A mad few months and big Changes....

Well first things first a massive apology for the inconsistency of the posts on the blog at the moment. It has been a very hectic couple of  months to say the least as those of you who know me will know I have left my home in Devon and moved to Cheshire to begin work at a coarse fishery and fish farm there. With all this going on I have not actually had much time to be out on the bank but some of the trips I have had have definitely been worth it.
Before I left Devon we tried to cram in as many sessions as we could. The bulk of these sessions were at Creedy lakes. The venue has been kind to us in the past and is probably still the best bet in Devon for a day ticket twenty pounder. The sessions we had were more social than usual as we discussed the future and potential plans for fishing a bit further up North. Even with us not taking the fishing as seriously as normal the venue still rewarded us with some cracking fish. I was very lucky to catch two twenty pounders in two sessions. Both stunning fish in perfect winter condition.

21 pound Common Creedy Lakes

20 Pound Common Carp from Creedy Lakes

The methods were simple. Chods with high attract hook baits and a light scattering of boillies over each rod. You don't need to overcomplicate things or bait heavy at Creedy at this time of year. The management at Creedy had carried out some netting and stock removal over the winter and this showed its value as the average size fish we were catching were mid-doubles.
So after a couple of enjoyable sessions at Creedy it wasn't long before I was heading up north. I am now located in the town of Whitchurch in Shropshire. After doing some research I managed to find a few venues in the area that would certainly be worth a visit.  However first things first I needed to sample the fishing that was on offer at my new place of work. Its amazing really how you can work at a fishery and actually get little time to fish it yourself but that's just the way things have turned out. With that said I did manage to fish an afternoon on the specimen lake and although the weather conditions and time was against me I did manage to catch a stunning double figure mirror.

Double Figure Mirror Carp from Hampton Springs Fishery

For now I will have to watch others enjoy the quality fishing that is available here but at least while doing so I can still learn of the productive areas and methods.
Outside of work in my days off I have actually managed to get out on the bank. a few times in the past couple of months and have actually had a fair bit of success too. The fishing up North has proved a challenge in that its so bloody cold!!! Or maybe that's just my Southern blood talking. Never the less my sessions up North started at a venue called Chequered Lake. The lake is a small,intimate and tree lined pool split up by central finger like islands. On my first visit I was lucky enough to chat to some local anglers who informed me the lake was well stocked with a number of species. It was Carp I was after though and looked like I would get as whilst I was talking to them one of their alarms went in to total meltdown! Fully inspired by this I grabbed my own gear and put some rigs tight to the snags. I fished for a few hours and had a very enjoyable session catching three small but very beautiful Carp. Check out the video from the session by clicking the link below-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0XtmB96pdw

A stunning Mirror Carp from Chequered Lake

I enjoyed the first session at Chequered so much that during the following week I returned one evening after work to fish for a couple of hours before dark. The weather had gone surprisingly mild and after seeing Carp cruising around all day on the surface at work I couldn't resist heading to chequered with a loaf of bread to try and tempt some off the surface. Surface fishing really is an amazing way to appreciate the sport and your quarry. It allows you to target specific fish and gauge what exactly your fishing for, this in turn makes it very exciting. The lake at Chequered is also perfect for the method as the overhanging trees provide shelter for the Carp on warm days and a bait placed just beside them is often snaffled quickly. To see more from my surface fishing session and to see my surface fishing tactics click the link below-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUvCvhQ-NQA

Another Chequered lake Mirror

My biggest challenge fishing wise in the last couple of months didn't actually occur up North at all though. A trip to the girlfriends for the weekend saw me with the opportunity to fish a venue in the Cotswold water park known as little horseshoe lake. The venue is a 4-6 acre gravel pit with depths reaching 35ft. Being a gravel pit the water is crystal clear and has abundant weed growth. With all this in mind I knew catching a fish on just a day session would be hard work. I was proved right as although I tried a number of areas I failed to get even an indication from a Carp. I did however have to deal with a different problem, the signal Crayfish. Every now and then I would get lifts and drop backs on the bobbin before reeling in to find my coated cork ball pop-ups stripped bare of all coating. I did however manage to catch one at the end of the day so I could at least identify the problem. But how do you overcome them? Definitely something I will have to figure out before my next trip to the venue.As despite the blank I for certain will be returning as the place has a magic about it with a stunning stock of fish to target.  To see how I approached the session click below-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQpcwt25wZ0

Sunset on Little Horseshoe Lake

The Signal Crayfish

Right so that's my summary of the last couple of months guys. Sorry its been short and sorry again for the lack of posts. I have actually been fishing one other venue but to be honest I think it deserves its own post as I have had some good results from there already. Stay tuned for that one!! Please feel free to comment on any posts with what we could do better or give any advice. If you would like to write for the blog please let me know in the comment section, We also have a facebook group and youtube channel full of content for all anglers whatever the weather.
So cheers guys I promise it wont be so long next time!! ;)

Tight Lines!!

The hunt for a winter Carp. Part 1- Stafford Moor Fishery

Well February is well and truly here with weather patterns and temperatures all over the place. Such conditions are hardly inspiring to go fishing but even in February if you time your trips right you can have some good results. As I've mentioned in previous posts I myself like to change what species I'm fishing for depending on the conditions. This month however I have done anything but this as almost every session I have had on the bank this month has been after Carp.

Winter is not the best time for consistent Carp action but it is however a very rewarding time of year if you can motivate yourself to go out fishing for them. Carp often look more stunning at this time of year as they take on their "winter colours", they also are often at a very good weight. Most Carp at this time of year however will not be feeding heavily. They will instead be seeking shelter in snags, looking for areas of warmth and picking up odd items of food. With the Carp being more lethargic and not moving around the lake so much it is important to locate areas they may be holding. 

The choice of venue is therefore also very important if you are to have any success when fishing for Carp during the winter months. 

Our choice of venue for our first session this winter was known to have winter form and had done several fish in the weeks prior to our visit. This is just the kind of water that would offer the best chance for a winter bite. The venue was Beatties lake on the Stafford moor fishery complex. The lake itself is  decent size at 8 acres but is well stocked with 400 carp to 35 pounds. Having never fished the lake before we didn't really know what areas were going to be the best so a bit of hard observation and help from the owners would be needed to hopefully put us on fish from the start.
On arrival we headed straight into the shop to get the tickets and hopefully that much needed tip off on what the best areas were. After a long chat with the new owners of the complex they kindly advised us of what the best spots in the lake were. We then had a couple laps round the lake to see if the fish would give anything away to suggest anything different. They didn't.
So with the advice of the owners are only real thing to go off we set up in two comfy swims known as the summerhouse pegs in front of the luxury Stafford moor lodges. I would be fishing with Kev on this session with the pair of us just hopeful of getting some winter action. Kev's swim was the first swim which looked a lovely intimate area full of features. The swim had two islands, a small snaggy bay and deep open water to fish to. This would give Kev a number of options and areas to present a bait which was vital seeing as we had no previous lake knowledge to go off.
The swim I was in was to the right of Kev and looked more out onto the middle of the lake. The area had a large island to the right and a no fishing bank going to a point up the left hand margin. The swim allowed a good view of the lake which is important in winter as you can often spot tell tale signs of Carp if you keep your eyes peeled.
Happy with our swims we set up and started fishing with a cautious and varied approach. On any new water I have found it's important to not put all your eggs in one basket but also to stick to what you know works elsewhere. With this in mind I set up one rod on my ever faithful chod rig and the other on a small pva bag presentation. The chod rig would be cast out on the left hand side of my swim to the point of the no fishing bank. This was a noted area according to the fishery owner as just off the point was a depression that the Carp often hold up in. The rig was then followed by approximately 20 free offerings and the trap was set. The right hand rod was to be a searching rod with limited loose feed around it. I would be moving this rod consistently around the swim to try and locate the Carp. Often in winter bites can come quickly from fish that may be laying dormant when your bait just appears in front of them.
After we had got everything sorted it wasn't too long before the night had arrived. Long winter nights on the bank can sometimes become a bit boring and therefore I probably would advise taking something to keep yourself occupied while you wait for those alarms to start screaming. Me and Kev however had not done this and as we waited we began to get more frustrated by our lack of success even though it was winter and are rods hadn't been out that long!!
This restlessness was about to be numbed however when at about 9pm my left had rod shot off with an absolute screamer. The chod had done it again it seemed. The fish didn't really fight as it came in towards me very quickly. A short sharp battle of 5 minutes or so then saw the first winter Carp of the year in the back of the landing net. As I gazed over into the net I gave a bit of a girly "ooooooohh" as I looked down onto a very chunky mirror Carp.
Before taking the fish out of the water Kev quickly zeroed the scales and got everything ready as we knew we would want to weigh this one. We quickly put her on the mat and removed the hook which was nailed in the bottom lip. Kev lifted the sling and the dial shot round to a couple ounces over twenty pounds. Happy days!!!! What a great way to start the Carp fishing year.

20 pounder!! Stafford Moor

20 lb 2oz

We slipped the fish back into the lake and were now full of excitement and anticipation for the remainder of the night. This anticipation was soon heightened as Kev's rods began giving signs of fish. He began to get bleeps on both rods indicating fish were in the area and hitting his semi-slack lines. Kev was now on tender hooks and sat almost hovering over his rods awaiting a take.My rods however were motionless and it seemed as if I had just caught one fish out of the blue.
The night grew darker and colder so we settled down to try and get some kip. This didn't last long as my left hand rod again let rip another screaming run. Being awoken in the cold is not the easiest and I think my reactions were slow to say the least. By the time I had got to the rod the alarm had stopped. Not happy with what had happened I reeled in to find a decent size branch attached to my size 6 choddy hook. I had been well and truly done!!! How do they do it?
Kev had a very similar occurrence an hour later as his island rod let rip resulting in a fish crashing on the surface as it shot free of the area. Unfortunately ditching Kev's rig in the process. There were definitely fish about but this would turn out to be the last bit of action for the night as a hard frost soon set in.
With such a cold night I have to say I wasn't the quickest to get up in the morning. This is always a mistake however as first light can often be the best time to spot Carp. The night that had started so well had resulted in only the one Carp and although we had other chances we couldn't help but feel the chance of another fish had gone. With little movement on Beatties lake we set about a plan to fish one of the other lakes on the complex.
We reeled in our rods on Beatties grabbed some bait and headed up the hill to a lake neither of us had seen before. The lake was "Jospeh's" and is the second specimen Carp water on the Stafford moor complex. As we arrived on the lake we could see that there were already a significant number of anglers set up and fishing for the larger number of Carp that were present in this lake. Not letting this deter us we set off on a walk round the lake. The lake was beautiful in its own right and full of character. Plenty of islands leading to sheltered bays with snaggy margins. It looked the perfect place to hold big Carp.
After seeing the beauty of Joseph's lake and some tell tale signs of feeding fish in the snags we headed back to Beatties to collect our gear. As there wasn't long left in the session we headed up to Joseph's with the minimum amount of gear possible. The tactics would be similar to those used on Beatties a light scattering of boillies accompanied by a handful of corn. The rigs had to be changed slightly however as the Chod rig which is usually fished on a slack line would not be suitable for such snaggy conditions. It is important to fish locked up when fishing against snags as any give in your set up could be the difference between landing and loosing a fish.
With the spot and tactics all sorted we were full of confidence. Our confidence was soon justified as literally minutes after setting up Kev landed his first fish of the session. It wasn't the largest of Carp but was a proper little stunner and certainly made Kev smile.

Joseph's Lake Mirror

Kev returned his fish and we were both happy that we had made the correct choice in moving onto Joseph's as the lake just looked a lot more alive. I had not even cast a rig into the swim yet but when I did I didn't have to wait long!! As I was adjusting the bobbin on the rod after casting out the line literally shot out my hand. I was into my first Joseph's Carp about 20 seconds after making my first cast into the lake!! The fish dogged it out in the middle before trying to ditch the hook in the snaggy margins. The fish was soon in the net and I had caught a nice little 12lb mirror.

12lb Joseph's Mirror

What a buzz to hook a fish so quickly after casting out. The surge of quick action did have a knock on affect though as we struggled to get a bite from the snaggy area for another couple of hours. With the sport slowing down I decided to try a rod out into the main area of the lake. This change in area rewarded me with a nice little mirror within about 10 minutes of casting out.

Stafford Moor Stunner

I slipped the fish back and decided to pack that rod down as the light was now fading. Just as I put the fish back my other rod that was still fishing to the snags screamed off!!! Get in!!! The culprit was another Mirror of the mark simmons strain. The fish weighed in at 11 pounds and was a nice way to finish the day.

Stafford Moor Double

It had been a very enjoyable 24 hours at Stafford moor and we were rewarded in total with 5 Carp between us. Not bad going for February!! The complex certainly does offer a lot of variety in terms of species to fish for and lakes to fish. We may have only managed to tempt one of the Beatties beasts on the session but the Joseph's stock were more than happy to show them selves. It just goes to show in the winter Carp can be caught, you have just got to choose your venue and find them fish!!! 

Tight lines!!!

The search for Winter Chub-Part 1.

Well hello again, sorry the posts are so inconsistent at the moment. I have unfortunately had lots going on and have not had much time to sit on the computer. Anyway this post is going to be about a couple of sessions myself and my friend Kev have had out on the rivers in search of Chub recently. Chub are a great species to target at this time of year because they seem to feed whatever the weather. Most rivers nowadays have a stock of Chub to target and we are very lucky in the South west not only to have rivers with large quantities of Chub but also some real specimens of over 6 pounds in weight!!
Our first Chub adventure was going to be on Somersets river Tone which runs straight through the city of Taunton. It is a relatively narrow and fast flowing river with a good number of all coarse fish. Not living that local to the river we decided to fish the free stretch instead of buying a ticket for the more prolific stretches. We set off mid morning from Exeter and made the 20 minute drive up the motorway. Which actually turned out to be more like a 40 minute drive due to the never ending road works! Even though we were a little late we still managed to get down by the river for lunch time.
Our tactics for the day would be simply to move from swim to swim with big hook baits and no loose feed. My main bait for the day would be bread but Kev fancied a more natural bait in the form of a big juicy worm. These baits would be presented on simple running ledger set-ups in likely looking areas.
The first swim we came too was just past the motorway bridge on a junction between the main river and a small side stream. The spot looked prime to hold a few fish and I began fishing the crease line were the two waters met. Kev was fishing tight to a overhanging tree in his near margin. Chub are known to love snaggy areas and overhangs so Kev's spot looked bang on. It felt like an age had passed however before Kev's rod began to show the first signs of action. Short sharp wraps on his tip indicated a fish had taken a liking to his worm hook bait. He struck into the third knock to reveal the culprit, a small Chub of about a pound in weight was soon in the net. It wasn't the monster we wanted but a good start. A few minutes later my rod was also away but with only a small Roach to show for my efforts.
We decided a change of swim was needed and we set off back down the river. We found two more lovely looking swims, one with a tree in the water and another with a crease line running into a deep hole. It wasn't long before Kev was in again in his new swim. This fish was no Chub though but still made Kev happy as it was his first Grayling. Kev's worm hook bait was certainly attracting the fish. I decided to plug away on the bread though and not long after dropping the bait into a hole just off the main flow, I had a solid pull round on the tip. The result was a Chub of about a pound and a half in the net. On re-casting to the same spot I connected with another Chub and a slightly better one too. This fish was about 2lb in weight. Unfortunately it seemed that the quick action and disturbance had spooked what looked like a good shoal of fish. So after a few more casts it was time to move again.

2 lb River Tone Chub

The session was going well but the next two swims we tried seemed entirely fish less. Not to get disheartened we continued to rove down the river back towards the car. I then arrived at a stunning swim were a tree had created a raft down my own margin. It looked prime for a bite. So a cast down towards the tree with the bread soon followed. The bait was in the water for no less than a few minutes when it was taken with a violent wrap round on the tip. What looked a decent swim in the books proved to be just that! The fish thought harder than all the others and used the current to its advantage to try and shake the hook. After a short battle it was in the net though and looked to be the biggest Chub of the day nearing the 3lb mark. As with the other swims though this instant action seemed to spook any other fish in the area and a few casts later I was off to the next swim. 

The light was now fading as it so quickly does in winter and I was struggling to find any more fish. Kev however managed to bag another one from a stretch of overhanging trees on the far bank. It was to be Kev's biggest Chub of about 2 and a half pounds.

2 lb + River Tone Chub

The session had been a lot of fun and although we hadn't caught any monsters we had however caught in most of the areas we had tried. The bonus was it was all for free too! You can't beat a bit of winter Chub fishing and I now was itching to get out on the bank after the species again.

To watch a video of our River Tone Session check out the You tube Channel 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lBZuop1Vqw

Would I catch a bigger Chub next time out? Find out in part 2.......

Tight Lines

Summing up January. (COLD!!!!!)

Right so its February 2015 already!!! Crazy, what happened to January?? Time doesn't half go quick as you get older. The sad thing is I can some up my fishing from January in just a short post. I really didn't get out on the bank much in January due to a number of reasons. My main point to summarise January though was it was bloody cold!!

With the temperatures being up and down over the last month or so it does make it difficult to know what to fish for. With that in mind I always tend to stick to the more obliging species at this time of year such as Chub,Perch and Pike. These three species I have found you can catch on even the coldest of days. For some unknown reason though I have had a desire to catch a Carp over the last couple of weeks and have targeted them on a pond not far from my house.

The sessions I have done over the last couple of weeks for Carp though have not be successful to say the least. On the days when the pond wasn't frozen and I could actually fish bites were very hard to come by. Even though I tried a number of different tactics such as Zigs, Maggots and Single pop-ups nothing could get the fish going. When I finally did hook a fish it managed to tear off into a snag and ditch the hook! That's fishing for you and I guess that big Carp is going to have to wait for another day.

So the only real memorable session to speak of was one down my local river Exe in search of Pike. I always keep my sessions short at this time of year as find the best feeding time for the Pike is just before dark. So at about 3 pm one afternoon I jumped in the car and headed to an area of the river I felt certain would hold a few Pike. I wasn't wrong either because the very first cast was met with a savage take within just a couple of minutes of being in the water. A cheeky 9 pounder was the culprit and a welcome start to the session. I tried up and down the river for the next hour or so, dropping my float fished dead bait into any likely looking areas.

It was an area of slightly faster flowing water were I found my next fish. A slow an jagged take was met with solid resistance and I knew straight away it was a better fish. The fish thought really hard and deep for the time of year before giving up in the margin. It wasn't an absolute monster but looked a mid-double. I weighed the fish in at a little over 13 lb then slipped her back into the depths of the Exe. The session was not going badly at all. With about 15 minutes of light left I quickly re-cast full of anticipation. 

The next cast was also met with a take and the kind of take that just makes me love Pike fishing. The float just was sitting pretty on the edge of the flow then in an instant bombed under and powered off up the river. Classic stuff. The fish had some power too and battled out in the faster flowing part of the river for a while. It then shot a long my own margin before flying out of the water! Its quite unusual for Pike to tail walk like that at this time of year, but this fish knew all the tricks.  So after this crazy battle I got the fish in the net to reveal another high single. The light was now gone and it was time to go but it had been a fun session. 

So that's it really for January, lets hope February brings some nicer weather and some better fishing!

13 lb River Exe Pike

Tight Lines!!!

A look back at 2014. The Final Chapter. In pursuit of Pike

Hello again. We have now reached the final chapter in looking back at our fishing memories from 2014. As you can tell by the previous posts we had a very busy and very enjoyable year. When winter arrived however as always the amount of time we were spending on the bank began to filter down into shorter and shorter sessions. It is at this time of year when most anglers attentions switch from species such as Carp and Barbel to the more obliging winter species such as Chub and Pike. My first winter target was going to be a Pb Pike with my pb at the time being 21 lb from the river Exe in Exeter (Pictured below).

21 LB River Exe Pike

The Exe is a fast flowing tidal river with a good head of all coarse and game species. The Pike in the Exe are much sought after and heavily fished for fish though. This can at times make it much harder to catch them as they can sometimes only be located in certain key areas of the river. These known "Hotspots" then become the main focus of all the anglers in the area. As most Pike anglers will know this then has a knock on affect as the one thing big Pike do not like is angling pressure and consistent handling.  Bearing all this in mind it is therefore important to get on the areas the Pike will be holding up early so you can be the first person to catch them that season. The areas I look for when targeting the Pike are deep slacks off the main flow, snags and back channels off the main river.
Our first Pike fishing trip of the season wasn't in search of that monster Croc at all though. It was in fact a walk back in time and a real adventure. Myself and my good angling friend Kevin Dobson set out to fish a river Culm weir pool. The weir pool itself can only be reached by walking across two fields and then through a hilly wooded area. Never the less I convinced Kev that the effort would be worth it and we would definitely catch a Pike.
After clambering down steep banks and trying our best not to fall flat on our faces, we arrived at the stunning weir pool. The session would involve fishing float fished dead baits in the slacks just off the main weir. Straight away it became obvious there were Pike in the area as Kev missed a jolt of a take on his rod. Shortly after my float was then away and I landed the first Pike of the season a very small but very beautiful Jack.

River Culm Jack Pike

It was a nice start and is always better to start the season off small and then build up to that monster I find. The next cast was met with another ferocious take and I struck into what felt like a much better fish. The fish pulled all over the pool and I had forgotten the power these river Pike have. When landed it turned out the fish wasn't that big at all at just a little over 7lb. All good fun though.

River Culm Pike

Almost immediately after I returned the fish though, Kevs rod was away. A small Jack again but another lovely example of this awesome predator and I think Kev was happy with it.

River Culm Jack Pike

We then struggled to get another bite for about half an hour or so and it seemed like we had spooked the fish out of the swim. So we packed up and set off back down the river to try for the Pike in other areas. Although we tried a lot of swims and missed a couple of slow takes in one particular spot we were ultimately unsuccessful and didn't catch another Pike. I did however manage to land an absolute stunning Culm Roach on a float fished maggot. A real surprise and a real bonus. 

Big Culm Roach

With the Culm session over my plans for the next session was to target the Exe and its much larger Pike. I returned to the spot I had caught my personal best from a couple years before. John Jackson would be fishing with me and we were both hopeful of a personal best Pike. The tactics were identical to those myself and Kev had used on the Culm. Float fished dead baits fished hard on the bottom. The area we were targeting was a channel off the main river which when the river is high holds a lot of water and fish. John targeted the area on the entrance to the channel were he could fish along the main flow. I was fishing in the slacker water inside the channel. About an hour into the session we had our first bit of action with John landing a fish of about 8lb shortly after dropping a bait in his right hand margin. River Pike are often quick to oblige and not difficult to catch when located. If you can drop a bait right on top of a Pike that is lying up takes can be almost instant. 

After we returned Johns fish John couldn't wait to recast in the same area. The light was now fading and it looked perfect conditions for the Pike. Johns eagerness wasn't a bad thing either as almost immediately after re-casting he had another take. This fish was much bigger and stronger though and unfortunately went straight out into the main flow and ditched Johns treble hooks. Gutted we both sighed and looked to cast out another bait. Before getting a chance to re-cast Johns rod however my float shot under. I bent into a very powerful fish that shot straight into our own bank. As I got the fish up to the surface and towards the net John shouted "That's a big fish that". It was at that moment I began to shake. Could this really be another Exe monster on my first trip of the season? John slid the net under the fish first time and we looked down into it at a very long Pike. We pulled the fish up onto the bank astonished by its length. John was certain it was a twenty pounder and the biggest Pike he had ever seen. Myself on the other hand had my doubts as although it was the longest Pike I had ever seen it was very lean. I was proved wrong however as the scales shot round to 22lb 12oz. What a fish and what a result!! The Pb Pike had been achieved in the first session on thee Exe that year. We took a few pictures of the fish before I returned the amazing creature back into the depths of the Exe.

22lb 12oz River Exe Pike

PB Pike River Exe 22lb 12oz

As you can tell by the photos the light had completely gone but we didn't mind. The target had been achieved for me and I think John was now inspired to keep pursing the Pike on a river that holds even bigger specimens closer to his home. A drive home to a reward of a KFC after a great days fishing, absolute luxury. The quest for a big river Exe Pike had got off to an absolute flyer and for 2014 was over. What will 2015 bring??

Tight Lines!!

A look back at 2014. Part 5-The Creedy Chronicles

Hello again, so I am nearing the end of the looking back at 2014 posts now and it wouldn't feel right if I didn't mention our fishing at Creedy lakes. We ended up spending most of our summer evenings at the venue tempting the lakes residents into taking mixers off the top. We were very lucky to have some amazing results too. In fact it would take me far too long to write and you guys far too long to read about every one of them. So this post is just going to show some of our best captures from what really was a great few weeks at this busy Devon day ticket water.
Our tactics for fishing Creedy were simple. Mixers, mixers and more mixers. We would tempt the fish into a feeding frenzy on the surface and then cast our trimmed down pop-up hook-baits out amongst the free offerings. This often resulted in instant action. Once hooked we then did battle with what I have to say are some of the hardest fighting Carp around.
Below are some of our best captures:

17lb 

16lb

17lb

18lb

20lb

14lb

22lb

16lb

21lb

19lb

16lb

18lb

15lb

19lb

21lb

18lb

So as you can see, we certainly got amongst them off the top. Not any massive fish but great fun on a summers evening and as I said before these fish offer tremendous sport even on heavy gear. It also is just nice to be out with mates and family at a beautiful lake like Creedy and just really enjoy your fishing. Too often nowadays people get carried away with chasing big fish and putting numbers on every capture, therefore ranking it higher than others that actually may have taken more finesse to catch. 

There was one occasion in 2014 however were I decided not to fish on the top at Creedy. On the day the lake had been rammed with anglers and the fish had been under a lot of pressure. With it being a Sunday though to my surprise by 7 pm I was the only on the lake!!! I then randomly decided to give the fish some bait and heavily baited an area in the silt off the island with Cell boilies. I then cast two of my ever faithful chod rigs out over the area. Within an hour I had fish rolling all over the area. They were straight on the bait!!! It wasn't long before I had a mid-double Common in the net soon followed by a high single. I put more bait in at that point but actually didn't have much left to offer them. Just after baiting up over the top of it my right hand rod roared off. I bent into a heavy fish that then lead me a merry dance all over the lake. It was at this point I was thankful that no one else was around as it may have cut some people up. The fish was just so strong! After a long battle though the fish was mine. I looked down in the net to see what was quite clearly my personal best common Carp. My best at the time was 22lb but it now was 27lb!!! What a result! From a spontaneous act of heavy baiting.

Pb Common 27lb

I think looking back maybe this capture was more being in the right place at the right time and I feel very lucky to have caught the fish. But however you decide to angle whether on the top or on the deck, Creedy really does have a lot to offer. For me though there's nothing better than a summer evening, a bucket of floaters and those big rubber lips slurping em down! 

Tight Lines!!!

To see more of our Creedy adventures check out our you tube video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQg9ct_22WQ

A look back at 2014.Part 4-The wonderful Wye

Right then how can I start to describe and look back on our trips to the river Wye last year. All you really need to know about this river is its a special place to fish. Until you have been to the Wye you haven't experienced the best side of angling. The Wye is not known for its big specimens but it is however known for producing large quantities of fish,in particular Barbel.

It is this reason why each year myself, family and friends make the journey up the motorway to sit on the banks of the Wye. The Wye is an amazing location without the fishing that's on offer,in addition a lot of the beats you can fish and not see another person let alone another angler. 

To be honest last year I didn't make as many trips to the Wye as I would have liked. The trips we did make however were truly memorable. The first of these trips was with a small group of friends to a venue just outside of Foy. Travelling early morning to go fishing always has that special buzz and this session was no different. As we arrived at the venue which we knew we had all to ourselves for the day we looked at the areas we would target first. My opinion was as it was early season I would be targeting the shallower,faster and more oxygenated stretches of water. Having fished the stretch I knew exactly where to start. So we trundled down the steep banks and into the first swims. Everyone was using what has become the standard Wye Barbel tactics, A feeder some ground bait and a big pellet. We waited till we were all ready and then a little like a match cast out together in search of those bronze beauties. Bites can often come quickly on the Wye but this was not to be one of those days.

After about an hour of inactivity I decided a move was needed. Some days on the Wye you can expect to catch a fish every 15 minutes or so. So if your not catching they are not there I think. However after trying a few more swims but with no success I was starting to wonder if there were any Barbel in the area. I then moved in to the fastest swim of the day, a 5oz feeder was needed to hold bottom and the area was very weedy. Not letting these things deter me though I cast downstream to a slacker crease line about 3/4 of the way across the river. It wasn't long before I began getting hard knocks on the tip. These were classic signs that the Barbel were attacking the feeder to get at the pellets inside. After an hour I had managed 3 Barbel including a lovely fish of about 8lb. We had found them at long last. My friend Steve had also managed three fish from the swim just above me. My friend Kev had also managed his very first Barbel!!! It was hectic to say the least. The fish had obviously remained grouped up after spawning.

As the light began to dim however the action slowed in the shallow swims and we decided to move back to our first swims to see if anything had moved in on some of the bait we had put in. Not long after moving my friend John began battling with a very powerful fish in the fast flow. From the view of the fish in the water we felt certain it looked like a double. Which for the Wye is a very special fish. We quickly netted the fish and it was weighed in at a little over 8lb. Crazy really as it looked every bit a double figure fish and a really impressive specimen.

Regardless of the size John seemed very happy to have caught the fish which is exactly what the Wye is all about. The action which we were hoping would have gone from strength to strength then slowed right down as we headed in to darkness. I did however manage one more Barbel, just a small one about 6lb. We packed up very happy with the days fishing on the Wye and were keen on coming back to try another stretch.

With the joys and stresses of work our plans to return to the Wye got put on hold for a while. It wasn't until early September when myself and my friend John set off to fish a stretch of the Wye known as the "Courtfield fishery". This stretch is owned by the Wye and Usk foundation and can be booked with up to four anglers a day.  I chose this stretch as both myself and John wanted to catch our first double figure Barbel. From looking at previous catch reports this was the place to do it. 

Soon after arriving we walked the stretch and were surprised at the variety of swims on offer. Fast shallows with rocky pools then running into slower deeper stretches. With this sort of variation we knew we were going to have to stay mobile to find the fish. Tactics would be as before but with a few different hook baits to try such as Meat and Boilies.

The day saw us fish what felt like a hundred swims before eventually we came to an area surrounded by woodland.My swim was an adventure in itself which involved climbing down the bank with a rope to get to the water. John was just above me in an area he felt confident in. We sat and waited for over an hour before we had the first indications of fish. My rod tip began to bounce and tap but without any strikeable movement. I felt for sure that this was Chub messing with the bait so I changed my paste wrapped boilie over to a large lump of luncheon meat to see if that would get a better reaction. First cast on the meat saw a solid pull round and I connected with the first fish of the day a Chub of about 3lb. 

The next cast saw me connect with another Chub. This one was a much better fish at a little over 4lb. The day was starting to look better and with the light fading we felt certain a Barbel would be on the cards.John then also managed to get amongst the Chub by using meat on the hook.

My swim was now alive with activity from what looked like to be a very big shoal of Chub. The bite I was to get next however was anything but a Chub bite. The tip just hammered round with incredible force. Before I picked up the rod I knew this was the Barbel we wanted. As I played the fish it thought hard and long in the shallow water. Every time I pulled it closer it shot away again across the flow and out into the river. After a battle of about 15 minutes we set eyes on a big river Wye Barbel. My meat hook bait was still hanging from the fishes mouth when we slipped the net under it. What a fight and what a fish too. Once again the fish looked every bit a double and I felt certain it was mission accomplished for me. However it wasn't to be and the fish weighed in at 9lb 12oz, a couple good meals away from being the magical double. It was however a personal best so I did not care about the weight. The sheer beauty and size of the fish also made the actual weight far less significant. As I held the fish upstream in the flow to return her I thought this is why I come here. 

The bites then soon came to an end for me but I wasn't worried. John on the other hand became a man possessed and caught a number of Chub as we went into the hours of darkness. In amongst these Chub however was another stunning Barbel and the days second PB. We weighed the fish at 9lb 10oz and Johns new personal best Barbel. All the fish fell to the meat which just appeared to be the days killer bait. John was over the moon with his fish and as we packed up we congratulated each other on our new personal bests. A quick glance back at the river before leaving would then make me say "What a place". It would turn out to be the last adventure on the river Wye that year but its a venue I will always return to as long as I've got a rod in my hand!!

Tight Lines!!!!!