One More To The Tally

So far this season I've caught the  following native species in Yorkshire rivers: Barbel, Bleak, Brown Trout, Bullhead, Chub, Dace, Grayling, Gudgeon, Minnow, Perch, Pike, Roach, Ruffe, Silver Bream, and
Stone Loach.

Those that remain to be caught are: Bronze Bream, Eel, Rudd, Stickleback, and Tench.

I must admit I was surprised I'd not caught a Bronze Bream or an Eel. Although I did hook and eel while nymphing for trout but it dived straight into a morass of weed and never came out. There are a couple of spots that have Rudd in them and Tench can turn up anywhere on most of the rivers. One local river, that I've not fished this season, contains a good head of Tench. First up though was a Bronze Bream, so Thursday i headed out with maggots, worms, and groundbait to see if I could catch one.

I'd made up half the ground bait previously so hauled out a dozen balls, laced with chop worm and maggots, into the river after having had a cast about with a lead to see if there were any snags about. I set up a feeder rod and a waggler rod. I would be mainly feeder fishing but if things got boring I'd have a run through with the float. The first hour was remarkably quiet with jut a couple of very quick bites on the feeder. A change to float quickly produced half a dozen roach and a couple of gudgeon.

Things then went quiet again, so I tossed out half a dozen more bails of groundbait and had lunch leaving the swim to settle. The first bit after lunch came from a 1lb 9oz perch before things went quiet again. Alternating between float and feeder produced the odd bite and chewed maggot but nothing came of it. I'd tried both live and dead maggots, worms, and worm maggot cocktail. With an hour to go before I had to be of the tip pulled round. Something solid had taken the worm. I thought it may be a chub but something felt odd. When I got it to the surface it was a large bream that had got itself wrapped in the line. The little landing net I'd recently acquired wasn't much bigger than the bream. Hauling the fish in sideways and trying to get it into the landing net the hook came adrift. The fish lay there far a little while just beyond the landing net before swimming away. I'm not sure it whether it was foul hooked or not. A little while later the tip pulled over again. This time a it felt like a bream. A reasonable one at that. This time I made no mistakes getting a similar sized fish in to the landing net. 6lb 10oz of bream. one more from the list.

 I had one more bite before I had to be away. With the river having lifted a bit I expected a bit more action, but a couple of decent not a bad day. Only tench, eel, rudd, and stickleback left.

Second Day Of The River Season 2024

 The weather forecast for the second day of the season wasn't good. Heavy downpours were predicted. Looking at the rain radar it looked like a trip northwards should miss them. So northwards I went. I arrived in lovely sunshine. The river was nearly a foot up, as expected, and rather peat stained. One problem I'd not thought about was the bankside vegetation which was some way into the river. The 15' rod reached over it though.

I'd brought my Deeper Sonar with me to do the depth finding rather than faffing with a plummet. A cast about with it showed there to be around eight and half foot on the near near third of the river before it slowly increased in depth to ten and a half foot three quarters of the way across. I set up a 7 No.4 alloy stemmed stick float shotted shirt-button style. I then proceeded to catapult out some hemp and maggots onto two lines when disaster struck. The catapult broke at the pouch. Throwing the hemp was OK but I could only just throw the hemp onto the far line I intended to fish.

 

Another angler came wandering down with the intention of fishing. He just wanted to see what the levels were like. He thought they were OK, but we may struggle to get more than a few fish. He also reckoned we wouldn't see more than a bit of drizzle. By the time he'd got back to his car the heavens had opened. I never saw him again. I think he'd sat in his car then given up. I should probably have done the same at this point. My rather elderly brolly was anything but waterproof. Me and everything else was getting soaked. As trotting was near on impossible I just layed the rig next to the vegetation and sat the rod in the rested and waited for the better weather that was on the horizon. I did try to keep feeding the two swims but really had no idea where the bait was landing.

When the rain eventually stopped I went to lift the float out of the water but it snagged on the vegetation. I gave it a bit of a annoyed tug and the whole lot wrapped itself around the rod tip. Time for something to eat. Re rigged I set about fishing in earnest. The sun had come back, making it quite a nice evening. It was the best part of an hour before I got my first bite which I promptly missed. Half an hour later a second bite which I managed to hit despite a large amount of slack in the line. Something gave a decent bend to the rod. I managed to keep it out of the nearside vegetation and get it in the net. I rather welcome hand sized perch. An other half hour passed before the next bite and in came a very welcome little tommy ruffe.

Two hours two fish. Not the best of going but two more species to the roster. I fished on for another hour for one chewed maggot before the arrival of drizzle suggested I pack up. The rain radar showed heavier rain due. Which arrived as I got in the car.

 

A rather frustrating days fishing but not a blank so I'll take it.

 

Today I made my way to the tackle shop for a new brolly and ended up with this rather fetching number that also doubles as an advertising hoarding.  So if it doesn't rain again you know who to thank. Along with some bait and a few bits and pieces I also managed to leave with a shiny new feeder rod.

New Venue New Rods

 Thursday I headed to a stretch of river I'd never fished before in an attempt to christen my new rods. Their previous outing had been a blank and fishing a unknown stretch of river probably to christen them probably wasn't the best idea. I'd been for a walk on this section previously so had a good idea where the pikey looking swims were. I wandered upstream to the first swim I fancied. There was no sign anybody else had been down since the water dropped. My tactics were to drop a bait in under a float just over the shelf behind over hanging trees and place a bait midstream with a ledger. The first bait out was a small roach under the float dropped into seven foot of water. A trout was flung out on the ledger. I also had smelt and sardine with me. After a runless hour I moved swims. This one was just as unproductive, as was the next. In the fourth swim the shelf was somewhat closer and the depth nearer nine foot. I changed to a smelt on the float rig. A spot of oil was added to the trout before it was plonked midstream. Just as the kettle boiled the float started to bob about. A quick strike and I was in. A small but rather athletic jack was quickly chinned. At least one rod was christened. Another angler turned up at this point. He was doing a spot of lure fishing for chub and/or perch.

After my cuppa I moved on to the next swim, then the next, then the next. I was all rather quiet apart from a Great Tit. Their 'singing' is OK for a little while, but when there's several of them doing their squeaky wheelbarrow impressions it gets a bit annoying. By now the collie from the farm had come down to investigate. Though it spent most of it's time sticking it's nose down rabbit holes and barking at them. I'd just got my Pot Noodle ready when the alarm went and the drop-back dropped back. Keeping one eye on my lunch in case the dog tried to nick it I struck into what felt like some debris. It wasn't until it got to the surface that the little jack woke up and started to thrash about. Second rod christened.

As usual I stayed on until dark but there was no more action. At least both rods are now christened.All I have to do in the remaining two weeks of the river season is find some bigger and better pike.

Flinging Dead Fish Into The Blue Waters Of A Clay Pit

As some of the rivers were now a reasonable levels I spent a bit of time having a look at spots I'd like to pike fish. While the water levels were OK, the precipitous banks were not. Even where you could get down safely the flat areas you'd be fishing from soon puddled up into a dodgy slippy mess that put you in grave danger of ending up in the river. I decided stillwater fishing would probably be safer and easier. So it was down to one of the clay pits.

I was the only one there when I arrived, and all day. I don't know it more weed suppressing blue dye had been added but the water was very blue. My intention had been to wander round with a lure rod to start with then settle into a couple of swims dead baiting. While I'd brought a lure rod I'd failed to put a lure box in the car. Deadbaiting it was then. I'm working my way clockwise round this pit so started in the next swim along from my last visit on Boxing Day. A small smelt was dropped under the tree to my right at the top of the shelf and a headless joey mackerel to my right at the bottom of the shelf. I moved the baits about but after a couple of hours wasn't really feeling it and felt a move was needed.

Having moved I went to get a tea bag, etc. out of the car and found a shiny new Westin Swim glide bait. It had been bought at the sales and fallen out of the bag. I put the baits out and had a cuppa before winding in and wandering around the pit for a while flinging the lure about. This was as effective as the deadbaits. While having lunch, some Thai chilli noodles, I flicked a few noodles out for the Robin that had been following me about. They seemed to be welcome. After lunch I moved to a third swim. I changed baits to a small roach and a piece of lamprey. While I lefty the roach next to the overhanging tree the lamprey was cast about the place. All to no avail. I had another wander with the lure rod as it was starting to get dark but nothing cooperated. I'd seen no sign of fish all day. Oh well, there's always next time.

Gravel Pit Piking - Again

 With the local rivers up at silly heights it was stillwaters that looked the only option on Friday. I trundled across the county to a gravel pit I'd fished only once before. That session had resulted in one rather tatty pale little beastie so I hoped to do better. I was the only one there when I arrived. When I looked at the water I wondered why I'd trailed all this way as the water was very coloured.  After a wander round  I started in a swim with my back to the wind. I could fish to one of the island, not that this had done me much good last time. There was also two over hanging trees either side of me that looked pikey.

A small roach was dropped under the tree to my left and a headless herring tossed over to the corner of the island. One cup of tea later and the float under the tree trundle away. A rather lethargic pike of 89cm 8lb 1oz was quickly netted. Long and pale it really should have weighed more but was rather hollow. Still it was quite a bit bigger than the previous little jack. I dropped another small roach under the tree to the right.

Another angler turned up at lunch time for a spot of silvers fishing. he managed three tiddlers by darkness. After lunch I moved to a corner swim. A small roach dropped by a dying lily bed and a lamprey tossed out to the corner of another island. Despite moving the baits about nothing more showed.

Boxing Day Piking

 I thought it best to get out fishing before storm Gerrit (pronounce herrit apparently) hit, so I was up bright and early on Boxing day. Not too early mind you, but it was a bright morning. Arriving at the clay pit I was surprised to find a couple of carperists there all ready. In fact they'd been there  since Christmas Day hoping to final get a Christmas Day carp. Which they nearly managed only it fell off at the net. I set myself up opposite them in a swim with plenty of features.

A small roach was placed near the overhanging trees in about three foot of water and a lamprey was tossed out to the bottom of the ledge in ten and a half foot of water. Sunglasses on, as I was facing into the sun, I sat back and waited. I moved the baits every forty minutes or so. Just after lunch a couple of carp swim along under the overhanging trees before disappearing near my float. Not long after it stated to bob about at first I suspect the carp were causing it, but it slowly started to move away from me. I lifted in to it and there was clearly a fish on the end though it didn't put up much of a struggle until it was under the rod tip where it decide to thrash around for a bit. A tidy but chubby little beast of 5lb 15oz and 75cm.

The rest of the afternoon was rather quiet. The sun disappeared behind the clouds and the temp stated to drop. Around four I started to pack up. I only had the unhooking stuff and rods to put away. The float above the lamprey fell over then shot away. I didn't even strike as the rod lurched over into what felt like a good fish. After a brief bit of all over the place the pike gave up and came in quietly. As I chinned it, the landing net was snagged on something, the hook fell out. A specimen with a damaged jaw. The damage was from some time ago as the wound had repaired. 85cm long and 9lb 1oz in weight it appeared to be in good health. By now the floats would be hard to see so I finished packing up.

A pleasant day and couple couple of fish. Just the thing after the Christmas day excesses.

Pike Fishing A New Venue

 Friday I went to a brand new venue. I'd passed the place several times over the years but never taken an awful lot of notice of it. Earlier in the week I was in the area and stopped at what I thought was the entrance, but wasn't. All I could see was a frozen pond. Getting there on Friday after Thursday's downpours could have turned problematic as the road was flooded. A change to wellies and a quick paddle showed it wasn't too deep and therefore passable which would save a long detour. I was surprised to find another angler had arrived just before me and was setting up. He was after bream, or whatever. He'd manage to forget his landing net handle so I lent him a storm pole. He also reckoned it was the highest he'd seen the water level. In fact a couple of swims were flooded.

I had a wander round and picked a swim at the end which allowed me access to an island in front. A bay top my right and a nice looking margin to my left. A small roach was dropped in front of some tree roots to my right and a sardine to the right of the island on a corner in five foot of water. I moved the baits about every hour or so. Injecting the sardine with some oil after it had defrosted. It was nearly midday when I got the first run. The small roach had been taken by a very apathetic little jack. A rather pale and tatty little thing of 63cm.

The other chap left around two having only had a single bite. Not long after I had another run on the roach which was now back in front of the tree roots. I wasn't quick enough with the strike and the fish had got into the roots and transferred the hook to a root. A good heave bent the hook out. I fished on until dark for nowt else. The island in front looked ideal for pike. Overhanging trees on the left and vegetation on the right looking like great ambush points. I'll be back though.