Trent Stunner

Back for a few hours on The Trent again today and had this stunner follow my lure from the depths and gently take it at my feet before going mental. Also had a smaller one to finish off an enjoyable day.

Pity I had to walk 8 miles home because of a puncture on my bike!

Finally, Back to the Fishing

Finally! Today I had a visit to The Trent with my lure rod, due to various reasons it was the first time I've been out fishing in almost 4 months!!! and I really quite enjoyed it. The Trent was running low and very clear, not good conditions for pike fishing but I had a wander around and eventually just as I was thinking about wrapping up had this lovely hard fighting pike take my lure. I think I'll have to make more of an effort to get out more often now I have a taste for it again.

Trent Pike

I had this pretty little one from The Trent today. The river is very clear at the moment and I saw the fish shoot out from a weed bed and grab my lure as I twitched it over the top.

Better Luck Next Time

Myself and Alex Makk went down to the local canal for a few hours yesterday leapfrogging along the towpath throwing lures into any pikey looking areas. Unfortunately, no fish were landed but it was still a good day out with some laughs along the way!

I had a PB Jumper which put up a great fight...

...and Alex had a small telly type thing???

Better luck next time... HA!

A Bit of Luck!

I've been out doing quite a few short sessions chucking my lures into various waters lately and have been catching a few pike here and there but they've all been small ones, although I've been grateful to be catching a few there hasn't been any 10lb+ fish worth blogging about, so I was very pleased to catch this chunky beauty today, my best fish in a while! I didn't think I was going to land her because I could see the lure only just knicked in the mouth, looked like it was ready to pull out at any moment with the slightest head shake but it just held firm and dropped out in the net! ...It's about time I had a bit of luck!

What a Terrible Season That Was!

What a terrible season that was! As you can see by the lack of posts here I haven't had much to blog about during the 2010/11 season. I've not spent much time on The Trent, instead I've been trying to crack a new water but so far I've had far too many blanks there, only interrupted by Jacks, Perch and the odd fish probably not scraping double figures, but the reason I kept going back was because last year I saw the biggest Pike I've ever seen follow my lure into the margin only to turn away into the depths at the last moment and it's that image of the massive fish that has kept me going back for another try. I'll still be back next season to grab the odd quick session because it's quite local to me and I've met some great anglers fishing there but maybe think about a change of tactics next Autumn/Winter, although I also want to spend much more time back on The Trent next season as that's where I enjoy my fishing the most.

I've had a change of venue recently and gone back to an old faithful gravel pit/pond that I used to fish a lot. Just had a few small ones up to now, covered in horrible leaches, but it makes a nice change to be back there again, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the place.







We've recently had a few sunny days and that got me thinking about summer fishing, so I got my fishing box out from the shed to see if the batteries in my alarms needed replacing etc, and as I lifted the lid I saw two beady eyes looking back at me! uuurgh! I don't know how it had got in there because the lid on the seat-box was closed tight but it must have been in there all winter, chewing the buttons of my alarms the little $#!!7.

Back into the Swing of Things

No fishing or anything much else has been happening for a while around here due to the Arctic weather we've been shivering through which has frozen all the still waters rock solid for weeks on end, although The Trent has still been flowing and has been fishable, it hasn't seemed very inviting recently and with me also having a bad dose of the flu I've not been fit or felt like I've wanted to venture out far to try and catch a pike.

Not that the temperature has risen above zero and the lakes and ponds are finally thawing, I went out today for my first lure session of the year, it seemed like ages since I was last out and was soon back into the swing of things chucking out a selection of lures into the part frozen pond. After struggling for a take and thinking a blank was on the cards I hit into the first fish of the year, a very welcome lively Jack of about 4lb which was returned straight away to the icy water, no pics. I was glad to be off the mark especially as no one else on the pond had had a sniff of a fish today.

Looking forward to plenty more fishing over the next few weeks!

My Local Pond Frozen Solid

Autumn Pike and Passers-By

I was out again today in the Autumn sun for a few hours with the new lure rod+reel and just had the one small fish to save the day from a blank, but I'm not complaining, just pleased to be catching again even though they're not the big ones, after struggling through the last few months anything is welcome and I'm now feeling confident again!

I'm always happy to have a chat to passers-by and dog walkers who stop and ask if I've caught anything, but today it must have been the weirdos day out. I had them all today including one chap who was... "Looking for some company" ??? HA! 

I must attract 'em ;)

Christened

I recently ordered myself a new rod and reel set up for lure fishing. A six and a half foot Daiwa Beefstick rod and an Okuma bait caster reel. After a few practice casts in the back garden I went out today to a local still water to try them out as The Trent is in full flow at the moment, the highest it's been for a long time.

The fishing started off without any interest at all in my lures from the pike but I didn't mind as I was just trying to get the hang of casting a bit of a distance without the reel tangling into a birds nest! After a while my casting eventually did improve and I was quite enjoying using the bait caster when I felt a knock on the lure, my shad came back without its tail... Well it was a start. I eventually hit into a pike and wondered how my new gear would cope but it felt good, the rod was soft enough to cope when the fish lunged for snags and the reel gave line nice and smoothly when the fish took off but they also had the power to beef the fish under control. Fish in the net and rod+reel christened!

Not long after I was into another one, this second fish was very similar to the first but it decided to do some acrobatics on the unhooking mat and made its own way back to the water before it could have its photo taken! HA!

Can't see me going back to a fixed spool bail arm reel for chucking lures, can't wait to get out again soon.

Summer Update

Not much to report lately. I was planning on having a go at catching a few other types of fish this season but whenever I get the chance for a bit of fishing I can't seem to resist trying for the pike! I've been having quiet a few short sessions with the lure rod but the fishing has been very difficult over the past few weeks with just a few Jacks and perch landed, although I have had a few follows from bigger fish they don't seem very aggressive and turn away at the last moment, very frustrating. There's loads of fry and small fish in the river at the moment so no shortage of food for them, maybe need a bit of a frost to get them angry! but I'll still be out when I can get a few hours spare, flicking the lures around, you never know your luck (won't catch anything sitting at home) and it's nice to be out wandering along the river even if the fish aren't interested. 

Whilst out on my travels over the last few weeks I've been annoyed to find baited fyke or eel nets hidden in the deeper water of The Trent, one with a 2lb eel trapped inside, now back in the river where it belongs. Please keep your eyes open for anything dodgy looking when out fishing such as green string trailing down into the water leading to the sunken nets. Eel stocks are at an all time low and eels are currently under threat from disease, parasitical infestation, poor water quality and not least commercial fishing. It beggars belief that in this day and age the need to catch eels for the pot still exists. 

I have also recently started to find fixed hand lines along The Trent so keep a look out for any braid tied to posts or around rocks leading down into the water, give it a pull up and take them home, this type of fishing is unacceptable and illegal in this country! 

I hope to report back soon with better results!

A Summer Jack

Fyke Nets Pulled Out From The Trent

A Fixed Hand-Line Removed From The Trent