Tench Fishing on the Cotswold Water Park

It has been an aspiration of mine for the last couple of seasons to catch a good sized Tench. To most specimen hunters I guess this would be a fish of around 8-9lbs? This figure for me however would be significantly smaller having only caught Tench to 5lb, believe it or not from my local river; the Bristol Avon. To be fair I have never put the time in after being pre-occupied with Barbel fishing in seasons gone by so this season I have decided to put a focus on this most beautiful of summer species.Tench are synonymously a summer species so perhaps I  have started my campaign a little early, time will tell?

I headed over to the Cotswold Water Park armed with maggots, sweetcorn, hemp and ground Vitalin in hope of pulling out a Tench or two. I have been reading up on techniques and best ways to tackle gravel pit Tench and have found that it can be both good to fish in the margins and equally as good locating gravel patches amongst weedy areas.

We arrived at around 7am to glorious sunshine, the lake is around 8 acres and very picturesque. I can remember fishing it with my father perhaps 15 years ago for its inhabitants and catching a few small tench if my memory serves me correctly. The water was calm, there was little wind and it was a balmy 12C. We headed around the lake and located a nice corner to fish in which looked Tenchy. My brother Ollie fished one rod to the left against a snag and one in front of his feet. I located a clear spot about 35yards out with the marker rod set up and fired out 6 spombs full of a combination of ground bait and particles.

The day began well with Ollie landing a Tench of 4lb 8oz close in on his centrepin and then another about an hour later. For me however the day quickly went by without a bite. We were however anticipating our trip to Horseshoe with the Tench fishers in the coming week so a blank for me wan't the end of the world.


A few tench from the last couple of days on a different lake within the cotswold water park.

A couple of pretty Tench caught on worm in the margins using a classic Drennan Tench Float Rod and centrepin reel.

Perch on my Local Commercial - Part 2

Sunday

Well, after a break from the lakes and the closed season coming into place I thought it was about time I headed back to my local commercial in search of a PB Perch. It has been 2lb 5oz for 3 years and I felt it was about time I broke it.

I attempted to fish on Sunday; as I set up my rods a couple of drops of rain began to fall. A couple of drops of rain became a full blown rain storm. Thank God I bought my brolly! I sat under it for 3 hours without a break in the rain. It's not a bad place to be trapped; I was fishing at least...

As the rain began to ease I began to get bites on my float rod in the margin, little tugs on the worm indicated the presence of fish. Eventually the float buried and the rod bent slowly, the fish shook his head a few times before surfacing, a Perch, not a monster but perhaps around 1lb.

A welcome rest bite from the rain but unfortunately it wasn't a sign of things to come. I soon packed up and headed for home.

Tuesday

I couldn't help but to head back to my local lake, having started early at worked I finished early so off to my lake I went. I stopped at the shop on the way to pick up some frozen prawns, I would have preferred fresh but they would suffice. I got to the lake and thawed out the prawns in my landing net, surprisingly they were ready after only 5 minutes.

 I decided to fish tight in the margins having been inspired by another local angler by the name of Kev. He fishes only inches from his rod tip for Perch, I used a Drennan Tench Float Rod and Centrepin reel and dropped the my prawn hook bait into the margins.

I broke up perhaps 4 prawns into small pieces and chucked them out around my baited hook and started the waiting game. I have heard the lake contains 4lb Perch and has the potential to produce something bigger so hoped I would be the one to catch such a monster. I looked away only for a second and glanced back to my float and it had disappeared; this could mean only one thing... STRIKE

The rod arched over into a hoop and initially I thought I had hooked a Carp. It then began shaking its head and it was then I realized I was into what felt like a good Perch. They aren't the greatest of fighters but they have the ability to produce "heart-in-mouth" moments. Thankfully it slid over the net! Kev and my Dad had arrived so did the honours of weighing it in the the best of all weigh slings, a plastic bag. The dial read 2lb 9oz; finally... A PB!

 

A new PB and a very happy angler!

I was chuffed to say the least and it had been a long time coming! After putting it back in the lake a few swims up to prevent the swim from spooking my bait went straight back out again. Next it was Kev's turn with a fish of around a 1lb 1/4oz and then one of exactly 2lb on consecutive casts. My Dad struggled without a bite in the corner of the lake but he has the knack of catching a monster from nowhere, unfortunately tonight wasn't his night. I caught another of perhaps 12oz.

Day turned to night and we could no longer see our floats so we called it a session. On reflection my season has been a poor one in terms of catching specimen fish, the weather hasn't helped matters with rivers above the banks on more occasions than I can remember. This fish has made up for it though.

Tight Lines.

Fish Botherer

Pike Fishing in the Snow

Fishing in The White Stuff

As the days become shorter and the temperature drops below freezing the general consensus is to stay at home and keep warm, perhaps sit in front of an open fire...? Not me. The snow was the real icing on the cake ;)

                                          Only - 3.5 degrees...

The white stuff began to fall late on Thursday the 17th January and is still falling to a lesser extent as I type. Motorways became gridlocked up and down the country, flights were cancelled in their hundreds and schools were closed in their thousands. As I watched this event unfold in front of me only one thought came into mind. Pike Fishing.

When fishing in the snow, it is not just about catching a fish. It's about enjoying your surroundings by absorbing the atmosphere around you knowing that all that snow will be gone within a week or so. I believe it's a form of fishing that all anglers should experience. As one wise man once said. "There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing." I couldn't agree more with this sentiment.

Preparation is key and personal safety should always come first.

Anglers should consider the following:

• A thermal suit of some kind ( I'm a great fan of the camo Navy Seals flotation suits.)
• A scarf
• A wooly hat
• Warm socks (neoprene)
• A pair of fleece lined boots
• A pair of mittens.
• A thermos of your favorite hot beverage
• A Mobile Phone
• Breakdown cover (you never know)
• Some food to keep your energy levels up. 
• A First Aid Kit (I'll tel you why later).

As I arrived at my local stretch of the Bristol Avon I was greeted by a dog walker - " You're not fishing in this are you..." - "You are dedicated." I also heard him mutter under his breath. -  "And mad". I simply smiled and nodded.

                                          Where has the field gone?

I already had a spot in mind and with only a few hours to spare it was a swim relatively close to the car. With Pike fishing I would normally choose the roving method to cover as many swims as possible but with little time to spare it was about choosing a spot that I knew usually contained fish; the question on my lips was... - "Will they feed?"

I put my thermal suit on, grabbed my bag full of gear and headed to my chosen swim. As I arrived on the bank ( I actually slid into my swim and then land on my backside.) I eyed up several pike looking haunts and began setting up my rods. I generally use fairly stout tackle, a pair of 3lb TC Fox Warriors and a couple of Shimano Baitrunners loaded with 15lb Berkley's line. I personally believe bait can be an individual choice, I'm personally a great fan of Mackerel for it's hardiness and Sprat for it's knack of catching me big pike. I went for the toughest bait today - The Mackerel.

                                                    My chosen bait - Mackerel

I cut the Mackerel in half attaching the tail end to one set of trebles and the head to the other and proceeded in casting one bait under a tree on the far bank and one hard to the left and tight to the bank. In these conditions a fishes metabolism slows down and as a result as does their feeding voracity. I always find that if you don't get a bite within half an hour the fish generally aren't in that spot. I can imagine a Pike's pectorals moving slowly as it hovers Kestrel like in one spot within the water waiting for fish to come to them. For this reason I target my chosen quarry with this mentality; casting in many different spots.

                                                   The traps were set. Now for the waiting game.

Half an hour went by without so much as a tap on my rods. As I looked over my left shoulder I spotted another angler by the name of Mark. We talked all things Pike including a monster 38lber his friend had caught from Chew on his first Piking trip! It was then that Mark mentioned about a lovely Chub of 5lb he had just caught further upstream on maggots. It was fin prefect and hopefully a sign the fish were feeding.

                                          A beautiful condition 5lb Chub. Well done Mark!

I jokingly said to him that he would have to come over and photograph my monster pike when I caught it to which he laughed. I recast  my left hand rod into a bit of flow on the far bank and moments later the rod sprang into action, I instantly opened the bail arm and let the line pour off to prevent the fish dropping the bait. I let it run for a few seconds and struck into what felt like a decent fish, it juddered through the water and then... It came off. Although frustrating this proved my previous theory correct as I had only been fishing perhaps 10feet away from the new spot without a bite in half an hour - moving led to bite on the drop!

I re-baited my trebles with fresh Mackerel on both rods and once again waited for a run. In the mean time I was joined by every anglers friend, little Robin Red Breast. Unfortunatley today I had only bought with me some fishy baits rather than ones of a wriggly kind; maggots. Maybe next time my little furry friend.

                                         A Robin Alarm... Who needs Delkims?

As I was watching the Robin hop from rod to rod she acted as a bite alarm flying off as my rod began to bounce slowly round to the left and back again. Once again I opened the bail-arm of the reel and allowed the line to trickle off  for perhaps 5 or 6 seconds this time. I then locked the reel in to position and pulled against the fish and felt a solid arm-wrenching resistance. Could this have been the fish I lost earlier? Perhaps? It felt like good fish.

She began taking vast amounts of line from my reel. I tightened down the clutch to prevent her from heading for the snag on the far bank. There was an almighty explosion in the water as the Pike rose from the depths attempting to throw the hooks with little success. The fight began to ease off and once again she rose to the surface, this time minus the tidal wave. A stunning looking Pike nestled beautifully in my awaiting landing net.

I lifted her out of the water and rested her on my unhooking mat and proceeded in removing the trebles from her mouth. She felt like a good double, but I didn't want to guess. Mark came across after hearing all the commotion - "Is it a good one?" He asked. As she lay resting in the water amongst the landing net we got the weighing gear out and lifted her from the depths. The scales went round and stopped at 17lb 12oz. So minus the 1lb landing net.. you guessed it it. She weighed 16lb 12oz. Not a giant amongst the Pike world but a beautiful fish to catch in such tough conditions.

                                          16lb 12oz of pure power. Esox Lucius

I cradled this stunning fish for a few photos and released her back to her watery world. It wasn't till I looked at my hand that I realized one of my fingers were pouring with blood.  It was that cold that I simply couldn't feel it! This is the reason I have included a First Aid Kit in my list of things to have with you whilst fishing (I will always carry one with me now). It is important to remember that Pike have razor sharp teeth so must be dealt with care when unhooking them. A big thanks goes to Mark who had the sense to carry a First Aid Kit with him; cheers mate!

It must also be considered that although rather ferocious in appearance Pike are delicate; treat them with respect and they will live to fight another day. Carry a pair of long forceps, short forceps and wire cutters at all times. I would recommend Fox as they offer a great range of Predator tools. If you do catch a Pike which is deep-hooked you can then cut the trace to allow for easier access if necessary.

                                                    Ouch - First Aid kit to the rescue!

So, to all you anglers who look out of the window and think "bugger that", maybe you should also have second thoughts. Head to your local stretch of river or a lake and give it a go.

Until the next time. Fish Botherer.

Commercial Fisheries - Perch

Perch on my local Commercial

My aim for the last couple of seasons has been to catch a 3lb Perch, with commercials becoming the source of a large percentage of big Perch I thought it only appropriate to head to my local commercial. I have caught Perch to 2lb 5oz so far from this lake and I have witnessed Perch to 2lb 15oz so I'm sure there is a 3lber in there somewhere. When targeting Perch I have always fished the margins, specifically amongst the reeds as that's where I believed they always were, hiding and waiting for their pray to come to them.

This season I have changed my approach, as it has been cold consistently for the last month or so I have come to the conclusion that the Perch are in the warmer water, in the deeper parts amongst the middle of the lake. The bait of choice for this lake has to be King Prawn,cooked and broken into half a piece.

I cast one bait out into the middle of the lake on a feeder rod using a bobbin as an indicator and also set up a float rod  and flicked that amongst the reeds in the margin. The bait cast in the middle of the lake was supplemented by spraying maggots to pull in smaller fish and inevitably a hungry Perch or two. An hour soon past with just a Perch of about 6oz to show for my troubles.

A bitter wind picked up and I started doubting my chances of catching, my mind began telling me to leave when my feeder rod bobbin slammed up against the rod. I grabbed the rod and struck upwards. The rod whipped around and arched over. I could feel the head shaking through the rod. A Perch for sure but how big? I unhooked it and placed it in a sack in hope and excited anticipation that the Perch were perhaps on the feed? Another hour went by and just like clockwork the bobbin shot up again and WHACK. Another Perch. This one looked slightly bigger, perhaps 2lbs?

 

A lovely brace

Both Perch were in beautiful condition and were beginning to fill with spawn. One weighed 1lb 14oz and the bigger 2lb 1oz. Not quite the 3lbers that I was after but hopefully signs of fish to come. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks as I target the lake more exclusively for a 3lber.

Pike fishing on the Bristol Avon

My phone alarm let out its morning cry. "Who in their right mind would allow their alarm to ring at 6am on a Sunday morning?" An angler of course.

I pulled back the curtains and gazed through the misted windows, the grass was white and crisp, a light mist hung in the air. Perfect solitude.

I quietly fumbled around in my partially lit bedroom for my clothing, it would need to be warm and body hugging to combat the freezing conditions that lay in wait for me. I stumbled into my kitchen and boiled the kettle; a flask of coffee is a must in such conditions. I then proceed to load my car with the necessities. Unfortunately for my fiance she would also have to get up as I was dropping her back at her parents on the way to the river.

We set off on the short journey to my fathers; he would be accompanying me on the river bank today, hopefully to photograph all the fish I had dreamed about catching during the night... We loaded his gear into the car, we were intending to cover as much river as possible in our short window of time. After dropping off my fiance we headed for the river.

As we arrived at our destination we could just about make out the meandering river through the slowly clearing mist. The conditions were perfect, the river looked as if it was clearing and a slight pace was present.

 

After all of our kit was unloaded from the boot of my car and I had replaced my trainers with warm boots we headed upstream, away from the oncoming match anglers and hopefully towards our target species. We were here to catch fish but I couldn't help but record the beautiful scenery with several pictures capturing the beautiful morning landscape that laid in front of us. 

 Panoramic Bristol Avon

Misty River

 

A Touch of Frost

If you hadn't guessed already, we were after a fresh water crocodile, Esox Lucious, the Pike. A powerful, predatory yet delicate fish, a fish that would most certainly be the icing on the cake for us (no pun intended.)

Our aim was to rove, covering as many swims as possible hopefully persuading a few Pike to trip up on our freshly prepared sea dead-baits on the way.

I took a bucket with all what I consider crucial components on any pike session. 

• Forceps - Small and Large
• Wire Cutters 
• A pair of unhooking gloves
• Several adjustable wire traces 
• Leger weights and floats
• Some baits - Mackerel and Sprats.
• A camera (just in case)

After arriving at our first swim we set up our rods, using 15lb BS line, a 1.5oz lead to hold bottom and an adjustable wire trace. At the crucial end I used half a Mackerel on one rod and  a sprat on the other. My father echoed this. After perhaps only two minutes my dad had some movement on the end of his rod, it knocked and slowly went around. He struck and felt a solid resistance. Fish on! After several powerful surges, the pike held its grounds but eventually succumbed to the depths of my Fox Predator landing net.

A Pike just under 10lb

She was in cracking condition; fin perfect. After safely unhooking her I took a picture and slipped her back into the depths. One thing we both noticed was that on the gill plates were several lice which perhaps suggested the pike were not moving at the moment? Another reason to move from swim to swim, the only way to catch today maybe to land the bait on the pikes nose.

 Cobwebs - Frozen in time.

As the day progressed we found the session didn't quite live up to a great early start. We tried perhaps a dozen different swims to no avail. Maybe another couple of weeks of similar conditions would signal a change and the fish would begin to feed more voraciously? Only time will tell.

Two Rivers Meet.

 To sum it up, fishing isn't about catching fish, it is about enjoing the moment. Just you, a fishing rod and the countryside. Or as one person once put it " a bait at one end and a fool at the other..." Until the next time.

Floodwater Fishing

A flooded river for some can be daunting, even off putting. I have seen so many anglers turn up at the river bank, see the water gushing through and turn on their axis heading back to their car with their heads dropped.

However, I like many other Barbel anglers see this as a window of opportunity, with the river full of colour surely the fish are more likely to find their food source completley on sense of smell, taste and opportunity. Using a big, smelly bait is my usual choice for such an occasion. Baits such as flavoured luncheon meat or glugged pellets usually do the trick.

As my eyes wondered along the horizon all I could see was water and lots of it! It was creeping into the field and perhaps 7 foot higher than on my previous outing only a few days before. This meant only one thing, I would need to find a slack spot which is easier said than done when the river is lapping through at a rate of knots.

I come across a chap who had just arrived at the river scratching his head somewhat.

"You're brave" I said to him. "Most anglers just turn around and head back to the car when it's like this".

 "I would have but I've come across from Yeovil and I don't fancy the drive back".

 We had a little chat about the state of the fishing on the river and I headed just upstream with a slack in mind. As I arrived I was still in shock at the height of the river. Big swirls were forming out in the middle and branches I would normally cast under were submerged by the oncoming waves.

As I mentioned earlier, in conditions such as these, a big smelly bait seems to work best to attract your chosen quarry to your bait. I settled on Luncheon meat and used a Robin Red soft pellet to hold it onto the hair. A method that has worked well for me in recent weeks.

Combinig this with a 4oz gripper lead I dropped my bait just in front of me to the right, unlike my fellow angler who had cast out into the middle of the river and struggling to keep his rods on his rod rests I located a slack and wasn't troubled in the slightest.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining but it was bloody freezing with a sharp strong wind cutting through to my bodys core. A tree floated up river and a couple of mallards were seeking sanctuary on a very copious looking mound amongst the water. It took all of  5 minutes for my fellow angler to move swims and fished just one peg up from me as fishing downstream was nigh on impossible.

I only had a small window of opportunity as I had to pick up my fiance from work, so time was of the essence. No sooner than having got off the phone from my old man who said - "you won't catch anything when the river is like that" - my rod sprung into life and slammed round.

It's hard to tell the size of the fish when the river is pushing through as it was, it adds to the excitement and the overall battle. It's important to use a rod with a bit of backbone in such conditions and it can be the difference in steering the fish over the net or loosing a fish to a snag. After only a couple of minutes a beautifully proportioned Barbel lay in the net. No monster but a welcome fish in such conditions.

Lacock Chub

For me, nothing quite beats catching fish on your local river. I am fortunate enough to live within a 5 minute drive of the beautiful and famous village of Lacock. Meandering through the grounds of the glorious Lacock Abbey is a well known stretch of the Bristol Avon. Known as the Abbey fields, this section of river is a perfect habitat for chub and barbel. It is rich in natural food sources and contains many overhanging trees and weed beds for my quarry to hide amongst.

The likes of Trefor West and Tony Miles brought this section of the Bristol Avon to the forefront in perhaps the most famous of all Barbel books “A Quest for Barbel”. They enjoyed large catches of barbel over a number of years from this stretch and in fact from time to time I bump into Trefor guiding or simply fishing himself. It has however declined in recent years, most notably due to otter predation (say no more).

 

                                     Quest for Barbel - Tony Miles and Trefor West

As I arrived at my chosen swim there was still a noticeable pace, it was however dropping compared to the previous weeks. With many non-anglers complaining about the deluge of rain we have had in the last couple of months I can hand on heart say it has been a blessing in disguise for us anglers. Fishing on Lacock can be tough as summer normally means stalking tactics with lighter tackle. The extra water has generally led to fish feeding more voraciously, and as a result, catch rates have improved drastically when comparing to the previous couple of years, not just on the Bristol Avon but, up and down the country. 

                                      The wait begins...

This swim in question had all the features which pointed towards my chosen quarry, not barbel but a fish for all seasons, the chub. To the right of me was a reed raft and beyond that an over-hanging tree, both ideal holding spots for a hungry chub, I  could envisage them hovering there waiting for their meal to come to them. I threw a few pellets out into the current perhaps 10 yards upstream from the spot to allow for the pace of current.

As there was a significant pace on the water I decided that a 3oz gripper lead would hold my bait in position. The bait in question was a pair of drilled 10mm Dynamite Halibut pellets attached to a hair rig. Pellets have become a staple part of the chub’s diet in recent years and I have complete faith in using them to pull in fish of specimen proportions. With the pellets attached I made my first cast and sat back in anticipation of a ravenous chub picking up my bait. 

                                          A 3oz gripper lead teamed with a pair of 10mm Dynamite Pellets

As time frittered away I sat back and enjoyed my surroundings. A suicidal squirrel jumped from tree to tree, a blackbird sang its merry song and perhaps the most beautiful bird of them all, a flash of blue, the kingfisher flew past at an astronomical pace several times in search of its supper. Not only do I envy the kingfisher for its stunning appearance but also its ability to out fish me everyday of the week.

As I watched a kingfisher sitting on a branch on the far bank eyeing up its next meal my rod started moving from left to right - just a small tap - I struck and was met with a small resistance. This fish was indeed my target species but it was unfortunately ounces rather than pounds. Somehow a chub of perhaps 8oz had engulfed two 10mm pellets! A chubs mouth is rather cavernous for its size, and what many people do  not realise is that chub have a set of teeth in the back of their throat, specifically designed for crushing their food, in this case pellets.

 

I wouldn't recommend putting your finger in a chubs mouth!!!

I recast my bait into the same spot using the now famous Wallis Cast. PLOP. It landed just under the tree on the far bank; the flow pulled my bait further along the river and nestled perfectly under a reed raft. It must have only been a further 5 minutes and my rod tip sprung into life, once, twice and whack. The rod was bent double and my 1930s Allcock Aerial began screaming. I swept my rod from its rest and pulled into what felt like a very good fish. It held its ground to begin with, staying firmly on the river bed. I began easing the fish in, just as I thought about putting one hand on the landing net handle the fish changed course and headed straight for a snag.

                                      Let the battle commence

                                       ... scooping up my prize.

I held firm not giving the fish an inch, chub are famously considered expert snag finders and this fish was by know means an exception to this. However, after a good battle, I finally defeated the chub and it floated towards my gaping net...

A perfect combo - a pristine chub with my favourite reel.

                                         Worth the wait. A Bristol Avon chub of perhaps 4lb 8oz

What a stunner! This beautiful chub was both scale and fin perfect, it also still appeared to be holding its weight from the spring. I would say it was a typical example of a Bristol Avon chub, perhaps 4lb 8oz of pure power. Why not try for yourself by joining the Bristol Amalgamated or purchasing a day ticket?

Bristol Amalgamated website

All pictures courtesy of my beautiful fiance Mandy Garner

Tight Lines

Vince