Friday 31 July 2020

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.

Wednesday 29 July 2020

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.

39/100

Monday 27 July 2020

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!

Saturday 25 July 2020

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.

Thursday 23 July 2020

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?

34/100

Tuesday 21 July 2020

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.


30/100

Saturday 18 July 2020

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!




Thursday 16 July 2020

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!


25/100

Wednesday 15 July 2020

Bugs & Butterflies 4


Gatekeeper (Male), England’s most common butterfly.


Peacock Butterfly, showing all 4 spots.


Comma, proper posers and easy to photograph.


Stag Beetle (Male), couldn’t resist a nice daylight shot.


Stag Beetle (Female), think the short stag season is over this year.

Saturday 11 July 2020

Quick Barbel Report (22)


Six barbel added to the challenge, best 7lb 10oz, season total: 22.

22/100

Friday 10 July 2020

Hell’s Anglers


I should really be on the river, those barbel won’t catch themselves. It’s raining. Work is slow. Time to design some more t-shirts then. I sell about 5-10 t-shirts a week, and with around a 90p profit on each one - it equates to about two pints (when the pubs used to be open).


Still I like the fact people wear them - would be nice to bump into someone I don’t know wearing one of my designs. I occasionally see people on the tube or train playing one of my mobile games (but they’ve been downloaded 70 million times - so far better odds).


New design; large back-print based on the Hell’s Angels logo. Customisable bottom banner for your area/river. I’m deciding if it should have a name tag on the front. Available next week when the first person will try and put “Llandegfedd Reservoir” in the banner!

Edit: On reflection this t-shirt is not going into production. More here.

Wednesday 8 July 2020

Gudgeon Hunt


Going on a gudgeon hunt! I braved the ‘non-essential’ shop; half a pint of maggots. Grabbed the stick ‘n’ pin, minimal kit and wandered down to the river. I was expecting low and clear but when I arrived it was up, dirty and pushing through - spotting them was out!

I needn’t have worried I found gudgeon on a shallow gravel run - and bagged over 20 of them in 3 hours. Plus loads of dace, roach, chub and minnows - even a micro barbel. Really nice to see dace as they seemed to go missing last year. (Yeah, barbel added to the challenge).

Saturday 4 July 2020

Bugs & Butterflies 3


Marbled White, yeah more butterflies.


Dark Green Fritillary, who names them? It’s orange!


Speckled Wood.


Glanville Fritillary, the only one I’ve seen.


Peacock Caterpillars, hoping to get a decent photo of an adult.

Wednesday 1 July 2020

British Summer


A return to the regular British weather - so I popped down the river in the rain. Perhaps the fresh water would spark a feeding frenzy?


Not really! I was watching the barbel spook off the bait - still two small barbel and two small chub slipped up - I’ll take it!


Going to have to brave the tackle shop - get some maggots and chase down a gudgeon or two - perhaps even a perch or dace...

1/100