A New Fave and A Lost Sole!

Tried a replacement for one of my 'go to' lures this morning as they are no longer made, and increasingly hard to find, and was really pleased. Very similar in most respects and an improvement in some - I'll pass it on when I have secured a decent supply myself.
I was amazed to see a small flatfish in the margins - I know they inhabit the lower reaches of many rivers but this was a long way up this particular river.
Despite the bright and hot conditions the fish were feeding well, this was the best at 4lb 8oz.
Many of the LAS members from the continent measure rather than weigh and I have a hard time working out how big they are so I've been meaning to measure some of the better fish. I usually remember just after putting them back! This was 53cm to the fork of the tail.

 

..and the best of the rest!

 

 

 

 

I've noticed the condition of some of these fish is deteriorating - quite a few have argulus infestations and a few seem to be developing red sores - I think the very low water and high temperatures and the fact that the river is choked with fine filamentous weed have combined to make it  difficult for them to recover their condition after spawning - maybe they will pack on some weight in late Summer/Autumn?

 

 

 

Far From The Madding Crowd

Having hit my first marking deadline I decided to have a few hours this morning on a new river which is a tributary of the river I usually fish. I was expecting the fish to be of a smaller stamp as this river is small, very rocky and shallow.
The first fish meant I had to revise my estimate of the potential of this new water as it went 4lb 8oz! 

Had another nice fish from the same pool.

..and another good one at 4lb 4oz

This has got me fired up about exploring this new river.

G. Loomis Greenwater Series

I received my prize for the opening day catch report on the Lure Anglers Society forum yesterday. Evaldas at Lure-Anglers.Shop.co.uk kindly donated a G.Loomis Greenwater series GWPR842S a 7' one piece spinning rod designed primarily as a saltwater rod. It is described as medium light power with a casting range of 7-14 grams. First impressions were of the usual high quality Loomis finish and the lightness of the rod despite having a full cork handle and a quick bend and a wiggle seemed to confirm the description as a medium fast action rod.

I am currently marking exam papers so fishing time is limited but I was under instructions from Keith to go out, catch some fish , take some pictures and write a report :lol: So this morning after a good session marking I decided I needed a break and decided to go to the river for a couple of hours. I threw a Shimano Exage 2500 on the rod (loaded with Suffix 832 braid) and off I went.

The first area I wanted to try was occupied by a salmon angler playing a foul hooked barbel up and down the pool - it was giving him a right run around so I decided to try another areas I knew often holds a few fish as I didn't have much time. I was using crank baits around 7g which is the lower end of the rods stated casting range and the rod loaded nicely and flicked them out exactly where I wanted them without any fuss. The rod gave really good feel for what the lure was doing -immediately telegraphing when the lure had picked up any weed. The blank was doing everything I needed it to and I soon forgot I was using a new rod. I didn't try anything heavier but it feels like 14g is probably close to the maximum I'd be comfortable casting on it.

It took about an hour to find the first co-operative fish of 4lb 8oz - a great first fish on a new rod. :D 

 

Not long later the second fell just shy of the magic mark at 4lb 15oz. A really nice brace to start with.

 

 

 

 

Winkled

I arrived at the bridge over the river this morning to find it had risen 18'' overnight and once again was choked with suspended weed. The colour wasn't too bad and with my confidence high after all my recent success I decided to have a couple of hours. The fish had moved out of the main flow and I managed to winkle half a dozen out of the back eddies and slower water.
I had planned to spend the morning targeting them on the fly but the extra colour and flow can make wading tricky and I opted to stay on the bank and fish with lures. I'm hoping the river will drop sufficiently over the next 24 hours for me to try it tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

A New PB

Had a lazy start today after my early session yesterday and managed to get to one of my favourite spots before the slamon anglers have spooked all the chub. The first was a modest specimen but great fun on the ultra light gear.

 

 

The next fish gave me the best fight I've ever had from a chub - I think it had a personality disorder and thought it was a barbel! At 4lb 8oz definitely punching above its weight.

 

 

 

 

The next fish was a new personal best of 5lb 6oz. I thought I'd lost this fish as I was netting it there was an almighty splash just beyond the net and I thought it was my fish that had shed the hooks and bolted. It turned out to be another big fish that had followed mine in and made a splash as it turned away in the shallow water. 

 

 



 

...and a front shot that illustrates the sheer bulk of this fish.

 

 

A few more nice fish around 4lb and upwards mixed in with half a dozen 2-3lb fish rounded off another fantastic days fishing before the rain really set in and sent me home in search of some dry clothes!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feeding Time

I fished a couple of evenings after work this week and only managed one fish on each occasion and was thinking I maybe need to rest this particular stretch as maybe they were wising up to my lures. I have a couple of weeks coming up when I might struggle to get out at all so decided I'd try another early session. I was at the river by 5am to find they were feeding voraciously. I'd had one around 3lb and then lost what looked to be a really good fish when it buried itself in a raft of weed. I thought I was bringing both fish and weed in but the fish managed to shed the hooks and free itself leaving me with a football of weed! I soon got over it however as within minutes I had another just over 5lb and then one at 4lb 10oz. This was the best of the bunch at 5lb 1oz

.. and the 4lb 10oz

I went on to bag a string of fours with a few twos and threes in between.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd love to know what these fish would weigh at their pre-spawn maximum.

Managed to get a shot of the heron that has been keeping me company off the bridge.

 



The fishing was definitely better very early and although I caught fairly steadily all morning it got progressively slower until dinnertime when the sun had burned off the last of the morning cloud and they became very finicky. A bit early to say I've discovered a feeding pattern but first light has seen them really on it  a few times already this season.

 

Mink and a Bar Of Gold

I spent half an hour watching a mink hunt tonight. I've only ever caught fleeting glimpses before. I'm not sure how I feel about these animals as they are an introduced species into the river ecosystem.

 

The fish didn't want to know this evening, normally even when I can't get one to stick I get the occasional strike or see a boil as a fish turns away. I couldn't even spot them rising to take off the surface which often helps with location. Eventually found this fish just off a fast piece of water and saved a blank.

 

 

 

Like a bar of gold.