Not much happening

Since my last post I've had one still water pike session. I had intended to have a 3 rod full day session, however as I'm currently working nights adjusting to a normal routine at the weekend is a bit of a struggle and getting up early on a Sunday morning doesn't always appeal (Although I'm sure if the rivers were in a decent condition I wouldn't have much of an issue getting my arse out of bed).

The session was a bit of a disaster and I was glad I only took the one rod. The water is still heavily choked with weed, with only the one fishable peg. Needless to say I didn't stay for too long. This time last year the majority of the water was fishable. Hopefully the weather will turn soon and kill the weed as this is the only still water that I can pike fish within 30 mins of my house.

Landing net review

Last xmas Lindsey bought me the Lone Angler landing net handle , a cracking piece of kit.

Before owning this my two previous 'branded' handles had snapped, I stood on one and crushed it and the other snapped somehow. There's no chance of that happening with this handle, I've used it to support my weight whilst climbing up and down the river banks, used it as a wading staff, slipped and landed on it etc... zero damage.

The handle is a beast, far more substantial than a normal handle and more than capable of handling the abuse of river angling. The locking mechanism is solid and will not slip. I've used this for all my barbel and pike fishing over the last 12 months with no problems whatsoever, highly recommended.

A few months back one of my mates showed me a new pike net he had bought, a Fox 36" round net with rubberised mesh. I've had some issues with Fox kit (and their shitty customer service) in the past so generally avoid giving them any of my money, but this net looked great so I ordered one.

I usually prefer triangular nets for pike, as I've always thought round nets are too small, but this is massive. It seems well built and I'm pleased with it so far. The only downside is that the frame is rigid, a bit of a pain in the arse whilst moving pegs and for storage. The main selling point for me is the rubberised mesh, it makes things so much easier than standard mesh when fishing with trebles.

I haven't used the net much but so far so good. I'll put something on here after I've managed to give it a more thorough testing.

I'm not sure when I'll be out next, I've got a couple of weeks off over Christmas so I'll be aiming for a few sessions then, fingers crossed that the rivers are in a reasonable state.

Birthday trip prep

As a birthday treat Lindsey was planning on booking me an overnight stay and a couple of days fishing over the Lake District, but it's still a little early for me to start dead baiting and besides he lakes will still be ridiculously busy given its the last week of the holidays.

Instead I'm heading down to the Trent for a nights zander fishing then a 24 hour barbel session. I'm heading to the same stretch (possibly the same peg) as my first attempt for the zander, a deep slow stretch that (apparently) is usually good for a couple of fish.

My first attempt for the zander was unsuccessful, a bit of interest in the baits, but no confident takes. The interest could of been zander but equally it could of easily of been eels. Besides that session was after finishing 6 weeks of constant nights and I spent most of the time asleep and didn't fish it as well as I could have.

Slow and deep, an ideal peg for my first zander ?

I have more confidence in catching barbel from the stretch I'm booked onto, plenty of info online and some recent catch reports from lads I know. A few fish coming out, mainly during the night which is no surprise given the low water levels. I'll be taking plenty of bait but sticking to a boilie, pellet and ground bait approach.

My gear is 90% ready just a few more hook lengths and some wire traces to make. Hopefully I will be on the bank by 18:00 tomorrow, which should enable me to snatch a few baits and get everything setup well before dusk.

Solar hair gauge

I've been using one of these little tools for a couple of years now. The hair gauge helps take the guess work out of hair lengths and provides a platform to hold the hook while tying the knot less knot, which is handy when it's cold and wet or dark.

Drennan Series 7 1.25lb Specialist Avon Quiver - Review

I bought a pair of Drennan Series 7 1.25lb Specialist Avon Quivers at the beginning of the year to use as multipurpose rods, so far I have used them whilst targeting bream,chub, perch and tench. I have been very impressed with the rods so decided to review them.

Drennan series 7 avon/quiver - well matched with a Shimano 5010

What the manufacturer has to say -

Info from Drennan website

My thoughts -

I already owned a Drennan series 7 rod (13ft competition float) before I purchased these so I knew what to expect in terms of build quality, finish etc... I wasn't disappointed with these rods either as they are both built to Drennans usual high standard. The aspect I found most pleasing is the rods action. Admittedly I haven't managed many large fish on the rods yet, however whilst targeting tench I landed a near 17lb common carp on one. Although the carp took a while to land and despite the rod being bent through to the butt on a number of times I felt in control, equally at the opposite end of the scale I have caught a number of more delicate fish (crucians, roach etc...) and I never felt over gunned.

16lb 10oz common carp caught on 1.25lb Series7 avon and 6lb line

Verdict -

Anglers have a large selection of sub £100 avon/combo rods to choose from as most manufacturers have a number of these rods in there range. The Drennan avon combos have an rrp of £99.95 (although they can be found a lot cheaper if you shop around) I believe they are well worth the price.

The action and build quality of these rods are excellent, I would definitely reccomend these to other anglers, infact I am going to buy myself a 1.75lb version as a barbel rod !

Nether Mill fishery (4 evening sessions)

I have been on a course for the last week and decided to take a couple of rods just in case I got the chance to get out for a few hours on an evening. I had a quick search online and found a fishery which was close to my accommodation. After finishing the first day of the course I was glad I bought some rods as I didn't need to do as much ' homework' as I first thought. I managed to fish Monday to Thursday evenings from roughly 5pm to around half eight.

Monday

I caught a small ide on the first cast which was tight to an island, but struggled for a further bite for the next 30 minutes. I then started fishing the margins and started catching small crucians and tench pretty much straight away. After the 2nd or 3rd crucian I had one of 1lb 4oz which I think is a new personal best, unfortunately I didn't take a very good photo and as there is a no keep net rule I couldn't get a better one later. I also lost a decent carp (unseen) from the margins.

Best crucian 1lb 4oz

I ended the evening with -

7 crucian largest 1lb 4oz
5 tench
1 carp
1 ide
1 perch

Tuesday

On Tuesday I fished at the opposite end of the lake as it was quieter there, the fishing was quieter as well and I struggled for the first hour or so. The first bite I connected with fought hard and went like a torpedo, it ended up being a surprise rainbow trout of 2lb 7oz. This was also a personal best as it is the only rainbow trout I have ever caught. I took a quick photo in the net as I wanted to get it back quickly as it wasn't in the best condition.

My first ever rainbow 2lb 7oz

 I finished up with -

4 crucian
3 tench
2 perch
1 roach
1 bream
1 rainbow trout

Wednesday

Half the lake was sectioned off for a match so I had to fish the quieter end again, however I decided to fish the opposite bank near a thick reed bed. It was hard going and I was struggling for a bite and it seemed that the other anglers fishing this side of the lake were too.

Eventually I caught a couple of perch, a roach and a small ide, nothing of size really and I was beginning to get frustrated then I had a run from a margin swim I had been baiting up. The run turned out to be a small ghost carp of around 3 or 4lbs, it fought very hard (as ghost carp usually do) and I was slightly disappointed when it came to the surface, as it fought as if it were much larger.

I hair rigged 4 pieces of corn and dropped the rig into the same spot, rebaited  and sat back for the final 45 minutes or so. Nothing happened on either rod and I decided to pack up, I left the margin rod out for as long as I could whilst packing everything else and just as I was about to pick it up the alarm went and the baitrunner started spinning. I struck into the fish and it felt a lot larger than anything I had caught during the week. The fish fought very hard and pushed the tackle I was using to the limit, it managed to get into the large reed bed twice but some how I managed to bring it out. Eventually after a good 10 minutes and a couple of attempts I netted a large common carp.


New best at 16lb 10oz

I thought the carp was going to be close to the 20lb mark, however the avons (only) went to 16lb
10oz but I was still very pleased as it was a new personal best for me, by a couple of pounds. I was surprised that I managed to land the carp on the tackle I was using, a Drennan series 7 1.25lb avon rod and 6lb line obviously not ideal for carp of that size. The rod performed well and despite being bent through to the butt on occasions I felt in control, well most of the time anyway.

Wednesdays total -

2 perch
1 roach
1 ide
2 carp

Thursday

The lake was fairly quiet with only two or three others fishing, I fished a peg near where I had caught  the bigger crucian in the hope of catching a few more. I fished similar tactics as the previous days with 1 rod float fishing the margins and the second with hair rigged corn or pellets. The crucians did occasionally show the were no larger than 10 ounces or so. I managed a few bream with the largest two being 3lb 15oz and 4lb 5oz, which was pleasing as these are the largest bream I have caught for a few years.


3lb 15oz

4lb 5oz

Thursdays total -

8 bream
6 perch
3 crucian
1 golden orfe
1 ide
1 roach

Although I normally prefer to fish quieter, more natural venues I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 short evening sessions I had at Nether Mill. I managed to catch a few species that I hadn't caught in years and managed to up a few personal bests. The fishery has a club like atmosphere and the bailiff 'Alan' is very helpful, at £4 for an evening and £5 for the full day I feel it is fairly priced as well.


A nice spot to spend a few hours

If any one is looking for somewhere to wet a line in the Barnsley/Penistone area I would definitely
recommend Nether Mill Fishery

Now I just need to find somewhere closer to home with a decent head of crucian.....

A guided trip on the Rivers Avon and Severn

Last year I booked a guided trip on the River Avon/Severn with Gary Palmer, however due to the weather we had during the winter and other circumstances I never got around to doing the trip. At the beginning of December I gave Gary a call to rebook and we organised the trip for the middle of the month as the forecast looked like the best chance of some stable weather.

I had to set off at around 0430hrs to be at the meeting point on time which was around 215 miles away. The weather forecast for the day was fine but there had been a cold snap overnight. I met Gary there at around 0730hrs (ish) and he already had the boat set up and in the water ready to go.

Initially Gary showed me some techniques on a light lure rod, on his first cast he hooked into a fish which quickly came off. Unfortunately this was little bit of a false dawn as we didn't have a take or even a follow for the next couple of hours. Then Gary hooked a pike close to the boat but this also came off. A few moves around the weir pool we were fishing and I had a take on a small Savage Gear lip lure but missed it, next cast I hooked into a small jack of a few pounds.
 

First fish of the day

After catching the jack I did some trolling as we made our way to the Severn, we stopped along the way for a few casts in some likely spots and I quickly caught another jack on a shad. We continued trolling to the Severn and up to the top of the weir pool with no joy. We spent some time casting the lures around the lock gates without success. As we made our way back to the first weir pool we stopped at several pikey looking spots for a few casts but unfortunately we didn't catch any more.

1st weir pool fished

I mainly booked the trip to get the chance to fish a couple of rivers I have always wanted to and to try and catch a zander.

Although I didn't catch or see any zander I was more than pleased with this trip as I didn't blank (a rarity for me lately), learnt a few new techniques with the lures and gained some experience afloat. Gary also pointed a few spots that are free fishing, which I will hopefully visit at some point in the future.

I would definitely recommend a trip with Gary as he is easy to get on with, very knowledgeable and works hard to help you get the most out of the day.

I am hoping to book again in 2014 maybe for another try for the zander or a bit of pike fishing on a 'large lake'.

Link to Gary's site - http://www.river-guide.co.uk/

Good deal on Pike and Predator subscription.

In the past I have always received magazine subscriptions as gifts however when my recent P&P subscription expired I had a quick look at the deals they had on, a years subscription and Devon bait package for £51. It seemed like a pretty good deal then minus 10% for being a PAC member it comes to roughly £46.

                                         
The bait arrived yesterday as promised, was still frozen and all look like quality baits. 18 packs of bait in total, not all as described on advert but I am still very happy with this package.

On the pike fishing front I am still struggling for time to get out, however I am planning on a couple of short sessions in the coming week, hopefully with the cold weather over the weekend I could be onto a winner, hopefully I will have something to report in here shortly.

DLST Fooler and Abu Revo S - Long term review

I've owned the Fooler for about 2 years and the Revo S for around 3 years, this combination has become the setup I now use for the majority of my lure fishing.

Details

Rod

Brand: Dave Lumb Specialist Tackle (DLST)
Model: Fooler
Length: 6' 6" (one piece)
Casting range: 1-2.5oz / 28-70g
Price at time of purchase: £120

Reel

Brand: Abu Garcia
Model: Revo S
Weight: 380g
No of Bearings: 9
Ratio: 6.4:1
Capacity: approx 150 yards of 65lb braid.
Price at time of purchase: $99 (approx £60)

Initial impressions

Rod

I received the Fooler as a birthday present from my girlfriend, previous to this I was using a DLST Sledgehammer 2 for the majority of my lure fishing. Although I was more than happy with the Sledgehammer rod it is designed for quiet large lures (up to 5oz/140g) and the majority of my lure fishing is with more medium lures, shads etc... After a bit of online research I decided that the Fooler was the rod I needed. As I already owned a DLST rod I knew what to expect, a rod made of very high quality components and hand built to very high standards, I wasn't disappointed. A nice touch is having the rod customised/personalised with my name on the blank.

Reel

I ordered this reel from the States as it was around £35 cheaper than the UK retail price. This was the first modern style multiplier I had used/bought. My initial impressions of the reel were very good, the reel appears to be made from good quality parts and seems to be good value for money.

Thoughts during use

I initially bought the Revo S to be used with my DLST Sledgehammer 2 lure rod. The reel was used on this rod with large lures ( 10" Replicants, Bulldogs etc...) with no problems at all, since getting the Fooler the reel has been permanently attached. I have been impressed with both rod and reel during use, I have had no issues with either so far... I have used this outfit for most types of lure fishing upto around the 100g mark, the rod handles this with ease and I would feel confident in going beyond this if needed.

Verdict

Overall I am very happy with this setup, I have been using it with 65lb braid and it feels well balanced. Although I haven't caught anything to push the setup to its limit I have had mid doubles on it and it has handled these with ease. Currently this is my go to lure outfit and I would recommend either item.

Boredom.......

I am still out of the country working until the 7th of December, so I'm still waiting on my first pike session this season!

Reading through the online weather reports it doesn't look as if I would be getting out much anyway. I've been told that my local river has been up to 6ft higher than normal in places, which is quite something when the river level is maintained by a barrage. Hopefully the weather will improve over the next week or so as I will be climbing the walls of the house (or painting them if the other half gets her way!) if the rain continues to fall.

I have planned a good few sessions (weather dependant) for my month off a couple with the Porta Bote on the river, a guided trip with Gary Palmer which I am really looking forward to, and possibly a trip to the Lake District.... hopefully I will have something decent to report on from these trips.

To relieve a bit of the boredom/cabin fever I have been catching up with the excellent Esox World and the recent release of Nev Ficklings Mammoth Pike update. Both are ebooks/emagazines available online only from Steve Rowleys online publication company Portfolio Collection. Esox World is a free monthly magazine with Esox articles from around the world, the quality of these articles are of a very high standard. They often from well known anglers and the overall standard of the 'emagazine' is comparable to a printed version but with the added bonus of being free ! - direct link to Esox World.

The Mammoth Pike update cost's a fiver, well £4.99 but it is well worth it, I haven't read Neville's original Mammoth Pike (yet) but I have read Fred Bullers Doomsday Book of Mammoth Pike and the update is in a similar format. Whilst the update doesn't go into the same depth of detail as Fred Bullers original it does provide an excellent overview of the most recent captures of 35lb+ pike, with pictures backing up the majority of these. It is an excellent read, but I wont go into any detail here as I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone, the only thing I will say is that it is very surprising how many captures of these 'Mammoth Pike' there has been over the last 8 years.

My only minor grumble is that the ebook is only available as a 'online read'. The book could have been made a lot more user friendly if it was available as a download for offline viewing on the Ipad etc.... This would of been ideal for my plane journey back to the UK, but I have the latest version of Esox World to keep me occupied.

Hopefully the Mammoth Pike update is a success and inspires Nev/Steve to produce another update in a few years time.