lake'.It rained ALL day long, was very cold, and we didn't get a touch between us.Not good.
Its still April (just), and the temperatures haven't exactly been soaring of late, which would probably switch the tench on, but today, there was a little  glimmer of hope with a dry, and mostly bright day with air temperatures hovering around 15deg-I fancied my chances.
I started around midday and , selected a smaller, and more sheltered pit to target-'Deep Lake'. Swim choice was dictated more by the direction of the chilly Easterly wind and my own comfort, than anything else and I picked a shallow corner with a sunken tree, and the beginnings of a lily bed to target.
Rigs were semi-fixed  maggot feeder with a size 12 on a 10cm hook length. Baited with one floating imitation maggot and two real maggots giving  the rig neutral buoyancy.Apparently, this makes a difference. Proper hi tech stuff!!
A pair of 'mullet' rods were paired with my 'new' Okuma Salina (saltwater) mini baitrunners.Carp fishing in miniature.
First impression of the new reels is very favourable but, they've got a lot to live up to.My last 'mullet' fixed spools -a pair of Shimanos are nine years old and only just beginning to show some wear.Hopefully, I'll be sixty before i need to buy any more.
The feeders were refilled every 30 minutes and cast to exactly the same spots to try and build up each swim.Dave and me have both wondered why the maggot rigs don't attract more attention from silver fish-if indeed there are any present.Well, it would appear that there are at least some as a small roach was soon to be found attached to one of my hooks.
Throughout the session, there were short bursts of, what I can only assume, were 'liners' and eventually a proper take materialised resulting in this rather nice male weighing in at 5-01-a result at last.
There were a few more tentative line bites but no more fish materialised and,by about 5-00 p.m the temperature had dropped, and the sky was looking decidedly 'ominous' so i called it a day.A very pleasant afternoons' fishing in the sunshine and finally,a start to the tench campaign.

 

16/4/12 Kingmere Bream

Brian is my new neighbour at the marina and today's trip was all his doing. I was at the boat yesterday afternoon 'tinkering' and 'gassing' ,as all fishing boat owners seem to do when they're not actually fishing, when Brian proclaimed that he was 'out tomorrow after the bream' and that the weather was looking fine.That got me thinking.
I had planned to do a bit of work in the morning and then go tench fishing for a couple of hours in the afternoon at the pits but, at 7-00 a.m this morning , I was leaving the harbour on my way out to the Kingmere in my boat. Sometimes it's just the way things pan out.
When i arrived , the only boat on the 'West End' was 'Lynander' and he seemed somewhat surprised when I called him up on the radio and politely asked If I might join him.' Go where you like mate'...........My idea of 'joining him' was to park up a few hundred yards away but still on the 'rough stuff'!

 

The tide was already ebbing quite nicely ,despite being a 'tiny' 4.5 m, and bites came from the off with my first bream, caught by design, of the new season.Sport was steady and,In the end I had about 25 -the majority females around a pound , with the best, a male of 2lb 14oz which , because of deep hooking, I took to eat, and which subsequently lost all his bold markings for the self take.In fact the colour went out of him within minutes of being dispatched-rather a shame as he was a fine looking fellah.

It was pleasent fishing with, at most, only four ounces of lead needed to hold bottom in the small tide. I experimented with a size 4 aberdeen on one rod, and size 1 viking on the other.It was far more productive to wait, and allow the bream to hook themselves rather than try to 'strike' at bites. The larger hook was the better choice and, when stuffed with squid, seemed have a more successful  hook-up rate, result in less deep hooked fish and this is the way I'll go with bream hooks in the future.The far stronger hook will also give me a fighting chance when those big undulates start turning up.
Bites seemed to come in waves with obviously, shoals of fish moving through, however the short period that was fished on the flood, at the end of the day, produced only a couple of fish. .
As well as the bream, i had a couple of  nice pollack 2-3lb on drifted feathers over slack water, and also tried a spot of float fishing , unsuccessfully, at the same time.Worth another crack at this in the future though.
Brian joined me on the mark in his 'Fastliner', along with 'Pinchers' in his 'Longliner' for a bit of a social and an 'Orkney' owners club gathering, whilst the 'big charter' boys were represented by Neil in 'Spirit' and Steve' on Jennifer's pride to keep 'Legs'-Dick Leggett skipper of 'Lynander' company...an esteemed gathering indeed.

As usual it was entertaining and educating listening to their 'banter' and watch their moves..I wonder if they realise that I hang off their every word.LOL
From my own experiences, and what I've gleaned from others,It's probably a good idea to hit the reef bass on the bigger tides, and go for more general fishing on the lesser.Tactics that will also keep me' fresh' this spring.

Good fishing, good company, and a cracking day to be out.....and it's still only April!
Dave N-get ready mate. Your turn next.
0700-1630
HW 0845 L.A  4.5m

13/4/12 More Bassing

  

I started the day by heading over to mark #6 just in time to catch enough water at the entrance at 9-00, and with a view to progress the live bait method   for bass. The mark was deserted which meant that I could drift away to my heart’s content, and give the area a thoroughly good ‘sounding ‘in the process.

The smallish tide, at the time slacking off towards LW    didn’t make accurate, and repetitive drifts very easy and I was also surprised by the SSW direction of the flow over the mark  .

Bait fish ( I was after herring) were proving to be elusive so, I decided to hedge my bets a little by attaching a ‘Norden’ instead of a weight at the end of the Sabikis.

The first take, however, was not from a bait fish, but instead a good bass hit the lure .I managed to get her to the surface and get a really good look but unfortunately, the inevitable happened. Just as I was reaching for the net, she decided to take a strong dive and the rig parted just above the lure.

I was devastated. I’m not saying the fish was a double because that would just upset me more so, let’s just say it was a goodly bass.

I can only blame myself. Sabiki rigs are not tied up with very strong line even in the main rig, and in future, i should really make up my own from something like 20lb amnesia. I’m sure it wouldn’t affect their ability to catch.Luckily the ‘Norden’ was only fitted with  a single circle hook .

Very little happened , as usual on the slack, but as the flood picked up speed(relatively) I managed to catch a small pouting and out went the live bait float rig .It took a few drifts before a take eventually came and really, the taker matched the sized of bait it was presented with- a modest fish of 3-04 which was taken for the pot. At least the method worked once again and this time gave me a chance to try out the camera’s self timer.

A few more fruitless drifts were  attempted , apart from some more pouting and a whiting on the feathers, and then I decided to move over to mark#5 for a few equally uneventful passes before calling it a day.

On reflection, I’m actually quite pleased that I managed to trap some bass on what was not ideal tide timing, and it was certainly useful to thoroughly map mark 6, and get a better idea of what is on the sea bed at 5-knowledge is everything.

It would have been easy to give up and wander over to #12 where several charters were picking up bream which seem to be showing up in good numbers now.

More experience and know how might also have sent me in the direction of mark 4( good on smaller tides) for some turbot , brill and big mackerel baits, stopping off at #6 on the way home when the tide would have been ebbing nicely to pick up a double figure bass!

 

HW 1729 4.9m

 

0900 - 1600

7/4/12 Too Cold For Tench.

Had a day with Dave at Chichester pits (boating lake) in search of an early tench but, I think it's still a little too cold, and we both blanked. However, it was entertaining to chat with a carp angler at the pit who was in the middle of a four day session, and get an insight into the psyche of that strange breed.
The session also reminded me how relaxed and hassle free coarse fishing can be, and when the weather perks up a bit, we're planning a few return trips until the mid summer when the fishing apparently slows down.
Couldn't really get any slower than it was today!

6/4/12 When A Plan................

 

Having just finished a night shift , my time was limited but,the plan was to attempt to pick up some live bait and try out  a float rig, falling back on some lures if necessary.
As I closed in on the intended mark, I could see that Clive was in attendance, and not wishing to disturb his fishing, chose to give him a wide berth and just explore the ground south of the 'numbers' with the sonar to see what was there.
Nothing of interest showed, so i decided to leave Clive in peace, and head off half a mile to my own mark, noticing that he was weighing a fish just as i left. Hopefully I thought..a bass.
When i arrived at mark 36, no other boats were about in the area, which suited me fine as I'd intended to scan the area thoroughly as i searched for bait, noting any interesting features. Down went a shrimp/feather rig, but it took some time before anything showed any interest apart from some aborted follows up to the surface by garfish-spring has arrived.
Eventually, after dropping off what i suspect was a herring, a fat pout showed, followed by a rather nice early bream, both of which were too big to use on the float rig.Eventually, a half pound whiting came up which was deemed perfect for the job and consigned to the temporary bait tank-a water filled bucket.
The kit comprised a four ounce weighted portland rig, suspended under a huge 10x2" cigar slider,and a 6/0 circle hook on a six foot trace which appears to look ridiculously small when attached to the bait.The float is capable of freely supporting the whole set up with the aim being to 'work' the bait within the bottom 10ft of water.
I'd come across a couple of big  'peaks' whilst scanning the mark, and decided to fish my live bait as accurately as possible over these.By now the ebbing tide had eased, and a building SW breeze slowed down the 250 deg drift to about a knot- a nice manageable speed which allowed the boat to be positioned relatively easily.I repeat, 'relatively'
I had a few  false alarms on the first couple of passes as I adjusted the depth of the bait, but duly managed to get the rig working effectively and about 20yds away from the boat.Watching the big red marker like a hawk on the third or fourth pass, i soon noticed a sharp 'jag', followed by the float gliding away to the depths and line spilling steadily off the little Avet spool held under ratchet tension.
After a few seconds I decided that something more interesting than the sea bed had connected with my set up and, remembering NOT to strike,I gently tightened down to set the circle hook.I immediately felt something heavy, but moving, and recognised that characteristic 'head banging' signalling the take of a good bass.The fish fought strongly,but i was still taken aback when she finally appeared on the surface, and it was clear that a double figure bass was within my grasp, with my circle hook neatly embedded in her upper lip.
After a bit of fumbling with the landing net, and a couple of nail biting moments when the fish made some last thwarted escape bids by diving hard under the boat, she( a cracking looking fish like this must be a female)finally slid into the mesh, and was mine.
Having brought her up from nearly 50ft, my immediate priority was to get her back in ASAP so , thinking I'd left my scales at home, I took an accurate nose to fork flat measurement with the B.A.S.S tape and, not wanting to waste further time setting up a self take photo-snapped a couple of 'deck' shots before sliding her back over the side.
I must have held on to her in the flow ,with my thumb locked over her bottom lip, for about three minutes before I could feel her strength return, .It was a fantastic sight seeing her finally 'kick off' down into the depths of the gin clear water, obviously fully recovered.
Punching the sky a couple of times as you do(Thankfully nobody else was about for miles)I settled down to tidy up the boat and duly found my scales-bugger!
The B.A.S.S tape showed a measurement of 80cm and a weight of 11lb 8oz. Because she was a heavily built fish, I'm more than happy to settle for this.The exact weight is really not that important. She was a fine double figured fish, and an amazingly fortunate start with a new method-my first bass on live bait and confirmation indeed that the method would sort out the better fish.
After consulting the plotter and following the drift trace, it would appear that the take came only yards away from the spot where last August's twelve pounder was caught.Mark 36 now takes pride of place at the head of my waypoint list, and will be surveyed more thoroughly on my next visit.
The whiting had survived the ordeal relatively unharmed so was sent down again for another pass but, I was running out of time and shortly had to leave the mark in order to safely make it over the bar at the harbour entrance. Naturally, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat all the way home.
So a good start with a new method and I'm sure, If I'd had more time, I could have put a bigger catch,numbers wise , together.The bigger tides do indeed seem to be the key,and if I can hone my feature finding, and boat positioning skills , and also return to marks and their features with some accuracy , I'm sure more big bass will show up.
Clive did extremely well, although obviously getting out quite some time ahead of me, and fishing both lures and lives at the same time, he still put together a mightily impressive catch of ten bass, from a pound, to ten pound and an ounce.I think I've got a way to go before I can match these sort of figures.


.

11-00 - 1415 hrs
HW 1038  5.9m

28/3/12 Better Plaice Fishing

Russ took me over to #35 and some mussel beds to try once again for some plaice-a mark he'd had some considerable success on a previous trip.Fishing both at anchor and on the drift a few plaice to about 1 1/2lb showed along with a hound and the inevitable doggies.
Drifting seemed to work better and worth bearing in mind for future outings though due to the tide speed on the shallow bank a small tide would be preferable.Mussels were clearly present, as we were dragging them up on the hooks.
The little feathered visitor , obviously on a big journey, spent half an hour resting , perched on the anchor.Can anyone Identify it?

 

 

24/3/12 Progress and Decisions.. Land Rover #4

With Jack around for the week-end, there was another  opportunity to carry on with work on the Landie, and tackle the first of the welding.Having removed both master cylinder and pedal box assemblies the extent of the corrosion to the driver's foot well was severe,and fitting the full replacement panel was justified.
Everything was fairly straightforward once I'd mastered the technique and reacquainted myself with the M.I.G welder, and the finished result was pretty satisfactory. However, we both agreed that further repair work to the bulkhead, which is really the heart of any Land rover,  would be much easier with the vehicle completely dismantled down to rolling chassis and all the panels removed.
So the major decision was made that the next phase of the project would be to completely strip the truck down, and work on the bulkhead in the comfort of my garage. It would be very easy to raid the bank account, and buy a replacement bulkhead but, they are stupidly expensive and this project is being carried out very much on a shoestring- the plan being to get the Landie back to a roadworthy state ,spending as little cash as possible.
Lifting the body, apart from being a whole heap of fun, would also greatly improve access to the major chassis components that will need repair or replacement. At the moment it looks like both front spring hangers will need to be replaced along with a side bulkhead support, and some welding work is need to the rear cross member, if not a complete replacement section. All this stuff is pretty cheap to buy so there's no great issue.
The remainder of the chassis appears sound , as I discovered when i first looked underneath her prior to  parting with my 'hard earned' but, it's highly likely that there are some hidden surprises (horrors) in store..............There usually is!

23/3/12 Hunting Flatties

Jack was staying up for a few days so , as well as getting some welding done on the Land Rover, we decided to venture out in the boat for a spot of fishing and my first trip out this year. Warm weather a flat calm seas with a small tide saw us heading to #34 to drift rag baited spoon rigs in search of plaice. A very smooth and easy mark to drift but the fish weren't obliging with Jack taking the only plaice.
We regrouped, investigating a recommendation just inshore of #33 but this proved to be too snaggy so we ended up at #20 with me finally catching a dab and a doggie. Slow fishing indeed, but the 'boy' still seemed to enjoy it and equally enjoyable was cooking up the two flatties for a snack-the dab winning hands down in the taste stakes.

 

14/3/12 A Busy End To The Season.

I wanted to finish the season exploring uncharted territory, and fish the only area of this massive stretch of river that, in five years of chasing its pike , I've never quite reached. In fact, I've never even walked the banks here but of course, have visited it several times in both my own, and Dave's boat. Memory fails me when it comes to remembering whether or not we've cast a bait for pike along here whilst afloat.
After a healthy two mile 'yomp', we'd arrived at our destination and what we found was a much shallower area than we're used to. In  summer the river here is choked with streamer weed and combined with the gravel river bed, has always struck me as a likely haunt of barbel.
Today the shallow water warmed by the recent sun was the haunt of pike but, not very big ones. In fact, some were very small! I had six all told, with one conveniently dropping off in the margins all taken on roach, and Dave added another to the total on a sea dead along with some more inevitable eel activity.
Starting off cold, the weather soon improved enough for me to change hats, and revert to 'T' shirt 'drill', and it was pleasant enough to while away the last hours anticipating the arrival of a bigger female pike, which never showed, reflect upon the season past, and make plans for the next.
Personally, despite my best efforts this season has not been that productive, but Dave has fished a 'blinder', with some stunning pike in his net and luckily, I've been there to see them all. Well done mate.
According to my diary, I tend to take a little break from fishing at this time of year and to be honest yesterday, I felt a little 'fished out' and welcomed the 'rest'. Twenty four hours later, and I'm raring to go again. However, I do need to exercise a little restraint, maybe decorate a room and score a few brownie points. Yeah right!

13/3/12 Snakes and Pikes

Having finished my second night shift I joined Dave mid morning at the lower end of P1 by which time he'd given the 'hot area' a good go, and worked his way upstream a hundred yards with no luck. The intention was to complete the section, finishing where we left off last week, but give the middle sluice a good try. We also had the luxury of being able to fish most of the ebb which is useful, as the flood here leaves the river in a real mess.
Half way along the lower straight Dave had a good take on the mackerel and commented that it was 'pulling back hard'. It wasn't a pike that surfaced, but a good sized eel, in fact a three and a half pounder .This eel had obviously evolved into the predatory strain having a wide head and a full set of gnashers which I would be reluctant to get near my fingers.Photographing the 'beast' did prove a little problematical, but we eventually succeeded and it's capture has sparked a bit of interest in the species for both of us, particularly as they seem to be flourishing in our tidal rivers. Apparently, nationally, they're in decline.

 

 

 

Having crossed the sluice my roach baits started to do their job and the first pike to show was a nine pounder followed shortly after by a dropped take that left the bait in the margins, whilst I was moving the second rod.

We're fishing a little more 'out' in the river this season and it appears to be paying dividends but, unless I keep a keen eye on my floats, this sort of run can remain undetected as it has no effect on the back up bite alarms. Usually it's not an issue as I'm mostly concentrating hard on the floats, willing them to disappear-unfortunately not that regular occurrence this season.
Hopping the rods upstream we finally reached the location of Dave's brace success last week and, just on slack low water, once again my roach did the trick with this beautifully marked 15-08.

Whilst returning my pike , I glanced upstream and noticed my second float , again with a roach under slung, had performed another rush to bank side cover but, this time, I was quick enough to hit the pike and up came a pretty single to complete the hat-trick. This is one of numerous occasions that we've experienced a feeding spell but quite how the pike are triggered simultaneously into feeding is one of the great mysteries of pike fishing.
Dave had to call it a day at this point but i decided to hang on until the light faded but had no more action. Once the flood had set in, the debris washed into the river by the recent big tides made fishing impossible although I did try to fish the far bank, which was fairly clear, with the rods propped up 'beachcaster' style.

 

12/3/12 Dave and Dave

Joined Dave and Dave on the Lock Estate for a bit of a social today in between night shifts. Beautiful sunny day after the fog had lifted, just right for dozing on the bank and chewing the cud .
Dave N landed a low double just as I arrived and the only other action , apart from eels nipping at the baits, was a similar sized pike to Dave W later in the day.
Jon Cook came and joined us for a banter in the afternoon having blanked at the fork, though he'd fared better the previous day, and plans were hatched for a spring pit tench campaign-something I've been meaning to do for a while.
I've only 'piked' the 'Lock'  once before but both Daves have been regulars here in the past taking good numbers of fish on wobbled dead bait methods. Being non-tidal it's a comfortable place to fish and has big pike heritage too so perhaps it would provide an alternative venue for next season.

 

9/3/12 Exceptional Piking

In my enthusiasm to go pike fishing on Monday I'd completely misjudged the quantity of rain that had fallen the previous day and, when I reached the river, fully kitted up for old esox, I found it in awful condition and running the colour of strong tea. An hour or two later I was back home playing with the Land Rover.
Tuesday, I tried again, but this time despite no further rain, I found the river in worse condition  , so didn't even get out of the van. Driving east to inspect the 'other' river, and I found it even more coloured which is highly unusual.
I spent the remainder of the day and  Wednesday giving Daryl a hand with his own Landie as he's doing a bit of an epic engine swap, in a bid to improve fuel economy, exchanging his silky smooth two and a quarter petrol, for a bone shaking 200Di .Brave man!
Thursday afternoon, and I returned to the river and gave it a bash for a couple of hours but, it was still a little too murky for my liking, and I blanked although it was nice to come across Paul with his wife and a mate fishing for bream and roach. They'd had a few, but it was slow going.
The 'hot' area seems to have run it's course and , as i mentioned at the end of my last pike entry, it would be nice to catch some big pike from a different area of river so today, Dave and me decided to head upstream finding the river had finally cleared.

Within minutes of dropping in my roach bait, and before Dave had even finished setting up his gear, I had a run, and out came this nice 'little' double of 12-04....confidence restored.

We fished the area for another couple of hours with a slight move upstream but no more pike showed.
Rather than make steady progress along the bank we decided on a complete move to an area we've not fished this year, but one that has produced some exceptional pike  in the past, especially this late in the season.
Dave mentioned in passing that he'd like to catch something big and , right on cue, proceeded to drop his baits on a superb brace of pike, on consecutive casts, and from the same swim. The first at 18lb, shortly followed by 22-08 (pic) both magnificently conditioned pike neither of which thankfully, we've  not seen before.
The opposite bank is very shallow and weedy and could possibly be a spawning area which might explain the presence of the pair but equally of course, this may be pure conjecture. Whatever the case it's still an excellent catch and Dave continues to have an exceptional season-well done mate!

29/2/12 Mastering The Pole.

  

In complete contrast to yesterday's wrecking i decided sample the other extreme of the angling spectrum today, and persevere with some pole fishing for a couple of hours , making the most of the unseasonably fine weather. On my last trip to the pond, I found the pole a little cumbersome to use, and thought it of little advantage to standard rod and line gear, but I've always admired the simplicity and finesse of the method, and thought it deserved a little more application.

When i was a youngster, Ray Mumford-a famous 70's match angler gave a talk on the method at my local angling club in Leatherhead, Surrey. At the time very few British anglers used poles, although they had been  popular, albeit in a bamboo form, with Thames roach fishermen for many decades. Fascinated by Ray's presentation, I decided to save my pocket money and buy a pole-an 18ft fibreglass Shakespeare model with an alloy crook that weighed a ton. I did fish quite successfully with it and not just for tiddlers. I remember a 3lb chub from the Mole giving me quite a hard time although it was successfully landed.
Of course, nowadays poles are a common sight, and not just among match anglers. My coarse angling friend Paul uses his quite successfully on the Arun for roach and bream fishing. Mine is a very cheap model borrowed from Dave and is a world apart from my old 'Shakey' being comparatively light and stiff. I tend not to use it at full length at the moment, but on this pond there is really no need.
Because of the still conditions, I changed tactics slightly today by dispensing with the bait cup, and feeding both crumb ground bait and maggots by hand and still keep the feed in a tight area of about a square meter. Things took a while to get going but, once I'd got the fish on the feed, it was a bite every cast, and my hit rate was, i reckon about 90%. The results were very good and after only about three hours of fun fishing, I'd amassed a nice bag of 40 odd fish, mostly roach in the 4oz-8oz bracket with a couple of perch and a rather tatty 1lb 4oz rudd.
Once I'd got my pitch sorted and  myself comfortable with everything in easy reach from my perch, I found the pole much easier to use, and it was definitely more effective at hitting the shy roach bites, but I don't think for one minute that I'd ever become a threat to the local match angling community.
Interestingly, the roach were very wary of white maggots, ignoring them whenever i tried them on the hook even though they were in the feed. Nearly all fish came to reds and I'm sure if I'd had casters, I'd have done even better. The brown crumb seems to have been very effective at bringing the fish in.
Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, there were only a couple of 'pike bait' sized tiddlers in the catch, and it remains a mystery why smaller fish don't show up more often.

...

 

 

28/2/12 Wrecking!

I've never been wreck fishing before and , if I'm honest,had a preconceived opinion as to what it would be like. The thought of travelling relatively huge distances out to sea, compared to what I'm accustomed to, was also a little daunting but when Russ invited me out for a trip today in the spell of unseasonably fine weather we've recently been experiencing, curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to find out for myself what all the fuss was about.
Lots of big numbers here;
 We started out at 6-00 a.m from the marina, returning a full 11 hours later.
We fished three wrecks up to 22 miles off shore, right on the edge of both my admiralty chart, and the shipping lanes. I did wonder whether I should have brought my passport.
 The wrecks were in 200ft plus of water...all I could think about was that equated to twenty storeys underneath me!!
We(well actually mostly Russell) caught 110lb of Pollack up to 14lb and a Ling-a boat weight record , and a pretty spectacular catch considering it's February-usually a very quiet time even on the wrecks.
Finally, the total distance travelled in the boat , is probably as much as the distance from my house on the coast to The Houses of Parliament.

We spent the majority of the day drifting (and losing) Russ' 6" Sidewinders on ten feet of flowing trace-a red tailed mackerel imitation seemed to be most successful, but I was extremely pleased when, after one pollack regurgitated a tiny sprat, to 'match the hatch' with a four inch Manns Shad from my own lure box, and score.
The method involved dropping the lure to the sea bed(itself a time consuming activity) then slowly winding up to about twenty turns(counted) of the reel handle before lowering again and repeating the exercise. I would estimate that the lures were in the take zone for no more than a minute on each 2 kt drift and  the bites were surprisingly finicky, and missed if 'struck'. It was also important to concentrate, and lift the lure just as the wreck was approached to get the best possible chance of a take-mistiming this could mean a lost lure, or no take. The level of anticipation is higher than in any other branch of fishing I've ever experienced.
Initially, i couldn't keep up with the skipper's catch rate but, with a bit of coaching from 'the man' on the subtleties of this highly subtle method, i managed to start catching.
Unsurprisingly a very high level of boat handling skill was required. Accurate positioning for each drift is absolutely essential, and extremely difficult especially with changing tide conditions but Russ made a superb job of it,improving as the day progressed and obviously managing to find us the fish.
Opportunities to get out to these far off wrecks at this time of year are rare indeed due to the required combination of good weather and tides  that logistically allow enough time to carry out the whole exercise.
A thoroughly enjoyable, and enlightening day's fishing.

 

27/2/12 Mojo's Back.

Usually when my pike fishing's not going too well, it takes me all of about a couple of hours after an unproductive session to get over the depression of not catching, and plan the next assault which invariably means a change of location .Today's outcome could have been very different had I not had just enough dead baits for a short session because I'd actually 'planned' to give up on the 'hotspot' area for a while and try my hand in other proven areas, stopping at Pulborough Tesco on the way to buy some of their finest, and highly reputable frozen sardines to replenish my diminishing stock.
On the drive up I hesitated, and actually pulled over to check exactly how many baits I had in my bag,six were found, and that sealed the deal.........or was it that I was just so doggedly determined to catch a decent pike from 'that' swim.I changed plan and pointed the van in a different direction .
The state of tide was much better today with the majority of my available fishing time spent on the bottom of the ebb and the conditions  were just perfect. Mild,overcast weather and unusually clear water contributed to a feeling of quiet confidence on my part.......but then I felt the same last week!.............
The flow was so gentle that I was able to fish both baits on the far side of the river with a sardine on one rod and lamprey on the second.I didn't have to wait long and within minutes of casting the ever trusty sardine float disappeared instantly,and the bite alarm shrilled signalling a take from a decent pike.(Jack's tend to fiddle about with a bait of this size)
The pike immediately felt reasonable, staying deep throughout the short battle and attempting to dig herself into the submerged tree branches.
Luckily I'd remembered to collect the net(the two rods are fished either side of a tree) but it wasn't easy landing the pike in the confined swim on my own, especially as I was very close to some 'tricky' mud.Thankfully,I kept her clear of the snags and she went in the net first time.Thinking it would be nice to finally get a picture of me with a decent pike this year, I sacked her immediately noticing that, despite being liberally adorned with leeches, she was very warm to the touch. I really must get a suitable water thermometer.

16lb 12oz and not a bad self take pic .I've spent some time studying the picture and comparing the markings with the other big pike we've seen and I can confirm,once again, that this is a new fish-the 12th from the area, and 6th double. Not my biggest pike but, one of the most satisfying that I've caught recently, and proof indeed that, having finally managed to pick one from this swim myself, It's still showing form.
The sardine bait continued to provide action from over active eels-another sign of warmer water conditions, but it was a dead roach on the other rod that produced the next pike action-luckily a jack which unhooked itself as , due to the size of the tide,and consequently very low water level,I'd ventured too far down the mud bank and  become firmly stuck.
Managing to eventually successfully self rescue ( I did at one point think that I might still be there now)I decided that I'd rather not risk the area any longer, and instead fished the last half an hour on firmer ground with the baits on the fringe of the 'hot' area No more takes were forthcoming.
It would have been interesting to fish on if I'd had more time but at least I'd achieved my goal (eventually) and, In a way, it would be nice to leave this area alone for the remainder of the season if only to retain my sanity.Brave words indeed especially as its highly likely that a twenty pound pike (Dave's) is in residence at least some of the time

 

             

23/2/12 From Bad To Worse.

I booked a day off work today to try and break my run of bad luck with the pike and failed yet again. In fact, I did even worse than last time with not even one take to show for a long hard session.
After spending what i thought was more than enough time for a pike to take in the 'hotspot', I moved upstream a quarter of a mile fishing all the 'usual' haunts on the way but to no avail. What makes the situation even more frustrating is that I was fishing with the very best of 'live' baits(and deads) and apart from the state of the tide, which i must concede was not ideal for this stretch, the conditions were pretty good.
If there were pike about-they just weren't havin' it!

20/2/12 My Mojo's Gone!

Yesterday took a trip with some WSFers to Dorset . Andy's done a brilliant write up ,and it can be found here http://www.worldseafishing.com/forums/showthread.php/896663-Who-shrank-my-fish-West-Bex-Durdle-19-2-12
With so few fish being caught for so much effort, I had to get out again today to try and redress the balance and a return to the' hotspot'.............................but failed miserably.
One take-one pike at HW slack, and that pike turned out to be, yet again, 'yellow spot'.If the bigger girls were in residence, they weren't tempted by my 'finest quality' roach baits. I'm not going to attempt to reason why....it's just fishing.
Mojo's definitely gone..............................temporarily.

 

18/2/12 Dave's In Again.

Four pike to 18lb plus two more lost for Dave today in the 'hotspot' confirming that this is a really very special place indeed. I had one chance at a fish when my bait, cast  on the fringe of the area was taken whilst I was landing one of Dave's fish. Unfortunately, the pike took the bait straight into a tree before |I could get to it, and I was extremely relieved to be able to retrieve the end tackle complete, albeit with some bent hooks, bits of tree, but minus said pike. Bugger!
 Thanks goodness I was using heavy braid as i would never have forgiven myself if I'd left the gear in that fish-it felt like a good'n....but I'll never know.
My second rod outside of the take zone didn't even get a sniff. We're pretty sure they were all 'new' pike suggesting that there is a very high concentration of fish in a very small area and it will be interesting to see how long they stay around.

 

16/2/12 Private Piking

Jon Cook  kindly invited me to join him today as a guest on a private stretch of a tidal East Sussex river  which he'd secured permission to fish from the land owner. Water clarity is apparently essential to success but, with snow still showing on the downs , and plenty of melt water evident in the river, it was still quite coloured which didn't Instill confidence in Jon. I, on the other hand, was just pleased to be doing something different.

In the past the pike fishing here has been very prolific for Jon, with several doubles being caught in a session and today, despite the poor water conditions, those pike were still showing to our single trotted live roach. Takes were quick in materialising and we both had a single and double figure fish, as well as a dropped pike each in a session that was called to a halt at lunch time-Jon being actually quite disappointed with our results and eager to get me back and show me what it's like when the water's clear and the pike on form. Who am I to refuse.
It reminded me a little of the trips I 'd had with Mike Ladle on the Frome, not so much for the physical characteristics of the rivers, which are completely different, but for the style of fishing and the frequency of takes. The roaming approach, fishing one bait ,and carrying the bare minimum of equipment ,made a pleasant change from the  usual 'sit and wait'  methods that are used on the Arun and Adur. We've tried, and failed with more mobile approaches on our local tidals.
Interestingly one of the pike we caught displayed a similar blue hue that is found on our own Arun pike-perhaps common among tidal river fish.
Jon thinks that he's probably caught most of the pike in the small section he fishes ,which run to upper double figures but, studying the river, my feeling is that it would be perfectly capable of producing something special despite it's diminutive size.

 

13/2/12 Piking and Poling.

I'm sure Andy won't mind if I poach his post on this trip;
After what seems like ages I finally got out to wet a line with Jeff who I haven't fished with for ages. First we tried the fields below Houghton bridge for Pike, we passed 2 good looking swims in the woods on the way which need a revisit sometime. The fields swim was interesting since I've not fished it for more than 20yrs, still much the same with a nice bit of sheltered water on the near bank (not quite a back eddy) and water steaming through on the far bank. The bottom was harder than I remember and you could feel the lead hit the bottom and bounce, to me that screams Barbel and I might have to put some time into this area especially since we didn't get approached to move on (I was hoping we wouldn't but it's a bit unknown who owns this field now). It did look very fishy and we fished the later half of the ebb until the point the water just about stopped moving at which point Jeff wanted to hit the farm pond to get a few Roach/Rudd and I said I'd join him.

I really thought a nice bit of mashed bread would score well with a bit of flake on the hook but after a couple of hours of watching Jeff get a few on the pole and maggots I relented and very cheekily parked myself right next to him and cast my float within 2ft of his (I'd only get away with this on this pond but my excuse was he was feeding very tight with a pole cup and I couldn't stray too far, plus it was too late to start feeding a new swim!). 2 Rudd in 2 casts before they got much more finicky, for me I was fishing very light with 2.1lb line and a size 18 hook and tbh it's starting to get difficult to focus on this small stuff when you're used to the great big gaff sized hooks used in sea fishing, I don't think I could've gone any lighter that's for sure!

None of the fish in this pond are that small but there weren't really any big ones today with just one decent 12oz+ one to Jeff but they continue to amaze me just how well conditioned they are considering the venue and it's size, feisty little things to that put up a decent scrap and it was a pleasure to return to this venue and have some fun fishing. Might have to have a rethink on the mashed bread though!

 

12/2/12 Land Rover Diary #3 She drives.

      Since my last installment I've fitted three wheel cylinders,both front flexibles ,and a new master cylinder, in an attempt to get the brakes working so I can take her for a test drive. The brakes have proved to be extremely difficult to bleed despite having help from the missus but, after scanning the forums, it would appear that this problem is not uncommon.
 Jack came up for three days to spend some time messing with the 'landie' and, after another fruitless attempt to bleed out the brakes, it was decided to renew the rear flexible, and wheel cylinder along with a couple of rear pipes, and try again.
Whilst shopping, I also managed to pick up a bargain. £15 for a complete O/S floor well repair section shop soiled (bit of surface rust)from Paul at 'Drop Zone' which will save me a heap of work and hopefully make a neater job of the steel work.
We did eventually achieve a solid pedal but it took some clever work, and no end of patience, getting pressure in the system and momentarily releasing each bleed valve in turn. Definitely the simplest brake system we've both ever come across but, probably due to it's single circuit design, with inherent 'air traps', THE most difficult system either of us, have ever had to bleed. Without a 'brake bleed' gismo , which I'm not entirely sure would have worked anyway, I couldn't have done this job on my own so, thanks to 'the boy'

With the brakes done the fuel line was connected to the tank, glass bowl filter cleaned out, a small in-line plumbed in and the petrol pump tested. Fuel pick up and sender unit were also investigated (even the fuel gauge works)No problems there so we connected it all up and we were finally able to carry out a proper road test which showed that all the transmission components functioned properly.4WD,High and low ratio and overdrive all worked without fault and the ne pulled smoothly. Here she is driving properly at last;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqgQyTdLjcY&context=C3858af5ADOEgsToPDskJDh0mb9zjAWDfeQQBn5Vtu
Things didn't last long though as soon we experienced some rough engine running no doubt caused by crud entering the carb, and the in line was decidedly 'manky' but at least we'd been able to assess the condition of the running gear which appears to be good.
The tank will have to be removed for a proper flush out as the drain plug appears to be welded up tight.
We finished up by removing the O/S/F wing to give access to the first section of welding work which is required. Not too onerous a task although a few of the rusted bolts had to be attacked with the ever faithful mini grinder and it was far easier having a second pair of hands to remove the panel. It's now temporarily fixed in place with about three bolts.
The welding will probably have to wait until the weather perks up so, in the meantime, I'll have another go at the fuel system especially as the carb's accelerator pump does not seem to work-probably a blockage.

 

9/2/12 Birthday Piking

Returning again to our newly found 'hot spot' saw Dave see me off yet again with three pike landed-one a decent double whilst I missed my chance, and a  birthday pike, with one dropped run on the first cast.....and a lost pike, definitely in double figures, on the subsequent chuck out- a fish that stayed very deep during the battle which lasted for barely a minute.
In addition, Dave experienced two dropped runs and a lost pike so it was an action packed session, all on dead baits, despite the air temperatures being very low. We sat in the one spot all day and the majority of the action was during the ebbing tide. 'Yellow Spot' which turned up on my last visit ,was one of the pike to show up again today.

I am now becoming rather an expert at landing , and photographing Dave's pike but the boot could so easily be on the other foot, as it has so many times in the past.

 

 

25/1/12 Land rover Diary #2

On Sunday evening after work, and despite it being dark, I managed to bleed through the clutch hydraulics, and get a decent pedal. Unfortunately , it was too late to start her up to see if she'd drive, but Tuesday morning in pouring rain, i did give it a try and here's the result.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgxeVJlffMQ&context=C3858af5ADOEgsToPDskJDh0mb9zjAWDfeQQBn5Vtu

with a bit of humour thrown in.

Flushed with success ( 4WD and free wheel hubs seem to work fine) I decided to go for a bit of a shopping trip collecting the remainder of the glass from Dunsfold Land Rovers, and a pair of seats from drop Zone.
It would seem that 'Dunsfold' cater for the more upmarket L/R nut as their prices were very expensive. Luckily the glass panes that i needed ( the safari side windows) were on special offer at £8 each as they had a massive stock to clear, but I don't think I'll be using them again.
Today I started on the brakes and came to a grinding halt when the bleed nipple on the first wheel cylinder just sheared off through corrosion. Looks like I'm going to have to do a bit more shopping when I find out the condition of the other three but, as they're only a fiver a go, it shouldn't be too painful and brakes are rather important.
It started to rain, which is not conducive to working on the ground, so i decided instead to remove the remainder of the rear seat framework and fit up one side of the safari glazing. Bit fiddly but I got there in the end and i even managed to get a couple of the locks working. Finished up by fitting the front door slider on the same side so she's now weather proof(ish) on the side that faces the prevailing wind which means i can store stuff inside.

23/1/12 Turn Of The Tide Pike

I returned today to the scene of Dave's success but at a completely different state of the tide. Starting virtually a LW I soon had a take and a pike of around the double mark was on for a minute before the hooks let go. Fumbling for the landing net didn't help but having the rods spaced either side of a bush I had little choice. Things are much easier when Dave's about.
I had to sit on my hands to stop myself moving swims as the tide came in-not my favourite time, it has to be said. It did prove to be quiet until once again the tide had topped out, and another bite was forthcoming in the shape of this single.
Unfortunately I had to call it a day as it was time for work which was a shame as I feel that more might have been about.

 

20/1/12 Red Letter Piking-A Twenty For Dave

Two days ago I commented 'We've been consistent in the past with every recent season producing something 'spectacular' to reward our efforts. I'm sure that by March 15th, something will have turned up.'
Well, we didn't have to wait long because today something 'spectacular' did turn up, along with some pretty hectic 'side show' action and, although my own baits didn't see so much of a sniff from old Esox, I still think it was probably the most exciting pike session I've personally experienced in a long while.
Both Dave and me had 'stuff' to attend to during the morning, but both agreed that, as the weather and river conditions(I've never seen the river looking this good at this time of year before) were SO favourable, we'd be fools not to get out piking in the afternoon.
Having settled in to our swims after lunch it was literally only minutes before Dave's drop off signalled the first take...........and seconds later, the bait itself was dropped off. Naturally he re-cast to exactly the same spot and, if it was the same pike, he didn't take long to have another bash at the bait and was this time successfully hooked and landed-a fish of about 7lb-good start.
Within half an hour the same rod, and bait-a dead trout, in exactly the same spot produced another take , but this time it was no jack. The pike gave Dave quite a bit of trouble especially as the swim was a bit 'tight' and the fish very lively undoubtedly because of the unseasonably high water temperature. I thoroughly enjoy watching my mate tussle with big pike, especially if they decide to perform some tail walking aerobatics, as this one did, and it was a rare and priceless moment  when we both agreed that she was an obvious 'twenty' as she finally gave in, and slid over the rim of the net.
At 23-13 she was a truly outstanding looking pike, in pristine condition and obviously gravid. I still think that big pike are stunning creatures and it was yet again a real pleasure to be there to share this one with my mate. River 'twenties' don't come along that often-Dave and me have both now landed two for each other and in a way, I'm sure Dave will agree, it's entirely appropriate that we're both present when they do turn up. I'd have been very disappointed to have missed this one.
But that wasn't the end of it!
Dave landed two more double figure pike from the same swim at 12-00 and 14-08 all in the space of a couple of hours to conclude a very exiting session indeed. It's unusual for us to contact such a number of pike from the same swim on this river. I've said before that we've never actually come across an obvious hot spot or holding area but something about this relatively tiny area of river was special.
Why were they there?
It's entirely possible, that the pike were gathering to spawn especially as the water is so warm. The big female was obviously ready, and the close proximity of a suitable spawning area in the form of a reed bed and sluice channel may hold the key, though premature and untimely spawning activity is not unknown and can be short lived .Alternatively, the swim , from past experience, is also slightly deeper than surrounding areas and is a known banker  for good bags of bream and roach. It has produced the odd good pike for both of us in the past and is a regular stopping point, but never in the numbers seen today.
What was the trigger ?
Once again the tide was topping and turning when the action began and, along with the contributory factor of conditions that are conducive to 'livening' up the pike, and from experience almost Induce them to take a bait presented close by be it dead, or alive.
Of course all this is just pure speculation and, likely as not, the pike just happened to be in one spot having a bit of a social before all deciding at once that it was time for a snack.
Neither of us feel that the old adage of pike going on the feed when there's a frost holds water. In fact, we've definitely experienced quite the opposite-the pike becoming lethargic, and difficult to move in such conditions, with a live fish as bait becoming a necessity. The usual 'classic' early morning/evening feeding spells couldn't be further from our experiences either. I've now lost count of the big pike that have shown up in the early afternoon often after the baits had remained untouched since dawn.
Whatever the reasoning, today's angling  was a bit special on Dave's part. Nice one mate.

Landie update; Despite my bad luck on the river bank i did get bit of a result with bits for the Landie. Dave and me spent an hour this morning at Drop Zone where along with all sorts of useful snippets of info, i managed to pick up the cab glass I need for the princely sum of a fiver a pane.