Bluemoon Angling Thread

I was just looking back at my season which will close down in the next few weeks. Its been a good one, my first as a member at Coldingham which fished well all season, final of the national for the first time, successful trip down to Pitsford. Two blanks in 32 sessions with a rod average around 5. Its not the numbers that bother me but the stuff that sticks in my mind that I use for 'mindfulness' and to make me feel good when I'm down. The stoat bouncing along the bank, the ospreys fishing right in front of us, the large naturalised rainbow taking a shield bug in not three feet of water. Good company in a boat and meeting new folk. Most of all, the take of a fish when fishing dries - i'm not sure there is anything equivalent in course fishing -maybe fishing floating crusts for carp?

Whatever, I know I couldn't do without it, it enriches the heart, soul and mind and I thank god for it every day when so much in the world is utter shite. I bet you guys have very similar feelings.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
I was just looking back at my season which will close down in the next few weeks. Its been a good one, my first as a member at Coldingham which fished well all season, final of the national for the first time, successful trip down to Pitsford. Two blanks in 32 sessions with a rod average around 5. Its not the numbers that bother me but the stuff that sticks in my mind that I use for 'mindfulness' and to make me feel good when I'm down. The stoat bouncing along the bank, the ospreys fishing right in front of us, the large naturalised rainbow taking a shield bug in not three feet of water. Good company in a boat and meeting new folk. Most of all, the take of a fish when fishing dries - i'm not sure there is anything equivalent in course fishing -maybe fishing floating crusts for carp?

Whatever, I know I couldn't do without it, it enriches the heart, soul and mind and I thank god for it every day when so much in the world is utter shite. I bet you guys have very similar feelings.
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Absolutely mate. A day by the water is brilliant medicine / thinking space.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
I was just looking back at my season which will close down in the next few weeks. Its been a good one, my first as a member at Coldingham which fished well all season, final of the national for the first time, successful trip down to Pitsford. Two blanks in 32 sessions with a rod average around 5. Its not the numbers that bother me but the stuff that sticks in my mind that I use for 'mindfulness' and to make me feel good when I'm down. The stoat bouncing along the bank, the ospreys fishing right in front of us, the large naturalised rainbow taking a shield bug in not three feet of water. Good company in a boat and meeting new folk. Most of all, the take of a fish when fishing dries - i'm not sure there is anything equivalent in course fishing -maybe fishing floating crusts for carp?

Whatever, I know I couldn't do without it, it enriches the heart, soul and mind and I thank god for it every day when so much in the world is utter shite. I bet you guys have very similar feelings.
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Yup, great season described there and, hopefully, so much to look forward to before we go to "that bourne whence no traveller returns".

Until 1992 I never fished a river, my fishing being confined to a few lakes and the canals. Consequently I stopped fishing in November and didn't start again until March. When my eldest was born, my ex-wife being a nurse working weekends, that meant I hardly fished at all.

So, in 1992, in order to extend my fishing I took to rivers in search of winter chub and I haven't looked back since. My best memories come from fishing with my two lads one of whom is now somewhere in the Middle East with the army and the other is in Japan. Winter Olympic breakfasts at the Little Thief on the way to the Derwent or the Severn live long in the memory. I miss them.

But plenty of adventures beckon and I'll be seeking for some large perch this Winter.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
I was just looking back at my season which will close down in the next few weeks. Its been a good one, my first as a member at Coldingham which fished well all season, final of the national for the first time, successful trip down to Pitsford. Two blanks in 32 sessions with a rod average around 5. Its not the numbers that bother me but the stuff that sticks in my mind that I use for 'mindfulness' and to make me feel good when I'm down. The stoat bouncing along the bank, the ospreys fishing right in front of us, the large naturalised rainbow taking a shield bug in not three feet of water. Good company in a boat and meeting new folk. Most of all, the take of a fish when fishing dries - i'm not sure there is anything equivalent in course fishing -maybe fishing floating crusts for carp?

Whatever, I know I couldn't do without it, it enriches the heart, soul and mind and I thank god for it every day when so much in the world is utter shite. I bet you guys have very similar feelings.
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Floater fishing for carp is more like hunting, you are concentrating like a fox, in the zone, heart pumping, willing that carp not to ignore yours as it approaches. More comparable to yours is visible pike take on a lure which is one of the most exciting things in Coarse fishing because it tend to give you a massive shock after you’ve been walking and casting for ages. Barbel fishing for me is more about the beauty and serenity of a lovely looking river during a summer dusk, and feeling at one with the nature around you. Long stay carp fishing (and “carbelling” which is what BMR is doing right now) is like a test match compared to the one day international of barbel fishing. More involved ,more rewarding and more about living there, using real skill, and maybe having a spliff or beer alone or with a mate. Trotting and wading a river for me is more about feeling totally immersed in nature. It should be done, like barbel fishing, in a beautiful place.

The beauty of fishing is its endless variety for me. I’m going out now with a lure rod for a few hours actually. Great post fella and I’m pleased your season has gone so well. Mine has been interesting and I’ve caught two PBs, a perch and a grayling, so I’ve got to be pleased with that.
 
Decided to stay another night after getting heavier leads to hold bottom. Thought I'd take a chance in not attracting the bream so mixed a kilo of groundbait adding a few loose offerings in the mix. I've put about 8 large feeders full above my top rod out and now I'm on PVA bags filled with pellets and broken boilies.

When a river is pulling hard and fast a good tip is to leave the bail-arm open when your lead or feeder hits the water. Allow about 10ft or so to peel off the reel and this will cause a bow in the line allowing the bomb/feeder swivel to point upstream instead of the line being tight with it facing side on against the flow. This also reduces leaves and debris to gather on the point where the line meets the water.

I don't think I'll be too busy tonight but I am hopeful of at least one good barbel.
 
Sir peace frog said:
I used to see a guy on the canal all through lockdown he fishes Rudyard for silvers, he told me about being plagued by pike
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Mentioned this before but I caught my first pike on Rudyard when I was about 8 or nine. A fiesty jack weighing 3.7lb taking my single bronze maggot on a gold colour 22s hook when I was reeling my feeder in. I nearly shit myself when I saw it's teeth! I asked if we could eat it and my dad said yes so he knocked it on the head and took it home. He gutted and soaked it in salty water a day before filleting it. It tasted ok but was full of bones from what I can remember.
 
Sir peace frog said:
i've not been on a commercial for months, you'll usually find me on the macc canal,(poynton,adlington ,i need to broaden my canal repertoire ) i'm still a bit out of my comfort zone on canals even though i really enjoy them and am getting there , i do enjoy lymm dam, though i haven't been there for a few months or caught a fish since i started my predator career :)
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BlueMoonRisin’ said:
Mentioned this before but I caught my first pike on Rudyard when I was about 8 or nine. A fiesty jack weighing 3.7lb taking my single bronze maggot on a gold colour 22s hook when I was reeling my feeder in. I nearly shit myself when I saw it's teeth! I asked if we could eat it and my dad said yes so he knocked it on the head and took it home. He gutted and soaked it in salty water a day before filleting it. It tasted ok but was full of bones from what I can remember.
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A mate landed a 4lb jack from the backwater at Hr Poynton, decided he would take it home and cook it. Gave it a hefty whack on the skull, wrapped it in polythene, put it in his tackle box. Couple of hours later, in the station waiting room, the bugger came round....
Anyway, tasted muddy ? and was full of thin flexible bones.
 
bellbuzzer said:
A mate landed a 4lb jack from the backwater at Hr Poynton, decided he would take it home and cook it. Gave it a hefty whack on the skull, wrapped it in polythene, put it in his tackle box. Couple of hours later, in the station waiting room, the bugger came round....
Anyway, tasted muddy ? and was full of thin flexible bones.
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Wtf would you want to eat a pike
 
On that subject, I’ve just been down the canal using a jerk bait for pike. Caught a scrapper of around 4lb then the rain set in and I’m home in the bath waiting for dinner.
 
Sir peace frog said:
Wtf would you want to eat a pike
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different world back then, Angling Times had tips for trout, grayling, eels, even graylng cooking. Sea anglers have never been squeamish, either cook it or flog it to someone who will. Before the cod was fished to almost extinction, a few stone would pay for the charter and the diesel to get there, those days long gone.
 
My recipe for Pike.

1) gut the pike, head and tail it.
2) marinade overnight in white wine, rosemary, cumin, star anise, soy sauce and white wine vinegar.
3) remove pike from marinade, keep half marinade for sauce
4) light bbq and bring it to 180c
5) soak cedar plank in water
6) stuff pike with fresh parsley, dill and tarragon
7) wrap pike in damp cardboard and place on cedar plank on bbq
8) meanwhile reduce marinade by half
9) time bbq for 25 minutes (based on 3lb pike)
10) add Creme fresche to sauce and a spoonful of butter and stir constantly over a low heat
11) when pike is cooked (test that flesh flakes easily) remove from bbq. Unwrap cardboard and set aside.
12) put pike in bin and serve cardboard with green salad and sauce (it will be far more appetising than the pike).
 
bellbuzzer said:
different world back then, Angling Times had tips for trout, grayling, eels, even graylng cooking. Sea anglers have never been squeamish, either cook it or flog it to someone who will. Before the cod was fished to almost extinction, a few stone would pay for the charter and the diesel to get there, those days long gone.
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The funny thing is that a lot of the fish that Brits won’t eat because all they want is cod, are big delicacies abroad. Eel costs a fortune. Grayling is a delicacy in Germany and I’ve heard from a number of people that perch are delicious. I have eaten carp in Budapest and saw weld catfish on the menu. That fish you see in supermarkets called Basa, a cheaper cod substitute, is actually freshwater catfish cought in Vietnam.

I think in Britain that any fish caught in a silty green pond or murky, petrolly canal will taste worse than one caught in a chalk stream. That was until the government decided to up there sewage intake of course.
 
Didsbury Dave said:
The funny thing is that a lot of the fish that Brits won’t eat because all they want is cod, are big delicacies abroad. Eel costs a fortune. Grayling is a delicacy in Germany and I’ve heard from a number of people that perch are delicious. I have eaten carp in Budapest and saw weld catfish on the menu. That fish you see in supermarkets called Basa, a cheaper cod substitute, is actually freshwater catfish cought in Vietnam.

I think in Britain that any fish caught in a silty green pond or murky, petrolly canal will taste worse than one caught in a chalk stream. That was until the government decided to up there sewage intake of course.
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Was Perch tasty mate?
 
My top rod screamed off about 6-15 this evening so I carefully passed it under my tripod as it was heading for the same snag as my 11 pounder I had early morning. This one didn't want to head for open water so I went toe to toe with it and yet again had to play it hard. Took about 5 minutes before I could get it anywhere near netting range and when I did my top eye jammed up with(what seemed like) a weed wrapped twig!

It was still angry wanting to take more line and the last thing I wanted was to lose it only a rod length out. I somehow managed to get half a turn on the reel whilst leaning back with the net. Get it wrong and I'd have definitely lost it. But my luck was on and I slid my net under her and she was glistening gold in my headtorch. Put her on my weigh mat in the net whilst I tried to locate my weigh sling. Couldn't find the bugger so I tared my scales and she went 11-9. Put her back on my mat and weighed the landing net head and deducted the 1lb 7oz.

Another lovely hard fought double at 10-lb 2oz. My luck is in and still a long night ahead. There's only myself and 2 others on here tonight within a quarter of a mile either side of me. Seems the bad storm this morning put quite a lot off coming on. Ah well, their loss and my gain as I don't like being surrounded by other anglers competing for the same fish...
 
BlueMoonRisin’ said:
My top rod screamed off about 6-15 this evening so I carefully passed it under my tripod as it was heading for the same snag as my 11 pounder I had early morning. This one didn't want to head for open water so I went toe to toe with it and yet again had to play it hard. Took about 5 minutes before I could get it anywhere near netting range and when I did my top eye jammed up with(what seemed like) a weed wrapped twig!

It was still angry wanting to take more line and the last thing I wanted was to lose it only a rod length out. I somehow managed to get half a turn on the reel whilst leaning back with the net. Get it wrong and I'd have definitely lost it. But my luck was on and I slid my net under her and she was glistening gold in my headtorch. Put her on my weigh mat in the net whilst I tried to locate my weigh sling. Couldn't find the bugger so I tared my scales and she went 11-9. Put her back on my mat and weighed the landing net head and deducted the 1lb 7oz.

Another lovely hard fought double at 10-lb 2oz. My luck is in and still a long night ahead. There's only myself and 2 others on here tonight within a quarter of a mile either side of me. Seems the bad storm this morning put quite a lot off coming on. Ah well, their loss and my gain as I don't like being surrounded by other anglers competing for the same fish...
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Now that, is pure fish porn, right there.
 
BlueMoonRisin’ said:
Cheers pal. Are you an angler, or do you just read this thread?
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I used to fish alot in my youth pal,seriously thinking about taking it up again now I'm 50 plus.
Joined a angling club near my birds gaff a while ago but didn't chip in with the volunteer days so lost my membership.
Still got some 'novice' gear and will look around locally in the spring probably pal.
 
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