Bluemoon Angling Thread

[Didsbury Dave]

Was the cottage you rented actually on the water ? I.e could you fish from it ?

Yes but it was a quiet part of the river and choked with weed so I had a few casts one morning and there was nothing there. I didn’t book this as a fishing holiday or I would have taken better gear.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Yes but it was a quiet part of the river and choked with weed so I had a few casts one morning and there was nothing there. I didn’t book this as a fishing holiday or I would have taken better gear.

The Willows (ref 17525) in Hoveton, near Wroxham, Norfolk | cottages.com

"This detached cottage is ideally situated on a private dyke just off the main River Bure at Hoveton near Wroxham and boasts delightful views verandah with garden furniture and a large lawned garden. Wroxham often referred to as ’the capital of the Broads’ is a short 5-minute stroll away and...

www.cottages.com

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Mentioned on a previous post, I’m pretty much a complete beginner, a friend has given me two rods and reels and tackle. He took me float fishing on an old river and I was pulling out some small roach and perch which I enjoyed. Would people agree that that’s a good way/place to start to learn the trade a bit? Or would anyone recommend different?

I’ll probably be heading out either on my own or with another compete beginner next time so looking for some tips.

Also, I caught 3 eels on the same peg last time I went! My mate said he’d never caught eel so it was surprising. They were a pain in the arse as they kept breaking my hook and I didn’t want to touch them anyway!

Some sound advice offered by Scareye and YouTube is indeed your friend for all aspects of fishing. However, i take it your friend is almost a complete beginner ?

If so then you will both struggle to progress, even on a slow walking pace river. Float fishing aka trotting a float down the flow requires a lot of skill and rivercraft which takes years to learn, especially trotting a lignum or wire stem stick float. Theres shotting it right, and by that to within one cm of the tip flowing.

It's difficult to put what I'm saying in print into layman's terms because its so much easier showing a novice on the riverbank.

You need to understand the creases, back eddies, overhanging tree features, the pace of the river etc etc. And mending your line is very important for when your float goes under. This means keeping your rod at an angle to flick your line so it is behind your float and not bowing from the line travelling faster than the float speed. It is also best to buy a floating line for trotting, and i carry a small tub of Muclin line grease to make the line float. I pull the line gently through the tub about 10-20ft rom float tip towards my rod. Also shotting your float correctly and plumbing the depth are crucial on harder rivers and it can often be the difference between success and failure.

Small roach and perch are fairly easy to catch if a river is not in flood. If a river contains bleak minnows and gudgeon you'll have some fun but you'll most probably get bored catching 'bits', frustrated that there maybe bigger fish like dace, chub, barbel bigger roach, vream and the odd river carp.

What river did you fish out of interest?

My advice is the same as scareye in you joining a club with easy ponds and small lakes and like he mentioned a lot of club anglers are indeed friendly and helpful. I have learned plenty of hints tips and venue advice on the banks of lots of different waters over the years and I'll gladly out if I'm asked questions. If you have any questions ask away, the same applies to any other newbies wanting to learn. This is part if the reason of this excellent thread.

You could fish on one the many commercial waters up and down the country because most offer good sport. They aren't my cup of tea so to speak for several reasons, main one being many of them are too easy and not challenging enough.

If you want to ask anything piscatorial then ask away. Good luck and right lines in the future.

 

[crublue1]

After a really poor season I got a refresher of how exciting fishing can be over the last couple of days. I hardly know where to start. We had a cottage in Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads and had four kids (my 3 plus a friend) so I just took a bit of basic gear to let them have a play. A whip, a float rod and my ultralight lure rod. We did that and then suddenly I managed to buy myself a day when the wife decided to go home on the Friday with the cottage being booked until 9am Saturday. Sitting by the river earlier in the week I’d noticed that right in the town centre people are feeding dozens and dozens of swans and geese literally all day. As the sun went down the river came alive with boiling roach and I realised that this area was stuffed with fish. And that can only mean predators. I had an hour with the lure rod and it was full of weed, even with weed less setups. So I hatched a plan for the perch. I made a livebait rig for my ultralight rod/reel which has 6lb braid. I used fluorocarbon for the last couple of yards and then a wire trace(there are pike), with a single hook.

I got down to the promenade type area about 2pm and, dodging the flotilla of swans, dropped the whip in with a single maggot. The water was as clear as an aquarium. The float went down, I lifted into a roach which came up to the surface. And a massive fucking pike nailed it with an enormous swirl, nearly ripped the whip out of my hand and snapped the 2lb line. All this happened in about 5 seconds and I nearly filled my underpants. This was pushing 20 and I’ve never had a 20lb pike.

I don’t fish for pike in the summer but it looked like I had little choice here. I snatched a few more livebaits quickly whipping them out. I lip hooked a roach and cast it out to the area. Put the rod down, turned to sit down on the chair, turned back and the float was flying off to Norwich. Now bear in mind I’ve got perch gear here and a 7 foot wand of a lure rod, with 6lb line. And a crowd of tourists. And I’m attached to a crocodile which was flying all over the river. It looked 20 and lead me a right merry dance for about 10 minutes whilst the crowd ooed and aahed. I made a bit of progress but then with one savage lunge, the clearly visible monster parted the fluorocarbon above the trace. Shit.

I retackled with shaking hands and put on the tiniest roach and dropped it under my feet, against the boards, thinking it was more of a perchy area. As the bait sank the most enormous perch I’ve ever seen, easily over 4lb, came out, studied the bait intently on the end of its nose, then turned and sauntered off. By this point I’m combusting with excitement. Not long after the float shot off and I landed a 10lb pike easily, no dramas. Next cast, the float went again and I knew by the head shakes it was my quarry. A 3lb 1oz PB perch.

I think I had 2 more bites, pulling the bait out of one fish’s mouth and then losing a pike. I also hooked a swan which was embarrassing. You do miss bites on single hook rigs but I wouldn’t use trebles at this time of year. It’s too dangerous for the pike because they can swallow them. I needed more bait fish so got the whip out. Dropped it in, hooked a nice roach, and as it came to the top can you guess what happened? The beast from the east came up like lightning and nailed it and me all over again. Snap. Got a few baits, dropped one out and it went again but this time the fish came out of its mouth on the strike. It was dusk now and when I live bait I try to put them back alive before they are too exhausted to ease my guilty conscience and also to make sure the one on the hook is lively. I said earlier that the water was crystal clear. I dropped a roach in to the water and three 3lb perch appeared, nosed it down to the bottom and one swallowed it. When I put my fresh bait in which was now a perch, and a bit too big, they followed it around but wouldn’t take it.

now it was dark and I went home for a curry and beers and Mortimer and Whitehouse. I had to leave the cottage at 9am. I absolutely couldn’t resist getting up at 5am and going back to the river. First bait was a tiny roach which I dropped at my feet and the 4lb perch appeared, sized it up, didn’t fancy it and fucked off again. I had a Jack of about 6lb as the bait drifted off downsteam. An old boy set up on the opposite bank and I saw Moby Dick nail his roach on the surface. He knows exactly what he’s doing. It went quiet for an hour and then two anglers turned up and sat right next to me, maybe 10 yards away. One of them had been chatting to me last night and saw my perch and wanted some action. I couldn’t handle that so decided to move upstream. Moved upstream 50 years and the swim invaders only landed a 2-12 perch from my spot.

That’s the end of the tale. God it was good but I’m kicking myself for not taking off the wire trace when I saw the 4 pounder because whilst he was a wily old devil, I think it was the trace he could see. As far as I know the crocodile is still swimming around that marina nicking holiday maker’s fish and filling their underpants to his heart’s content.

Great post, enjoyed reading that. Hope you get to go back, deffo some unfinished business there!

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

After a really poor season I got a refresher of how exciting fishing can be over the last couple of days. I hardly know where to start. We had a cottage in Wroxham on the Norfolk Broads and had four kids (my 3 plus a friend) so I just took a bit of basic gear to let them have a play. A whip, a float rod and my ultralight lure rod. We did that and then suddenly I managed to buy myself a day when the wife decided to go home on the Friday with the cottage being booked until 9am Saturday. Sitting by the river earlier in the week I’d noticed that right in the town centre people are feeding dozens and dozens of swans and geese literally all day. As the sun went down the river came alive with boiling roach and I realised that this area was stuffed with fish. And that can only mean predators. I had an hour with the lure rod and it was full of weed, even with weed less setups. So I hatched a plan for the perch. I made a livebait rig for my ultralight rod/reel which has 6lb braid. I used fluorocarbon for the last couple of yards and then a wire trace(there are pike), with a single hook.

I got down to the promenade type area about 2pm and, dodging the flotilla of swans, dropped the whip in with a single maggot. The water was as clear as an aquarium. The float went down, I lifted into a roach which came up to the surface. And a massive fucking pike nailed it with an enormous swirl, nearly ripped the whip out of my hand and snapped the 2lb line. All this happened in about 5 seconds and I nearly filled my underpants. This was pushing 20 and I’ve never had a 20lb pike.

I don’t fish for pike in the summer but it looked like I had little choice here. I snatched a few more livebaits quickly whipping them out. I lip hooked a roach and cast it out to the area. Put the rod down, turned to sit down on the chair, turned back and the float was flying off to Norwich. Now bear in mind I’ve got perch gear here and a 7 foot wand of a lure rod, with 6lb line. And a crowd of tourists. And I’m attached to a crocodile which was flying all over the river. It looked 20 and lead me a right merry dance for about 10 minutes whilst the crowd ooed and aahed. I made a bit of progress but then with one savage lunge, the clearly visible monster parted the fluorocarbon above the trace. Shit.

I retackled with shaking hands and put on the tiniest roach and dropped it under my feet, against the boards, thinking it was more of a perchy area. As the bait sank the most enormous perch I’ve ever seen, easily over 4lb, came out, studied the bait intently on the end of its nose, then turned and sauntered off. By this point I’m combusting with excitement. Not long after the float shot off and I landed a 10lb pike easily, no dramas. Next cast, the float went again and I knew by the head shakes it was my quarry. A 3lb 1oz PB perch.

I think I had 2 more bites, pulling the bait out of one fish’s mouth and then losing a pike. I also hooked a swan which was embarrassing. You do miss bites on single hook rigs but I wouldn’t use trebles at this time of year. It’s too dangerous for the pike because they can swallow them. I needed more bait fish so got the whip out. Dropped it in, hooked a nice roach, and as it came to the top can you guess what happened? The beast from the east came up like lightning and nailed it and me all over again. Snap. Got a few baits, dropped one out and it went again but this time the fish came out of its mouth on the strike. It was dusk now and when I live bait I try to put them back alive before they are too exhausted to ease my guilty conscience and also to make sure the one on the hook is lively. I said earlier that the water was crystal clear. I dropped a roach in to the water and three 3lb perch appeared, nosed it down to the bottom and one swallowed it. When I put my fresh bait in which was now a perch, and a bit too big, they followed it around but wouldn’t take it.

now it was dark and I went home for a curry and beers and Mortimer and Whitehouse. I had to leave the cottage at 9am. I absolutely couldn’t resist getting up at 5am and going back to the river. First bait was a tiny roach which I dropped at my feet and the 4lb perch appeared, sized it up, didn’t fancy it and fucked off again. I had a Jack of about 6lb as the bait drifted off downsteam. An old boy set up on the opposite bank and I saw Moby Dick nail his roach on the surface. He knows exactly what he’s doing. It went quiet for an hour and then two anglers turned up and sat right next to me, maybe 10 yards away. One of them had been chatting to me last night and saw my perch and wanted some action. I couldn’t handle that so decided to move upstream. Moved upstream 50 years and the swim invaders only landed a 2-12 perch from my spot.

That’s the end of the tale. God it was good but I’m kicking myself for not taking off the wire trace when I saw the 4 pounder because whilst he was a wily old devil, I think it was the trace he could see. As far as I know the crocodile is still swimming around that marina nicking holiday maker’s fish and filling their underpants to his heart’s content.

Great tale pal, pity you didn't have tour proper gear with you. Always another time i suppose.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Great tale pal, pity you didn't have tour proper gear with you. Always another time i suppose.

I got the three pound perch I was after. That’ll do for me!

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Some sound advice offered by Scareye and YouTube is indeed your friend for all aspects of fishing. However, i take it your friend is almost a complete beginner ?

If so then you will both struggle to progress, even on a slow walking pace river. Float fishing aka trotting a float down the flow requires a lot of skill and rivercraft which takes years to learn, especially trotting a lignum or wire stem stick float. Theres shotting it right, and by that to within one cm of the tip flowing.

It's difficult to put what I'm saying in print into layman's terms because its so much easier showing a novice on the riverbank.

You need to understand the creases, back eddies, overhanging tree features, the pace of the river etc etc. And mending your line is very important for when your float goes under. This means keeping your rod at an angle to flick your line so it is behind your float and not bowing from the line travelling faster than the float speed. It is also best to buy a floating line for trotting, and i carry a small tub of Muclin line grease to make the line float. I pull the line gently through the tub about 10-20ft rom float tip towards my rod. Also shotting your float correctly and plumbing the depth are crucial on harder rivers and it can often be the difference between success and failure.

Small roach and perch are fairly easy to catch if a river is not in flood. If a river contains bleak minnows and gudgeon you'll have some fun but you'll most probably get bored catching 'bits', frustrated that there maybe bigger fish like dace, chub, barbel bigger roach, vream and the odd river carp.

What river did you fish out of interest?

My advice is the same as scareye in you joining a club with easy ponds and small lakes and like he mentioned a lot of club anglers are indeed friendly and helpful. I have learned plenty of hints tips and venue advice on the banks of lots of different waters over the years and I'll gladly out if I'm asked questions. If you have any questions ask away, the same applies to any other newbies wanting to learn. This is part if the reason of this excellent thread.

You could fish on one the many commercial waters up and down the country because most offer good sport. They aren't my cup of tea so to speak for several reasons, main one being many of them are too easy and not challenging enough.

If you want to ask anything piscatorial then ask away. Good luck and right lines in the future.

Good post mate. Too many anglers don’t learn the basics which only come through float fishing on still waters.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Well I never.

Inspired by my Broads three pounder, I went on the local perch hunt again with the light gear and the GoPro. It’s hot, bright and Sunny so I really didn’t expect anything, leaving the house at midday just as the sky cleared for the day. I elected to go with 6lb braid,a 6lb flouro trace and tiny rubber jigs to size 8s. I drove to two river spots without a touch then walked the canal for a couple of hours and managed a perch around 12oz in a marina. When I reached the River Calder there was a match on the whole stretch which put the kibosh on my plans so I mentally tossed a coin between another canal and a really urban stretch of river where I had a massive trout in the summer. As the river has a big bridge I decided to see if anything was sheltering in the only shade on that stretch.

This proved to be a damn good decision. First cast, a hit, and a good fish stayed deep shaking its head. I knew it was a Perch and my heart raced when I saw it. It was a good one, the biggest I’ve had from this river in a long time. 1lb 10oz. Those of you who know the effort I’ve put into finding these local urban fish will know that this was as pleasing as last week’s “three”. I got the whole thing on film but messed up the still photo in my excitement as the bridge spoilt the contrast as you’ll see. Get in. Next cast, bang, and a pike was on, one that tested the gear to its limits. I was surprised to land it to be honest and the lock keeper was seriously impressed and took a lovely picture. I had four more perch from under the bridge including another of about 1lb 4oz.

A brilliant afternoon in tough conditions. I’m getting closer to the real biggie which I know is there somewhere. Special mention to the other angler who walked past me with a curt “you’ve got no fucking chance today”.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

After striking urban gold under the motorway bridge on Sunday I grabbed an hour last night, possibly for the first time in my angling life rushing to try to get there before the sun went down rather than after. There are only a couple of hot days left and this window might not open again for a while.

Just the one fish this time but again, a really nice perch for the camera. This one was around 1lb 6oz.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

After striking urban gold under the motorway bridge on Sunday I grabbed an hour last night, possibly for the first time in my angling life rushing to try to get there before the sun went down rather than after. There are only a couple of hot days left and this window might not open again for a while.

Just the one fish this time but again, a really nice perch for the camera. This one was around 1lb 6oz.

 

[Sir peace frog]

Perch are a magnificent looking fish, proper warriors, especially with their fins up

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Just back from a trip to my mates in Yarm, fishing the River Tees. We did the afternoon/evening on Saturday swim-hopping a long section of the Tees with the ultralight gear. Had a number of small to medium perch, I lost a really good one at the net.

Got up at dawn and went up river and got the centre pin and 15 foot float rod, waded waist deep to find a trickling leak around about the bollocks. Great. Stuck it out for a couple of hours and had a nice mixed bag of perch, chublets, dace and two lovely roach pushing a pound. The next couple of hours I went for bigger fish on leger, trying worms and meat over a bed of hemp. One big take missed and lots of perchy rattles and that was it, on the road home at 1.30pm.

Last Thursday in a quick post-work local joint the perch weren’t active but I had an absolutely tiny pike which I quite liked.

It really is a great time to fish the rivers, or anywhere now. Summer is just tipping into autumn so the fish are starting to feed up for winter. The weather is still warm so they are very active. It’s nice conditions on the bank, the mornings are later and evenings earlier so it’s not as demanding timewise. Rains are starting and the barbel will be feeding too. Get out there if you can!

 

[Newman Noggs]

It really is a great time to fish the rivers, or anywhere now. Summer is just tipping into autumn so the fish are starting to feed up for winter. The weather is still warm so they are very active. It’s nice conditions on the bank, the mornings are later and evenings earlier so it’s not as demanding timewise. Rains are starting and the barbel will be feeding too. Get out there if you can!

Wish you'd tell the fish in the Avon that !! Struggling today !

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Wish you'd tell the fish in the Avon that !! Struggling today !

There seems to have been a big temperature drop today. Good luck mate.

 

[Newman Noggs]

There seems to have been a big temperature drop today. Good luck mate.

First time I've had to use my stove to make a warm cuppa for seems like ages . After my golden spell before I went to Ireland, it's not happening at the moment.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Interesting short session with the ultralight gear last night. It was bright so I went back to the bridge with no takers. Looks like they’ve “done the off” from this area now. I walked to another area I’ve had a few takes from. With ultralight gear you become totally sensitive to everything.if the lure picks up a leaf you feel it. If there’s a loop in the line you feel it on the cast etc. As I was casting I could feel something running through the rod rings just after the cast. On inspection it was a tiny knot of line, not in the line itself but from a previously tied knot on the trace swivel. The only way to remove it was to push it the 5 yards or so down the mainline back to the swivel. So I cast out about ten yards and was winding back very slowly whilst running the line through my fingers at the bottom rod ring. Was just finishing this exercise, looked down and there right at my feet was a lovely browny red pike inspecting my pathetic lure which had weed all over it and was just sort of jinking about a bit. A lovely “pike shock” which is what predator fishing is about. He spooked. I cast around, changed the lure but nothing.

Moved on and fished another couple of areas for one missed hit but on the way back I decided to try the pike peg again with the original lure. Half a dozen casts for nothing and, as always I literally thought “one last cast”, lobbed it out in front and Just before I lifted it out my heart leapt when he appeared again like lightning and inhaled the lure at my feet. A strike, an explosive close range tug of war and I squeezed the most immaculate pike into the net. He went just under 12lb and was a really pleasing quick-hit fish on the perch gear. The hook had bent almost straight too and fell out in the net so I rode my luck.

Some “proper” fishing at last this evening when I’m going after the Ribble barbel.

 

[Newman Noggs]

Interesting short session with the ultralight gear last night. It was bright so I went back to the bridge with no takers. Looks like they’ve “done the off” from this area now. I walked to another area I’ve had a few takes from. With ultralight gear you become totally sensitive to everything.if the lure picks up a leaf you feel it. If there’s a loop in the line you feel it on the cast etc. As I was casting I could feel something running through the rod rings just after the cast. On inspection it was a tiny knot of line, not in the line itself but from a previously tied knot on the trace swivel. The only way to remove it was to push it the 5 yards or so down the mainline back to the swivel. So I cast out about ten yards and was winding back very slowly whilst running the line through my fingers at the bottom rod ring. Was just finishing this exercise, looked down and there right at my feet was a lovely browny red pike inspecting my pathetic lure which had weed all over it and was just sort of jinking about a bit. A lovely “pike shock” which is what predator fishing is about. He spooked. I cast around, changed the lure but nothing.

Moved on and fished another couple of areas for one missed hit but on the way back I decided to try the pike peg again with the original lure. Half a dozen casts for nothing and, as always I literally thought “one last cast”, lobbed it out in front and Just before I lifted it out my heart leapt when he appeared again like lightning and inhaled the lure at my feet. A strike, an explosive close range tug of war and I squeezed the most immaculate pike into the net. He went just under 12lb and was a really pleasing quick-hit fish on the perch gear. The hook had bent almost straight too and fell out in the net so I rode my luck.

Some “proper” fishing at last this evening when I’m going after the Ribble barbel.

Keep it coming. This is inspiring me to have another go at the Zander on the Grand Union near my house.

Did you get a barbel ?

 

[Saddleworth2]

Final of the Scottish Natonal today chaps. Wish me luck as I will surely need it. Practice on Saturday and then yesterday was a mixed bag. Saturday was rock hard despite seemingly perfect conditions. Yesterday fished well under similar conditions. Highlight of the day was this beauty which took a shield bug fly in about 4 feet of water. I saw it first when it was at least six feet away from the fly, breezed up to it and took it first time. Lovely.

 

[Newman Noggs]

Final of the Scottish Natonal today chaps. Wish me luck as I will surely need it. Practice on Saturday and then yesterday was a mixed bag. Saturday was rock hard despite seemingly perfect conditions. Yesterday fished well under similar conditions. Highlight of the day was this beauty which took a shield bug fly in about 4 feet of water. I saw it first when it was at least six feet away from the fly, breezed up to it and took it first time. Lovely.
View attachment 26501

All the best. As my 92 year old mum says to me every time I set off for a City match; "Mind you win"

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Final of the Scottish Natonal today chaps. Wish me luck as I will surely need it. Practice on Saturday and then yesterday was a mixed bag. Saturday was rock hard despite seemingly perfect conditions. Yesterday fished well under similar conditions. Highlight of the day was this beauty which took a shield bug fly in about 4 feet of water. I saw it first when it was at least six feet away from the fly, breezed up to it and took it first time. Lovely.
View attachment 26501

Best of luck to you today pal. Really hope the fishing God’s are smiling in you and you come home with a trophy. Is there a decent prize? What’s the format? Just a fixed time fishing? Do you measure results in weight or length?