January 10 2009

'Freezing cold but still catching'

This time the hook held and I found myself playing what was either a small pike or a very good perch. As I had already been amongst the pike I never really thought much about it. Until I saw the fish that is. It came into the upper layers of the canal about a rod length out and I found myself looking down at a big perch. It had already been on for some time and so the option of a hook pull wasn't on my mind either. But then suddenly, and without any warning whatsoever, the tackle shot from the water and the fish was gone ....... click here for more

January 17 2009

'Now that's what you call cold'

Arriving at the river at first light it wasn't the air temperature which I was interested in but the water. After all I can cope and that's my problem, but what really counts is what's going on beneath the surface not above it. The digital reading showed 2.5C, which was slightly up from the 2C I had been up against on the canal earlier in the week. I know that fishing new swims is not the ideal thing in adverse conditions, but as I don't have any perch hotspots anyway yet on the stretch in question, it wasn't such a bad decision as it appears at first. I fished an open stretch casting to a small overhanging clump of willow trees....... click here for more

February 7 2009

'The coldest winter for thirteen years'

The Stour rises in the Clent Hills, then flows through towns such as Stourbridge (Like Stourport, the clue's in the name!) before leaving the conurbation behind, becoming pretty much a rural river apart from a brief excursion through Kidderminster. There are a couple of club and day ticket sections that I am aware of but there is a lot of access where it runs alongside the Staffs/Worcs Canal and many people fish from those sections. I've been fishing the river on and off for several years in a number of places, and have caught a wide variety of fish from there, but it's the dace that interest me, as the Stour has some really good fish that live there....... click here for more

February 14 2009

'Hard going but still catching'

Back on the Stour for session two a few days later and the river was looking very different. Rain and melted snow had pushed the river up well over a foot, which is a big rise on a small river like the Stour. Because of the conditions I also switched to roach as my target fish. With plenty of colour in the water I fished the reel line of 2lb 8ox Maxima straight through to a size 18 hook. With increased flow I fished a small (20g) cage feeder filled with brown crumb and maggots. Although the river was up and rising, I was still able to fish with a 0.5 ounce tip....... click here for more

February 28 2009

'A close call but the fish is in the net'

Although there are lots of smaller perch in the canal, like most other places, the specimens are not only few and far between, but they don't give themselves up very easily either. Therefore it's great when everything comes together. I felt really good about catching the fish, but also realised how close I had come to missing out as the hook pulled in the net........ click here for more

March 14 2009

'I feel like a fish chaser!'

But I'm glad I didn't listen to my head and followed my heart instead, because at 5.30pm the right rod (I was fishing two rods) came alive as line peeled from the baitrunner and I was into a fish. It fought really well but with 10lb line and a snag-free swim, the odds were always going to be in my favour. As you can see from the photograph it was a nice solid fish. I much prefer to catch fish that are packed out rather than skinny, flabby ones. Not just from the fact that they weigh more but also that they look much nicer and are a joy to handle. Although it can be as a result of spawning of course, bony and skinny fish don't look healthy at all....... click here for more

March 21 2009

'Do your decorating - I'm going fishing!'

So sit it out I did. I used to hate it, and can remember reading the print off my Mr Crabtree book and re-reading my big pile of Angling Times' so much I could almost memorise them word for word. But the more I read, rather than satisfy my desires, they simply made my yearnings increase for June 16. But that was then and this is now, and from the mid 1990's the close season no longer has the blanket coverage that it did. In the early days many vowed to not fish and I am sure that if angling internet discussion boards existed back then as they do now, then they would make some of today's heated threads appear very tame indeed!....... click here for more

March 28 2009

'Business as usual on the gravel pit'

One thing you can say about the bed of a pit is that it will be anything but uniform. If you're used to fishing estate lakes for example, then a gravel pit really is a different ball game altogether. Due to the extraction process that created the venue in the first place, it will usually abound with features such as bars, gullies, plateaus and drop-offs. And this is where the marker float come in, as these fish-attracting spots cannot be discerned with the naked eye from the bank........ click here for more

April 11 2009

'A late tench rescues the session'

Although I am first and foremost out and about because I love fishing, I also appreciate the wider package that being being at the water's edge brings. My interests extend to birding, trees and wildflowers. And it's the latter that really starts to come into its own now as life is springing up through the soil. The first thing that I noticed since my last session on the pit was that a clump of white dead-nettles had appeared in my swim. ...... click here for more

April 25 2009

'Three hundred not out'

But ironically, although less anglers are on the canals, I think that the quality of fishing has improved. As a kid growing up in the area, the local canals were either polluted or else they were populated with shoals of small gudgeon. And that was the very first fish I caught - a gudgeon from the Staffs/Worcs Canal at The Bratch, near Wombourne in Staffordshire. But now, even for the specimen angler, the canals are definitely worth fishing. It's not just about quantity any more, but there are some really good quality fish to be found....... click here for more

May 9 2009

'A pleasant surprise from the canal'

But it wasn't a roach that made the news this week, instead a carp grabbed the headlines. It was 6.35pm on the first session when the tip pulled round in a determined way that indicated that something had picked up the bait without realising and was probably on to its next grain of corn even as I struck. What I thought initially was a very good roach, turned into a good chub and eventually became a double-figure mirror carp. As the title of the article says, it was indeed a pleasant surprise. And on 2.5lb line an achievement as well. ....... click here for more

May 16 2009

'It's a marathon, not a sprint'

My perch sessions are very short, between two and four hours, with the evening ones closer to the former than the latter. I don't watch much TV and I'm not a movie person at all, so in the time that it takes to watch some Hollywood ego parading around on the screen, I've caught a perch. It's not so much that I have more time than anyone else to fish, just what I do with it. Plus I have a very understanding wife who knows how much my angling means to me. And that is a big factor! ....... click here for more

May 23 2009

'Another surprise from the canal'

I've certainly put the time in this year regarding angling trips and well over half of them have been dedicated to fishing for perch on the Staffs/Worcs Canal. I take my angling seriously in the context that I want to do well, and I want to catch big fish. But I am also of the very firm persuasion that it has to be enjoyable. Setting off on a session at the water's edge should not be looked at in the same light as going to the dentist! It's not like work, it's not about meeting deadlines and the only pressure involved should be when a fish puts a bend in our rod! ....... click here for more

May 30 2009

'It's full of surprises'

I thought that I was going to be in for a cracking night of non-stop action, but the next time I was into a fish was 3.00am (that's why I look worn out in the photograph!) when I landed a big perch. It's a well-know fact isn't it, that perch don't feed at night! Following on my from my recent mirror carp while roach fishing and eel whilst after perch, this was my third surprise, hence the title of the article this week! But I like surprises of this nature, that's for sure! That's the great thing about angling, you never really know what will turn up next. . ....... click here for more

June 6 2009

'Mirror, Mirror, on the wall'

It was just like playing a big barbel as it plodded very deep rather than going off like the proverbial express train. Fortunately I was able to apply just enough pressure to keep it away from the far bank overhanging trees. But when it decided to move horizontally along the canal there was nothing I could do except to go after it. After a fight that lasted a full 15 minutes I eventually managed to get it into my net 50 metres from where I had hooked it. ...... click here for more

June 13 2009

'Donut brain strikes again'

I have enjoyed this close season more than any other. Usually, even before the month of April is out, I am counting the days down, like some tormented prisoner ticking dates off on the calendar next to his bed. And that's how I have often felt, somehow restricted and not really free. And although I have been fishing on canals, lakes and gravel pits it hasn't been the same as when the river option is available. But I have been so immersed in my angling this time round, it only hit me this week that this would be my final seven days before the rivers opened their doors to business as usual. ....... click here for more

June 20 2009

'High as a kite on the River Sow!'

And that was finally confirmed when I slipped the net under a beautiful fish. Not necessarily stunning because of good looks but based on the belief that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And any Sow barbel is so welcomed, that regardless of size it is guaranteed to get your pulse going, or as the title suggests, make you as high as a kite! I would sooner catch a barbel of any size from the Sow than say a 10lb fish from a more established river, so I think that gives an indication of just how excited I really was. As the world slept, I was wide awake as the adrenaline of a barbel had swept aside any feelings of tiredness I had....... click here for more

June 27 2009

'Back to earth on the Sow!'

Whilst some single species anglers curse anything else that takes their bait, I am definitely not one of those. You often hear barbel anglers speaking of chub in far from complimentary terms, but on a river like the Sow they actually provide some relief from what would otherwise be no action whatsoever. And to highlight that, if it was barbel or nothing this time round, then I would be publishing photographs of rivers, items of tackle, trees and flowers. Anything except fish. So I am certainly appreciative of the chub caught this week, especially the second one which was a cracking fish........ click here for more

July 4 2009

'One out of three ain't bad'

At around 10.00pm, when I had cast both rods out, the water temperature was 18.3C and the air temperature almost 20C. I was comfortable in a short-sleeved shirt and I was still in that at 4.00am when I finished, although it was a little cooler then. That was the reason why I had chosen to go for eels - warm summer nights were definitely made for the species. I had just the one fish - but as far as eels are concerned, one is always a result in my book. It was a nice enough eel, hooked cleanly in the lip and so avoiding what I always dislike - a deep hooked fish. The bait was a tail section of a very small roach while the other rod, which was a tail section of a small gudgeon, failed to produce....... click here for more

July 11 2009

'Face to face with a bear on the River Stour'

There are a number of Stours in the country and the one I am referring to is the one that flows into the River Severn at Stourport. With several miles of its embryonic growth in the Black Country, it has always been precarious in terms of pollution threats. But in recent years with many old and inefficient factories closing for good, plus a greater awareness of the environment, the Stour has moved on from the bad old days and is a nice little river to fish. It's not the sort of place that you would particularly travel a great distance to fish, but if you're local as I am ) it's worth a visit, and particularly so if time is limited....... click here for more

July 18 2009

'That's it, I'll blame the otters!'

The first bit of excitement was not from a fish though but an otter. A large (c.30) group of Canada geese that were lazily hanging around at the head of the swim suddenly got out of the way very quickly and exited the water onto the far bank field. I thought at first that the pair of mute swans I had seen earlier had returned to clear the river. But instead of two fluffed up white feather balls protecting their territory, I just caught sight of a big otter disappearing beneath the surface of the water. I have mixed feelings about otters and just like the cormorant issue, I can see both sides of the argument. My position is that of a definite fence-sitter!....... click here for more

July 25 2009

'Killing two birds with one stone'

The first thing that struck was that this was going to be a beautiful pool indeed once the day progressed. The reason for that was a good proportion of the surface of the water was covered with fringed water-lilies. They are one of the prettiest of our native water plants and the small leaves, as opposed to the larger ones of other species, in my view add to the stunning effect as spread out across a body of water. And they also close their flowers from dusk onwards, opening them again as the day progresses. And with a sunny afternoon forecast, I knew that I was in for a treat....... click here for more

August 1 2009

'Arresting a few sergeants on the canal'

I had a hectic period with a total of four runs in less than thirty minutes. I landed three of the fish, with two of them being what I would call good fish for the venue. Admiring the fish I thought to myself how beautiful big perch are. And with this stretch not being fished, they were also in perfect condition. I can confidently make the comment about the fishing because the vegetation had not been flattened and in the times I have been there, I've always had it to myself. This is what happens when you walk further than the first few pegs beyond the access point!....... click here for more

August 22 2009

'Wrasse on the rocks'

I really enjoyed the style of fishing, which to me is an important part of angling. The means to the end is just as important as the end itself. If you're not enjoying it, then sooner or later, even if you are catching good fish along the way, you'll lose interest. But watching the float bobbing away in the waves had me on the edge of my seat - metaphorically speaking of course, as most of the time I was standing or crouching over the sea. I missed a lot more bites than I had fish, but when the strike resulted in a connection, it was a great feeling, particularly if it was a decent wrasse. Just like my coarse angling, I set my stall out to do business with the bigger fish, although in reality it meant wading through the smaller ones. I did catch some nice ballan wrasse though, including a repeat capture!....... click here for more

August 29 2009

'A late barbel saves the day'

To complete the batch of barbel sessions, I headed for the middle Severn, where I was able to do a handful of evenings at the water’s edge on a river now back to normal summer level. Although it’s known as ‘barbel alley’ they certainly weren’t queuing up to be caught by me, that’s for sure. And from what other angers were saying, that seemed to be the case all round as well. But you can either quit and wait for the fish to come on the feed or you can rise to the challenge....... click here for more

September 5 2009

'Objectivity wins the day'

I ended the night with a handful of chub, a roach and a common carp. Apart from the roach, that came to the right rod, the other fish all fell to the tutti frutti boilie rod fished to the far bank. It's great when it all comes together isn't it! I do put a lot of thought into my fishing and when it goes to plan, I get a lot of pleasure. Some people think that the more time you spend fishing, the better the angler you will become. Well that isn't necessarily so. After all I could spend ten hours a day playing golf but I'd never make a professional. I could train with the England football team, but I'd never make the squad. And likewise, the act of spending time at the water's edge, in itself, will not make us better anglers....... click here for more

September 12 2009

'Banging the barbel welfare drum'

I would certainly never try to take any high moral ground - after all I stick hooks in fish and then engage them in a battle - but the issue of fish welfare is an important one. And whilst I am not in the Church of the Barbel, where the mighty deity is worshipped and adored, nevertheless there are specific things that we need to bear in mind when fishing for them. One of them is to use the right tackle, and in particular line strength that is up to the job. I remember some years back listening to an angler bragging about how many fish he had lost on a particular river because he was using 4lb. As they say, it's not big and it's not clever....... click here for more

September 19 2009

'Third run lucky!'

If you're a regular reader of my Angling Journal, I am sure you wonder how I manage to get so many hours in each week fishing? Well, there are a number of points that contribute to that, but one of them is time management. This is not just something that we should limit to a work-related environment; when we apply it into our personal lives, it opens up lots of opportunity and potential. I'm a well organised person, and combined with the fact that I am highly motivated, I find that the hours in the week are stretched when you think ahead and push yourself a little. Not that my life is regimented or inflexible - far from it - but a little bit of planning and motivation means I squeeze a lot more in my life than if I were all over the place and lethargic with it!....... click here for more

September 26 2009

'What a fish - even if I say so myself!'

In addition to the placement of the baits, access to the rods is also a consideration. Based in a bivvie it meant that I couldn't pitch up next to the water's edge, which would be ideal. Instead I had to set up on the bank; I had no other option due to space. But I wasn't happy with the rods being at the bottom of the bank, as the time involved from base to rod was too long. So what I did was to clear the undergrowth and position the rod rests in such a way that I was just one step away from them. I also did them so that whichever rod I had a fish on I could strike and make my way to the water's edge safely. By the time I cast out I was satisfied that everything was in order, from bait placement to landing procedure....... click here for more

October 3 2009

'Different venues - same species'

The next couple of sessions in this week's article, although I stayed with the species, saw me switch to a different venue. Although synonymous with barbel fishing - and I've done my fair share of hours on there over the years - the lower Severn also has other fish swimming around. And so instead of just thinking about the perch potential, I decided to actually do something about it. My approach had to be totally different, and with much bigger predators around I kept away from my fish bait and 4lb line tactics that I successfully employ on the canal. As far as line strength was concerned, I actually dropped down to 2.5lb line straight through to a size 18 hook....... click here for more

October 10 2009

'That's the British weather for you'

Bird-wise I had a great time this week, with the highlights being a barn owl that flew downstream into dark and a male lesser spotted woodpecker that landed briefly on a tree just feet from where I sat. I saw four swallows on day one with a group of c40 migrating a day later. It's that time of the year where the seasons are merging because a flock of male chaffinches were also in the area, and that's a sign that summer has definitely gone. Yet on the other hand, the warm daytime sunshine had several small white butterflies flitting along the bank. Confusing? Well, as I've already written, that's the British weather for you!....... click here for more

October 17 2009

'Perch deserve an adverb!'

Although the weather is now beginning to act more like it should do in October, the Indian summer has thrown up a few pleasant surprises. And with red campions usually flowered out by the end of August, it was nice to see a single plant still showing by the side of the canal where I fished. So for all those anglers who e-mail me fairly regularly (without success I might add) wanting to know the exact places I fish, in this instance walk the Staffs/Worcs Canal and when you see a red campion you will know where I have been! Anyway, session four to round of the week saw me on a totally different section, a good twelve or so miles away....... click here for more

October 24 2009

'Enjoying myself on the lower Severn'

For me personally it's the fact that I am an all-rounder that keeps my enthusiasm bubbling away. Not that I get bored fishing for one fish, in one style and on one venue, but the appreciation of the bigger picture definitely keeps my motivation level high. At the moment though, dead-baiting for zander on the lower Severn is certainly taking up a lot of my angling time.

For the majority of anglers we don't have quality zander fishing on our doorstep. And that applies to me as well, and even though the M5 makes access easy, a zander session still involves a round trip of about 100 miles. That's why I try to spend as much time on the bank as possible, it's not cost effective to travel that distance for a couple of hours....... click here for more

October 31 2009

'Thankfully it wasn't all downhill'

The second zander came at about 6.15pm, so it was still light; although only just as a damp miserable overcast day draws in darkness much more than a bright sunny and cheerful one does. It was just a small fish, but regardless of the size zander need to be treated with care. Their ferocious appearance hides the fact that they are very sensitive fish.

And just like pike they are totally misunderstood by so many anglers. In fact I would say ignorance is a word that is not out of place to describe the attitudes and actions of many. Just this week I have been told of a local club that actively encourages its members to kill all pike under 12lb. You'd think people would know better in this day and age instead of holding to mediaeval beliefs about predators....... click here for more

November 7 2009

'Where there's a will, there's a way'

The conditions made the river look very barren and windswept. Not only the rain, wind and overcast sky but with the leaves mostly gone from the trees; it reminded me why I invested in a Trakker Armo a couple of years back! Sitting under an umbrella on this session, my main concern was whether it would stay rooted or get turned inside out and blown away in the strong gusts that came from nowhere. I don't know whether it's just me but I do seem to get through umbrellas like they are going out of fashion. And then, reading Dave Lumb's blog the other week I realised that it isn't just me. There are at least two of us that think brollies ain't what they used to be!...... click here for more

November 14 2009

'Back to do business with the pike'

Knowing when to strike is important. You don't want to snatch the bait before the pike has had time to take it into its mouth properly; on the other hand you don't want to wait until it has started to digest it either. Advice about pouring yourself a drink from your flask and then waiting until you've finished it before striking is quite frankly rubbish! The best thing to do if you are a beginner is to hit the fish sooner rather later. Alternatively if you have a fishing friend who is an experienced predator angler tap in to their advice and take it on board. They will also advise you about bolt cutters, long handled forceps and other specific items you will need if you decide to go for pike....... click here for more

November 21 2009

'One fish but many methods'

It was the fourth and final outing though that saw me finally come good and catch something worth shouting about. And following the methods of float fished maggot, legered gudgeon section, cage feeder and livebait set-up, I made it number five as I legered lobworm. Fishing from bank sticks with a bite alarm using a lightweight hanger on the line, no wonder I get asked questions like 'Are there carp in here then?' It's funny how the moment some anglers see rods horizontal on a bite alarm they assume carp! It was an horrendous day weather wise and I almost - but I have to stress the word almost - turned over when the alarm clock went off and stayed in bed. But it will take more than gale force winds and severe downpours to keep me away from the water's edge, and not much into first light I was ready for action at the canal....... click here for more

November 28 2009

'What a contrast'

And the day couldn't come quickly enough; in fact I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve when I went to bed the night before. I ought to have been tired, after all I'd been on a marathon work day which ended by getting to bed at 12.30 am. And with the alarm clock set at four something, I really ought to have been catching zeds. Not Sander lucioperca either, but grabbing some shut-eye. Instead I did little more than cat nap, often waking with the prospect of monster roach making me feel more like seven years of age instead of forty seven. And long may that child-like appeal continue, I say!....... click here for more

December 5 2009

'Grub grabbing and perch pursuing'

In fact I added several more perch including another big one. When we talk about specimen fish, I think it's very important to take the venue into account rather than just pounds, ounces and drams. Therefore a six pound barbel might be a massive achievement from one river yet nothing to get excited about from another. A one pound roach might be common in one pool yet a fish of a lifetime from another. Don't get influenced by what you see staring back at you every week from the angling media. Not that I am criticising anything by the way, just saying that we shouldn't be disappointed if we catch a 30lb carp because the latest angling gallery is full of 40lb'ers....... click here for more

December 19 2009

'Hobnobbing with the angling royalty'

This article begins with a visit to a commercial water. If you're a regular reader of my Angling Journal then you may be surprised at that choice of venue, particularly if I tell you that it is a typical site consisting of three holes dug in the ground and stuffed with small carp. So what was I doing there? Targeting big perch is the answer. It's hardly a secret that so many commercial waters now contain big perch, and it was those that took me to Willow Marsh fishery in Worcestershire. They say it's not what you know, but who you know....... click here for more

December 26 2009

'Roach, water rail, snipe, goldeneye'

This was to be my last session before Christmas, as my December 24 trip to the Severn was cancelled due to the snowfall we had the night before. It was a shame because it was to be a visit to the place where I got engaged to Debby! We've been married for 23 years this coming May and it was on Christmas Eve when I drove her to one of my favourite spots alongside the River Severn. Sitting there thinking 'I love you so much' I then turned to Debby and thought 'You're not too bad either'. It was then I slipped the engagement ring on her finger and sealed the commitment we had already made to one another. Anyway, I'm easily pleased and as long as she lets me go fishing, that's good enough for me! See you next year!....... click here for more

January 1 2010    Anchors Aweigh with Captain Williams

When I received an invitation from Steve Williams to go zander fishing on his boat, I didn't need asking twice. So a date was set and we touched base first thing in the morning at Steve's home in Shropshire, and then travelled together down to the Warwickshire Avon where we launched Yamyam. Or to be more precise, Steve launched the boat and I did my best to get in the way. But we got there in the end and soon found ourselves gently making our way downstream trolling baits behind us....... click here for more

January 1 2010    So close and yet so far

In my final Angling Journal entry for 2009, I begin not at the water's edge but in a tackle shop. Gwen's Tackle and Bait in Princes End, Tipton, to be precise. Although in the modern angling world you can't get everything from your local, I am a firm believer in supporting tackle shops in your locality. Internet buying is great, as it opens up a whole new world of shopping from our armchairs, but the reality is that there will always be things we need there and then. And of course fresh bait such as maggots and mail order tackle shops don't go together at all....... click here for more