Fishing For Memories

Boddington Bobbers Vlog

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 20 May 2017 22:04:00 +0000

I know what you are thinking "he'll use any excuse to purchase Boddingtons" and that might be quite true as I am rather partial to a drop or two, the fact that the widgets can also be used to create a cheap and cheerful, bobber style float is just an extra bonus, the video for which (or should that be widget) is available for your perusal below.

Some Vlog Viewing

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 23:48:00 +0000

OCD - Obsessive Chub Disorder

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:53:00 +0000

My fishing trips of late have been dominated by chub fishing and as the title suggests you could say that there is a touch of ocd about me currently with regard to this species, admittedly if you were to ask me what are my favourite coarse species then Leuciscus cephalus would be at the very top of my list.

As species go they are one which is full of character and have an almost rugged look about them, usually carrying various battle scars and coming in various shapes and sizes, from long fish to short fat and dumpy (yes I am talking about chub not myself) and a variety of colourations from burnished brass merging into slate grey, to almost golden ingots and whilst they can at times be a fearless fish where feeding is concerned, they can also be rather tentative and apprehensive.

Currently I have on average been fishing once a week and throughout the majority of my trips I usually stay in a swim for no longer than 20 minutes, employing link leger for all of the trips, a method which most of you know I enjoy using, especially on some debris strewn waterways where you could be limited to less swim options if you did perhaps decide to trot a float.

Brrr

The weather has been rather chilly at times and I must say the current mild spell has been much appreciated, it certainly makes for a welcome change to being sat on a frosty landing mat with rod blank and eyes freezing up, however the chub worrying itself has been consistent during these mixed conditions.

A well built chevin taken during what was to become rather cold evening (5lb)

A short, stout fish (4-5)

A nicely proportioned fish (5.1)

Brassy Bullet train (4.3)

I guess you could say I'm afflicted at the moment and as the season is rapidly dwindling away I have become quite single minded towards this species, but whilst it is single minded it is born out of a real love for the species and I know some anglers might be a bit puzzled and perhaps ask themselves "conditions were spot on for barbel fishing, why go chub fishing?" and the best answer I can give is that you have to fish for what your head and heart are calling for and right now that is currently chub and more chub.

Lean and mean

A frosty five pounder

Golden ingot taken during the only real flood conditions of this season


A staunch scrap, taken from the edge of a fast flowing area (4-10)

A wiry scrap and tango coloured flank (3.9)

Brass merging with silvers (4lb)

The dregs of daylight are nearly drained, but the brass still lingers

During our recent mild snap a trip had to be made, as having already fished in rather inclement weather ranging from gnawing winds as well as frost and sleet filled conditions, it would be most enjoyable to feel a bit of spring like warmth. The river had fined down rather nicely and it was to turn into a most fruitful trip with fish taken on bread,worm and cheese paste, as you might expect some of the swims can be rather snag ridden and once hooked it's a case of discouraging the fish from not diving back to the sanctuary of such bolt holes, usually easier said than done.

A battle hardened battering ram (5lb)

The first fish of the trip (pictured above) was one full of character that gave an absolutely tenacious scrap as it proceeded to head downstream towards the many dead weed beds, naturally I was instantly buoyed by this, especially as someone whom takes each fish as they come, I could have gone home happy then and there.

Further afield I found a nice area of smooth water, in fact you might have called it the perfect area for trotting, every so often along the near margin a fish would give away its presence with the odd swirl, a switch of bait was made from bread to worm something a bit more natural, I also find at times that worm is hard to beat on a waterway that has fined down and usually results in what can be instant and aggressive bites. By now the sun was well and truly popping out from between the clouds and I was feeling decidedly toasty not to mention quite contented. Half an hour later and after receiving some rather light fingered plucks I was playing a rather long chevin that was quite intent on showing me how well it had been sprint training before then ducking back under my nearside margin.

A rather pretty fish with wonderful colouration (4-2)

As I moved on downstream I found a swim that had more than a hearty helping of coverage and a plethora of debris intermingled with slack areas between sunken boughs, it looked too good to pass by and soon a bait was working its way under this jungle like area. It wasn't long before a response was had, plucks converting to a more confident bite, then hell broke lose and I was being taken for a whirlwind tour of this habitants homestead, my light quiver tip rod attempting to cushion the head first run toward sunken trees. After some nerve racking moments I slipped the net under an almost perfect looking chub and probably one of the most handsome I've had this season, this fish had a beautiful black marking on its tail, almost as if it had been partially dipped in a pot of ink.

This particular fish took me to task, a superb scrapper (5.7)

After returning this fish I decided to stop off for a snack and some light refreshment, which was most welcome as it was a very mild afternoon, it certainly did not feel like February and there was a cornucopia of wildlife activity, with three Roe Deer in the opposite field, Green Woodpeckers drilling away avidly in the nearby trees and Kingfishers doing low level flybys, it really felt like spring had truly awoken.

A bit further along the river I found a tiny swim, I suppose you could call it that, but in reality it was more like a little opening which should have come with a caption along the lines of "hit and hold". A Little bit of bread was nipped on to the hook and allowed to roll through this area, the response was almost immediate as the rod tip thudded round, it was at this moment that I was wishing that I had been using an 8 or 9 foot rod as this would have made for a less fraught scrap in such a confined zone. After an adrenaline filled scrap a perfectly conditioned chub was sat in the net and probably wondering what had just happened, one moment a free lunch is on offer, the next it's on the bank being stared at by a cheerful, tubby angler.

An immaculate chevin, albeit hollow (4lb)

By the time daylight was ebbing away I decided to stop off on a couple of swims on my way back along the river, both of which produced a chevin each, one falling to bread and the other to cheese paste.

Short and stumpy like its captor (3.12)

Last knockings on cheese paste (3.4)

It was a rather eventful, fish filled trip and although I know that I may run the risk of seeming a bit overly focused on the one species especially as there is not that many weeks before the river season closes, but the fact is that I am rather enjoying this obsessive chub disorder quite a bit.

Chub fishing Vlog - Knee Slapping Vlog

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 00:06:00 +0000

I must admit that so far throughout this season I have written less about my fishing trips and instead filmed with more regularity, due to that something had to take a back seat in the balance of things and in this case it has been my written blog entries which have, not that I mind as I very much enjoy filming the fishing videos and sharing them amongst like minded individuals, although some things are not put across the same way in video as they are when put into written form and vis-a-vis.

The above video is a trip spent after what are probably my favourite species chub and also include a bit of knee slapping and fist shaking action which was very much in the style of Basil Fawlty!

The Rotund Angler - Tricky Trip Vlog

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 12:46:00 +0000

A tricky trip taken on New Years Eve, after all I'm certainly not some party animal (that'll be the day!)

Some Christmas Viewing Perhaps?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 14:11:00 +0000

The weather outside isn't frightful, actually the temperature is quite delightful, so maybe with that in mind some of you chaps will be fishing on Christmas Eve or god forbid even sneaking in a few hours on Christmas day and in doing so risking certain circumcision at the hands of the good woman in your life. However if you are stopping indoors then I have a couple of new fishing vlogs which you may find enjoyable to watch and are posted below. Merry Christmas to all my fellow piscatorial blog authors, stay safe and with a fish or two in the hand.

Kind Regards Mark.

Sergeants of the Minnow shoals

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 20:24:00 +0000

It was a misty morning, water droplets falling in an irregular pattern as its vaporous shroud was slowly lifting and save for the call of Pheasants there was an almost eerie calm about it.
I had made plans to cover two species that I had in mind, chub and perch, in my eyes river perch are one of our most beautifully marked species with their rouge fins, variations of green, black bars and a dragons dorsal, usually giving an angler a cracking scrap especially in their larger sizes.

Despite my thoughts being about river sergeants, I first and foremost wanted to see if I could tempt some of the larger chub and had prepared the garlic, krill and milk powder cheese paste along with a fresh loaf of bread, liquidised bread and of course a tub of lob worms. Upon reaching the river I found much like many of the other waterways it was running very low and around two foot lower than normal, admittedly this wouldn't be so much of a problem on some larger rivers but when specialising in targeting smaller rivers it can be the nail in the coffin as far as action can be concerned, however that said the river still had a nice tinge of colour which was most odd given that we have had very little rain and there were plenty of swims with debris, in fact there was a multitude of inviting options, so there were at least two positive advantages, I must admit that I am a bit of a flotsam floozy and if there is anywhere that a good chub or perca will hold up in low conditions it is the deeper pools and debris strewn battlegrounds.

Link ledger in hand I headed to my first swim, a slack but slightly deeper area of the river with debris reaching out toward the edge of the flow, a quick nip tuck and pinch of fresh bread was cast alongside one of the sunken trees, this was met with a light rattle and followed by disapproval by the occupant who then backed right off, this was to turn into a recurring theme as I spent this particular trip changing bait, bait sizes and hook size in hope of charming a chevin from numerous and rather sumptuous swims, bites were either plucks followed by backing off, or the bites where they whittle your bread or cheese paste down but do not commit, it was tricky going to say the least. Thankfully where my fishing is concerned I seldom have room for pessimism and try to stay optimistic with the thought that you only need one chance to change a challenging trip into a fruitful one.

As late afternoon beckoned and many good looking skulking zones had been tried, the majority either snubbing this angler or simply giving tentative bites without fruition, I had moved to a more uniform area of river, but with nice marginal undercuts and tree roots. As is usually the case with this time of the year and heading toward the winter solstice the days are very short and light was beginning to fade a little when I had my first proper enquiry, my rod plucking solidly twice before I set the hook and was met with a welcome solid kick, instantly line was being taken from the little Symetre 500 reel as a large striped shape surfaced mid channel, at the same time my eyes popped out my head, I fumbled to push them back into their sockets, this was a very large perch and not that well hooked either, I sat playing her, unsure whether to get up and re-adjust my position or not as the hook hold looked as if it was only lightly nipped on the inside of the mouth.

My legs struggled to receive the message from my brain "move them now or lose this fish" I growled to myself, finally the message was received and I was soon moving into a crouching position with the agility of the Pilsbury dough boy meets a run over badger and none too soon either as she powered off toward the marginal tree roots, you could say she was giving a good account of herself but that would have been a gross understatement and it led to a bit of knit one pearl one, with my rod changing from left to right hand to gain a modicum control.

Finally she was in the net and I was pretty speechless, when the words did eventually tumble out all I could muster was "it's a clonker, an absolute beauty!".

Transfixed by a thick Set Specimen

3.14

Probably one of the best looking river perch I have caught, fins looking like they had been coloured in with a felt tip pen, black bars down her flank in the shape of Sabretooth Tiger fangs and the most glorious mixture of lime greens, she was truly perch-fection.

After having slipped her back and just about managing to calm myself I decided to head off upstream to see if I could perhaps pick up a chub or two as they had been a cause for much head scratching to say the least.

As daylight waned I picked up a couple of modest chub, the one pictured below the larger of the two which obliged.

Making my way back to the car park I was quite contented, after all there was always next time for one of the larger chevin to put in an appearance and that one of the very special Sergeant's of the Minnow shoals had obliged was more than reward enough.

A modest days fishing (Video 99)

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 17 Nov 2016 18:33:00 +0000

Photography - Filming & Equipment

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 15 Nov 2016 14:43:00 +0000

Leading into this particular blog post I want to discuss the equipment I generally use for my filming and photography which includes items that I use for self take photographs whilst fishing and wish to shed some light on why I use them and of what help they can be to another angler, in doing so hopefully impart some useful information.

Camera: Lumix Gh4

I have been shooting photography and film with the Panasonic Lumix G series for a fair few years now and favour them greatly. I started originally with the G3 and moved to the GH series after the GH3 had been out a while, purchasing mine second hand and eventually moving on to its newer sibling the GH4, (also purchased second hand). The sensor on these are of the micro four thirds variety, smaller than that of an Aspc sensor, however the end results with decent glass (lens) are spot on.

Like many cameras they have a fully articulated screen (flippable,rotatable) which is simply superb for framing self take photography or taking above head height or low down images and also very useful when filming. The frame is constructed from magnesium alloy (same as the GH3) and is dust and splash proof, meaning you need not worry if filming or trying to capture a self take in light rain (lens dependent), many times I have used mine in some heavier downpours and providing it is wiped dry and well cared for afterwards it keeps in perfect condition. Granted if you want the most weatherproof of cameras then I would suggest looking at Pentax, something like the Pentax K-S2, however the video modes on most pentax cameras are not so good, but if video is not needed then pentax make some of the best weatherproof cameras and usually tend to put a lot of bang per £ into their designs, the K-s2 also comes with a fully articulated screen, but I have digressed a little, the GH4 is set apart from most other cameras due to its plethora of video modes and bit rates available to shoot at, from 1080p at 60fps, to 4k at 30fps MOV, MP4, AVCHD Progressive and AVCHD formats, with 4K recording in MOV/MP4 at multiple bit rates and with some of the fastest (at the time of its release) contrast detection autofocus with 49 focus points and a touch screen, you find yourself only scratching the tip of the iceberg.

This coupled with a good battery life and very intuitive menu system and you have a very capable mirror-less camera system, that has a plethora of filming modes as well as being a very good stills camera. I suppose you could say it sounds a bit like a sales pitch, or fanboy spiel, but I'm yet to be let down with this range of camera and I have used many other brands in the past, in fact if I was not shooting film footage then I would definitely head in the direction of Pentax, you can probably tell that I really think they offer some great value and well built cameras, as far as menu and sub menus go I would say both Pentax and Panasonic have got that about spot on, without the user having to thumb their way through a myriad of different menus to get to the item they want to use.

If you was looking for the current cream of the crop then the current full frames from Sony are worth a look providing your wallet can stomach the prices, with the likes of the Sony A7 RII, this camera gives some impressive iso performance on the stills and indeed the film front (up to 4k) but body alone retails for over £2000, which is a bit on the steep side and doesn't come with a fully articulate screen, which whilst not a deal breaker I think it would have been nice to see Sony go the fully articulate route as well as have better battery life, frankly the battery life is not exactly stellar on the Sony's, as they opted for a very small battery pack and yes of course you can take more spares with you, but quite frankly I'd rather take a couple of larger batteries instead of multiple packs of small ones, however this doesn't overly detract from what is a very good camera system, but myself like anyone always plays the price to performance percentage game and that is where the likes of the Lumix GH4 come in, body only for the GH3 can be picked up second hand for around £300 and the GH4 for around £600 (sometimes a lot less if you take your time on Ebay) and compared to the Sony A7 that is a lot more palatable, granted it isn't a full frame camera, but what it does it does very well.

One thing I always tell people is that the Panasonic GH4 isn't an iso beast, with the GH4 and a fast lens you can film quite comfortably up to iso 3200 with little to no noise, although personally and when filming in lowlight or in darkness with a camera light I try to keep to around iso 1600 if possible, however many times I have filmed at 3200 and the noise levels have been more than acceptable.

Now for the price to performance option in the Panasonic G series, personally I would heartily recommend the Lumix G2 which can be purchased second hand sometimes as low as £60, usually averaging £80 to £100 depending on the package offered by a second hand seller.
The reason why I suggest this older model is that for its price it is still a brilliant performer coming with some good options such as microphone input and remote input, flip round screen, decent iso performance and HD video, the one caveat being that it only records 720p video,but frankly the output quality of said video is rather good given this cameras an older model, on top of this it is also possible to use hacked firmware to increase said bit rate of the videos recorded, if you should so wish.

For quite a few years now when night time filming fish captures and when filming playing fish I use an extra led light, this I have always found to be a real advantage when it comes to self take photography, allowing you to use a very low iso and gaining much better results than you would without said item. I currently own two of these which do much the same, however if I was going to suggest one then it would be the Godox Led 64 dimmable panel light.

As the above image shows this light is dimmable, as well if need be of being powered from a regular ac adaptor for say home studio usage and takes 4AA batteries which I find last rather well. The unit itself has a brass thread on the hot shoe base so you could use a bankstick adaptor if you should so wish, it also comes with three modular slots on the outside of the case, which allow you to add more lights clipped together, this allows me to slide on my shotgun microphone to the top. One of the key things with this light is the size and weight ratio vs lighting performance, it is a good balance and takes up very little room in your fishing bag or rucksack.

Moving on to the cabled remote, I use a JJC TM-D Multi-Function Timer Remote .

These retail at around between £18 to £20 and do come in a variety of models to suit different brands and models of camera. I have been using this particular wired remote for around 7 years now and have not been let down in regards to build quality, in fact I would have still been using my last one had I not managed to stand on it.. The remote takes two AAA batteries and the longevity of battery life is superb, you can set time as well as interval between each shot and amount of shots that are to be fired, hit the start button and you're all set, it will focus for every shot taken, so no need for fiddling about for perfect positioning with each self take whilst holding a fish as each shot will re-acquire a new focus lock, however if you want to lock focus then you simply slide the "hold" button into position and it will stay at one fixed focus. The remote like most comes with an audible warning to tell you when it will fire each shot.

For a Microphone I use the SE Electronics SE ProMic .

I spent quite a while researching microphones and after having initially owned a cheap and cheerful shotgun mic which whilst doing an admirable job had obvious limitations I decided to purchase the above managing to purchase an ex demo model.

The Se Laser Pro mic is not powered from the camera from but instead takes a single AAA battery giving you around 200 hours use. Although this is probably not a known brand compared to the likes of Rode, it compares extremely well and at a cheaper price point compared to a few of Rodes higher end offerings. It produces a nice even sound with no distortion and a very concise crisp pick up, also coming with a -10 db switch and bass cut switch if you should wish to remove certain background noise or minimise it, for example road noise and such. The Panasonic GH4 has decent pre-amps and a decent built in mic, however in reality nothing can compare to using an external mic for sound quality, that said I still do film at times with the onboard microphones on the GH4, especially if I'm not wishing to carry an extra bit of hardware on a fishing trip.That sums up my main camera and equipment I use for filming, photography and lighting.

Moving on now to something for anglers who like to film but are on trips where they might be moving to new swims every twenty to thirty minutes when getting a larger camera out to film can be cumbersome, this is where I favour an action camera, thankfully the market is bursting with a plethora of options and price ranges, nowadays many of the lesser known budget brands provide very good results that compare reasonably favourably, one such would be the GITUP Git2.

This particular action camera comes with a Sony image sensor, a built in viewing screen and comes with the usual adhesive pads and brackets to strap it to say your landing net or similar as well as two batteries and charger, filming up to 2k resolution, that said when I used to use mine I would use 1440 resolution at 30 frames per second or 1080p at 60 frames per second mode. This particular camera features a decent image stabiliser too and was used to shoot quite a bit of my Tench fishing video.

This was used in tandem with the Gh4 for that particular video, specifically in the multi angle side on shots of myself watching the rod as well as baiting the swim up at the beginning and playing some of the fish. the camera itself retails at around £120 to £130.

However there are even cheaper options available that compare very well and shoot at 4k resolution at 25 frames per second, such as the models from SJCAM.

Their SJ5000X Elite for example shoots a rather decent quality 4k at 25 frames per second as well as the other expected resolutions such as 1080 at 60 frames per second and 720p. footage captured by this camera can be seen "here".

As you can see from the above picture design wise the SJCAM and the Gitup2 are both very similar as well as both sharing that typical go-pro style design. The SJ5000X Elite retails between £90 to £100 and is a very respectable action camera and out of the two cameras the SJ5000 comes with more diverse interchangeable brackets. If you do decide to purchase either then do yourself a favour and be sure to buy a couple of third party batteries as four is a bare minimum for a days fishing, remember you will get more mileage from the batteries with the screen turned on only when you need it.

For the best performance to cost ratio then the likes of the DBpower Ex5000 takes some beating.

Hands down this cam probably has the best bang to £ ratio of any action camera and can be at the time of writing bought for £39 (Amazon) that includes waterproof case, accessories and two batteries. You will be hard pressed to not be reasonably impressed by the footage this little budget box can put out given the price tag and it includes a large 2 inch rear screen, Panasonic image sensor and the fact that the two included batteries last for around three hours, admittedly it does 1080p at only 30 frames per second and 720p at 60 frames per second, but given the price point in question and quality of footage that is pretty good for a budget option.

Obviously there is your more high end action cameras, such as those from Sony and the most well known brand Go-Pro, whilst these are both very good and in my opinion the latter having some of the best video quality and options, it comes with a fairly heavy price tag if you compare it to the above three budget options. That said with all the competition now out there and the fact that newer Go-Pro models and indeed many different iterations are available from said manufacturer then the prices are coming down. I do now film with a Go-Pro 4 and as said above if you want what I feel is some of the best video quality from an action camera then it is the better option I certainly will not hesitate in saying that, however it does not provide the same price to performance ratio of the budget action cameras that I have listed above nowhere near it, however the fact stands that the Go-Pros (silver 4 and black) do provide some of the best image quality however none of the Go-Pro models, even their base line "Hero" can hold a torch to those I have listed above based purely on price to performance, I cannot stress this fact enough.

Moving on to the external microphone I use with my Go-Pro. I use a little stereo golf ball shaped microphone known as the Saramonic G-Mic.

This particular microphone is nice and compact and delivers a very crisp and clear audio on my Go-Pro and I can't for the life of me understand why there is a few negative reviews regarding this item, granted you could of course argue that you may as well use a microphone socket adaptor on the Go-Pro and plug in a normal shotgun microphone, but then you are just going to make your action camera blossom into a bit of a behemoth. I have found with the Go-Pro in particular that whilst this microphone draws its power direct from the action camera batteries I haven't lost much recording capacity per battery at all.

I hope this blog entry may have been of some help, it's just a little insight as to what I use, be that additional equipment for my main camera or as to what budget action cameras that I would personally recommend for anyone interested in purchasing something to record their trips with and especially if not wishing to take up too much fishing bag space, wanting a small action cam to take about during impromptu fishing trips or roving trips to record their outings. If anyone has any queries and I can perhaps help, then please feel free to leave a question in the comments box and I will try to advise as to the best of my knowledge.

Scriptio continua

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 07:30:00 +0000

You will have to excuse the title as I really could not think of anything more appropriate as it has been a while since my last post, you could call it a slight hiatus, but I do sometimes prefer making lump sum style entries.

During what has been a rather dry Autumn, I found myself wishing to get out for a spot of chub chasing on a new stretch of river and at the same time decided that it would be nice to do a bit of filming of this trip. I was most pleased to slip a perfectly formed chub into the landing net, in fact it was a beautifully brassy fish (5-3), although trying to extend a landing net with your teeth is not something I would ever recommend.

I have been wishing to do some more reconnaissance on a waterway that I have enjoyed fishing in the past, every time I wet a line so new pieces are unlocked and for what is in many places a most diminutive waterway, it is one that I feel has quite a few surprises to be uncovered.

During this trip I was kindly offered a lift by Maureen (all round good egg,superb mother and taxi driver to her son ), we have a mutual agreement whereby I do household chores and in return she kindly gives me fishing lifts.

Positively bursting with features

I had decided to have three hours fishing and at the same time a little scout about, bringing my purist rod and a lighter tip,opting for a spot of link ledgering to get under the many rafts and feature filled swims, a tub of worms, tub of maggot/caster and a few slices of bread was to be all that was needed. The river on this section was very coloured and yet I could not fathom out as to why, there is only a couple of drainage channels and we had not had any rain as such, however it looked as if there had been a spot of rain to say the least, resulting in a slate grey colour.

I was soon engrossed in studying each swim and decided to start in the one you see pictured above, if that doesn't scream fish then I don't know what does, after a steady trickle of caster and maggot I hooked into a spirited chub that had taken to doing what chevin do best, gorging on free offerings! As it rested in the net the casters and maggots tumbled out.

A greedy golden chevin

I was happy to open my account on a new section of river and more so that gut instinct had paid off. Heading downstream I came across a rather interesting swim, replete with a spare tyre for company.

This looked a likely skulking zone for perch so a change to lob worm was made, after a few tentative plucks it became apparent that there was more than a few residing in this location and I soon had some healthy perch awaiting their parole from the confines of the landing net.

The pick of the bunch was to be a beautifully built and marked fish (1-8) my best perch during this short sortie. I plan to return during winter as I fully suspect this little waterway will throw up many wonderful surprises.

Near the end of September Tom Aldous and myself did a fishing trip together on the the Blackwater hoping for a few chub. Arriving at the river we found it to be running low, gin clear and the better chub were to provide us with a stern challenge. A few small perch were taken along with the odd chublet, but it was not until nearer the end of the trip that either of us would connect into a better stamp of fish, Tom taking his from what I like to call the gateway swim (blog title photograph) and indeed he had a few more chances there too, but they were in a skittish mood.

Meanwhile I was fishing downstream and having primed the swim with a few pinches of bread, rolled my flake through and was kindly rewarded with a very lean and mean chub, with a large head to it.

Slim Jim (2-12)

I have to be realistic regarding this trip, I felt neither of us fished particularly well, we were cumbersome in our approach and when bites can be at a premium that is never the greatest of combinations, however in one of the swims I saw a brilliant looking perch with vivid rouge fins which looked all of 3lb,I could not tempt her despite watching her flank a smaller chub that I had hooked.

With those red fins fresh in my mind, plans were made to go back out and have a try for her. This river contains some absolutely gorgeous perch and I had been unlucky to lose a larger fish a few seasons ago to a hook pull on worm, one of those moments you don't forget but can look back on and have a good smile about as it ended in me being left with said fishes incomplete and rather mouldy Bullhead supper in my hands.

Heading back to the river a few days later with lob worms and a healthy helping of dendrobaena from our family wormery, which incidentally is another area I would like to cover in a video as Maureen has gone into special depth and detail with breeding, feeding and keeping these worms in all weather conditions and she knows a lot more on the subject than this son of hers.

I planned to spend a few hours in one swim with the hopeful intention of finding that beautiful Perca willing. It was a cloudy afternoon with some light drizzle, perfect conditions. I had decided to bait the swim with some chopped dendrobaena and feed this alongside a light amount of maggot. The first bite was from a small chub, this was quickly unhooked and slipped back upstream, followed by a few juvenile perch and a Gudgeon. Now I don't normally use gudgeon as live bait and I have a lot of trouble in doing so as they are such a lovely little fish, but I did end up lip hooking this particular fish and within half an hour I had a perch that I would have estimated at the 1lb mark, thankfully Mr gonk was unscathed and returned to the water alive and well.

I topped up the swim with a light helping of maggot and some more chopped worm, and as I did so noticed a bow wave pass through the swim, the shape of it suggested it was indeed a perch, possibly harassing minnow and had me questioning if releasing the gudgeon was such a wise idea, even if releasing it after having one perch on it did make me feel a bit more morally comfortable.

Around an hour had passed when I had a most affirming bite, as I set the hook there was to be no doubt that I was connected to a better fish, my cheap and cheerful 8 foot Avanti rod had a welcome bend to it as this fish tried to run under the sunken branches, eventually the sight of a broad built, perch broke the water in mid current and I could see from the striking red fins that this just might be the fish I had seen on my last trip. A few nervous moments later and she was finally sat in the net and not one jot happy about any of it with the commotion she was making. I could see she was a nice size and did think she was possibly a 3lb perch, the scales settled at 2-14 and a new personal best for this waterway.

You can't beat a nice river perch caught from home turf (2-14)

During October the family took a break on the Warwickshire Avon, this is fast becoming an annual event for us and something we enjoy, as it gives mum the chance to recharge her batteries and catch up on some reading time, as well as allowing my father and I to do some evening time river fishing together.

En-route to Stratford we made a stop at Shipston, namely to grab a bite to eat at the fish and chip shop which I might add is simply superb price and portion wise, wish our portions were as good locally and as well priced!

The following morning was a sunny affair and Dad and I decided to take a look around the river, we had been informed by a few of the local anglers that the Avon was not fishing so well on the barbel and carp front, some of whom also kindly suggested and offered different stretches to fish, I'd like to say thank you to those chaps whom kindly offered that opportunity, however we decided that we would give this section a good crack much like last year and see what would or would not happen.

I decided to tie this in with doing a spot of lure fishing and had quite a few small perch and a chub which fell to a Yo-zuri Aile Goby,blue shad

We stayed in the snugs/beehives that the caravan park provide for rental, these come with a bunk bed and a sofa that converts to a double bed, as well as a small fridge, there is also a toilet/shower block that is used exclusively by these rentals. I just want to say a big thank you to all the Staff, especially Lynn, who is such a wonderful person, she kindly lent my mother some extra books to read and helped us during our stay no end, you're an absolute star and a very thoughtful kind hearted person.

The following evening my father and I had settled down to fish an old swim that had produced both barbel and carp last year, the river is a little deeper here, but no less clear,our plan being to start late evening on each session and fish till around 1am. We decided on one rod each, myself fishing a multi species approach on the quiver tip and 6lb line, my father would be on boilie wrapped in paste.

The first night went nicely for both of us, no barbel to show but plenty of chub up to 3lb for myself on worm over a light ground bait mix and a couple of better chub for my father.

Golden enamelling

We packed up that evening happy to have got our eye in and with thoughts regarding the clarity and water level as well as the otter activity which was fairly evident from the off.

The following evening I baited both our swims with a light hemp and crumb ground bait mixture followed by a few broken up boilies over my fathers swim. This particular evening was to be a quiet one with little in the way of any fish movement, indeed the same could be said of the flow and I was finding it very easy to hold bottom on link ledger with just a couple of 2ssg shot.

After a couple of light twitches on the quiver what followed was a bite with more commitment, no less subtle though, upon setting the hook the pace soon quickened and was soon aware that I was into a decent fish, as it kept low and held ground I had an inkling that it perhaps could be my first Warwickshire Avon barbel. By now dad had joined me in the swim and as it broke the surface I couldn't help but state in the most obvious of ways "Barbel and looks a decent one!".

However this fish was not in the mood for fun and games and set off on a powerful run along the margins, tearing its way through the weed beds as it went, it was a good test to say the least and when I did finally attempt to net her some nearby tree roots nearly saw to it that she might slip back out, an elated yelp was to be heard as the prize was finally safe. Leaving her to safely recuperate I made my way up the bank to ready the camera only to trip and fall, dad just seeing a pair of legs flipping up into thin air. "What the hell is happening!?" he shouted, "erm I..I seem to have managed to fall over" I replied sheepishly, "how can you manage that on flat ground?" I didn't really have a reply to this as it was all a bit daft, I suppose the best explanation would be that adrenaline can do some funny things or more to the point I'm about as agile as a feline that has paid a visit to a taxidermist.

Happy as a sand boy (11 lb)

I was deeply overjoyed to have had a barbel from this waterway and a double at that on the light tackle, this fish was in perfect condition, no sign of any otter damage to it whatsoever and in perfect health. I remember saying to my father "if I don't get any more during this vacation I certainly won't be unhappy". Finishing up around 1.30 am we made our way back to the snug and I must admit we both slept pretty well with our confidence and hope buoyed by this capture.

We had made a decision during this vacation to not fish on the first weekend as it seemed busier with boat traffic and people in general and like anything there has to be some give and take, so we planned to have a family barbecue or two, this also gave my dad time to recuperate from the night fishing as he is not the active angler he once was.

bbq or bonfire? Probably too much pallet wood!

A roaring success

After the weekend and mum having some time to enjoy herself on the boat taxi, dad and I decided to give the same swims another crack, personally I would have liked to have tried a bit further upstream but at the same time I did agree on giving it another go as we had baited it on the couple of times that we had fished it. That evening was to be quiet for myself save for a few small chub and a couple of skimmer bream. Dad however managed a better fish, in the shape of a stocky chub (4.7), missing another bite late on, which we both felt could well have been a bream.

A stocky chevin and a happy dad (4-7)

During this particular night we both noticed two different otters, one smaller, perhaps a youngster and an adult, the adult actually surfaced in my swim just prior to packing up, as much as I love my wildlife I can't help but feel that an imbalance is being created with the reintroduction of these animals, last time we were on the Warwickshire Avon my fathers barbel exhibited enough ragged marks on the tail to suggest that something had taken a fancy to it and I somehow doubt it was another randy barbel! Meanwhile on my home waterways I have witnessed the odd carp with its throat ripped out and the E.A wanted to suggest it was the doings of mink, really guys? Not wishing to be too coarse here but do you take anglers for ignoramuses who don't know the difference between otter and mink or perhaps you take us for a word that rhymes with stunts?

Mini rant over, but how about we at least have some transparency regarding how fish stocks are being damaged by the reintroduction agenda?

Both my father and I felt that by fishing the same spot and ground baiting we might perhaps be helping to lure the fish to their own deaths so to speak, as it seemed quite clear that on the last couple of evenings the otters whilst nearby didn't seem to be directly working the swims as they had done during this particular evening, so with this in mind we decided to move.

A nice tree line

The following evening was pleasantly calm with the cloud breaking at irregular intervals, certainly nice conditions for October time, I picked up a few skimmer bream on the quiver tip along with the odd larger bream (4.6) and plenty of smaller chub.

During this particular evening dad had a good bite which he failed to connect with, I must admit he seemed pretty down about that and I can empathise with him, it can't be easy feeling how he does health wise and he did say "I have lost the ability to fish. Now I know you wouldn't expect me to post such a statement up on my blog, but this blog is at times warts and all, the reason I find myself sharing it is because it sticks in my mind most poignantly. Memories of the times when I was younger and forgetting to bring my jumper with me whilst we were carp fishing, dad kindly lending me his and being able to show me how to fish, someone that I looked up to (still do), hearing him make such a statement filled me with a painfully deep remorse that only passing of time has the ability to evoke.

During the coming evenings I was wondering where the carp might be hiding, we had heard some activity which sounded like carp moving along the opposite margin, but that was to be a blank for my father, with a few chub and quite a few roach to myself fishing half worm over maggot and included a very plump red fin (1-5).

A plump roach, I wouldn't mind a few of this stamp on float from this waterway

I was glad to be fishing quite an open ended method where species were concerned, as I have to be realistic this reach of river was being a fickle mistress.

I do wonder if fishing during evening time was really the best idea, as it makes me wonder if otter activity being higher from evening onward could in fact make fishing more tricky, surely there has to be a possibility that any such activity would spook any larger fish away from the area you're fishing, I mean what fish in their right mind wants a pair of sharp teeth sunk into them? I actually wish during our stay that we had tried a couple of daytime trips just to ascertain if there might be some correlation.

Dad waiting patiently on a cool bright night.

We had an enjoyable trip in general with a nice mixture of species for myself, Robert wanted to stick to a boilie and paste approach, which was understandable, I just feel that at times when conditions are transitional and having those first few colder nights with low and clear conditions that fishing a less selective method can be very helpful, such as maggot feeder, worm, caster etc.

A brassy chevin (4-2)

A short dumpy chevin 4-5

Nearer the last couple days of the vacation, Robert did connect with a very good fish and judging by the way it powered off we both felt it was a carp, sadly this eventually ended in a hook pull as he had to put some side strain on the fish to stop it from going towards some snags upstream, I really felt gutted as I had been hoping throughout the vacation that a barbel or carp would put in an appearance for him just like last year, sometimes despite the effort you don't always get the rub of the green and this was one of those occasions, he really deserved a bit more luck with this fish, especially for his diligence and being so willing to get out on some of the cooler evenings despite his health, there's always next time dad.

It hadn't been straight forward but dad and I were happy to have had the fish we did, although this stretch of river on some evenings was most fickle and it reminded me of the Loddon for its moods, due to this you could say that over the last two vacations it has struck quite a chord with Robert and myself, hopefully a return visit will be on the cards in 2017.

Over the last couple of months a friend (Mark) and I had arranged and rearranged a trip together, we finally made a date set in stone and that nothing (hopefully) would get in the way of as we had not wet a line together since last season, so this was long overdue and from our numerous phone calls we were both looking forward to hooking up to spend some fishing time together, Mark had mentioned that he would like to come down and spend the day after barbel if possible as they are a species he doesn't target as much and I suggested that would be great and would try to advise and offer suggestions regarding swim selection and such.

The following morning I received a text text "I'll be there within a couple of minutes" he was punctual to say the least and within two minutes he had pulled up outside the house, after stopping in for a cup of tea and quick chat we were soon on our way to the river.

It was a delightful day, dew lacing the grass, mist gradually lifting to reveal a day filled with promise and sunny intervals, we both chatted a great deal during the trip, stopping off to rest ourselves regularly. Along the way I pointed out quite a few swims, suggesting a light baiting followed by fishing some of these on the way back. Prior to the trip I had made a mental decision to not fish as much as normal and concentrate on some of the swims with Mark, stopping in a few spots along the way and during the evening in hope that one of the better chevin might take a liking to a spot of cheese paste, but no dice on this occasion.

Come early evening and as I was reeling in I could see that Mark had his headlight on and soon my phone was ringing, "I got one mate!" he said, to say I was overjoyed would be an understatement and I was soon in his swim with the kind of elation that you might compare to an overweight and overexcited Labrador, "oh mate well done, well done indeed, I'll go grab the camera!".

One very happy angler! (9-4)

It was a perfect looking fish not a single scale or fin out of place, a few hearty pats on the back were called for, probably too many by myself, but the amount of joy to see that one had shown itself and Mark had winkled one out was a bit too much for my adrenaline levels, I was relieved as when I have any friend come down my neck of the woods I always want them to have a good trip, however Mark did state that he had enjoyed the day anyway but we both agreed this was the icing on the cake, that evening we made our way back to the car chirping away and insisting that we shouldn't have left it for so long and would have to head out together again but in his locality. On the way home he kindly treated me to kebab and chips, thanks for the cracking company throughout the day mucka, it was brilliant to see you so happy with your capture and we must not leave it so long next time.

About six days later and I was pondering where to fish and what species to fish for, I did want to start doing some perch fishing in earnest and perhaps a spot of chevin chasing, that said my barbel itch was starting to tickle me a bit, so I made a decision to head out late afternoon with the words of a certain woman ringing in my ears "if you go today I can only pick you up if you come home early evening". I must admit I didn't get down to the river till 3pm and was then torn in making my mind up where to fish, admittedly having a plethora of features on a river is an enjoyable spanner to have thrown in the works, that said boy can I dither at times, finally making my mind up over a full hour later.

I was soon ensconced in a perfect little spot, with a nice depth and some deep undercuts, preferring to fish this area upstream due to the amount of debris that was flowing by. A whittled down boilie wrapped in some paste, fished alongside a very frugal helping of birdseed was my choice and at around 6:45 I had a lively scrap on my hands from a golden barbel and one that didn't want to take no for an answer, twice making a dash away from the waiting landing net.

A welcome gold bar (7-9)

This fish was a lovely way to end a short fishing trip and I went home very contented.

Recently I have had quite a few people ask me via youtube and email where my intro has gone on most of my recent videos and that they quite enjoyed it as the opening to each episode, I must admit I quite enjoyed what you could call the theme tune for the channel, but at the time of removing my intro I had not thought that it would be missed and suspected that it got in the way of viewers wishing to into the meat of each vlog. Thanks to those of you whom got in touch, I may reinstate it in due course but with an updated visual.

I guess that brings everything up to date and this will probably go down as one of my largest all in one posts, not sure I'll be planning to allow it to build up in such a way again before posting, as that was a lot to remember!

The water witch smiles once again

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 02:08:00 +0000

Since spending some time trying to piece together another waterway recently, I decided on Saturday afternoon to head off for a spot of barbel fishing, the conditions were ideal and the recent rainfalls had topped the rivers up nicely, adding a touch of colour and I guess you could also say that I was hoping to see if my eye was still in after my recent successful barbel trips.

It was around 4pm when I got to the area I had in mind, the plan being to lightly bait a few swims and then fish them on the way back downstream, a nice way to pick off any fish and given that it only requires a rucksack, rod,landing net and tub, it's always a nice opportunistic way to travel.

Compared to my recent trip where the river was low, gin clear and enjoyably challenging in the hot and bright conditions, today was to be in stark contrast, with cloudy skies, a topped up river and a nice pace about many of the swims, it looked in prime condition for a fish and as such I was in no rush to wet a line instead taking my time making a mental note of what areas I fancied trying and others to store in memory for later trips, which included a few very welcoming pools.

Heading upstream to the first swim (pictured in title opener above) I found that a swim had been created adjacent to this and actually worn bare, which was very odd, no grass at all and looked like it had been well fished, despite this I still wanted to give the area a cast or two and see if I might get an enquiry on the gravel run, by fishing close to the foliage on the opposite margin.

Settling down in my swim with the welcome padding of the landing mat as a support to my well endowed derrière I was soon ensconced and watching a bolt of blue in the shape of a Kingfisher on the opposite bank, a couple of powerful dives under the surface and it was gone, call it middle age or what you will, but it never fails to warm my heart to see them, I could be having the quietest days fishing on the fish front and yet that admission to natures theatre is worth the asking price alone.

Despite a couple of rattles in this swim which I felt were chub being a bit cagey it was fairly quiet so I decided to try slightly downstream in hope that fishing off the edge of what had evidently become a well fished spot might entice a bite, but this was not to be the case and Forty five minutes later I decided to move again, heading further downstream to chance my arm in a swim that has some low lying trees with multiple tendrils skipping across the surface providing some good cover, a short underarm cast was all that was required.

It was safe to say that I was in a positive mood especially given such conditions and whilst I don't wish to generalise too much, I feel if you can catch in clear, sunny conditions, then cloudy and coloured water conditions should always be a bit more straight forward (sometimes at least!).

By early evening, daylight had faded away as it tends to do at this time of the year and I was drawn to an inviting pool, this whole area being a solid gravel zone and most tempting, I did however find myself a little torn with the swim adjacent to it at the tail end of this shallow pool, so opted to try both areas as they are within a rod length of each other.

At around 8.30 I was sat doing my own impression of a crayfish whilst devouring my way through a packet of ginger biscuits, when I noticed the isotope pluck twice, before the rod nearly did an impression of an exocet missile launch, followed by the pin clattering off. I was soon playing a spirited little rebel, albeit with half a biscuit still in mouth and looking like a gerbil that had been caught in car headlights, the scrap was an enjoyable one from a rebellious youngster (6-12).

Three on the bounce happy days

Whilst not the largest fish, what it lacked in size it made up for in fighting fit condition. Four hours of fishing and a welcome third fish in as many trips, I could get use to this, although I suspect the water witch may well have other plans, however whilst she continues to smile I am not going to complain!

Back in 2007 I started making a few videos and uploading them to Youtube these usually opened with me sat under my umbrella, talking about the weather and what I was fishing for on that particular trip, followed by showing any fish I caught and wildlife, fast forward nearly a decade and I really can't believe it has been that long, I now have nearly one hundred videos on Youtube and thanks to people taking the time to watch them, some of whom post a comment and regularly view them as well as subscribe to my channel, I have just reached a little milestone in surpassing 2500 subscribers and admittedly compared to some channels this might not seem a great deal, but for a chap whom use to have around 25 subscribers it means a great deal. I would like to say a huge thank you to all of you who watch the videos and take time to also read my piscatorial thoughts herein. I sincerely mean that so thank you.

Christening a new rod - Vlog 97

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 14:16:00 +0000

Hornets nest - The broken rod vlog

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Fri, 02 Sep 2016 06:41:00 +0000

Stirring up a hornets nest

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 27 Aug 2016 23:15:00 +0000

It was a late and humid evening as I made my way toward the river, sheep calling out in earnest, lambs stood, staring quizzically at the quiet soul whom passed them by, some roughly nudging their mothers undercarriage in search of milk and a sense of security. After a recent trip without reward I felt more focused and with a mindset which I have not had in a while, something had changed, another part of me had awoken as if dormant for so much time, a primeval instinct, an incessant urge to reconnect with the waterway that many years ago had a guiding hand in germinating my love for flowing water.

The river was low, her watery blouse parched, revealing inner charms, snags reaching out to any angler that might be foolhardy enough to wet a line near them, the evening air was thick with the heady aroma of Balsam merged with that sweet smell you only seem to find by the riverbank, a couple of lusty breaths were savoured, boy did it feel great to be out again! As I settled in my swim owls could already be heard and sure enough a Barn Owl appeared on the opposite bank, swooping low before disappearing over the hedges.

A frugal helping of bird seed was followed by no more than four free offerings, less always being more, patience and observation the real key, as well as knowledge that the water witch can flatter to deceive an angler. As light fades an anglers hope increases, but it is a hope that is tempered with the seasons of fishing and understanding he has accrued, with it the ever changing moody embrace of this waterway.

I sat listening to the night sounds, each one telling a different story, the light crunch along the path behind me told me that a deer was nearby and sure enough this was followed by the startled bark as it picked up my scent, in the distance a shrill cry could be heard and one that never fails to make the hairs on the back of the neck stand on end, dogs cried out in reply to this lustful vixen as its howls faded away as if carried on the light breeze.

I must have nodded off momentarily, my head jerking forward as I looked toward the isotope "crackle" came the reply, the centre pin was startled into action and suddenly clattering off.
A feeling of surging energy was met by the most nightmarish sound of carbon breaking near the reel seat, I looked down dumbfounded, bewildered and more than a little miffed, "why would you break on me now of all times!" Followed by less than eloquent words which tumbled from my lips "fuck it!" I snarled.
A weld was fashioned from rod and hand, eventually the scrap with the occupant at the other end of rod and line was renewed, each lunge gradually weakening my belief that this fish would see the confines of the landing net, after what felt an age and what will probably result in my premature baldness, the most gloriously conditioned barbel was sat in the net.

I felt emotionally spent and sat staring with a mixture of loathing and disgust at the Wychwood Extremis rod that had decided to give up the ghost on me, not once had it been mistreated in the nine or so years of having owned it, in reality I was more annoyed because I loved playing fish on this particular rod.

Having recovered composure, I set about making ready my camera,light and remote control for a photo or two. Having switched the camera light on a whirring sound could be heard, something akin to an Apache helicopter, the sound increased and was joined by three more, Looking at my camera light I could see a rather angry hornet, repeatedly trying to sting this and the camera flash, I didn't need a second invitation to move as rapidly as possible, lifting the fish back into the net and moving out of the swim, resting her in an area without aerial bombardment from what are wasps on steroids.

Heading back to the swim it was obvious that they were now incensed, grabbing my rod rest I took a swipe at the two on the camera knocking them both off and in doing so provoking the wrath of both as they took it in turns to swoop at me, thankfully both swipes with the rod rest proved fruitful and connected with that meaty sound you might expect to hear when timing a well placed shot with a cricket bat. I doused the light, hurriedly grabbed my gear and beat a hasty retreat.

A healthy thick set double (11-15)

Thankfully this fish went a very long way to compensating for the faulty rod and the hornet squadron. She was thick set, fighting fit and had a glorious colour and tone to her, I went home a happy angler but not without a few more choice words for the rod, which I scolded like a parent chastising a naughty child.

Blackwater Bound - A New Pb For Ian

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 12:05:00 +0000

A Vlog Selection

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 19:07:00 +0000

I must admit I have not been keeping up with my blog entries since the start of the season, this is because I have been focusing on filming more videos, which I really do enjoy making. However due to this, my written side which I dearly love has taken a bit of a hit. So for the time being I thought I would share a few of the current videos from this season with you chaps.

Farmoor Than I Expected

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 14:38:00 +0000

I am not much of a fly fisherman, in fact the last time I attempted to fly fish would have been around the age of 13 whilst on holiday in France, fishing a small lake and managing to catch a couple of rainbows via a mixture of flapping, yet I seem to remember it with somewhat more rose tinted glasses.

Despite this minuscule foray into fly fishing, it never really grasped me in the same way as other areas of our pastime. Fast forwarding twenty four years and via facebook I met Ian, a very capable fly fisher, someone whom also shared my love for coarse fishing and after a trip chub fishing at the end of last season he suggested about learning to fly fish and that it would be a good way to perhaps extend the season on flowing water.

A month later he brought round one of his rods and we headed off for the local recreation ground in an attempt to teach me how to cast. He spent a good five hours, with the patience of a saint I might add in showing me the ropes, going through what I did wrong with each cast and progressing to asking me what I thought that I was doing wrong. I must say the feeling of achievement when I did make a half decent stab at casting was very nice, however more often than not my wrist was wagging like the tail of an overexcited Jack Russell. Ian kindly left the rod with me to practice with and the next couple of weekends I did attempt a few hours of field casting, although that said it is never the same as having someone experienced by your side to spectate and correct your errors.

One of the following days Ian called me up and kindly suggested we go down to his bit of river for a couple of hours to see if there were any Mayfly showing and perhaps have a cast or two.
It was a warm afternoon and there was not a great hatch on the river, despite this Ian did hook into a couple of fish which were acting rather finicky and then offered me to have a cast. Having watched him cast along this narrow area of river, the thoughts of doing the same I guess you could say filled me with quite a bit of apprehension and I decided on this occasion to just watch Ian and how he approached swims and tackled the variable amounts of drag in each one,which in itself was very interesting.
On the way back to the car he said "next time it will be your turn!", a mixture of a weak smile and "yes" tumbled from my lips in a rather hesitant manner.

As we headed well into May we were back on the river and in the company of a better hatch of Mayfly, despite this the fish were once again being very selective, however Ian did get to grips with a few fish, a mixture of wild brownies and the odd rainbow.

It was tricky going and I would have to say that his willing accomplice was not helping matters with a mixture of fluffed casts that at the most fortunate were landing heavily on the water and putting fish down and at worst finding the fly attaching itself to the fencing behind us. I must admit I was pretty self concious by my lack of casting ability and trying to put what I had learnt on the recreation fields into actual practice on flowing water was another game altogether. After a quite a few failed attempts which included missing a fish on one of the wider bends and profusely apologising for putting a few too many knots into Ian's leader, it was time to head home.

As we made our way back to the car he suggested that it might be an idea to head to Farmoor and try a day out on the boat so that I might get to grips with playing the fish as well as casting on somewhere that is more open.

The following Friday we met up at Farmoor, it was cloudy with a light breeze, Ian was confident that the conditions were pretty good and that we would pick up a few fish. A quick unpacking of the tackle and we were soon making our way out on the boat toward one of the water towers.

After mooring up adjacent to this tower it was soon evident that there were quite a few trout rising at regular intervals, Ian mentioned that we were in 80 feet of water and that the fish would put up a good scrap. My first couple of casts were less than stellar, resulting in a fair amount of slack line and not the greatest distance. Ian offered his critique regarding my casting which was very useful and helped a lot, however putting it into practice was once again proving irregular to say the least.

It wasn't long before Ian was playing his first fish of the day and as he slipped the net under it I was suddenly into a cracking fight "two fish at once Mark!" exclaimed Ian. Sadly not long after this mine shed the hook and the line fell limp. I was a little downhearted but at the same time excited to have had my first taste of a Farmoor fish and get a feeling for how well they fight.

Ian with a nicely conditioned Rainbow

After this we chopped and changed between dry fly and nymphs and I conspired to miss a very nice take as a fish surfaced and slurped in one of the flies.

Throughout the day Ian talked about different fly patterns and retrieves as well as casting and I spent a good amount of time absorbing the wealth of information he was willing to share. It was during one his tips regarding my retrieve speed that I had my second bite at the apple, this time I kept a better angle and control. To say they give you a good work out in the deep water is quite the understatement.

Happy days!

Turning to Ian I thanked him for the advice regarding the retrieve as I was sure that this had helped induce a positive take, after a couple of cheerful handshakes we decided to have a cup of coffee and reflect upon how proceedings were going. What I found most helpful was being able to just sit at times and watch Ian cast and retrieve, you can learn always learn a lot by doing so and this helped a great deal.

The master in action

I mentioned to Ian "if I could cast a fly to 25% of your ability I would be over the moon" his reply was concise, "Well I have been fly fishing for over forty years Mark, it will come with practice".

There is something to be said about a good teacher, critique without being overly critical, patience and understanding a virtue, thankfully for this wannabe fly fisher Ian has these qualities in spades.

After mulling a few things over and finding the fishing had fallen silent, Ian decided it would be best if we set the drogue and did some drifting so as to cover a larger amount of water and see if we could run into any seams of fish, before doing so we changed to buzzers and a boobie as the point fly.

On our first drift through Ian latched into a very aggressive fish "I bet that has taken the buzzer" he said excitedly. After a lengthy tussle an angry rainbow broke the surface before speeding off on another long distance dash. After a multitude of hectic runs it was finally ready for the net, a fine looking, chunky fish and sure enough it had taken the buzzer.

A couple of hours had past and by this time I think we had lost about three fish between us and Ian had taken his tally to double figures, we were slowly drifting back toward a couple of the observatory buildings, whilst Ian informed me to keep in touch with the flies and perhaps speed up the retrieve due to the shallower water. This certainly did the trick and I was connected to a feisty fish that swept in toward the boat, before vanishing under the hull and appearing the other side, turning to Ian I said "I now know what you mean when you say they scrap well here!".

Wrist aching action

By now the cloud was breaking up,blue skies and evening sunshine were beginning to dominate, so we decided to head back out a little way and have one last drift through before calling it a day.

You could see that the activity was falling away a little due to the bright conditions, but we were both keen to have one last fish and as we drifted our way toward the water tower I had the most faintest of plucks as I steadily retrieved the fly and just as Ian suggested it would soon be time to start heading back to the landing stage I had a real thud, lifting into a rather speedy fish which took off as if it was being chased by demons, the pace was utterly manic and it felt a more solid fish.

After one heck of a scrap, by which time my mouth was suitably dry, my reward was sat in the net and looking a tad miffed.

My best of the day taken on the boobie

After this fish we headed for shore, it had been a very enjoyable day spent together, we had shared some good humour and a few fish that seemed as if they were on steroids, Ian had given me an insight into what he enjoys so much and I learnt a lot from him, although it is barely skimming the surface of what is a new discipline for myself. We said our goodbyes and headed home, one things for sure I slept well that evening.

A look back at the 2015/2016 season

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 10:20:00 +0000

I was going to post a written review of last season, however I thought that I would put together a montage video of some of the fishing trips from it instead, some also with friends.
Many of the clips are from trips where I didn't make a complete vlog.I would like to extend a big thank you to all of you blog regulars whom visit here and take time to read my musings and fishing tales.

Madfred Angling "le Mag"

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 17:31:00 +0000

Just a little up date for those of you whom visit my blog, you may or may not be aware that for quite a while now I have been writing for a friends online magazine, the latest edition is available to read and download by clicking the following link: Madfred Angling - Le Mag.

Fred has been editing and publishing this e-zine at regular intervals for quite some time and the feedback from the French angling community has been very positive, with each issue of the magazine being well received. Le Mag itself is quite different to your normal fishing publications. There is an even balance being reached between articles which contain some product placement and articles where the focus is on the atmosphere enjoyment and complete journey us anglers take during our trips, which is something I do find very refreshing.

If there are any other british angling bloggers out there whom would wish to submit their stories, please do not hesitate to get in contact with Fred via Facebook as he is always looking for people whom are willing to do so. All articles are translated by him to French so you need not be fluent in the language to supply an article.

Catching up - Friendly Ensemble

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:35:00 +0000

Well not long to go now till the end of the river season and more is the pity, as much as I enjoy the refreshed vigour and groundwork that a new season brings, it is always with a serious touch of melancholy when moving toward the close of play.

A few weeks ago plans were put in place with a couple of friends that I had made during the youtube social match and they were to journey down from Bridgnorth to spend a day hunting along the Loddon and its sister the Blackwater in hope of a first chub or barbel from either of these waterways.

Meeting up with Robert and Richard we were greeted by very blustery yet mild conditions, both rivers carrying a reasonable amount of water along with tinge of colour, conditions looked good for them and I was hopeful that they might find the rivers in forthcoming moods (famous last words). After showing them around the venue and pointing out some of the better spots, we were soon fishing, Robert and Richard starting upstream, with myself further down, we agreed a meeting point for a lunchtime breather and chance to gather our thoughts on how the day was going.

Stopping in a couple of swims to leave some liquidised bread I headed to a debris strewn area of the river, in hope that a willing chevin might be lurking, chopping and changing between worm cheese paste and bread as I went. Alas aside from a resident pike that looked in a fairly keen mood to harass small fry and an unwelcome mink which cruised by rather nonchalantly, it was most quiet and I was starting to think that both rivers were going to throw one of their well known sombre moods.

Further downstream I found out that Robert had lost a chub which he had hooked under a tree, in a swim that was peppered with mink paw prints, moving on from this swim he mentioned to me that he had spotted a good chub that he had spooked in the shallows, one which had been feasting on some of the liquidised bread that I had left there. If anything It was becoming apparent that both waterways were in the mood to give all three of us a good lesson in curve balls. From my own point of view when having guests down, especially ones whom have made bit of a journey it is always with a sense of tension and hope that the rivers will show a kind face and welcoming hand.

During late afternoon Richard and Robert fancied a change to barbel tactics, their plan being to fish into evening time before heading home, I had pointed out a few of the good swims of which there are plenty along this river, however when she is in a sullen mood it can make not a jot of difference.

Robert set up in a fairly confined swim and fished just on to the marginal drop off, lowering his boilie and paste offering under some tired looking trees, meanwhile downstream of myself Richard had been getting some enquiries on cheese paste before finally making a change to boilie. An hour had passed when Richard walked down to inform us that he had a chub in the net and there was an almost audible sense of relief.

Richard's first Loddon chub 4lb

Richard was very happy to have caught his first Loddon chub and given the mood the river was in I was relieved somewhat and buoyed by this fish, hopeful that a whiskered friend would not be far behind for either of the guys.

Sadly it was not to be the case and as the wind increased during late evening the chaps decided to call it a day and head home. Despite how the days fishing had been it was evident that they had thoroughly enjoyed themselves fishing a couple of new waterways and were chatting enthusiastically about coming back down to my neck of the woods (next season guys!)

A few days later and around lunchtime I found myself heading to one of my Thames tributaries in search of a few of its larger chevin, keeping things simple using what nature provides, in this case lob worms and ok I admit my less than natural blue krill cheese paste mixture.

The weather was pleasant but the wind one of those that nags at an angler, turning knuckles and digits into cumbersome appendages. Starting off on a nice glide with link legered lob worms and a little but often spray of maggots, I was soon receiving the odd sharp tap, almost dace like and a few strikes later I was still none the wiser. Another roll through the swim was called for, this time I allowed the bait to settle under a fallen tree on the opposite bank, surely a chevin had to be at home?

The quiver plucked a few times, this a more delicate bite but a confident one and after getting a boot full of river water I was soon netting a perfectly conditioned chub.

A perfectly conditioned small river chub (3.1)

As I gradually made my way along the river, dropping into every likely hidey hole it was evident that the wind was going to be in menacing form, strong gusts were now coming along at regular intervals and knocking the little feeder rod off its perch on multiple occasions, conditions were to prove tricky and bites were soon to be at a premium as I shifted between baits and swims to no avail. It's a funny game at times as an early fish can be the falsest of dawns, this was to be very much that scenario.

By late afternoon my cheeks were beaming from a solid wind beating and I was being treated to a beautiful winter sunset, the sky a mixture of golden orange meets fiery reds, It was at this point that I noticed a small, rubber duck looking most sulky in the muddy margins, those of you will remember my meetings with such ducks on this waterway in the past and on occasion providing me with divine providence (well that is how I like to see it!).

A good omen

Picking the little chap up, sharing a smile tinged with reminiscence I looked at the swim I had found him in, plenty of coverage but with room for a bait to be cast or rolled under. So after perching him on a fence post and thanking him for stopping this angler in his tracks, a good helping of cheese paste was soon working its way under a multitude of flotsam, which included fallen trees, the odd plank and even a fire extinguisher.

Despite the wind hardly aiding bite detection, when it came there was no mistaking it, that typical smash and grab of a large chub, followed by the thud and sprint, rod tip under the water as it tried to run me into the nearby snags. A broad head finally broke the surface, the embers of winter sun glinting off the back of a extremely well built chevin, a couple more mad dashes and she was mine to admire.

A very thick set chevin and possible 6 in the making (5.06)

Windblown and very contented would be a good way to sum this trip up, a friendly duck had once again shown the way, needless to say it made the journey back home with me and is now sat clean and happy next to the computer, the only thing I cannot quite work out is why it does not seem to be very fond of bread and honks when I give it a squeeze.

Six days later and I had offered Tom a trip to a waterway he was yet to wet a line on and an area that I had done an impromptu bit of reconnaissance, during that bit of groundwork I had spotted some plump roach that were possibly around the 1lb mark and of course a few trout bodyguards, it stood to reason that there had to be a few chub to be tempted too.

It was a brilliantly sunny morning as we set off down the river and this particular waterway was carrying a nice amount of colour to it, nothing too heavy just a smidgen. Reaching the top end of the beat we found a quaint pool, the river running under a bridge, its current increasing in pace before breaking into a section with a nice amount of coverage, with only room for one person I suggested to Tom that we started here and it was not long before his bread offering was gobbled down by a hungry brownie. As we moved downstream we both noticed how fast the colour was dropping out of the river and sure enough within an hour it was more or less crystal clear.

Downstream of Tom I had found a nice looking run, fast paced with lots of cover, a lob worm was cast towards a sunken tree and a few minutes later after some tentative plucks I thought I had connected with our first chub of the day, instead the flash of silver soon morphed into dappled markings as a greedy little pike had taken a liking to my worm offering and was putting me to the sword as it sprinted into the main flow, little did we know that this was to be a running theme with everything but chub taking a liking to our hook baits.

A toothy touch, but not the species we sought

As we worked our way downstream we came to an area where the river widened to a double bend this looked spot on, Tom missing a bite early on before connecting with a beautifully marked, slim Jim of a perch, we both remarked about how this fish looked underweight for its length, looking as if it needed a hearty minnow dinner or ten to fill it out.

As the afternoon sped by there was an odd quiet, despite many swims having superb fish holding features it seemed as if no one was at home. Meanwhile I had Settled in a narrow swim downstream of Tom, glimpsing back upstream I could see his rod was hooped over, this was followed by the parting of hook and line, as he made his way toward me it was done with a combination of hitting himself on the head with his cap repeatedly and high adrenaline chatter of "I have just lost the most golden chub Mark, it was gold as f*%*!"

After a quick chat about what might have been, Tom was soon back at his swim trying to tempt another chance. Half an hour later Tom was walking back to me, I figured that he might have got his string well pulled and have our third coarse fish of the trip and with any luck a chunky chub.
However this was not to be the case as I soon found out that he had hooked the golden culprit once again, it was actually a stunningly marked brown trout and despite us both not being overly fond of catching out of season trout, we both agreed that it was simply too gorgeous not to take a quick photo and some footage of.

Tom with a perfectly conditioned brownie (3-14)

We fished on till around 6pm, but apart from one very sharp, almost wary bite to myself and a couple more knocks to Tom it was to be one of those trips where the chub went undetected leaving us with unfinished business and plenty of food for thought for next season.

After this trip we decided to strike whilst the iron was hot and as it was the weekend of my 37th Birthday (middle age beckons) we made plans to do some fishing on the Blackwater, perch and chub hunting being the order of the day.

Meeting at around 9am we were both chomping at the bit in anticipation of some perca and chevin chasing, the river looked spot on with a slight green touch of colour to it and steady pace. Heading upstream I pointed out a couple of swims to Tom and dropped in one below him, whilst he headed for a tired looking bush that overhung the river, this particular reach is a brilliant zone for a few chub, due to a combination of undercut bank and sinewy tree roots that allow those armed with either link leger or free lined baits access to what I would call prime features and it soon showed as Tom was connected to a feisty fish that punched well above its weight as it combined a mixture of sprints and burrowing runs before it was ready for the folds of the landing net.

Tom with his second largest Blackwater chevin (3-8)

After giving our spots another ten minutes we made the joint decision to move on, heading to an area of the river which can be a bit of a pike zone, but does usually produce a few chub, at the time we had planned to skip ahead of this swim but passing it by I just could not resist casting a lob worm into it.
Perhaps thirty seconds later and the quiver twitched a couple of times before a brilliant scrap ensued from a spirited chub.

We were both very happy to be off the mark and I feel this always allows you room to focus a little better. One thing I will say is that Tom and I have never lost sight of the enjoyment of catching fish no matter their size and that is something I have always felt we have had in common. After this fish I suggested it was worth another cast and that Tom should run his link leger under the sunken trees. Unfortunately on this particular occasion a greedy Esox turned up and soon took a liking to his bait and rig in one fell swoop.

After a grumble about lost ssg shot and cheeky pike Tom was soon tackled up and we were making our way to an area where he had lost a good fish last season and probably a venue pb at that! I remember the moment with some chagrin, hearing this fish wallowing in the snags before the line parted company, it is one of those moments we always recall during our chats about small river chub hunting, in fact I think I still have the footage from my old head cam where we are talking about it being a good fish just before the line parted company, ever since this incident Tom has always approached this swim with an air of excitement and expectancy.

A couple of casts later and whilst alternating between bread and cheese paste Tom added three more chub to his tally, I duly did the honours with his camera.

Tom wearing his game face whilst a young chub (2-7) looks on in abject fear of this chevin chaser

Heading onward we chatted about how there seemed to be very little in the way of perch falling to any lob worm offerings, this despite the fact that water colour was more or less spot on for some of the better perch to have a mooch about, it was most odd to say the least. By now we had moved into a slacker area of the river, lots of near bank roots and undercuts, prime perch territory. Meanwhile Tom had gone ahead of me and was heading into an area which can be kind for most species, be that roach, chub or perch to name but a few. Back in my swim I was receiving delicate plucks which were followed by the lob worm offering being left untouched, this sections good for chub however I knew if this was a chevin then it would have probably found such a sumptuous offering hard to resist. A couple of pouchfuls of maggot were introduced upstream before another cast was made. Sure enough this time round the tip nodded with increased vigour and I was hooked into the first and what was to prove to be the only perch of the trip, a portly sergeant in the making and one that in future seasons may well attain its full ranking.

A nicely conditioned stripey (1-2)

We eventually came to a bend in the river and a swim that I usually call the "bermuda triangle" this due to the way that the chub in this particular spot have a habit of hitting your bait before surfacing in an all to snag ridden area, despite this it can be a very productive spot and one where it is not uncommon to have an instant bite or two and today was to be no different with Tom receiving interest straight away on bread flake. A quick change to lob worm and it all fell rather quiet, the last cast unfortunately rolling under a snag and lodging there firmly, in fact it was proving to be a fairly costly day on the link leger front, both myself and Tom using more than one tub of ssg's between us.

Upstream I had planned for revenge in a swim where I had previously lost what would have been a sizeable perch and easily a venue best when I had hooked a fish that I would have estimated at around 3lb, well I say hooked but at the time had no idea that I had actually hooked its three week old bullhead supper.... eventually amd just as the fish looked ready for the net the hook pulled and I was left with a rather smelly and unattractive bullhead as the booby prize! This also happened whilst during a trip with Tom and much like his large chevin which he had lost on this waterway this was easily one of the most wounding moments I have had. We both remember it clearly as if it happened yesterday, as I walked up to him cradling the most foul smelling bullhead whilst looking more sulky than a cat whom has been informed that there is no more milk in the fridge. I am sure he thought that I was a few sandwiches short of a picnic at the time, nowadays we always have a good laugh about it, but at the time I must admit that I was pretty inconsolable.

During our journey to our final swims Tom added another 2lb chevin to his rod along with a handful of chublets, meanwhile I had reached my waypoint and took my time to add a generous feed of maggot into the swim, slowly visualising how I would play the large perca should she still reside there, naturally each scenario concluded with me slipping the net under her. Half an hour later and I received a confident pluck followed by another, setting the hook I could have sworn that I was connected to a perch and that was when it happened, I was perhaps ten seconds into the scrap when the hook pulled, my face etched with a mixture of dejection and dismay, admittedly unlike that fateful day when I had got a glimpse of her I could not be certain it was a perch yet the brief battle had felt like it might have been.

Gathering my thoughts I rebaited the hook with a fresh lob worm, castimg toward the opposite bank and allowing the bait to roll under the flotsam. A few minutes later and a more confident bite graced my rod tip, a tussle of a different kind as a nicely proportioned chub made a good fist of trying to take me under the debris.

The final fish of the trip (3-4)

This was to be the last fish of our trip and it was an excursion that we had both enjoyed, dare I say that I feel it was one of our better trips and by that I do not mean in relation to fish that were caught, but the general feeling with how we clicked and enjoyed each others company, one thing was for certain we were both very tried by the end, but at the same time happy, if not only for such a good trip but also proof that time can indeed heal and some friendships can endure from both our perspectives.

Chub fishing on small waterways vlog

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 20:18:00 +0000

Chub fishing - Contrasting Trips

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sat, 30 Jan 2016 02:49:00 +0000

Last weekends trips were a rather contrasting affair, where the rivers showed their changeable winter moods. My first trip was spur of the moment, grabbing the gear and heading out around lunchtime there was an itch needing to be scratched, I planned to fish a more static approach, targeting a handful of swims before the water levels would rise once more, aided by the multitude of feeder streams and fields that drain into this waterway.

A spot of swim rotation with the blue krill paste and a light helping of liquidised bread was what I had in mind. On reaching the river it had a nice touch of pea green colour to it and the water level looked perfect. A continual helping of light rainfall accompanied me as I made my way to the first swim, a shallow bend with an undercut bank that had been deeply scoured and is sometimes home to a few too many crayfish. A hearty piece of paste was soon moulded to the shank of the hook and winding its way under the bank. A crayfish free half hour had passed by when I received couple of knocks followed by a good pull and a determined scrap from a well formed chub.

This fish had some wonderful golden tones to it and in the sunlight that had finally decided to make an appearance its brassy flank looked resplendent.

A golden flanked chevin (5lb)

After releasing her away from the area I tried a couple of other debris strewn swims, but aside from a one way discussion with a crayfish that looked like it had been training to become a lobster there were no more bites forthcoming.

At around 4pm I decided to set up the seat and fish the final swim for the last couple of hours.
This I have found to be a most interesting spot, with a smooth flow to it and lack of any turbulence but usually a good few snags along both margins and on some occasions can actually be an absolute nightmare zone for crayfish, but where there is an invasive food source and coverage then sometimes there is a large chub or two hanging around to make the most from it. Starting along the opposite bank margins and allowing the link ledger to roll down to a lop sided tree I settled down to scrutinise the rod tip.

It has taken a while for our rivers down south to have a proper flush through, but the last bouts of heavier rain over the past few weeks have helped and apart from the odd stick or branch bobbing by the flow was relatively clear. Stealing a look at my watch and realising I had an hour left I decided to roll the paste into a spot on my near margin, although this is a bit of a risky manoeuvre given the broken boughs nearby. Twenty five minutes later I received such a faint bite, if I hadn't known better then I would have said that this fish was sampling the cheese on a cracker alongside a bottle of vino, the bites were that leisurely. Finally they became more decisive and with its final tug at my cheese board I was met with a bold resilience and headstrong scrap.


A solidly built chub with the odd battle scar (5-15)

An ounce under 6lb, not that weight matters with such well proportioned fish, she had a circular scarring on her flank and certainly had a bit of history about her, these scars melting into grey and burnished gold scales, I was rather thrilled. My journey home was one of silent contentment and one that looked forward to getting back out after some more chub over the weekend and plans were made to head to the Loddon.

Sunday morning and I was making my way to the Loddon in hope I might bump into some more chub. A few swims into the trip and I was getting that distinct feeling that she was not best pleased with me and perhaps doing a feast of famine routine, very much the latter on this particular occasion. Despite the river looking good if a bit coloured and weather being very mild, each spot I tried did not wish to relinquish any of its gems. I have seen it many times over the years with this waterway and it usually makes it all too evident when it has a cob on.

By late afternoon and having got a good helping of liquidised bread in the eye, the cheese paste had yielded a couple of chublets, probably no more than 6oz's in size, the river either had a mood on or my chub radar was off the boil. I had moved into an area of river I have nicknamed the mangrove due to the coverage on the opposite bank, a mixture of brambles, trees and bushes. A switch to worm was made and I started running the bait close to the features on the opposite bank, by now I had been rubbing my eye with regularity and setting up an uncomfortable infection. On the third roll through the swim I had a good bite and even better scrap from a chub of 4lb.

On closer inspection this fish looked very much worse for wear and I could see what could only best be described as a large blister or wound on the back of its head, the scales round this region were soft to the touch, feeling just like a crayfish that was shedding its shell. It looked immensely sore and inflamed, I could only surmise that it was a predation attempt or some kind of ailment.

Despite this the fish swam off strongly, but I can't help feel that such a problem might not bode well for its future. By evening and having suffered from a few crayfish along the way I did wonder about heading for home, however my stubborn side got the better of me and I decided to try a couple of swims into darkness. Despite a few half hearted plucks no more chub were to materialise, although I suspect they were there lurking if unwilling.

It had been a mixed couple of trips, although I wouldn't call the latter of the two trips dispiriting. After all If we didn't have such contrasting trips then I very much doubt the special ones would really feel the same.

Fishing & Friendships That Encompass It

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 15:17:00 +0000

I have thought long and hard whilst composing this blog post and do realise it is not exactly a fishing related one, at least not of the fishing trip kind. However it is related to the friendships I have made via fishing, some of these have been very pleasant and have lasted and there are some that I wish I had never had. The kind where you can be as far from pretence or deceit as possible, only to find out that the person involved simply cannot help running others down behind their back. I must admit that I don't believe a friendship that is based around a shared passion should feel like the person you are sharing your enjoyment with is constantly laying traps all the time or bartering with your information and selling it on to curry favour with others, only to move on and do the same to those that they have shared things with and I have felt like this has been the case regularly with certain individuals.

I admit that I am far from perfect and come across at times as being rather stilted when socialising and dealing with the intricacies associated with friendship. Although I am finding there seems to be a running theme with some people to be disingenuous with others as well as usually applying a good helping of double standards and duplicity toward their friendships, yet at the same time repeatedly trying to either befriend or re-friend you, wearers of two faces and if a wildlife comparison was drawn then I suppose the term "social Hyena" might be put to use.

Maybe I take friendships too seriously but when spending time on the riverbank it is nice to feel you are sharing it with someone whom has a kindred spirit for our pastime without them being judgemental or allowing other malevolent emotions to manifest themselves, whilst still gladly taking with one hand and silently slipping a knife between your shoulder blades with the other.

The question I have mulled over the most would be how many second chances do you give another person before you become a doormat and is twice once too many? Being able to forgive and work through a rocky period of a friendship and giving it a second chance is something that has to come from both parties. They have to be willing to look at each others faults and failings working on understanding each others weaker areas, rather than reviving the friendship only to continue to make snide derogatory remarks to others.

To myself friendship has always been a curious thing, perhaps even more so when it is combined with a passionately shared hobby, does it become more unstable because of that, indeed should it? Surely not, if anything it should give a firm foundation and the building blocks toward an extra cohesion between two anglers, strengthening their friendship and resolve.

Who knows, maybe I am not finding the right people/persons that I click with. Perhaps my friendship radar is askew, the latter would not surprise me, although I can't help feel that part of me no longer wishes to suffer fools gladly, but at the same time something another person said to me also sticks in my mind and that is not allowing one or two friendships to convince you to isolate yourself away from the chances of others which could perhaps flourish.

So blog readers I wish to ask you a straight question as I am interested to hear your replies and in doing so try to use them as a bit of a guiding hand. How many of you anglers have fishing friendships that have stood the test of time through the ups and downs, if so how have you gone about keeping that friendship strong? Have any of you fallen foul of friendships you wish you had distanced yourself from and perhaps felt you had made the mistake of attempting to reignite a friendship with someone whom will never be a sincere friend. Perhaps there were areas where you feel you may have been partly the cause of a loss of a good friendship. I would be very interested to read your views on this topic in the comments section and look forward to doing so.

I also promise to be a bit more back on topic in my future blogs.

Leuciscus Cephalus & The Paste Tinkerer

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 14:06:00 +0000

It was a crisp sunny morning, peering out the kitchen window I could see Blackbirds perched upon frosty roof tiles, these were accompanied by steam being vented with regularity from the neighbours central heating, it was the first proper winters day we have had.

The multitude of different mugs rattled away as I hastily liquidised a loaf of bread before setting about to tinker with my cheese paste mixture, as the rivers were likely to still be coloured I wanted to try to create a slight clouding effect, so whilst mixing a new batch of the blue krill paste I included a liberal helping of powdered milk, the idea being that this would leak off a creamy textured cloud and prove inviting to any inquisitive chub.

A flask of coffee was soon stashed away and I was eventually ready to make my way to the riverbank for a mornings chub searching. It was brilliantly sunny and it did not take long for the rod blank and eyes to start freezing up at regular intervals. Bread flake and lob worm were to be the willing accomplices to cheese paste today and in the first few swims I started with link ledgered bread, it did not take long for minnows to find the bait numerous fibrillated taps soon followed.

The air was fresh and piercing, each breath waking an angler up from the inside out, expelling plumes of warm air, red nostrils begging for the warmth of a jacket collar. Stopping in one swim I was kept company by a couple of wrens, which spent their time moving industriously in and out of the dead vegetation, such loud and lively chatter for a small bird and one which I put on the same level as being a constant companion to the river angler as that of the kingfisher. It was proving tricky and bites were most tentative, even in swims with good coverage and decent helping of structure, sometimes the odd inquiring knock then nothing to follow it, much like a path that shows promise of leading somewhere only to eventually fade away.

By now having tried a good few swims, a pacey area of river beckoned, not the deepest of runs but with a welcome undercut to it, the limbs of an old tree outstretched into the river, its sunken boughs inviting me to run a bait through. A few minutes later and a confident bite was missed, a fault of my own making as digits responded with lethargy and cold clumsiness, they had asked many times for the solace of my jacket pockets but I had resisted lest I miss a bite, ironic that it should backfire.

It was late afternoon when I made my last port of call, as the sun gradually dipped behind the trees you could feel the temperature dropping, a change to touch ledgering and a switch back to the cheese paste was made, the addition of powdered milk was working better than I expected, providing an added colour and leak off to the mixture a component which I felt it lacked before.

One final cast turned into four more, each one supposedly the last. That final roll of the dice, bail arm open, line paying out as bait and with it hope rolled downstream, there is something wonderfully tactile about feeling a bait move through a swim, as it rolls into place, followed by dislodging it and allowing it to carry on in search of its quarry.

Eventually lowering the rod onto the front rest and popping the lid of the flask for that final cup of coffee I was smiling, sure it had not been a straight forward fishing trip but you seldom learn anything if every trip has a set certainty to it, you can be focused but still enjoy the day for what it is, a chance for escapism and inner peace. Looking over the flask lid I noticed the faintest of plucks, something was playing the harp with the paste, picking up the rod and feeling the line a couple more delicate taps soon followed before the rod tip thudded confidently. Welcome resistance and a sprinting dash for cover, angler fuelled with exuberant adrenaline, a concoction of caffeine and the pulsing sprints of what felt a good Cephalus. Those final moments as broad lips break the surface, thoughts about hook holds tumble from mind and become verbalised, wondering if a final head shake will see the days prize slip from view.

A hard won chub (5-12)

A long brassy flank my reward and a good deed is done, the removal of another anglers hook, a chance to wonder if it had also been their last cast, a final hope and spirited scrap before hook and line parted company, leaving an angler with alluring thoughts of what might have been.

Carry on with your mud pies

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 02:55:00 +0000

Yesterday lunchtime having taken stock of the river levels of the local waterways it was apparent that my angling choices ranged from high but not bad, right to the extremes of coco pops turns the river chocolatey. Me being me of course opted for the latter option, always a good helping of the bloody minded at times and yesterday was not going to break that pattern.

Getting down to the river it was as I expected, over the banks in places but looked like it had finally peaked, a gravy meets rusty tea colour to it, not the most ideal chub hunting conditions and it was evident that visual and smelly baits would be the way to go, thankfully I had brought the krill cheese paste and some bread with me.

It was a beautiful afternoon, sunshine interspersed with showers and a light breeze. The first few swims were a mixture of slacks and flotsam pockets, good skulking zones. Not a touch was to be had on bread, so a change was made to cheese paste. Within a few minutes the rod tip twitched and was followed by a bite with more conviction, I was soon playing what felt a nice fish and one that put the extra flow to very good use, ten seconds later and the hook pulled, I was annoyed with myself as I had perhaps given more side strain than I would have liked but had very little choice given the snags and debris.

A few mumbled curses later and a move of swims was on the cards, moving upstream I found a marginal area where the river over the years has scoured away the bank, having seen chub laying up along here in summertime I thought it would be worth a trot through with the link ledger. It didn't disappoint and I had my first couple of chub of the new year the larger a fish of 2lb not huge but given the conditions I was buoyed and hopeful that one of the better fish might put in a showing. Near to this area is a swim that at times is choked with too much detritus, however given the recent rain a lot of this had been flushed through, leaving a few planks of wood and other junk in its place but with enough room to run a bait under for any unsuspecting chub. A few small lumps of cheese paste were introduced and these were soon joined by the hook bait. Twenty minutes had passed when I received a confident bite and I was given a good scrap by a better stamp of chevin, a fish that made repeated headstrong sprints for the sunken debris.

4.2

I was suitably cheerful with this fish and could have gone home happy, but as you can see from the first photo I decided to fish on into evening in hope of picking up one of the waterways 5 or 6lb fish. Just into evening the rain picked up and changed from light showers to heavy downpours, the swim I was in was a bit of a mud pie to say the least and having somehow conceived to lose one more chub to a hook pull I decided it was time to pack up and head home. Sliding my way out of the swim and back to one of the adjacent paths I somehow managed a combination of tumble, forward roll and head first slide into a ditch that I had not seen, thankfully as I fell I dropped my rod at the top and it was fine, but I was left covered in mud, battered and brambled in the ditch. A check of myself and other belongings found that all was fine and that it had been a good thing that I had not landed on my back. An hour later and an undignified figure that looked akin to a muddy Yeti made its way slowly to the waiting car, mum exclaimed "my god it must have been very muddy today Mark", biting my tongue I nodded silently, there is never a dull moment I can certainly say that.