Oh no! The season is less than two weeks old and it's two Jack's Pike in a row. I think I'd landed 12 barbel by this time last season, I've only managed about 2 hours fishing all week, a blank for me but Darren did catch a small trout... Need to get back on it!
I couldn't resist a few hours on the riverbank this afternoon to see if the barbel were feeding, long story short... No!
I did tempt this beautiful little common carp, 3lb 12oz, and the only other fish to grace the net was a chub that really looked like he wanted to go 4lb+ but he was a very hollow 3lb 15oz.
It's a sign weather has been mixed up this spring when I saw four stag beetles earlier today - 2 females & 2 males, I couldn't photograph the males as they were in flight.
Normally their brief period of fighting and breeding should have been over weeks ago, and I'm not sure tonight is going to be stag night, there doesn't seem to be enough around. I suspect the fish, who take their cue from the weather are behind as well.
This afternoon I headed out in search of a roach, but the few I did find couldn't be tempted - I did open this season's account with a dace - which I was very pleased to see!
As evening approach myself and Darren spent a couple of hours trying to find a rogue feeding barbel, but I'm sure they have other things on their mind, the only thing that took a fancy to a cube of luncheon meat was a chub.
I had planned to take the week off work but with the fish not playing, and with storms and showers forecast for the rest of the week I think I'll head back into the office tomorrow... Perhaps things will sort themselves out next week?!
The day was finally here, after 3 months of talking about it, 3 months of planning we were about 10 minutes late!
Barbel were the target, and within about 5 minutes of our first casts both Dan and myself had a a couple of tell-tail knocks, we were both poised over our respective rods waiting for that inevitable rip-round bite...
About four bite-less hours later a text from a mate fishing just upstream revealed he'd just had his first bite and landed a little barbel - something was wrong, they weren't playing.
It was always going to be a risk, targeting barbel this early on when the spring was really broken up. I think they have spawned, but only just.
A bite out of the blue on Dan's rod and a cracking fight saw us avoid a blank with a 4lb 3oz fish, but it was early bath time - I had planned on spending the day chasing them but we headed off at 7am, thanking the fishing Gods that at least we'd seen a fish.
It's the time of year I traditionally make plans in the excitement of the new season, plans that are forgotten within a week. So this year I'm going to keep it simple; the plan is to not get obsessed with one species or one river.
I quite fancy trotting for dace and roach, fishing surface lures for summer pike and perhaps some new venues targeting trout and bream. Barbel will still be on the radar, but hopefully there will be a bit more of a mixture, let's see if I stick to this one.
But I do need to set a season challenge, I like having a target to chase, and this year it's going to have to be pike...
I thought of a few ideas:
• A double every calendar month of the season
• Ten doubles from 10 different rivers
• 500lb of pike...
But I have to be realistic, weather, time and no local pike fishing (plus sticking with the overall plan). I think 200lb is a tough enough but achievable target, and still far more than I caught last season. Perhaps I'll get obsessed with it, in which case I'll up the target...
Seven days to go...
And it's going to have to be a great season to top last years, slightly half-arsed video I made at the end of March and never bothered to upload.
Everything has gone green
-
Love early spring. The still low sun backlighting fresh verdant reed, iris
and alder leaves. Froths of blossom, even the conker trees are breaking
into f...
More "Sun-downer" success
-
I'd already written off my chances of casting a baited rig this week when,
completely out of the blue, Bev's daughter rang at 11.30 hrs today,
explaining...
Keeping The Gunpowder Dry
-
What I mean is, I've not been fishing. Why ? As if you didn't know, its
been freeeeezing. And wet. And windy.
I must warn you, in this post I spout even ...
April 22-24, 2024
-
I don't often fish during the work-week anymore, but my wife is
out-of-town for her work. So.....
Monday evening, I went to an urban creek above a lake...
Canal Roach - The Sisyphean Task ? Pt.5
-
Canal angling (was) synonymous with fine-line fishing. The average angler
would shudder at any suggestion that he could use a line of greater
breaking-st...
Sedges Costcutter
-
You may be surprised to see a weekday blog, as it’s not often I take a day
off work for a match. However, last week I resigned from my company after
38...
JUGGLING SOAP IN THE SHOWER
-
I do like to catch big fish, don't we all? However, I am no specimen
hunter and there are many other things about angling that light my candle.
...
Species hunting adventures in Florida: Part 6.
-
After spending a couple of days fishing for freshwater targets, I was keen
to get to the coast to catch a few fish from saltwater, so we headed to
South ...
One for Hippo
-
A blog I have followed for years is a Hippo on the lawn a recent comment
on my blog shows two things , First it tells me Tom the writer was ill and
the ...
The strange and the familiar
-
Saturday came around again and we had an awkward, middle of the afternoon
tide to try and plan around. In previous seasons we would probably have
fishe...
Back on the Bream Trail.
-
After that slow but very fruitful start to my spring Bream campaign I
headed back out with the view to building upon what was a result beyond my
expe...
Back in the Red
-
Over a decade ago the search for bigger canal roach commenced, inspired by
Jeff Hatt, author of the long defunct, "Idler's Quest", his methods and his
re...
Well fed
-
Date fished 20/4/2024
8am until 1pm
Frosts during the week and lows of minus one. Perfect for some spring
tench! 😂
The weather is usually the limitin...
Rain, Beautiful Rain
-
I haven’t written anything since Christmas because, as is so often the case
in winter, I didn’t have anything useful to say. Now it’s April: the
salmon...
Photography Tips for the Not-a-Photographer
-
Like loads of birders, I take photographs but am not a photographer. I like
to decorate this blog with them, and a visual record of any unusual birds I
a...
Prints on the Fen
-
I haven't posted anything on my prints for years so I decided
rectify that with my new project. To keep it short I'm illustrating a book
for The ...
01/04/2024 - Bank Holiday bits and bobs
-
Managed to get down to Pembrokeshire for Easter despite the weather
throwing everything at us on the way down, including a hail storm near
Merthyr. Had a...
Books About Fishing
-
Here are some nice books about Fishing if you're looking for reading
material:"The River Why" by David James Duncan"A River Runs Through It" by
Norman Macl...
IF CARLSBERG BREWED BEAUTY
-
There are so many horrors in the world right now that I badly need some
mental medication and one way of recovering is to remember some of the
inspiring...
Mine Shafts, Floods and The Harwood Arms
-
Happy New Year everybody,
Covid for Christmas, which is not what we asked for and resulted in a funny
forty eight hours of sleep, sweating and unusual d...
Het lange wachten
-
Wat was het een natte winter. Er is afgelopen maanden meer regen gevallen
als normaal in een heel jaar. De visserij was dan ook slow en taai. Een
trip op...
Carp, Ciaran, and Catastrophe
-
During the last visit to the surgeon he seemed impressed and decided that a
replacement shoulder could go on the back burner for a while. I even
bragged ...
Specimen roach quest
-
I had never managed a really big roach. Like many, I had caught some nice
ones over the years but a 2 pounder had never graced my net albeit I had
never ...
Sussex Diary: 16 September 2023
-
*A diary of my visits to my club's section of river, somewhere in deepest,
darkest Sussex.*
Last month I received an email from Kyle, a fellow South Afri...
I,m back
-
As a lot of you will be aware, i had my van stolen back in mid july, with
over £4000 worth of tackle in the back, i got up on that sunday morning ,
looked ...
Differing days on the Wye
-
*June 26th & 27th 2023*
• River Wye at Ashford on the water EA measuring gauge at .29 water
crystal clear
• Weather partly sunny short shower late after...
The first post of 2023......
-
I have not fished many matches this year hence the lack of activity on this
Blog.
I did fish a match on the Gloucester Canal back in early January but I ...
2023 - A few trips so far
-
After a fairly significant break from angling, I’m glad to say the bug is
well and truly back. For now, it’s just great to be getting out and going
for it,...
AWOL Again
-
I won't dwell too much on the last 6 months of angljng inactivity. Fishing
has been sparse. Life's responsibilities, challenges and niggles all too
often...
-
* HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS *
im very much still alive and ultra busy with flies so heres a couple of
videos from the last few months , please feel free to su...
A few hours..
-
As close friends know & anyone who follows Bedale & Beyond on social
media, I have been out the game for the last 7 weeks with a torn ligament
in my kne...
Grindr
-
Variety is indeed the spice of life and my lack of update here is
principally due to the fact I've been doing the same thing over and over
again for some...
A couple after the heat
-
* 23/07/22*
Straight to the river after my last shift of a 60hr week, half a can of
Redbull on the way, the other half for the drive home. I was parked u...
Welcome back to sunny Thailand
-
Welcome to our latest Exotic Fishing Thailand newsletter. I would like to
wish everyone good health in these unusual times. It's been a while since
our la...
Catching some for Dad
-
The handle's a bit wonky but the dusty old Mitchell Match is still silky
smooth. The finger-dab bail arm flicks open as I do an air cast in my late
fath...
A Redtail Adventure.
-
Having travelled to both Guyana and Suriname in South America on several
occasions I had decided that it was becoming much the same and I would no
longer ...
Top water fun.
-
With the summer just about here and the plethora of lure matches drying up
I can feel the weed festooned lakes calling me. Soon I will able to think
of no...
A Pikers Autumn Morning Canal Session...
-
A warm welcome to this week blog i hope i find well and your nets wet.
Autumn has certainly arrived here in the UK and with it has come the
blustery winds ...
New Target
-
So it has been like for ever since I posted anything up on the blog, well
sometime absence makes the heart grow fonder.
To be honest the fishing and the ...
Swansong
-
Opening day of the 2018 trout fishing season and a first blog post in
almost 18 months. It is also the last, a swansong of sorts as I admit
defeat and unde...
Unfinished Business — The Width of a Circle
-
I assure you, the picture above is no joke. That is a real hook — the
'Mustad 39937NP-DT Giant Demon Perfect Circle Hook' — and one that will set
the big g...
New Rods – Making Moves
-
I expect most keen coarse anglers own a rod or two dedicated to fairly
specialist tasks – perhaps a crisp, fast action float rod, designed solely
with long...
"Just one more"
-
I know a place not far away, where I can have this solitude. I can wander
the fields, unhindered, locate barbel easily and catch a few of them with a
cer...
Boddington Bobbers Vlog
-
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
fac...
Canal Tench - Something Green, Somewhere New
-
In spite of living within relatively close proximity to the Grand Western
Canal for a decade now, there are still parts of it that I have not fished
proper...
All change for 2017!
-
Greetings to all blog readers! It's not often I write in this location any
more, but if you're one of my old followers on this platform, or have just
di...
March Madness
-
I feel that I really should fill in some gaps after my self imposed
absence. I had a difficult start to 2016 because of a severe chest
infection which re...
Ouch.....
-
Popped down to the river for a couple of hours last Saturday morning and
conditions were pretty un-inspiring as they have been in general this
season. To ...
-
*Riverpiker has moved!Be sure to check out the new home, riverpiker.com for
all your pikey related stuff. Lure fishing videos, articles and the shop.*
Rio
-
Watching the Olympics reminded me of the blog that never got typed up.
Three years since I tackled the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Rio de Janeiro.
I wa...
Transition time
-
Warming surf temps mean bait fish and things that eat bait fish are showing
up.
This 40Lb + Cownosed Ray gave a good pull. I flipped her over for a quic...
2016 Diary - The End
-
*Date:* Sunday 13th March 2016
*Venue:* River Tone, Somerset
It might not be final day until tomorrow, but today was my last chance to
cast a line on runni...
Popped up herring tail does the business again
-
Dawn was breaking when I arrived and a pike swirled on the surface in front
of the first swim I stopped at. A wind was blowing across the lake and this
w...
All Change.
-
When September mornings arrive who's mind doesn't inexplicably turn to
autumn perch, barbel, chub, roach, and dace to come?
Summer is waxing and Autumn is...
Blimey I’ve not posted here for a while!
-
I’ve been fishing a fair bit, but in my opinion badly. Blanking for tench,
carp barbel and big bream seem to have taken up most of my summer. It’s
been h...
Check it..
-
I post a bit on face book these days and have a "This Angling Life" face
book page. It's far easier to use than blogger especially on a mobile or
tablet...
Early morning double
-
My last session was again on the wonderful Wye, I arrived just before dawn
with a plan of fishing as the first rays of light for the day were popping
over ...
Mayfly Reflection
-
There hasn't been much time for fishing recently - my degree has taken
priority over the last year and subsequently hobbies have taken a back
seat. I did h...
Suspenders!
-
Now that the rivers are forbidden, we have to turn our attentions to lakes,
pools and canals. There's a very small pool 5 minutes drive away which,
despite...
How to combine two hobbies
-
Here is how to combine two hobbies - I created a drying machine for my tube
flies out of the LEGO Technic blocks. The machine is remotely controlled,
it ha...
"Lean fourteen" to avoid a blank.
-
After catching my very respectable 24.5lb pike yesterday in trying
conditions...i knew my window of opportunity was diminishing by the hour
(as is on the W...
Another Deer hair diver.
-
A different color setup,
The black gives a good contrast against the light colors.
A good silhouette for Northern Pike to follow and als...
Tuesday 19th February 2013
-
Weather -3c Start Brightening up later
I've managed to temp my son Dean out today for a rare midweek trip.
As usual we start the day with a full cooked brea...
04/03 Trent
-
Recovery day following mates stag weekend...played 9 holes of golf then off
to the river. Was looking forward to a good days fishing with the weather a
bit...
Peter Green PAC Lifetime Achievement Award
-
The PAC would like to congratulate Peter Green on his Lifetime achievement
award, which was awarded for his commitment and dedication to the PAC.
Peter h...
Barbel on the float!
-
I was intending on posting sooner than this, however after a
few disappointing sessions this has led to me have little enthusiasm for
blogging.
A day trot...
