Anybody Catching???

Ta you two for the kind words.

Here's one from last week, caught on the new SG real eels on my first time out with them. I only had a short 50 minute session starting at just after 8pm when I finished work. I had two jacks I think five and seven pound and was happy. Was about to pack up and decided on one last cast further up stream. The eel hit the water and a pike was spotted moving between me and the lure, it must have been sat in about two foot of water max ( I never saw it just six feet from me). It leisurely swam up and then snatched the eel and then a massive battle commenced. It crashed through an underwater snag lifting a five foot long branch clear out of the water. I eventually got it in and it weighed in at 21lb. My second river lure caught twenty this year having never fished for pike in rivers before last year.

With the bank holiday weekend over and the trains running full again, yesterday I decided to grab the lure gear and sod off to the canal and the possibly the R.Trent (dependant on condition with the recent thunderstorms) for a session. In the morning, I gave Dazz a call and told him to join me if he can and he told me that he'd try and get an hour or so. By around 10:45am I got to the section of the canal where I geared myself up, I clipped on a Savage Gear prey lure and after half an hour of casting with it, I noticed it started to float at the tail end. So i clipped on a different lure and got back to fishing, by around 11:45am Dazz caught up with me he hadn't brough his gear but was happy enough to join me as company. I got fed up of the current lure and decided another switch, this time with a spro BBZ-1 shad, first cast and not a sign second cast gave a swirl, and my intial thoughs were that I'd either spooked a fish i.e chub/carp etc, or that a pike had missed the lure completly after it's stike at it. as we moved down I kept casting lures in every spot that looked like a fish was lurking belowI managed to loose a storm wildeye shad to a snag but We made our way to the trent to have a crack there, although the conditions seemed nice, the amout on weed that was being caught on every cast could have filled my tropical aquaruim.



After each time I moved from peg to peg and at each cast I kept getting weed, a while later as I was along the R.Trent, I swapped the lure for a HRT perch crankbait availble from AGM discount tackle.



I then done another cast and once again I caught weed, well I was proven wrong by the 'weed' tugging back. I then said to Dazz ''fish on'' and he scrambled for my net behind me, my mind was ticking away with the though of what fish I had on at the end of the line tugging away pike, perch, chub, zander? With a distinct flash of green and orange as i was playing the fish I knew instantly it is a perch.

At the scales this perch came to 2lb, Dazz instantly remarked on how the bigger perch seemes to have the hunchback, anyway enough of that heres the pics.





well what a lovely fish? I carried on fishing the R.Trent for an extra hour until around 3:30pm then we headed back up the canal, dazz parted his way and I carried on hoping for another fish to add on todays list but nothing. I managed to get home to a pot of curry & rice for around 5:30pm

all in all an enjoyable day with a nice fish to save from a blank.

Alex,

also in the blog :- http://www.alexmakkfishing.com/

Being honest and trueful, my recent sessions have somehow felt like I've pushed myself to actually step foot out the house with the lures but either way I persisted to have a few sessions on the towpath.

last weeks session
Well on Tuesday whilst at work, my mother popped in the salon and passed a present over, it was one of these RT tyran and the 6ft one, so here looking forward the coming weekend, come the following Thursday I had a order on with AGM & HSM. Come friday I managed to have a couple hours on the usual stretch of the cut, and whilst taking note of the surrounding area it gave me the thoughts for the rest of the day. Those though were regarding the specific stretch of the cut, and how the condition of it seems a disgace : burnt debris, litter & lost tackle on the far side, and trash left my the 'fisherman' knocking back skol super. So I decided that in future I am to try and put my attention at another part of the canal to see what that brings.

Saturday

So the suff I ordered a couple days before has landed on the mat, just in time for another session.



even these little spro swimbaits are cute


I didn't want to start early nor late so I met up with my mate Dazz and we had a good couple hours, dazz stuck with a traded jerkbait and I was using the texas rig for the first time and the whole day I will say that the presentation sees good, just the carolina to try next and to get some fish caught on 'em. A while later whilst we were fishing, I twitched the rod to get the lure working and this happened.



Not good not good at all, I stood there bewildered on what had just happened. whilst dazz was on a jack. I had to pack up and go home, so that session went to pot.

Today

So I managed a good days session today, the weather wasn't bad a little rain and a chill wind. I managed to get going for around 10:00am and began to walk to another stretch of the canal that I have not fished as often as the other stretch.
I done a few casts 'ere & there but nothing not a sniff all morning, after midday the clouds changed and I could feel that rain was on the way. I cast near some reed and BAM! a fish hit the lure, I don't know what but I cast again BAM! but missed so i changed lure to a MH Fat belly shad in baby bass and cast at the same place, BAM! I managed to connect and reel the fish in, it turn out to be a jack give some good bursts for freedom, as I was about to dip the net to scoop him he shakes the head and manages to loose the hooks. Not to worry ''at least there is fish here'' I told myself and carried on casting in a swim. half an hour later I connected again onto a fish, a small jack of a pound or two in weigh with lovely colours, but like the other at the tips of my toes he managed to shake free of the hooks. Those two were the only fish I managed but it's telling me that there is probably more, so hopefully i'm putting the effort there from now on. The rain began and I decided to wrap up and head home, knackerd and hungry I stopped off at the local supermarket for a quick drink and sugar fix to keep me going until I got back home.

Must be all that fresh air tiring me out & doing me good.

also in the Blog

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THURSDAY 4/10/12
From a very small weedy swim just below a slack, it could be fished thoroughly with a lure in less than an hour. I put on a Savage Gear 4Play and got down to business, after forty minutes I was preparing myself for another blank when it happened! I had twitched the lure back one more time and was about to take it out of the water when a late taker forced me to keep it in the water a moment longer, one of those takes when you see the whole thing happen under your nose (nature in action) incredible! Stealth attack, seize and retreat all in the longest split second you could ever experience.

SG 4Play / 11lb 7oz / Irish River Pike.

Caught my first and second river pike today, only small but its given me a bit of confidence in river piking

River piking is an exceptional sport, can last a lifetime mate

well done wayne.

I caught first one on the rod and reel I got of you Alex with one of those shads too 😊

well, i'm chuffed,

what colour shad? the blue one, the yellow one, the red head one?

the butch light and calera make a lovely pair too don't they?

It was the yellow one with spots, yeah its a cracking set up

Back on Monday I had a replacement rod from that which had broken unexpectedly a couple sessions back. But I was ill with slight flu, so I couldn't just walk out the door and get fishing.
But yesterday I had a chance for a few hours in the afternoon to try the rod, after I got myself kitted out & began to fish I then notice a fimilair figure come toward me on a pushbike. Dazz had actually managed a couple hours fishing with a jack as the only fish caught, he stayed for a wile before we parted (he's going home and I'm heading to a stretch of the 'cut').

I clipped on a small grub with a 7g 1/0 jig with it, I must say that the action seems good, I managed to get a couple follows and a take, but that was about it on 'this' section of the cut. I got to another stretch and like so began to fish, after a few casts I managed to get a knock on the one i had just made but this was too quick before I could lift the rod. I carried on further down and kept getting knocks but like the first I seem a bit too slow with lifting the rod, it all then went quiet.
I kept casting and swapping lures to see if anything would work, jigs, swimbaits, teaxas rigs, carolina rigs, and the crankbaits all failed to intrest any fish lurking beneath the water.

The light began to fade and I started to work back from where I started, but I kept the grub and jighead still attached to the trace as its the only lure that the fish or whatevers lurking beneath has taken an intrest to.
I got back to where I had a good knock and cast the grun close to some reeds, all of a sudden i get a knock and this time I manage to lift the rod and connected to whatever is at the other end of the line.

for the few minutes that I was playing the fish, I remarked to myself how powerful the lunges were and the sudden bursts if speed it done to evade from being reeled any closer.
Eirther its a good fish or that the new gear is being pushed though its paces, either way the rod was doubled over and the reel was screaming, within a moments pace the jack was netted and it spat the jig head and grub so it saved the unhooking process, Being honest and trueful, I'm a preson who isn't taken by soft plastic lures, i tend to favour the plastic, wood or metal lures, but hey-ho I'm keeping my opinion open as like today i believe plastics do work. Anyway heres the jack,



I notice it was a leaner that the fish I've had from this section before, I never bothered to weigh this one but the rough estimate would be around 4-5lb.

It got dark a short time after and I decided to call it a day, whilst wrapping up I notice somthing small flying above me, at first i though it was a great tit or blue tit or somthing small in the bird world, but typical I stand corrected it was a bat, it flew and made a silliouet in the light and the distinct shape of the batman logo appeared? but what was puzzling me was the fact that it was in the middle of a urban canal with towers and building surrounding the area, I would of thought that they natural habitat would be rural areas like barns and stuff as such, I'm guessing the urban bit attracts bugs which in turn attract the bats, with plenty of hidey holes for the bats all around in the masonry and concrete seems perfect for them.

Also in the blog :- CLICKY

With these little beauties landing on the mat Friday, I just had to grab my Tyran rod with my satchel to get on the canal for a couple hours that day.


A small collection of Mark Houghton's 60mm 'Crank 'n' shad lures.

I took a few hours out with 'em, about three do not appear to work correctly, and I asked Mark if the problem can be fixed. He has kindly gave me instructions on how to tune them on my next session out (Ta Mark)

So result of the few hours spent on a slightly windy & cold canal was a healthy Jack at around 6lb 8oz. surprisingly this once decided to swallow the whole lure. and by 'eck once it clicked on that it is not an edible food source it went scranny! put a good bend in the 6ft tyran and some spectacular tailwalks. whilst unhooking a chap was passing as I was cursing, he asked what is wrong and i explaned to him that with the Jack swallowing the lure in one, the end treble was dangling near the gills and gill rakers which can cause the pike serious damage. Before long the Jack was sucessfully and safely unhooked, The chap commented on how well the jack looked and congratulated me on a sucessful yet tricky unhooking process and safe release back into the depths.

So here is the Jack


A healthy jack of 6lb 8oz

And a closeup on the christened lure.


A MH custom lure in 'Blue sparkle shiner'

All in all very nice couple of hours, Also in the Blog

Managed a morning out and finished by around early afternoon.

As usual was on the 'cut' and it turned out to be a bit of a weird session, weather started nice then went cold and windy with some rain near the end.

Arrived at a stretch that has produces some nice jacks to see that the other side greenery had been cut! even the trees so a little p*ssed as it was the cover for the pike, fished it either way but no a sniff looks like pike has been spooked and set up shop elsewhere on the 'cut'.

Managed to pull a bird(pigeon) on the rod whilst casting, the daft thing flew straight into the line and crash landed on towpath as it got tangled. My mate p*ssing himself laughing as I'm throwing all sorts of colourful phrases out my mouth whilst trying to help the poor bird... soon enough all got untangled and pigeon flew away, I suspect because it was clean and healthy it must of been one of these homing/racing pigeons.

'stung' two jacks around the same in weight (second a little smaller) on a MH crank 'n' shad in 'yellow hornet', both from same section & on the same lure, yet different markings :? :? :?


The first caught



& the second 'un




After those pair I began to work back to where I started, managing another bunch of colourful vocabulary as I lost the 'hornet' to a underwater snag, after that I then decided to wrap up and get home.

also in the blog:- http://www.alexmakkfishing.com/

Ha ha I got a text about the pigeon from D A bit easier to handle than that Cormorant was! Phil Kirk gave us a great talk on his fishing including the Trent, he has had about three thirty's now
Notts RA26 hope to be fishing the Fens with Dennis Moules on Sunday, all being well..

plumb68 wrote:Caught my first and second river pike today, only small but its given me a bit of confidence in river piking

Why not come to one of our Tuesday meetings? Eric Edwards from here is with us next, we are looking forward to his visit

Bazz

Bazz wrote:Ha ha I got a text about the pigeon from D A bit easier to handle than that Cormorant was! Phil Kirk gave us a great talk on his fishing including the Trent, he has had about three thirty's now
Notts RA26 hope to be fishing the Fens with Dennis Moules on Sunday, all being well..

Yep, much easier than a snapping cormorant,

Wow 3 thirty's I'm still yet to get a double, especially on the lures, But it don't mean that i dont like the jacks, i love 'em, they (jack) come across as comical (IMO)

very best of luck on the fens Barry,

The current rain situation is playing hell with the rivers. Looks like the weekend RA26 event will be abandoned..

Nothing big ... but great sport .



Phil.

good viewing phil. does that slug do anything, you dont see much movement.

greg wrote:good viewing phil. does that slug do anything, you dont see much movement.

Thanks Greg .
They're a soft jerkbait/twitchbait, all action imparted by the angler, you need a lightweight leader to get the best from them.
Bit of footage of them in the water on the start of the clip below; the leader is home made solid stainless steel welding wire 0.8mm 316L grade, no swivels, just a snap on the lure end. On the opposite end i use a double loop, it's just a bigger diameter to tie the braid to for greater knot strength.



They're about as light as i can get a solid leader, i'm not keen on multistrand wire or crimps, so i use these 99% of the time.



Phil.

i see what you mean about the slug. going to give the harness a go on the eel. when i first tryed it in shallow'ish water with the jig head you had to reel in faster than i would like to. good photo of yours to go by. i have a big reel of that wire, so no excuse.

That wire's worth its weight in gold!
With the wire frame on the eels, i keep it as central as possible, plus i use 11mm bucher split rings to give a bit of ballast. It stops the eel revolving on a slow retrieve, just gives it a nice wobble, but if you retrieve too fast they'll revolve/spin, quicker retrieve and you'll need a jighead.
Phil.

i have some butcher rings but i'm sure thay are only 7s. i'll be giving it a go anyway.


are you short of wire ??

greg wrote:i have some butcher rings but i'm sure thay are only 7s. i'll be giving it a go anyway.
are you short of wire ??

A bit of trial and error with the split rings/hooks & you'll get it right ... i was lucky with mine!
I'm ok for wire Greg thanks .
Phil.