Par-Cooked Chub

Decided on an early morning start to avoid the day time heat. As somebody who doesn't like the heat, five  o'clock in the morning is remarkably pleasant. I headed for one of the deeper swims hoping the fish would be gathered in the cooler water. The water near the surface felt decidedly warm when I stuck my hand in.

 








Fishing an 8 No.4 stick float and maggots I was quickly into small chub, taking 6 in as many casts before a jack grabbed one and ripped it off the hook. I gave it another few trots through before moving to the next swim. This eventually produced a dozen or so rather small gudgeon before everything went quiet. It was nice to see the gudgeon. at last. The third swim, which was slightly deeper was another slow starter, but started to produce the odd small chub after a while. Though it produced steadily for about an hour, eventually I'd had twenty chub when a little jack appeared grabbing the tale of a chub. The next two swims produced nothing, not even a chewed maggot.

 








By now it was starting to get rather warm as the sun appeared over the top of the bank. The next swim was one of the fester shallower ones, about three foot deep.I bunched the shot up just above the hook length and had a few trots through picking up a couple of small chub. They were both astonishingly warm. So I avoided the next few swims as they were all shallow and had a go in the next couple of deeper 7-8' swims, but nothing showed in these. Along with the fact I was near the path back to the car, I took this to be a hint and packed up.

The difference in the temperature of the fish I caught was quite remarkable. Those from the shallow water felt like they were well on their way to being cooked. Not good at all. I'm also surprised at the lack of roach and perch.

There's also a new contender for the unstoppable beasties that myself and others have hooked. Somebody had a small catfish out of the river a couple of days ago.

Glorious 16th +5

My last trip for the opening week and I'd come up with a cunning plan - A setup somewhere between the previous two. 4.6lb hook length to size 16 hook, a 12' Shakespeare Mach XT and the same 3g chubber as before. I selected three swims and chucked 4 or 5 handfuls of maggots in each.

The first swim proved a nightmare. Float bobbing about, chewed maggots, but no contact with anything. After 15 minutes I gave up, chucked a few more handfuls of maggots in in the hope of feeding what ever little horrors were down there off.  Swim two failed to produce a bite so after half an hour I moved to swim three. This too was very quiet up until the point I was thinking of moving. I then had seven nice dace in about as many casts, before I bumped one and spooked the shoal.

Back at swim one and the little horrors had disappeared. I now seemed to be picking up leaves instead. After 20 minutes, or so, the maggots started getting pulled to bits again so I moved on. Swim two, first cast and I was in. Clearly a barbel as it crashed about the swim. Thankfully I was able to keep it out of the tree roots. After a bit of a prolonged battle it was in the net, all 4lb 13 oz of it. Along with it's rather tatty fins it had quite a deep cut near it's tail, but appeared to be in good health otherwise. I had a few more trots as it rested in the landing net before moving back to swim three which was now fishless.

 











Swim one was also fishless, or so it appeared. After a few trots though I had a lift bite, which I stared at in disbelief before it shot down stream at hell of a rate. Eventually, as it was about to round the down stream bend 30 yards away, I appeared to regain control.  I managed to regain about half the line before it shot off again, right down the near side bank crashing through the over hanging trees before the line parted above the float. The last two foot of line was seriously abrade. I hate leaving tackle attached to fish, even just a hook length. I had a wander around down stream, but couldn't see any sign of the float or what ever.Not sure what I could have done even if I could see it bobbing about behind a fish. Somewhat pissed off I wandered up to swim two.

Chopping 6' of line off and winding it into the Monomaster, a damn useful device if you can hold of one, I re-rigged. It wasn't long before I was into another barbel. After a brief, but frantic fight a 3lb 4oz fish was in the net. With time ticking away I stayed in swim 2 and was reward with a somewhat larger fish that got far too close to the tree roots at times. Eventually a 7lb 2oz barbel was in the net. and with that it was time to go.

 











Not a bad end to the first week of the season really.  As for the lost high speed fish, I've no idea what it was and it's not the first time I've lost a fish like this in the Nidd. A friend who lost a fish that disappeared about 50 yards down stream at high speed thought it might of been a salmon. Which is a possibility.

Glorious 16th +4

Down to the Nidd again for a short session trotting. My cunning plan to defeat the barbel worked like a charm, didn't hook a single one. 

 








Armed with  a Youngs Specimen Float, 6.6lb hook length and size 16 heavy gauge hook under a 3g Chubber I had no problem getting bites with plenty of little chub and a few bleak coming to hand in the first swim, until a 12oz grayling turned up. Unfortunately it didn't survive this encounter, as it swam over the drop off, after I'd released it, a pike shot up and grabbed it. Nothing more came from that swim so I moved on.

The next swim produced a couple of smaller grayling before the little chub turned up. Again plenty, but of no size, were landed. Like the provisos swim a pike turned up, grabbing a fish as I wound it in, chomping straight through the line. As I tied an another hook length a few of the little chub scattered and there was a large swirl as the pike continued their breakfast. So I moved again.

 








After a couple of trots through the heavens opened with one of those scattered showers. Thankfully I'd brought my brolly so hid under that. I set the float over depth and added some more shot and did some stret-pegging, as trotting from under a brolly is hard work. First bite was from a gudgeon, which didn't make it to the bank snaffled by a pike again. By the time the rain had ease off it was time to leave.

I have chance for one last go tomorrow Hopefully I may be able to add a gudgeon and barbel to the species caught and the pike will be full, so not make a nuisance of themselves.

Glorious 16th +3

Had another wander along the Nidd, this time with a a trotting rod. The intention was to spend 30-40 minutes in each swim trotting maggots under a stick float. Basically it went according to plan. Rigging up a size 16 to 2.9lb Matchline, under a 4 No. 4 alloy stemmed float, 14' match rod and a 'pin.

After plumbing each swim and having a couple of trots through with an unbaited rig, I chucked in a couple of hands full of maggots and stuck 2 on the hook. I normally got a fish with in a couple of runs through, nothing to shout about chub, dace, roach and bleak all put in an appearance. Remarkably, no matter which swim I caught them from the were all of a similar size like the same shoals were following me.

 








The only problems I had were with the barbel. I hooked and lost three of them. Nidd barbel tend to go mad when hooked and I never really felt in control of them. The rod didn't help, it's an 'old school' tip action device which locks up pretty quickly so you.  tend to run out of shock absorber. All of them though ended up in the tree roots. The other problem I had was getting bites on double maggot and ending up with one chewed maggot, but when I fished single maggot I didn't get a bite.

 








I was surprised not to get any gudgeon or perch, but I have a solution to the barbel problem. I'm taking my barbel trotter tomorrow, that should stop me hooking them.

Glorious 16th +2

Managed a short, early morning session on the Nidd for my first bit of coarse fishing of the new season. As it was a last minute change of plan I just took an ultra light lure set up to see if the chub were feeling predatory. Not long after I arrived at the bottom of the stretch I was distracted by a red kite circling overhead. Attempts to photograph it with the phone proved pretty futile - I don't know why I try really. After it departed I got on with the fishing.

 








It was a little while, and several changes of lure before I contacted with a fish, a small feisty perch which used the time honoured technique of jabbing one of the trebles in my hand in order to unhook its self. The next fish to attach its self to the lure was a very athletic, tail walking jack which was really good fun on the light tackle.

 








 Things then went quiet for a while before I returned to the little crucian carp lure I'd caught the first two on. This resulted in a couple of small chub, which fought hard than their size would suggest. By this time it was time to leave. Not that I was too bothered as the wind was now quite strong and gusty making the casting of light lures a bit awkward, especially near trees.

Not a brilliant day, but not a blank either. Tomorrow is maggot drowning day.

A Bit Of A Reversal

The river was slightly more coloured than last week when I arrived and there was the usual shortage of insect life. The cool breeze probably didn't help, making it an awkward day clothing wise as well. Not quite warm enough for a T-shirt, too warm for a light fleece.

After a little while wandering upstream looking for anything rising I came a cross a few uprights fluttering about and the odd rise. After several missed takes from some small trout I managed to hook one. As I brought close to the bank a pike shot up from the depths and grabbed it. After a couple of minutes I managed to grab hold of it. The CDC dun was not longer recognisable. An interesting start to sy the east and only the second or third pike I've seen here in the last couple of years.

It was a couple of hours later before I came across any more rising fish. A few speculative casts had produced nothing. It took a couple of casts to land the fly in the area the fish were rising, but the fly was taken almost immediately. Nice fish of 14", again taken on a size 14 CDC dun. A little while later I found another rising fish, right at the top end of the section. Casting to it was problematic as it was very close to the bank. With most of the line landing on the bank I managed a fly right over the top of it which was taken after a short drift. A slightly smaller fish, but a lot more acrobatic.

I headed back down stream looking for any rising fish. Nowt more was seen. Half way back I got covered in dust from the farmer turning the hay which didn't do my hay fever any good. Fly casting and sneezing aren't the best combination. Still, not a bad day at all. Tomorrow is the start of the maggot drowning season, unfortunately I won't be able to fish again 'till nest week.

Trout Two - Me Nil

Had a short evening session on the Rye in the hope of doubling my tally of dry fly caught trout from this bit of the river.  I'd remembered my polariods this time. It was surprisingly clear considering it had risen a foot on Saturday and steadily dropped since then. There quite a bit of fly life about on places, but precious little rising save the odd very small dace.

It wasn't long before I found a trout rising, a size 16 CDC dun seemed to be about right and after a couple of casts I was in to a fish of about 10-12", only for it to come adrift mid stream. Bugger! A bit further along a fish of similar size was feeding, but a right cock up of cast spooked it as the line came down like a ton of bricks. The rest of the section proved pretty fruitless, with very little insect life about.

I moved to the upper section and again found a rising fish pretty quickly, unfortunately it was rising between the old bank-side piles and the now eroded bank. Still, nothing ventured nothing gained. I was in first cast and for a minute or so the trout, a reasonable sized one at that kept away from the piles. It then made for a branch that was trapped by the piles and every thing came to a sudden halt. the tippet had got into a slit in the end if the branch and stopped at the knot between tippet and leader, snapping the tippet close to the knot. Bugger, bugger!


 







I fished on for another hour with out success. I know spinning or worms would catch me a lot more, but I'm determined to catch a couple more on dry fly from this section.