Jurassic Pike

Reusing the pike skull illustration from the abandoned Hell's Anglers t-shirts, click the designs to see the shirts or visit the shop here.

Quick Barbel Report (41)

Two more added. Thank your mother for the rabbits!

The New Blogger

As other bloggers have noted the interface for writing these posts has been ‘upgraded’ - the new interface has a few glitches shall we say. For example ‘preview’ doesn’t work unless you disable your pop-up blocker, and let’s not get started on positioning photos.

The temporary fix is to click ‘Revert to legacy Blogger’ on the bottom left of the screen (or in the drop-down menu on an iPad). This will work until August 24 when this option will be taken away and we’re forced to use the new interface - hope it improves by then!

So this is the important bit: once you have clicked ‘Revert to legacy Blogger’ go to the address bar, copy the address into notepad* and save it. In most cases the legacy interface isn’t deleted - just our access to it is removed - we can use the saved URL to access it.

* Bookmarking it probably won’t work - may need some tinkering.

Quick Barbel Report (39)

Five barbel added to the challenge - total now 39.


Still not finding the bigger fish - but still a lot of fun.


Best 7lb 13oz - recapture, but 3oz heavier & tail is healing nicely.

Gudgeon Hunt II

The ponds I fish for carp in the summer and pike in the winter are closed to anglers - perhaps for the season. And I'm try to avoid public transport as much as possible - so fishing options are limited.

Fortunately the river is about an hour's walk from home - my route takes me through a park, over some waste ground and across a railway line - so there's often bugs & butterflies to chase about!

I needed to use up the remaining maggots from my crucian trip - so a walk to the river, stick 'n' pin, minimal kit and around 3 hours of fishing once I arrived - and only one target on my mind...

The mighty gudgeon! I fished three swims, about an hour in each - and found gudgeon in all of them - probably a couple of dozen landed along with a few roach and chub. Well worth the walk!

Bugs & Butterflies 5

Common Blue, it’s just butterflies this time.


Small Copper, I’m up to 28 species photographed.


Chalk Hill Blue, what a beauty.


Small Heath, bloody hard to get a photo of these!


Green-Vained White, my full butterfly list is here.

Quick Barbel Report (34)

Four barbel added to the challenge to about 4lb, plus a bonus 1lb+ eel. Season total: 34 barbel. Where are the bigger fish I wonder?

Quick Barbel Report (30)

Five barbel added to the challenge. Best about 4½lb. Plus 3 bonus chub. Season barbel total now 30. End quick barbel report.

The Farm Train

First time on public transport since March - Marsh Farm is too far away to walk and I fancied chasing gold! Masks on, me and Richard followed the one way arrows to our train - it was early and we had a carriage to ourselves. Off the train - alcohol hand gel - fishing...

One feeder rod with either halibut pellet or mini-boilie and a waggler rod with maggot or sweetcorn. And to cut a long story short; loads of rudd, roach and perch, 8 tench - and gold... Two crucians, the best going 2lb 1oz (mini-boilie) - brilliant - might have to do it again!

Kinky

There are advantages to stinging nettles - they show you where hasn’t been fished so far this season - the disadvantaged is, well, they sting. Most anglers cut a path through them, I try to disturb them as little as possible - only at the rivers edge will I make enough room to stand.

A couple of hours wading about in nettles and three barbel landed, the biggest going 8lb 7oz (above). And if you think this post is about a stinging nettle fetish - and there is one, I just Googled it (Urtication Fetish) - it’s not, the title refers to the kinky little barbel below!