Bluemoon Angling Thread

[Blue_eyes]

As posted last night I went fishing this morning, and what a mix of luck. Got there about 7.30 to find someone in the place I fished previously, so chose a spot a few pegs away. Set up my new barbel rod to freeline the margins,and a waggler rod, got snagged on the bottom plumbing the depth twice ffs!!! Had used a hook to nylon on my freeline setup but hooklenght was only about 6 inches and a different colour to the main line, and looked a mess, so after a 30 mins without any luck I decided to alter to go straight through, so cast my waggler in instead and got snagged on the bottom again!!! at this point I decided to move to the next peg. By now the guy on my previous visits peg had started catching on the tip, then, no sooner had I got established in my new spot when the wind got up, blowing across my swim.This made presentation difficult on the waggler and all I could get was small stuff on the drop(mainly little perch that always seem to swallow the lot). In the meantime an old couple came and fished the peg I started on, I told him about the snag, but it didnt phase him as he feeder fished tight to the island. I went back on to my new rod and after missing a couple of bites close in touch ledgering,(probably small stuff) I desperately needed some inspiration, the guy on my previous visits peg was now bagging up with decent looking fish, making me look like a right idiot. I know, I will ledger against the island, no presentation issues there, as I altered my new rod setup yet again the old guy came over, he said,I found that snag you were on about, and produced a rod and reel that he had hooked and reeled in!!! I must have loosened it for him. I cast my ledger in baited with meat and started getting faint knocks that seemed impossible to hit, the white "tip" on this new rod is pretty stiff, not like my old shimano twin powers that could detect a minnow. Its now past midday so I got my bacon and cheese sarnie out, and as I was eating I actually managed to hit a bite, a decent feeling fish too which shed my hook after about 5 seconds. Fck this Im off now!!!(then thought about the tenner it had cost). Tried again on the float,but it was a lost cause thanks to the fcking wind(reminded me how much I always had hated fishing in windy conditions). I was having bites on my ledger though, so concentrated on that, swapped between spam and frankfurter and started getting better bites. I soon hit one and after a decent scrap(that means not losing it) I landed my first ever barbel, and on my new barbel rod too, well my whole outlook changed, and I had two carp and another barbel (this one in the margins with just a baited hook and no weights), this was the most pleasing as thats how I had wanted to fish in the first place. It was past 3oclock by then and I packed up. As you can tell by the above, I aint no mr crabtree, and more is needed after my time away from the sport,hard work. I had christened my new rod at the first attempt though,and caught my first ever barbel. That is easily enough to have me looking forward to next time, hopefully catching chub on the small river behind my house.

 

[Saddleworth2]

As posted last night I went fishing this morning, and what a mix of luck. Got there about 7.30 to find someone in the place I fished previously, so chose a spot a few pegs away. Set up my new barbel rod to freeline the margins,and a waggler rod, got snagged on the bottom plumbing the depth twice ffs!!! Had used a hook to nylon on my freeline setup but hooklenght was only about 6 inches and a different colour to the main line, and looked a mess, so after a 30 mins without any luck I decided to alter to go straight through, so cast my waggler in instead and got snagged on the bottom again!!! at this point I decided to move to the next peg. By now the guy on my previous visits peg had started catching on the tip, then, no sooner had I got established in my new spot when the wind got up, blowing across my swim.This made presentation difficult on the waggler and all I could get was small stuff on the drop(mainly little perch that always seem to swallow the lot). In the meantime an old couple came and fished the peg I started on, I told him about the snag, but it didnt phase him as he feeder fished tight to the island. I went back on to my new rod and after missing a couple of bites close in touch ledgering,(probably small stuff) I desperately needed some inspiration, the guy on my previous visits peg was now bagging up with decent looking fish, making me look like a right idiot. I know, I will ledger against the island, no presentation issues there, as I altered my new rod setup yet again the old guy came over, he said,I found that snag you were on about, and produced a rod and reel that he had hooked and reeled in!!! I must have loosened it for him. I cast my ledger in baited with meat and started getting faint knocks that seemed impossible to hit, the white "tip" on this new rod is pretty stiff, not like my old shimano twin powers that could detect a minnow. Its now past midday so I got my bacon and cheese sarnie out, and as I was eating I actually managed to hit a bite, a decent feeling fish too which shed my hook after about 5 seconds. Fck this Im off now!!!(then thought about the tenner it had cost). Tried again on the float,but it was a lost cause thanks to the fcking wind(reminded me how much I always had hated fishing in windy conditions). I was having bites on my ledger though, so concentrated on that, swapped between spam and frankfurter and started getting better bites. I soon hit one and after a decent scrap(that means not losing it) I landed my first ever barbel, and on my new barbel rod too, well my whole outlook changed, and I had two carp and another barbel (this one in the margins with just a baited hook and no weights), this was the most pleasing as thats how I had wanted to fish in the first place. It was past 3oclock by then and I packed up. As you can tell by the above, I aint no mr crabtree, and more is needed after my time away from the sport,hard work. I had christened my new rod at the first attempt though,and caught my first ever barbel. That is easily enough to have me looking forward to next time, hopefully catching chub on the small river behind my house.

Brilliant report mate. Well done on your Barbel. They are fantastic fish. That coral dorsal fin.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

As posted last night I went fishing this morning, and what a mix of luck. Got there about 7.30 to find someone in the place I fished previously, so chose a spot a few pegs away. Set up my new barbel rod to freeline the margins,and a waggler rod, got snagged on the bottom plumbing the depth twice ffs!!! Had used a hook to nylon on my freeline setup but hooklenght was only about 6 inches and a different colour to the main line, and looked a mess, so after a 30 mins without any luck I decided to alter to go straight through, so cast my waggler in instead and got snagged on the bottom again!!! at this point I decided to move to the next peg. By now the guy on my previous visits peg had started catching on the tip, then, no sooner had I got established in my new spot when the wind got up, blowing across my swim.This made presentation difficult on the waggler and all I could get was small stuff on the drop(mainly little perch that always seem to swallow the lot). In the meantime an old couple came and fished the peg I started on, I told him about the snag, but it didnt phase him as he feeder fished tight to the island. I went back on to my new rod and after missing a couple of bites close in touch ledgering,(probably small stuff) I desperately needed some inspiration, the guy on my previous visits peg was now bagging up with decent looking fish, making me look like a right idiot. I know, I will ledger against the island, no presentation issues there, as I altered my new rod setup yet again the old guy came over, he said,I found that snag you were on about, and produced a rod and reel that he had hooked and reeled in!!! I must have loosened it for him. I cast my ledger in baited with meat and started getting faint knocks that seemed impossible to hit, the white "tip" on this new rod is pretty stiff, not like my old shimano twin powers that could detect a minnow. Its now past midday so I got my bacon and cheese sarnie out, and as I was eating I actually managed to hit a bite, a decent feeling fish too which shed my hook after about 5 seconds. Fck this Im off now!!!(then thought about the tenner it had cost). Tried again on the float,but it was a lost cause thanks to the fcking wind(reminded me how much I always had hated fishing in windy conditions). I was having bites on my ledger though, so concentrated on that, swapped between spam and frankfurter and started getting better bites. I soon hit one and after a decent scrap(that means not losing it) I landed my first ever barbel, and on my new barbel rod too, well my whole outlook changed, and I had two carp and another barbel (this one in the margins with just a baited hook and no weights), this was the most pleasing as thats how I had wanted to fish in the first place. It was past 3oclock by then and I packed up. As you can tell by the above, I aint no mr crabtree, and more is needed after my time away from the sport,hard work. I had christened my new rod at the first attempt though,and caught my first ever barbel. That is easily enough to have me looking forward to next time, hopefully catching chub on the small river behind my house.

Wekl done sticking it out. Sounds like you learned a lot. A couple of points: float fishing in wind takes some practice but the key is to get some shot on the bottom, a few inches from the bait. which keeps the bait stationary on the bottom and holds the float still. You don’t want a moving bait as nothing will touch it but tiny perch as you found out!
I would say that many of your unhittable bites might well have been line bites, which is fishing brushing the line. In those heavily stocked commercials there are often so many carp competing for the feed you’ve put in that the float keeps bobbing under or the tip pulling. Sit on your hands. When a fish takes you certainly know.

 

[Blue_eyes]

Barbel feed the best when the river is swollen or in flood, so you might have missed a trick here. Hope you caught anyway. A barbel rod is perfect for small carp, by the way.

The "river" or stream more like, is the upper reaches of the weaver and there are no barbel, and having come back into fishing too late to get the requisite club membership for this year, I can only fish one peg off private land. I do plan to give it a go in the next few days though, hopefully the extra water level will remind the chub that they need to start fattening up ready for winter. Bread mash thrown in, and a good "knob" of bread moulded around the hook,ledgered using a pear shaped lead on a swivel and a bb stop about 18" from the hook,I cant wait.

 

[Blue_eyes]

Brilliant report mate. Well done on your Barbel. They are fantastic fish. That coral dorsal fin.

Thanks , I did get pictures of the barbel, but I cant get them down to 2mb to post on here?? I tried editing but am getting lost somehow.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

The "river" or stream more like, is the upper reaches of the weaver and there are no barbel, and having come back into fishing too late to get the requisite club membership for this year, I can only fish one peg off private land. I do plan to give it a go in the next few days though, hopefully the extra water level will remind the chub that they need to start fattening up ready for winter. Bread mash thrown in, and a good "knob" of bread moulded around the hook,ledgered using a pear shaped lead on a swivel and a bb stop about 18" from the hook,I cant wait.

If it’s still up and coloured; I wouldn’t be using bread for chub. It hasn’t much smell. I would use worms, meat or cheese. Unlike barbel, chub move into slack water during flood so target them there. Tell you a great method for catching chub after rain: free line a big black slug on a size 2 or 4. They recognise the “plop” when you cast it and will often hammer it as soon as it hits the water.

If you’re in that areA, The Dane is a lovely little river. I learned how to catch barbel on there 20 years ago, and had my first two river carp, although it’s not as good for barbel now. It’s a great little river to rove on. There are some day ticket stretches on there.

 

[Blue_eyes]

Wekl done sticking it out. Sounds like you learned a lot. A couple of points: float fishing in wind takes some practice but the key is to get some shot on the bottom, a few inches from the bait. which keeps the bait stationary on the bottom and holds the float still. You don’t want a moving bait as nothing will touch it but tiny perch as you found out!
I would say that many of your unhittable bites might well have been line bites, which is fishing brushing the line. In those heavily stocked commercials there are often so many carp competing for the feed you’ve put in that the float keeps bobbing under or the tip pulling. Sit on your hands. When a fish takes you certainly know.

Thanks Dave, the main issue I had was surface movement dragging the float,it was like a flow. I did lay on a few inches and try to sink the line the gusts were a real nuisance, waggler fishing was always my least preferred method. Trotting a stick or stalking fish with a tip rod around features,or a floating bait, "fishing on my feet" as I like to call it always did it for me.

 

[Blue_eyes]

If it’s still up and coloured; I wouldn’t be using bread for chub. It hasn’t much smell. I would use worms, meat or cheese. Unlike barbel, chub move into slack water during flood so target them there. Tell you a great method for catching chub after rain: free line a big black slug on a size 2 or 4. They recognise the “plop” when you cast it and will often hammer it as soon as it hits the water.

If you’re in that areA, The Dane is a lovely little river. I learned how to catch barbel on there 20 years ago, and had my first two river carp, although it’s not as good for barbel now. It’s a great little river to rove on. There are some day ticket stretches on there.

I bought some gear from daves of Middlewich the other day, and asked about the middlewich anglers card, I think they have a bit of the dane around Byley bridge? Gonna wait till next year now though cos my works kicking off again after covid, but hopefully am going to pursue this sport properly instead of just toying about like Ive done in the past.

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Thanks Dave, the main issue I had was surface movement dragging the float,it was like a flow. I did lay on a few inches and try to sink the line the gusts were a real nuisance, waggler fishing was always my least preferred method. Trotting a stick or stalking fish with a tip rod around features,or a floating bait, "fishing on my feet" as I like to call it always did it for me.

Well done on the barbel pal.

Regarding fishing the Waggler. In windy conditions I used to like facing the wind, can be difficult pulting maggots over 20m though! Also good to fish in a bay, the end the wind is blowing as insects often get blown in for fish to feed on. I always used to carry a small bottle of washing up liquid diluted with 3 parts water. This is great for sinking line. Like DD says shot on the bottom works but providing you bunch most of your shot under the eye of your waggler you should be ok, as long as there in no undertow, then you'll have to nail a BB or a couple of no/4s on the bottom and lay on.

i used to fish many many hours Waggler fishing, something I haven't done for several years as I've got lazy fishing the tip too often.

 

[Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese]

Well done on the barbel pal.

Regarding fishing the Waggler. In windy conditions I used to like facing the wind, can be difficult pulting maggots over 20m though! Also good to fish in a bay, the end the wind is blowing as insects often get blown in for fish to feed on. I always used to carry a small bottle of washing up liquid diluted with 3 parts water. This is great for sinking line. Like DD says shot on the bottom works but providing you bunch most of your shot under the eye of your waggler you should be ok, as long as there in no undertow, then you'll have to nail a BB or a couple of no/4s on the bottom and lay on.

i used to fish many many hours Waggler fishing, something I haven't done for several years as I've got lazy fishing the tip too often.

Dont think I've got the eyesight to fish a well shotted waggler at a distance in choppy water now. It's getting to the stage where I need to sit at home tying hooklengths and rigs in strong light with reading glasses on or it takes me half an hour to get set up. Too much wanking in my youth.