April Fools

8am as they rolled into the car park. Owner greeted them full of smiles, advice and a choice of bag up match lakes. At this point, as the weather reached the dizzy heights of 0.5c the writing was on the wall. Head home or all will be lost!!!!!!!

Picked Marina, settled, set up box, changed peg - not that it mattered. Pegs 25 and 26 selected, end of Marina - cold wind in your faces.

Nets in - kiss of death.

2500 different baits selected and placed on the mega tray, Nico following suit with maggots, casters, pellets and god knows what else.

Loads of bait and sweet FA rigs - like having 300 reels and no line. Prep is key at the terminal end!



Rig finally selected, adjusted, adjusted and then adjusted. First put in small gudgeon and thats really about it. Lost one early, gudgeon, Nico much the same. Frustrating was not the word, depressing and disappointing is more like it. Why won't the fish feed aftera drop of 20 degrees? Anyway we both had 4 carp each, gudgeon and Nico takes the prize with a few extra Skimmer (small) and roach. Didnt know what to do.




In the end Nico resorted to catching the fish he had aready caught by placing them all in his landing net (see above) comical and perhaps the only highlight. Done by the weather again. The boys will be back and they remain mad for it. But a struggle. Estimated 10lb between them. Roll on some normal weather like snow mid week.

Play Misty For Me Milo

There are early starts and then there are early starts. Sophie as alarm clock woke me with enough time to spare. 12.32am, 2.31am and then 5.12am - 8 minutes before my alarm. Pumping with the adrenalin of a potential bag up session, optimism of a great catch and just looking forward to a day trying to be human again I found the bathroom through the medium of mime, dance, stumped toe and memory. Eyes not yet functioning and in need of a sharp poke to prompt them to accept a contact lens. Bleach washed out the mouths previous nights stench and as I packed the car the jalapeños of the night before made a stab at my stomach. 7am agreed rendevous with the PC Dangler looked unlikely.

With dense mist and piss holes for eyes I hoped that by an act of god the sat nav had been upgraded to include autopilot so I could make a few rigs and have a kip. 5.45am I pulled off.

Despite the mist I made good progress but again a stop at services on route to say hello to Senor Jalapenos was required. 7am agreed rendevous with the PC Dangler looked even more unlikely.

Don't worry there is some fishing!

Anyway as if planned for days and nights, emails, utube clips and text messages - Coot Catcher and PCD pulled into the car park in tandem at 7am.



Fishing out on the second spit from the lodge,with a German U Boat camouflaged as a island to use as a feature. The anglers set up in the usual - I haven't been for a while style. Cage feeder and red maggot for PCD and small method for CC with red maggot.


Go For Your Rod Quick Draw Dangler

In the feeder went and as it sank so did the temperature and our optimism. Nothing, zilch, not a touch. Coats, snood and fleece went on. Third cast the tip went around and a 2lb bream was guided to the net. CC 1 PCD 0.


2lb Skimmer Shining (Slimming)in Spring Sunshine

Over the next few hours fish started to come here and there. Barbel, chub and odd skimmer. All around the 2lb mark. CC hit a monster and it took off only to snag him on something solid. Snap after a long pull. PCD hooked fish and lost fish, was it the hook length? was it the rod? was it not waiting long enough? God knows but it kept on happening. As lunch approached the scores were fairly even but PCD was regularly catching chub and then the barbel moved in.


So Shallow You Could Have Tickled Em Out



Typical Stamp of the Fish 2lb Barbel



Some communication with nautilus explained that the race was on. But PCD had the edge. Sticking at it, like the tortoise against the hare, plugging away. Fish after fish came to the net. The hare rather than sleeping under a tree (which he really wanted to do), decided to chop and change methods and baits. Cage, method, cage, method, pellet, bollie, shellfish bollie, pop up red, maggots, pellet, fluoro green bollie. All catched here and there. But swapping between maggot and pellet proved a better approach for PCD.



With the scores PCD 15 CC 8 - the pressure was on. Sticking to a maggot feeder approach provided extra time opportunities as CC began to pull in a few quick chub and barbel, but the days of chuck it and chance it are long gone as PCD kept focused, relaxed and stuck to the task.







They Are Getting Bigger




A Quality 4.5lb Barbel to Finish

With the scores 20 fish to PCD and 16 to CC, the Dangler showed his class and banged the biggest fish of the day at 4.5lb. He took his time (when doesn't he) but got there.

A good day which took its time to warm up in all sorts of ways. A bag of bream, chub and barbel. Average 2lb fish, 70% barbel, 20% chub and 10% bream. Good scrap from the barbel. Many lost fish particularly for PCD who must have lost 7-10 fish. A monster lost by CC.

Overall most fish fell to red maggot and pellet. Some to green fluoro bollie. Cage most fish. No one else had that much in comparison. Estimated 2lb per fish with 37 fish caught so 74lb combined weight. Not bad for March, cold start and CC dicking about. Well definitely be fishing it at Easter. Mad for it just purchased bollies. See link below this peg is the one you can see behind me - he's fishing up to the same island. Remember those new rod licenses and was out for that cage slinger the Shropshire Dangler!


http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Angling-Times/Section/Videos/All-Coarse-Videos/Videos-Search-Results/Techniques/Fishing-the-Method-feeder-for-big-chub-barbel-and-silver-fish-nets/

Sherwood Lake - First Sun of 2012

With Derek still walking the dog, and the nights getting a bit lighter with with the promise of some warmth I decided it was time to dust of the kit and collate it ( following the lakeview fiasco) into one holdall.

The temp wasnt quite the 16-18 promised but with 13 degrees on thc car I decided I had to get out on the bank. I didnt expect much as i pulled in the lane and when i saw i distinct lack of cars i did wonder if i had peaked a bit earyl

However a few yards down the lane and langdale channel was peppered with pleasure anglers and checking the board there were no matches on any lakes!

I did wonder about the pole but there was a decent breeze when i arrived and decided the feeder rod would be first out the bag.

The bailiff turned up after my first cast ( im sure hes got a tracker on my car) and told me I should have a few. I was on Bomb and corn when he arrived and he suggested my tactics were ok but not to dismiss feeding as they ' had been having it'....mmm...maybe i was being too cautious

with only a couple of ide and a huge missed bite i sat as the weather totally change and the sun came out and the wind stopped. It could have been July for about an hour....not a ripple on the lake. The bizarre thing being that i didnt see a fish top for maybe 30 mins then 2 in seconds then nothing again....not random....

I switched to mini method with hair rigged pellet on an 18 and stuck with it for an hours....nothing.....not a touch.

Switched to a mini feeder with dusted pellets and maggot on the hook and winkled out a few more ide and a decent roach

I cast around and lost two hooks on a snag i had forgotten from a year or so ago ( muppet)...definately something to the right of the reed bed.

There were two others to my right on pole and i saw them get a few ide and skimmers but they were quite a distance away. There were only three of us on Sherwood lake. Peaceful if nothing else.

Not masses to report. Scratch and Switch it was ......Highlight possibly watching a ' kite' gliding just above the tree line opposite for ages....real close and impressive.

Roll on summer 2012....

I only took 1 x photo and tried to send but the classic poor signal did me down there.

With the baby almost Born Derek sticks to Corn!!

As i moved the Picasso ( car not artwork) at 6.20am with a heavy shower beating down, and the car reading 2 degrees I had a feeling it wasnt going to be carp bagging territory.....as the rain hit the window.... it felt like madness but there was a glimmer of hope.....

Lakeview was chosen as the venue for the first session of 2012....almost guaranteed a few bites 9 we said that in summer) and to be fair expectations were low as we both knew how delicate the hardcore winter sessions can be.With four clothing layers on & the pegs chosen on the Pleasure Lake it was time to open the kit ....

mmmmm sure there was a feeder rod in here last time i looked.......doh!.....now wheres the landing net handle....doh!!....looks like pole all the way....then.....jesus what a start. organised as ever this year!!

When derek had picked himself up off the floor laughing i then fell over in my peg....smashed the already knackered knee....it didnt bode well. Derek set up his feeder rod which he had remembered!! and cast out....nothing.....Nico maggot and pole at 7m....roach....roach....rudd....roach.....i was getting bites from real fish!!!! Derek laughed it up, but was soon 7/8 fish down.....It was chalk v cheese really....Nico plodded on and started to build a small weight. Derek stuck at Corn / Pinkie / Maggot / Worm / Bread with little return for his efforts.....Nico caught a few more at 7m then decided 4m might produce also....it was mad really....2 degrees feet like ice and catching roach on the drop. the odd better fish keeping it interesting.

Derek eventually snagged a couple ( of rigs also) and all the bits Nico had caught began to fade...worrying times....A different top kit and a pellet sorted a decent skimmer first put in and then another....there are no skimmers in the lake according to derek nudd mind you.

Derek was caught between Stick & Twist and decided that F1 promise was too good to chop and change to pole....Nico meanwhile had snagged an F1 around 1/2 lb which made derek sit up and take notice....being enforced onto 1 method wasnt a bad thing in hindsight.

Here is Derek casting with little or no feelings in his hands or feet. A feat today....

It finished with Nico taking the glory despite a couple of better fish from Derek from the far side. Very Enjoyable day. Nico finished with 7.50 to Derek 4.50lb. Banter reigned supreme. Homage to Papa was made and summer days seems a long way off....commitments were made to fish Springlea in the Sunshine....been trying 3 years!!

With better focus it could have been more but it was bloody cold despite the sun. Dont let it kid you!!

Derek had been to see the Smurfs in the Holidays hence the hat....

Nico is prepared for the season ahead

2012 Season is now up and running - reports to follow

Derek and Dick fishing for stick insects and catching a few!