Tuesday 22 November 2011

Insperation

Well it's been a while, I could make excuses, busy life........
writer's block and so on and so on. The truth is I seem to have
lacked a little insperation. Something new, instead of the same
repeated mutterings of the last few years. These were the thoughts
running through my mind, after trips out and checking into the
blog on my return. The above is how I have felt in general
of late, something of a low I would say. Sometimes instead of
feeling a bit down you have to be glad of small things in
life you take for granted but that mean so much.
So back to the blog It would take a while to tell every story
of the trips out over the summer and autumn, so this is like a
highlightes post of good times.

If you have read or visited this blog in the past, you will
know that most posts will in all likleyhood have a picture
of a river. More often than not it will be the Ribble!
So here we go again! It's a thing to enjoy and even though
it's another in a long list, everytime I should remember how
lucky I am to be out doing what I love.



Well I do catch the odd fish. This season I have caught
a great number of Barbel, Chub, Trout, Dace and Grayling.
The fish above seems to like me, it's made several visits
to the landing net. This fish is a old warrior and looks how
I feel!
Phil was a bit special as far as catching Barbel from rhe
Ribble went!! After quite a few years and some quality fish
into double digits. He could hold his head high that they
had all come on the float. Well he finally lost this proud
record after quite a few attempts, I may add.


So autumn, Again we settled into a Ribble swim that screams fish
and after I lost a cracker Phil landed one of the best looking
Barbel I have seen these fish went hard to say the least.

A few weeks back was my mates birthday,we stayed in a barn and
got to spend some time of all places next to a river even better
the Ribble....... happy days!! not to miss the chance out came
the camera..... Melanie was impressed.......Not!
Well it was remote, a bit like a rally stage chance to test
Melanies new car out on the narrow roads and "bridges" she was
impressed! lol.

I will go back some good fishing around these parts.
Orrrr loves young(old) dream.
Well the fishy part of this and something new, well sort of.
I have had this river Roach project in my mind for well
ages. After a couple of half hearted last minute attemtps
I decided to put a bit of effort in. I listened to Martin
James and his roach on bread approach and gave it a go.
The best way to try this for me was to just take bread.
Any other bait with me and after a hour or so the temptation
would be to swap. Well no need, after feeding the swim with
mashed bread and running a float down for the first time I was
rewarded with a Chub, a few more Dace and Chub before the Roach
made for a perfect end to the day.
I went back for anoher go and lost what felt like a cracker, the
thought of it being that magic 2lb fish will have me back shortly.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

Chub


Even the chub liked the little nymphs

Small but such a good sign alls well


Back on the river


Only a few days to go before i can run a float down the river, a few casts brought me some fish last night on the fly.

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Last Hour............ the life of me

Well at least I can blog, after over
a month my internet conection is still
causing me great problems, they lived up
to their name because of the amount of
time I have had to "Talk Talk" with no action!!
My one trip on the Dee was also tainted with
me seeing my camera float past me
"That looks just like my camera case"
I thought when i caught site of it making it's
way down stream.
Along with more time I have had to spend at work,
the Kids are growing and I both need and want to
spend time with them both. So my new fly rod has
gone almost the whole year upto now with hardly
a cast. So the last hour has been a saviour.
Setting up the rod when the night falls is
though a bit special, a whole new world comes to
life when the sun fades and the moon is bright.

Jeff also took me to a nice spot not far away
and some great fish. I remember a book from when
I was a kid , it had a large net of Bronze Bream
and olive green Tench n one page. Well if I had
a keepnet one night I think I would have come close
to my Childhood dreams.



I think with the river season starting soon it
may be the inspiration I need to find a few
more hours but for now it's a night float
and warm clothes.

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Wild fishing


The alarm sounded and unlike a work
day it was easy to get out of bed.
The swim would I imagined, be full
of big Tench feeding after my groundwork
from the previous evening....Well maybe
not full but just one fish would be a reward.
I arrived at 5am and was relieved
to see my spot empty.
The odd fish roled has I made my first cast.
Everything looked perfect and on Q my
float slipped away the strike though was
without luck.
I just hoped my chance had not slipped
away in those few seconds. A re-cast
and almost before the float settled
away it sailed,this time the strike
was met by a solid "Bang" and the line
peeled off the reel,a good fish. It gave
a good acount of itself the previous nights
work had payed off.
A nice fish of 6.2lb.I will be back for
one of the big ones!

Ground Work


Wild and hard a fish from these waters is a reward indeed
A plan and a bit of effort saw me
at a wild water, big fish yes hard
to catch? most deffinatly!! I decided
to pre-bait and also rake the swim.
Would it pay off early night and alam
set for a early start.

Monday 11 April 2011

A Red Head

What a week, mini heat wave and a
day off work. A call to Pete saw us
on a quest for Tench.
The effort was put in but the Tench
did not show up, we did get some,
fish, Roach, Rudd, Bream, Perch and
Pike.
I did see a large Perch(Pete) taking fry
in the margins, I managed to hook
a decent fish but lost it.
Three small Pike at least means a fish
off the list.
Sunday and the Tench was still on my mind.
The last couple of hours of day and into
dusk seemed the best chance and so it
turned out.
I muttered to myself after returning
the last of around thirty skimmer
Bream "last cast" the float dipped and
the rod arched into a my target, a fin
perfect fish at 4.14lb. That rounded the week
off and got me thinking of one a bit bigger.

Sunday 20 March 2011

Starting and Ending.

Well it feels like spring, when the
season ends for coarse fish on rivers
my attetion turns to the fly and Trout.
The past few years have showed me, it may
be another couple of weeks before our
spotty friends are settled and ready
for me to cast some fluff at them, on
running water.
Today I thought it more fitting to have
a go at a fish that signals the change
in season........ Tench it took a while
but a fish just over 4lb finnally graced
the net.

Last week was my last chance to land a
decent river coarse fish before season end.
I headed to the Ribble sat back and waited
after I lost a decent fish I thought I may
have blown it . I need not have worried.


One fish marks the end as the other the
start. Time to tie a few flies over the
next week or two then back to running water.

Wednesday 9 March 2011

Looking Forward

So in the next few months things will change,
the weather will be warmer and the fishing
better, well at least more comfortable!


We had a trip out to the Dove and it's a
river we will return to no doubt. Both Phil
and I had good fish, the water looks capable
of throwing up a specimen or two.


We have also had our eyes on tempting
a large Roach locateing one may be the
task rather than even catching one.
Comercial fisheries seem to offer the best
chance, the only problem getting through
the other fish we managed a couple of
Roach amongst the multitudes of small
Bream.
Another coarse fishing season is near it's
end and it's always a little sad to think
it will be a few months until I watch the
little red tip of my float trundle it's way
down stream. With the departure of one season
we welcome the new Trout season onto our rivers
and streams and the fly rod alows me to spend
time next to and in flowing water. Which reminds
me time for some new waders!!
I have got new ideas for the seasons ahead,
flies to tie, tackle to buy and things to try.
I think we will have some good days(and nights)
God willing and even writeing this I get kid
in a toy shop feeling!!
The picture above is what keeps me fishing
and in general makes life all that much brighter,
to share these moments with good friends is a gift.
I look back through this blog and it always brings a
smile. So I will be making more of an effort with
the blog this year.
Im looking forward to the fishing more than ever.

Sunday 30 January 2011

It,s Cold

Well it's been cold, I think my fishing time has been
short and when I have been out the goings tough.

I managed a trip to the Dee it was a metre up
it was a nice bit of water just a little wild!!!
It gave me a chance to try out my new rod and
reel. I could have made do but it's a nice river
set up. Ideal for a bit of nymphing with heavy
bugs. I did get two small ladys, the better one
for the photo never quite arrived, although I
did have a near miss.
A christmas presant that will get plenty
of work outs I think.
On the subject of presants I treated myself
to a new closed face Abu, a very nice bit of
kit.

The broken ice that had come to rest on
a slow bend made for a nice photo, it also
showed how cold it's been. I can't remember
and niether can anyone else who fishes the
Ribble a freeze like it.

Pete not in the artic but Preston!
We did get a few Roach, Pete is doing the
old rod race so was very happy when his last
fish was a Dace.
Went out on the Dane today "new water"
another fishy looking stretch but the cold
must have put the fish off not a sniff of
a bite. Just makes the next trip more
enticing.

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"Life is but a dream?"

"... on a good day of fishing, the job, the noise and clutter ... fade away until there is only water and the rhythm of the rod and, now and then, a fish."

-Random Phrump

''A Thought''

A simple philosophy I have adopted over the years has been tested and re-enforced in the past few weeks. It is to celebrate those good and pleasing things encountered in daily life, no matter how small, with at least the same vigour as I bemoan the bad or merely vexing.
-Steve Dobson


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