Bluemoon Angling Thread

Didsbury Dave said:
I’ve had quite a busy winter. All through the cold period I was blanking for the pike and I had an aborted grayling trip due to leaky waders. The. I caught a jack on a lure in a still water which started a run of pike: one from The UreView attachment 149244

Then I had 3 good ones in two trips to The Tees

I had a two day trip to The Severn, one pike session blank and two barbel sessions- blank. Got home last night and had half an hour in the local canal and managed this perch of 2lb 14ozView attachment 149246View attachment 149245
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Forgot to add to this: an interesting season ahead of me. I've been accepted into a carp fishing syndicate - a good one, a big pit, with fish over 50lb. I used to be a dedicated carp angler until I caught a seriously big one on the morning after the MEN Arena bomb, and since scaling that summit the drive to live on the bank left me and I moved to more general specimen hunting. It's time to go back. I'm not sure how I feel but let's see.
 
Very good last day of the river season. No bream but the barbel have put in an appearance. My mate stuck it out on big baits with no result until lunchtime when he "borrowed" some maggots from me.

He immediately started catching too, so maggots are definitely the way forward in the Winter.

IMG-20250311-WA0010.jpg
 
Just a post-script to the above.

My mate finished with 7 barbel. He had fished that swim for a whole evening the day before and the whole of yesterday morning on whatever barbel bait is fashionable at the moment, without a tap. Change to maggot and had a bite a cast so the fish were there all the time, just weren't looking at a bigger bait.

He lost a fish on a 7lbs hooklength nicked from my tackle box and promptly blamed me for using bad tackle. Later on he caught the fish with the hook and hooklength in its mouth so was able to remove it. Shows, though, that when the fish are "on it", they don't spook that easily.

Lastly,my mate was fishing a shallow, fast flowing swim of the sort we normally don't bother with in Winter. That policy requires a re-think.
 
Newman Noggs said:
Just a post-script to the above.

My mate finished with 7 barbel. He had fished that swim for a whole evening the day before and the whole of yesterday morning on whatever barbel bait is fashionable at the moment, without a tap. Change to maggot and had a bite a cast so the fish were there all the time, just weren't looking at a bigger bait.

He lost a fish on a 7lbs hooklength nicked from my tackle box and promptly blamed me for using bad tackle. Later on he caught the fish with the hook and hooklength in its mouth so was able to remove it. Shows, though, that when the fish are "on it", they don't spook that easily.

Lastly,my mate was fishing a shallow, fast flowing swim of the sort we normally don't bother with in Winter. That policy requires a re-think.
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Good tactics mate and food for thought, I did two long sessions with untouched mini-boilie on the same river at the weekend!
 
Newman Noggs said:
Just a post-script to the above.

My mate finished with 7 barbel. He had fished that swim for a whole evening the day before and the whole of yesterday morning on whatever barbel bait is fashionable at the moment, without a tap. Change to maggot and had a bite a cast so the fish were there all the time, just weren't looking at a bigger bait.

He lost a fish on a 7lbs hooklength nicked from my tackle box and promptly blamed me for using bad tackle. Later on he caught the fish with the hook and hooklength in its mouth so was able to remove it. Shows, though, that when the fish are "on it", they don't spook that easily.

Lastly,my mate was fishing a shallow, fast flowing swim of the sort we normally don't bother with in Winter. That policy requires a re-think.
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Interesting what you say about changing baits. In fly fishing if you struggle you change your flies regularly until you get some action. I hadn’t really considered how that works in course fishing. I suppose if you have ground baited using a particular bait then your stuck with that? When I used to fish for Barbel 50 odd years ago I always used luncheon meat and then would watch one of my mates nonchalantly knock out fish after fish on long trotted maggots. Still persevered on luncheon meat though.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
Interesting what you say about changing baits. In fly fishing if you struggle you change your flies regularly until you get some action. I hadn’t really considered how that works in course fishing. I suppose if you have ground baited using a particular bait then your stuck with that? When I used to fish for Barbel 50 odd years ago I always used luncheon meat and then would watch one of my mates nonchalantly knock out fish after fish on long trotted maggots. Still persevered on luncheon meat though.
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So much fishing is about confidence in what you are doing. I think that, sometimes, one's tendency to stick with the tried and tested can be your undoing. I claim no credit or insight for using maggots, I just like seeing my tip rattle and have zero patience.
 
Coldingham yesterday -

1742123221552.jpeg

An absolutely stunning day albeit still a little chilly. After the piping and the dram to toast the new season down to business. My first fish of 2025 was in fact two fish, one on the top dropper the other on the point. Both safely landed and returned. I hope that luck continues in the new season

1742123397717.jpeg

I finished with a round dozen mostly on lures which was about average for the day. Hopefully back next week.
 
Saddleworth2 said:
Coldingham yesterday -

View attachment 149923

An absolutely stunning day albeit still a little chilly. After the piping and the dram to toast the new season down to business. My first fish of 2025 was in fact two fish, one on the top dropper the other on the point. Both safely landed and returned. I hope that luck continues in the new season

View attachment 149924

I finished with a round dozen mostly on lures which was about average for the day. Hopefully back next week.
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When you hook two fish at once, are they harder to play or do they cancel each other out ?
 
Newman Noggs said:
When you hook two fish at once, are they harder to play or do they cancel each other out ?
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It gets quite fun and depends on what they do. In the case yesterday I was lucky that the larger of the two took the top dropper and was first to net. It was by far the most powerful and dictated the fight so once that was netted it was easy to scoop up the little one. Much more complicated when both are equal size and larger (2-3lb). In those cases if the fish decide to swim in opposite directions you will normally get a leader break at your dropper knot. If you manage to get both to the boat, you net the top one first and then hope to hell the second hasn’t much fight left in them. There have been times I’ve lost both at the net. It’s fun whatever happens.
 
Didsbury Dave said:
I was staying in Highley, in a cottage next to the Ship Inn. I did see an angler land a big barbel in front of the pub so they are having a feed. Just not in my swims.
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Two of us were just up the road at Eardington on Thursday. Fished below the brook in slightly faster water. My buddy had 4 smallish, pound and a half, chub on maggots I fished meat and a variety of pellets for nothing at all. One other guy on the length, roaming, had nothing as well. Roll on June.
 
Interesting weekend. With the rivers closed this brief early spring period is perch fishing time for me as they are big pre-spawning.

Went out with the requisite light lures on Friday to find the canal crystal clear. Had a perch of 2-8 first cast, then 1-8, then 2-3, all within minutes and I saw them all hit the lure in the clear water. Then I hooked a big pike which gave me the run around and bit through the flouro. That’s the gamble. Moved to another marina and just as the light fell an absolute monster of a perch - might have been a 4 - slashed at the lure and missed it. I tried everything and couldn’t tempt it and it was dark.

Came back at dawn the next say, searched and searched and the perch weren’t having it. Walked miles and landed a good size pike. Went back yesterday but the whole system was coloured up with rain and barges.

Another interesting thing I saw at dawn was a bloke who didn’t know I was there drowning caged rats.IMG_0510.jpegIMG_0507.jpegIMG_0508.jpeg
 
Lovely fish to get the juices flowing. It shouldn't do, but it still never ceases to amaze me how conditions can effect the fishing over a matter of days.

I'm stuck working with it being the financial year end but at least it has made up my mind to pack in work completely in November when I qualify for state pension.

Anyway, seeing fish like that sharpens my appetite for when I can get out again.
 
Newman Noggs said:
Lovely fish to get the juices flowing. It shouldn't do, but it still never ceases to amaze me how conditions can effect the fishing over a matter of days.

I'm stuck working with it being the financial year end but at least it has made up my mind to pack in work completely in November when I qualify for state pension.

Anyway, seeing fish like that sharpens my appetite for when I can get out again.
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Good for you mate. I’m not at retirement age yet but I pity non-anglers. In lockdown I fished more or less every day, even sometimes just for an hour or two. The endless variety and ease is unique as long as you keep your mobility and health.
 
Didsbury Dave said:
Interesting weekend. With the rivers closed this brief early spring period is perch fishing time for me as they are big pre-spawning.

Went out with the requisite light lures on Friday to find the canal crystal clear. Had a perch of 2-8 first cast, then 1-8, then 2-3, all within minutes and I saw them all hit the lure in the clear water. Then I hooked a big pike which gave me the run around and bit through the flouro. That’s the gamble. Moved to another marina and just as the light fell an absolute monster of a perch - might have been a 4 - slashed at the lure and missed it. I tried everything and couldn’t tempt it and it was dark.

Came back at dawn the next say, searched and searched and the perch weren’t having it. Walked miles and landed a good size pike. Went back yesterday but the whole system was coloured up with rain and barges.

Another interesting thing I saw at dawn was a bloke who didn’t know I was there drowning caged rats.View attachment 150804View attachment 150805View attachment 150806
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Great fish those mate.
 
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