Update

Over two years since my last update! way to much to write about and "a picture paints a thousand words" so check it out

Catfish Lakemore

11lb12oz pb Trent

Bass fishing on the Welsh coast

12lb2oz Zander Trent

Barbel fishing on the Trent

20lb10oz pb Pike

2015 winter spent in search of conger eels

Lymm vale cat fishing

2014 winter perch fishing

3lb2oz

3lb2oz

3lb2oz

24lb carp from linear

5lb2oz dove

River Dee barbeling

2lb8oz Crucian

10lb10oz Dove Barbel

early morning Dove Barbel

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.

26^th 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.   

23^rd 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

26^th 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

30^th 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

23^rd July

Decide to skip a bit since the 30^th may which included a couple of sessions on the river and fishing the canal  but nothing major to report, On the 22^nd 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.

10^th 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 

Jan/Feb/March round up

what a hopeless start to the year!

I have been out a number of times but can't seem to catch a single thing!

since my last update i went roach fishing twice (i did manage to catch), pike fishing and blanked, barbel fishing and blanked, catfishing and blanked, did a work party for an overstamp and the weekend just gone after pike again blanked!.

Could this be a build up to something really special? im not sure but its really starting to get frustrating.

all i can really talk about is my roach session towards the end of january. Was more of an exploratory session really because it was netted of all the big roach a few years ago, But they never to get them all. Or at least i hoped.

Wildlife on the roach venue

When it comes to the roach the place hasn't changed, no activity for hours then all out madness for maybe 10 minutes as the roach shoal comes in, then back to hours of waiting.

One of the 1lb+ Roach

Me with the 1lb9oz Roach

This was also a very frustrating session, bumped a large number of fish but did manage to winkle out a couple of roach over 1lb, biggest going 1lb9oz, which really is a lovely fish when you're holding it up.

may take another trip back soon but as always we just have to many fish to go for, River season is over, id like to catch at least 1 pike over 15lb before spring properly sets in so i can pack that gear away and focus on big bream and crucians before i go for some big tench.

This was just a quick update to get the ball back rolling, see you in a few weeks.

2014 - Focus

Floods! if you dont like them then the past few weeks you have either not been fishing or been targeting lakes. Iv had many blank sessions whilst out in these conditions trying to target the barbel and feel i have just been really unlucky, the stretch i fish usually fishes very well in floods but i just couldn't find them. 

Sometimes this is for the best because it makes me more proactive into getting onto these fish, I brought stronger smelling baits along including spicy meat, some 'special' boilies and frost and flood covered pellets.

But changing the baits isn't enough, I moved every 40 minutes dropping into likely looking areas the barbel might be held up, If i didnt think i was snagged up i would only make two casts into the swim, once as soon as i arrive and second 20 minutes in, to try and get as much scent leaking out from the bait as possible!. 

But all this is useless without focus, The first run i received after making these changes i missed because i wasn't paying attention to what was going on, this year if im out ill be focused on the task at hand, you cant brag about lost fish.

First fish of 2014

Last weekend i went in search of pike on a lake that has produced some good fish for me in the past, i was the only person on the lake because the weather was horrendous, I stuck it out all day for only two runs both of which i missed!, At the time i was kicking myself i knew i didnt leave the runs long enough to produce, each run i hit the teeth marks were just before the trebles half way down the whole fish, so think the fish was just turning the fish around in its mouth and getting get chance to take the bait in properly. 

Next time things will be different. 

I have just moved house and now happily live in Chester! Should be out over the next few weeks so keep your eyes out. 

2013 Adventures

So much for keeping this thing running and upto date! And i had a great 2013 angling year! 

Frosty morning searching for bream

In march with snow still on the ground i started a bream quest to try and land my first double figure bream, i did 11+ nights and the aim of trying to catch a double quickly turned into any sized bream. It wasn't until June before i finally managed to catch one, not only did i catch one i caught 3 on the same session with a new pb of 8lb8oz. 

8lb8oz From the bream lake

Me and my buddy Russ whilst out for bream

Between March and June it wasn't just the bream i targeted, if you have been following my blog you will know a few years have been spent in search of catfish. Well on the 20th of May on a quick overnighter between work i managed to bag one of 29lb. 

The big cat

After catching those bream in June i wanted to try and see if i could try and catch another fish that has been on my list which is a tench of 10lb,  I only did a few nights trying to catch one but only managed smaller fish of around 5lb, i did latch into a lovely looking mirror carp of 25lbs which for a moment i thought was my 10lb tench!. 

After that carp i sort of caught the bug and did a couple more sessions in search of carp before i got on the rivers. 

Whilst on the rivers Chub was my main target, i did rubbish trying to target them but once again something special turned up instead, my second double figure barbel off the upper severn. 

10lb4oz.

That was basically my 2013, as you can imagine i did alot more sessions but fish didnt always show up, including the trip me and russ made to chew valley in search of pike. roll on 2014.

Big Girls

Feeling really bad for starting this and not keeping up to date with it, But i am far better at taking pictures than i am at writing. This winter season iv had my head screwed on and the main target has been pike, as you know from all my previous posts a 20lb pike has always been my goal. Well this season i finally achieved it! that opened the flood gates and i have enjoyed a few more big pike. 

Learnt alot this season and im sure next season there will be many more to come. Close season is only a few days away so im thinking of having a couple of sessions after big chub before its to late. Please enjoy the pictures below and ill be back very soon with tales of a big bream lake i will be starting on with the hope of a few doubles. 

20lb2oz

Putting the big girl back

 River Pb Pike 19lb4oz

Having fun blanking on the Dee

 16lb8oz

My first session of the year pike fishing the mere