Sunday 10 August 2014

April, May, June, July round up

Iv wanted to this update for months but as usual I don’t find the time. Only now with it having been raining all day have I found the time to sit back and start typing (After I have sorted my gear for the morning of course).

Since my last update I really have been a lucky angler and this update is going to contain some special fish.

26th April
 I fished the lymm vale charity tench fish in, prizes go for biggest tench and most tench caught. Leading upto this day fishing for tench had been very slow on the vale and I wasn’t expecting much action. A few guys had done the night prior and a couple of fish had come out on the sandbar.  Swims were drawn and I came out almost last! But luckily my favourite spring peg was free and going into the match I was filled with confidence.

With fishing being so slow the best bit about the event was the BBQ in the evening, from the Saturday morning to Sunday midday only a handful of tench came out over the whole of the vale, Phil hatton won the event with I think it was 4 or 5 tench, Id caught 3 tench which brought me into second.
 During the night though I couldn’t help myself but put the rods out for a big spring catfish but not a single beep all night.   

23rd may
 My next session on the vale was the arriving on the car park for a 24 session I had no idea where to start, I fancied the sandbar but it was taken so I just stood on the high banks trying to spot fish. I bumped into a carper just below johns hut and he informed me of seeing lots of tench rolling in front of the car park swim. That was all the direction I need with me not wanted to walk anyway.

I got myself onto a new bait and new tactics for the session after seeing lots of posts from Mike who runs Viking Baits and he was getting ‘Plagued’ by tench on his crab and plum boilies, an order was made and I had 2kg at my disposal.



Over the course of the session I managed to bump 4 fish and caught 2, last fish I hooked I lost and it was a really good fish. Not sure if it was down to me not striking hard enough of it was my pattern of hook or something else because im not a big boilie angler usually (this was about to change)

Me trying my hand at sea fishing

26th May  
bank holiday Monday id jumped back into the same swim, rods were clipped up at the right distance so all I needed to do was cast out and hopefully start getting runs again. In the 24 hours though I didn’t get a single tap and neither did anyone else around the lake? Really strange after so many runs and fish id seen topping only 2 days before.

Trying to hunt out wrasse with mark

30th May
 Managed to book a Friday off work and get down onto the vale, I knew it was only a matter of time before the fish would start feeding confidently. Set my alarm early and was at the vale for 4am, the sandbar was free and decided straight away to jump onto it. What followed was possibly the best tench session I have ever had 28 tench and 1 carp in 24 hours, Including 6lb12oz, 7lb, 7lb1oz, 8lb12oz (which was a new pb) and 8lb14oz which is now my new pb. All fish came to the Viking baits crab and plum boilies.
Since that session on the vale I have visited maybe another 4 times, each time catching multiple fish to 7lb. 

8lb12oz

8lb14oz



7lb1oz

23rd July


Decide to skip a bit since the 30th may which included a couple of sessions on the river and fishing the canal  but nothing major to report, On the 22nd july I decided to get out after a birthday catfish so it was back onto the vale.  Between 11pm and 12pm I had two dropped runs on half a tin of meat, now you don’t get many pick ups on half tins of meat so I was certain it was a cat. At just after midnight I had another run but this time it fired off, straight away after latching into it I knew it was the big girl. I had this fish on for about 15 minutes before it gave any sign of tiring, it came upto the surface about 50 yards out and just started slapping around on the surface, it was one of those moments were you are just praying it comes in. By the time it came to the net I was exhausted and I was completely blown away by the result. 61lb8oz. it was a monster.





I was almost tempted to go home because it was the biggest in the lake and I had work in the morning but decided to stay as it was now 1am. 4.30am and I had another flyer, it gave me even more trouble that the big girl and at one point I thought I was completely snagged up when it went head first into a patch of weed. Safely netted she went around to 42lb!! happy birthday to me with over 100lb of catfish.



10th August


Up to the current day, I had a fair well fishing session with mark before he moved to Canada managing to help him catch his first barbel, I also managed to catch my first barbel off the ribble. Next weekend its lymms barbel fish in and iv volunteered to help, I want to try and catch some more catfish before it gets to cold. I have also joined a new bream and tench sindicate which I will update to on soon. Sea fishing, I might be catching a new bug. After having a weekend away with mark and catching my first wrasse and dog fish I have been itching to get back.


Until my next update happy fishing