A Pack of Perch

Hoping that the cold snap might have slowed the carp down, I returned to Shillingford aiming for a decent bag of perch. One hour in and with no bites I wondered whether it was going to be one of those days: no perch in the margins like last time, and no response to a steady stream of maggot and chopped worm. Decidedly odd.
Anyhow, I soon decided on a move. What a difference! Fishing at the bottom of the shelf I quickly got two bites on worm: two perch, both over two pounds!

I had the first in the net for mere seconds with Rob keeping her still for a picture when the float buried again. Really classic perch these, in excellent condition and clearly thriving on the rich head of fry here.
The action continued too- and with only one carp crashing the party, I enjoyed lots of action by carefully keeping the feed going in. Many more perch followed, lots over a pound including three more samples of two pounds and over! Silly fishing really, one of the best days perch fishing I've ever enjoyed. The pole rig and centre pin combo I also love- with the bait just touching bottom the fish were perfectly hooked near the lips every time, with no gorged baits. If only it were this successful every trip after these elusive perch... but then that would be boring I guess. Conditions were perfect today it seemed, and the lack of carp activity helped me build up the swim without these "nuisance fish" (hey, I'm joking) getting in the way!

Persistance pays off

Deadbaiting can be a slow business when its not happening- but it's certainly the sensible option when waters are murky and cold. Myself and Rob Darby dragged ourselves to the canal basin early to find the cormorants already at work in the half light. A good sign? Rob was keen to test out some ingenious leger booms incorporating feeders packed with fishmeal groundbait, which surely can only help when conditions are less than ideal.
Four hours later and in a different spot we were still biteless, the only form of entertainment watching a bizarre breed of rather masochistic canoeing involving a sort of outrigger on one side and demented paddling on the other. At last, we agreed- a sport more pointless than fishing!
The only alternative was another move, this time to the not-so-pretty City stretch of the River Exe. Again, it was a waiting game. The water was so muddy I decided to pinch some of Rob's groundbait to hopefully draw some interest. Finally, my mackerel was grabbed and some solid resistance followed: a proper townie pike just into double figures, with mean looks and a missing fin to boot.
Ten minutes later in the exact same spot, the float sneaked off again and another pike, bigger still, bolted off.

Talk about hazardous fishing. On the concrete here it is definitely a two man job and I was also grateful to be using my new 5 metre pike rod to steer the fish to safety with walls and railings to bargain with. An unhooking mat is also absolutely vital here for obvious reasons! So, one very relieved angler, the day turning from a blank into a good brace in a short burst of action. Persistence repaid, I guess.

An Afternoon Off...

South View fishery at Shillingford is one place I haven't been in ages, but with lots of coloured and cold water around it seemed a safe enough bet for some bites. I was really hoping for some solid perch, but the main aim was a simple pleasure session. I love nothing more for a fun session than the use of a long 17ft float rod and centre pin combo, using a pole style set up for sensitivity.
Feeding a steady stream of maggots and casters is usually a good way to get the small silver fish and perch going and signs looked good at the start; overcast skies, fry showing and several perch to over a pound early on.

What cracking fish perch are- whatever their size they always brighten up the day. Rather like the resident robins- which were nicking the maggots right out of my bait box. That was before the carp moved in and all else moved on. I knew the score quickly enough- perch and silvers don't send great plumes of silt up as they feed! I tried feeding other lines and trying other baits- to some extent this worked, with more perch and some beautiful rudd showing to chopped worm. Soon enough the carp bullied their way into these areas too. Only the odd perch got through these greedy buggers. I can't really complain as they fought well and made the day full of action- I finished up with a dozen carp to around eight pounds. Worm, caster, maggot... you name it, they scoffed it.

Indeed, some slate our day ticket venues, but they are incredibly consistent even in the ice or the rain. Unlike the canals- Tiverton has been iced for ages, sometimes with a double layer of the stuff. No good for fishing, but some crazy patterns on the surface have kept me amused with the camera, like natural art work, don't you reckon?:

Flies and Frost Bite

It's always a real pleasure to introduce another angler to new methods and experiences. Ian Nadin, having never even waved a fly rod, joined me for a trip to Blakewell to give it a try. After a quick casting lesson, he slowly got to grips with the tackle and was putting out a decent line. The first fish on any new method is often the hardest though, so I was delighted to see him bend into his first fly caught fish on a bitterly cold day... and numbers two and three followed quickly in succession to bright lures. One very happy Ian- converted I hope. Fantastic!

Otherwise all the familiar swims are looking freakish in the ice- and not fancying eskimo style fishing I've been back at the tying vise, mostly attempting various buzzers and bachs:

Of Ice & Men

How typical it is that when you get a few days off work, conditions just don't cooperate. Ice has been the main trouble- short of smacking a whole in it, it makes life very difficult. A visit to Tiverton Canal with Ian turned into a real battle- forget finding fish, we had enough bother finding water!
True to our never say die attitude we did give it a good try- shameless optimist that I am, I even tried casting a fly into gaps in the ice. Deadbait seemed logical in the end, but even this didn't earn a result.

(Above: "Duh? Why has the water gone hard? And why do the local kids try and feed us bricks?)

I always enjoy Ian's company though- we had a good laugh at the annual game of see what you can throw onto the ice, a favourite of local kids. Sticks, stones, bricks, planks, a dead rat... you name it, they'd chucked it on the ice. A bit like a crude science experiment I guess ("Wayne throw rock, rock make ice break"). Most curiously of all, someone had lobbed some money onto the ice. In fact, we were wondering if this is some kind of local pastime of sliding coins onto the ice to lure local peasants to their doom.
No fishing today however, mainly because I have a stinking hangover from the whole carnage of a very boozy New Years celebration. Still, a good excuse to laze around thise morning and indulge in another kind of vice- the one I use to tie flies with. Here's one called a "Lucky Bugger" (if you can't be good, be lucky I always say):

And then we have some bass patterns. Great, except that it'll be a small eternity before they see the beach:


A very happy new year to everyone! Hope 2010 is a good 'un for you.

The Logic of Lures

You know it's proper winter when you have to carve the ice off your car on a daily basis. After a few abandoned plans due to frozen waters things are slowly starting to thaw out and having lain about digesting the stone or so of christmas stodge I was itching to get back out to Bratton water and try a catch and release ticket.

No rising fish or hectic action on this occasion however and it really was a case of going through the card, from buzzers and bloodworms to mini lures. Strange how the plan that works one week can be close to useless the next! It was movement the fish seemed to want in the end, perhaps the best option when little is hatching, and the lures won out, with rubber daddies and small, glitzy lures finally making an impression for a hat trick of rainbows.

I guess I do find the slow sussing out of trickier days enjoyable in itself though- and even lure fishing can prove a challenge in finding the right pattern and retrieve on the day. For example, I spotted several cruising fish later in the day that would follow a big fritz every cast- but a fish was only hooked when a much smaller version was offered. Remarkably picky for "stupid" stocked fish! Today was one of those perplexing sessions when you get a fish on a particular pattern but then not a touch until something else is tried. Working on the answer is rewarding in itself though- wouldn't want it to be easy now would we?

Fishing the Freeze

It's not always easy fishing after a big frost. Especially if your haunt of choice is covered with ice. Thankfully Blakewell fishery stays clear in all but the most extreme cold, although you do check your marbles when you read -4C on the meter.
Throw in some snow and you have interesting conditions.

Lures seemed a good starting choice if only to prevent the line freezing to the rod rings. Just as the snow began falling I had a hit on a Woolly Bugger- which could also be a term for an angler covered in thick winter wear! Pulling lures isn't the most subtle method going, but watching a fish chase and smash the fly is exciting stuff in clear water. Unlike other species, rainbows seem to lose little of their fighting spirit in the cold either.

As the day warmed a little though, odd fish began to rise. For a half delusional moment I considered putting on a dry fly- looked like the fish were taking sporadically hatching buzzers. A Daiwl Bach fished no more than three feet deep did the trick- a subtler take and another less than subtle fight. Two fish for seven and a half pounds was a nice brace; the owner doesn't offer catch and release and so it was a done deal on the ticket, with some great winter pictures from Frazer to boot. Time to find a pub and get by the fire place!