River Mania to Become A Reality??

A warm welcome to this week’s blog update and I start this week’s update by talking about a new river competition that is set to take place later this year with a working name of River Mania.   The idea of his competition is for River anglers to have a big money competition on a similar scale as the still water competition Fisho-Mania and is the brain child of the famous river match angler Dave Harrell.

The idea that is being suggested is to have 20 matches all around the country with 60 pegs in each match the 60 pegs will be split into 3 sections with the winner of each of those three sections going through to the final 60 peg match for the prize money.  The prize money being mentioned is up around £10,000 for the winner with good back up prizes if the participation levels throughout the whole country are high enough.  Obviously for a competition on this scale to work it is going to take some massive organisation by both angling clubs and match organisers and I am pleased to say it seems that enough angling clubs have contacted Dave allowing their waters to be used for the idea to be passed over to the Angling Trust for serious consideration.

Fishing the banks of my local river every week it is easy to see how low in popularity river angling has become compared to the busy still waters and commercials and it is not too hard to notice when you are one of the youngest faces on the bank.  The arm of river angling has declined from what it was many years ago and there are sections of rivers that once where lined week in week out with anglers that now have one or two pegs on them with the rest completely reclaimed by nature. I know of two places this is the case on the River Dee and I also know from fishing the river that apart from the busy winter venue I fish that me and my uncle only saw a handful of other anglers on the bank during the whole of our summer campaign. 

I myself have never fished a river match before but I would certainly be looking to take part in this competition as I feel it will be not only a really exciting experience but I would love to be part of something that I believe will really help the promote river angling in this country and in time I really think we will look back at this competitions introduction as a moment that possibly changed river angling in this country.  I know there are a few river anglers who read this blog so let’s try and spread the word about this fantastic competition and get this idea as much support as possible as at the end of the day it is only us anglers that can make it a success.

More information on venues and prize money is expected to be released shortly so check out the link below for more information as it breaks.

For more information check out Dave Harrell’s Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/DaveHarrellAngling

Dave also talks about this idea in this interview released a week or so back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JZqVvzomX0

This past two weeks the blogs mini carp blog has taken a front seat and I have been putting my exploits up on there, baiting up and my first session are on there so far along with some information on my plan for the rest of this year’s quest so feel free to check it out on the page bar at the top of the blog or on the following link.

10lb car quest mini blog: http://satonmyperch.blogspot.co.uk/p/10lb-carp-mini-blog.html

As part of this mini blog I have found myself returning home just as the sun is setting and it has presented me with a perfect opportunity to capture a few pictures of the local nature reserve and the Mersey estuary.

On to this weeks fishing:

Friday afternoon was spent enduring a cold blank in pursuit of the carp for the blogs mini blog so come Saturday I was determined to get a few bites and that float going under so I decided to put my faith in my local commercial Flushing Meadows.   I actually called in this place last weekend and the pool I fished in this update was frozen solid with no chance of fishing it as you can see below.

With this in mind I arrived on the banks of flushing a few hours later than normal and it was gone 9am by the time I settled in my peg.  There were a few other anglers on the pool when I arrived and the peg I had wanted to fish was taken so I settled on a peg on the far margin on the above photo, I picked this peg as it gave me plenty of margin to go at and the option to fish deeper water straight out in front of me.

My plan for the day was to fish solely maggot and fish it high up the shelf to see if any carp where willing to feed the weather was surely warm enough for carp with clear blue skies and the warm sun on my back I was confident of picking up at least one.

The action was really slow and it seemed an age to even get the roach going let alone any carp but eventually I managed to get the roach feeding and was rewarded more with numbers of fish than quality but at least the float was going under.

The roach continued to come in fits and starts and it was noticeable the angler on the back of the island was having a really good day and catching a lot of carp, this can be the case on flushing meadows at times and myself and my uncle have had many a session on there where one of us has been bagging up on nice carp while the other is scratching around with bits.

The sun on my back and the float going under steadily I was a happy man but I just felt I should have been picking up a carp if they were feeding so ferociously for the other angler so with around a hour and a half of the session left I began to up the feed rate and really pile in some maggots hoping to prey on the greedy nature of the carp.  A few small roach and eventually I got what I was hoping for as the elastic melted from the end of the pole tip what I hadn’t remembered to change my top kit to a thicker elastic and it became really obvious early on in the fight that I was connected to a decent carp and that I was in for a long battle on only blue hydro elastic.

The fish was in no doubt as to who was in charge in this exchange as it powered from left to right and back again, I did all I could to gain control of the fish by submerging the tip of my pole in the water to increase the strain on the fish and I managed to turn the fish a few times from reaching the other anglers, I was in a right mess!!  Eventually I got the carp under my feet and I saw how big it was and I estimated it to be around 5-7lb and I must say around 5 minutes into this fish my arm was beginning to ache and as one of the other anglers commented “its having none of it”. 

The fish was getting to the stage when it was beat and I had the fish under some type of control and all of a sudden the line flew back at me, it baffles me at times how a fish can impart so much pressure on the hook at still not come off yet the stage in the battle where the fish is under control but still on a tense elastic the hook pops out.  I must say I was gutted as it would have been the first carp of the year and I knew in the conditions it could have been my only chance of a carp in that session.

The session continued to count down to its end and as time was just about to be called I struck into another strangely delicate bite and was connected to another carp but it was not in the same league as the previous one and armed with white hydro elastic it was soon in the landing net and on the bank.  It was a strange looking carp as it didn’t look like a common carp or a mirror but more like a really big crucian mixed with a common.

It was only when turning the fish over for a picture of its other side I noticed the fish only had one eye.

This was the last action from the trip and I must admit after the hard session the night before I was happy to get a few bites and left the fishery with my fishing itch well and truly scratched for another week.

This weekend I am hoping to get out on the bank both days, Sunday I will be on the carp quest as it is forecast to be the warmer day and I am undecided at the moment as to whether to go to flushing meadows or visit a water on the WAA card.

Till next week I wish you all

Tight lines

Danny

Confidence in the Confluence......

A warm welcome to this week’s blog update which again comes after a week of unseasonable wet weather, one bit of brightness to come out of the past week came from the Twitter account which saw an weekly increase of around 30 followers which took us over the 300 follower milestone.  Don’t forget if you like keeping up with our blog adventures you can follow the blog on twitter by following  @SATONMYPERCH and you can also keep up with myself during the week on the blogs Facebook Page, both get regular updates about my angling adventures as they happen and all things going on in the angling world.

Some sad news reached me this week while I was on the bank and that was the rumour,  and I stress at the moment this is only a rumour, that Warrington Anglers may be about to loose a stretch of the River Dee come November, this is due to members behaviour during the early hours of the morning on the opening morning of the season, if true it is a really disappointing way to loose a bit of water and as with most things in life it’s the actions of the minority that can ruin it for the majority,  I do hope these rumours turn out not to be true and are just that, a rumour, but with no Official words coming from the club I guess only time will tell if this rumour holds any substance. 

 Just to clarify in response to comments made in Franks Weekly column, in the last paragraph of the update (link: http://frankscolumn.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/3rd-july-2012-warrington-anglers.html ).  I am not willing to go out of my way to write an email to club the secretaries or chairman to reinforce a point I have already made them aware of on a Social media site that 1) they are an active member on 2) they chose worthy to delete and 3) only Warrington Anglers members, who have been allowed access by an admin may I add, can view,. The club as high up as the Chairman are now obviously aware of the “rumour” for it to be posted on the Chairman’s weekly blog which was all the post on Facebook was aimed at doing, to raise awareness of a possible future issue that by all accounts they wouldn’t be aware of till it was too late. The post obviously generated a number of views from members who fish the water in question, if the club feel it not right to release an official message to all the paying members that commented on this thread to ally their worries then we all have to respect their decision. I am and angler that is on the banks of Warrington Anglers waters probably a great deal more than most as I am on the bank week in week out and I will certainly not be going out of my way anymore to relay information on such “rumours”, these two paragraphs are my last comments on the matter.

On to this weeks update

Arriving on the banks of the river we quietly parked the car up and for a few seconds sat back and just took in the atmosphere around us, these mornings on the bank where the wildlife loose all fear under the cover of darkness are truly magical, from the small bats scooting around low to the fields capturing a quick last minute snack before retreating to their roost to the ghostly figure in the distance of a Barn owl swooping down into a meadow in its relentless task of feeding its chicks ever demanding appetites no doubt these all are parts in the massive jigsaw that is angling. 

It is amazing how you get used to the not so nice visitors you come across as well as not too long after setting up I was visited by a decent size rat, a year or so back I would have been running for the hills screaming and shouting but over time you get used to their early morning scuttling about in the undergrowth cumulating in them following their nose to you bait tubs and the inevitable head popping up and the uncomfortable moment where you come face to face both faces etched with a sense of shock before normally the rat clears off,  thankfully Saturday was one of these times.

As the light of the new day filled the sky completely the final acts of the aerial display came out in the form of countless swallows which gracefully glided inches above the river grabbing an early morning drink before heading off in there day time pursuit of insects, these birds have to rank as one of my favourites just for the fact of the huge migratory patterns, how such a small bird flies to England for Africa amazes me every time I see them and always imagine how different the banks of the River Dee must look as opposed the African Plains although I suppose they could always travel 2o minutes down the road to Chester Zoo to help them thorough our so called summer.

The plan for the day fishing wise was to spend the morning chasing the bigger specimens and the afternoon trotting. I started on my Shimano Purist Barbel rod utilising that bait for all seasons, the halibut pellet.  The river was a great deal lower than last week but boy she was bombing through at a crazy pace and there was no chance of holding bottom any more than a third of the way across with the gear I had packed.  The upside of the river pushing through so hard is the crease in the river is moved a lot closer in and was easily accessible with a small underarm flick and this is where I chose to lay my trap.  The bait as I said was a 14mm halibut pellet and it was used in conjunction with a open end feeder filled with 6mm pellets and plugged with the heady smelling halibut method ground bait, I felt I cast accurately and regularly enough to warrant my actions being rewarded with a better fish but alas by 10am I was blanking in style, not even a knock.

I went to visit my uncle to see how he was getting on but not before locked my bait away in my box away from Mr rat.  My uncle on the peg below me was catching roach steadily on the float and seemed to be on course for a steady day with both castor and maggot taking fish.

I decided to set up my much underused Korum 13ft Float rod, since purchasing my 17ft float rod a few years ago this rod has become a bit redundant in my fishing with me favouring the improved float control of the 17ft rod.  The one thing that was immediately apparent is how much quicker it is to thread up the 13ft rod I was set up in no time at all.  Whilst setting up I began drip feeding my swim with hemp and castor to begin the process of building up a few feeding fish in the swim.

Today would be my first time trying out the Dave Harrell 10 No4 Dome top float I purchased a month or so ago so that was attached to the line with the customary three silicon rubbers and I teamed it up with a bulk shot of number 4 shot with a few dropper shot, the business end was a number 18 barbed Animal eyed hook.  I have to say before we go any further I was more than impressed with the float which given the right shotting can be shotted right down to pick up the slightest bites which proved to be essential on this session.

First trot down produced the lovely roach above and its amazing how much confidence a bite first cast down can give you, you know the fish are there and being a roach you know they are not alone.  The bait continued to be applied well upstream of the trott allowing for the float to run down amongst the free offerings and I was soon getting to the stage where I could predict when the float would go under.  Roach mixed in with the odd small chublet where the quarry that was coming to the net in the early exchanges and this mix continued till I decided to try the much slower outside trotting line and I instantly hit a much better fish that flew out of the tributary and straight into the main flow of the river, initial thoughts where I have connected with a barbel or chub although the former was less likely as a chub would no doubt have stuck it our solidly in the tributary flow.  The fight continued I was very conscious of the fish getting into the main fast flow as on 3lb line there was no way of bullying it upstream against the flow.

The battle of wills continued and in one massive jump in the air the fish revealed itself not to be the barbel I thought but either a brown trout or sea trout.  A quick phone call to my uncle to help with the net was answered and between us we managed to get the fish into the net by letting he fish run downstream into the waiting landing net.

The fish in question was a new personal best trout for me but given the fight it had put up and us being quite a bit up fro the water we decided to rest it in the landing net held in the keep net for it to recover rather than releasing it to the mercy of the flow and I cant believe I actually forgot to weigh the fish when we packed in at the end of the day.

After this fish the Dace moved into the swim and I began picking up dace of all sizes from small fry to fish approaching 5-6oz in size, these fish really are in great abundance through the whole system and provide food for all predators along the rivers course from herons and cormorants to the greedy pike they all rely on these silver darts.

It was not long after hitting the dace I began a series of bites where I struck into what felt a decent fish only for my line to come flying back at me and it wasn’t till after I had put on three more hook lengths and while I was speaking to a good friend on the river the answer made itself known as when I connected with a nice roach a big swirl of oily green and yellow was seen beneath the surface as a pike grabbed hold of the fish in its jaws.

The pike was on for a good 5 minutes before it knew it was hooked and I made a hasty estimate at the fish’s size being around 6 to 7lb mark.  As the pike was approaching being beat it let go of the fish and swam off, this is a common ending in these fights with only a few ending in you actually catching the pike but this pikes card had well and truly been marked as I am sure it was the same one that took my uncles fish last week.

Fishing the rivers you have to learn to roam the fields along with the other animals that live there and although most are wild there are some more captive animals you come across like the farmers cattle and when you have fished a stretch for long enough you begin to realise just how much these animals are creatures of habit, they will be in the same part of the field at the same time every day and on this stretch midday is always the time these cows come down to drink and no one was getting in between these cows and a drink of water.

As the cows came and went in groups of two or three I began about the task or rebuilding my swim that had been no doubt devastated by a pike thrashing around it.  I began by introducing some handfuls of hemp and a few sprinklings of castor to build the fishes confidence.  The new fishing box I use has plenty of space for winders so I always have a few hook lengths made up ready to go so it wasn’t long before I was back in after the fish.

 A few trots down it was soon apparent something was drastically wrong, the float was going down a dream but the missing the vital part of the equation, the float being buried, was missing and it wasn’t the pike that was missing for sure I knew that girl or one of her mates was still around.  It hard to explain but trotting the river for so long you get a feeling when things are not right and I put away my trotting rod and pulled out my pike gear, it was time move this pike on away fro the swim.

The float had not long settled before it dipped twice and buried and starting heading for the snags on the far side of the swim, a quick application of side strain steered the fish away from the snag and back into open water, as with all summer pike the fight included plenty of aerobatic leaps as the fish tried to throw the hooks but thankfully they held in place as the fish angrily made persistent deep runs for the far bank cover.  Armed with a reel with a decent smooth drag and loaded with 10lb line the fish was soon tiring and ready for the net and I duly obliged, a nice pike in great physical condition was on the net and ready for a picture.

There was some signs of scale damage to the rear of the pike when it seemed to have a red tinge which I think may be down to when these pike have spawned.  It being a summer pike it is even more important to rest the pike in the margin so I took the pike a good way down stream and gave her as long as she needed in the net to recover before she swan away strongly, thankfully in the opposite direction to my swim.

After returning to my swim there was a definite change of weather in the air as the relatively clear skies where being replaced with dark heavy rain laden clouds straight off the welsh mountains, you could literally see the weather closing in and I managed to capture this picture below illustrating the change in weather.

The next hour or so we were treated to some lovely refreshing downpours that really didn’t bother me as the morning had been so warm the rain actually brought myself some relief.  The fish also didn’t seem to mind the rain as they came back on the feed no sooner than I had returned back after releasing the pike.  The fish were steadily getting better as well and as the afternoon wore on and the steady stream of bait continued so the average size of the fish improved culminating in this nice chub around a pound and to add even more variety a surprise capture in this prickly perch.

All in all it was a very enjoyable day on the bank, it was a pity no really big fish showed up as for moments in the day it felt I was going to connect with a decent fish at any moment but I suppose with that pike lurking around it was always going to be difficult to keep the swim active long enough for the better fish to move in. Final net was 11lb of fish and a very enjoyable day.

 

Till next time I wish you all

Tight lines

danny