Variety is the spice of life

Its the same with fishing :

After a couple of frustrating sessions at Birkacre where bad luck and (bad) skills cost me good fish i wanted to sample some fun!!!

Middlebrook - a quick session to fellow bloggers fav little stream with my grandson soon saw him into the roach/perch/trout on maggot using a 5 ft woolworth type rod great fun to see him smile.

Birkacre - then its is back on the clock, a quick 3hr session saw me with two fish on the bank, not the best session, but enough to keep me humgry for more and for the moment its keeping me away from the Ribble.

Kennet Town Centre - saw me attach it for 1.5hrs after work, small roach and a fair chub were all i could muster, had the predators taken all the better fish? whoknows,

its a great sport but it can be frustrating

i have done a couple 0f short sessions lately and however well you do (or dont) you always think

if only - hindsight eh?

BASINGSTOKE CANAL

A two hour session on bread saw me anticipating a few pulls from the resident small carp that were protrolling the surface but in 2 hrs i had 3 quick bites all bream around 12 oz

BIRKACRE

I visited the lake on sunday 13th with the intent to follow the fish - light tackle and rod saw me fish the bottom end where most of the fish especially carp were showing.

After a disasterous start losing a rig / float caused by a duck (and a concerning moment until the duck got free) i decided to but the float away and use the method & feed bread.

although i had to wait for bites - probably 1 per 45 mins i managed to hook 5 tench in the 4 hrs - the sizes well who knows but on 4lb hook length and a light kevler feeder rod with thick weed in front of me (i didnt know this when i brought very light gear) i was totally bullied by the tench through the weed.

I lost all but one in the weed - was any big fish - i dont know but i couldnt stop the runs, the one i did kited to the left and i managed to get it through a channel - its weighed £5lb+

god know what the others would have been

Dad had a stronger rod but spent 3 hours failing on maggot before switching to bread and missing a couple of pulls before hitting a 5lber.(main picture).

I was mega frustrated at not taking advantage of the tench feeding - i have had to wait 2 weeks (on hols) to get back ,

i will be there on the soon - come on the tench

WELL DONE DAD - great tench

BIRKACRE
I decided to go back as soon as possible as I was hoping to get into the bream again - so we ended up going on the tues for 3 hrs - same peg same tactics
It was a lovely evening and I was surprised we struggled for bites - I had 2 and hit the first fish within 20 mins of getting my float fished bread in the water - a lovely tench of 6lb graced my net.

Again the weekend came and i was struggling with a cold but I managed to get myself out of bed at first light and off to Birkacre - this time we moved around the lake - I wanted to target the margin tench but needed to get towards the main body of the lake hoping to intercept the bream.
With my dad and myself feeder/method fished corn/meat to the far side with little success - the only bite before the sun started to beat down was on the shared float rod on the nearside margin on bread again - dad then went on bread and fished the near side and spent 2 hours missing a few bites - I was convinced these were roach.
I brought my feeder rod in only to hit resistance - I thought that’s it I am snagged - a little tlc saw me free it and wow a lovely 4.12 bream

I then decided to have a got on the nearside float rod - dad was missing a couple of bites on this and his feeder both on the bread.
I missed a bite and immediately put fresh bread on and sent it straight out - and the float went straight down - I was desperate to hit the bite and prove to my dad he was missing fast roach bites when I was into something a bit bigger - a lovely 4lb bream came to the surface and my dad was getting mad by know.

on his very last cast he got another bite and well he finally struck into a fish - it roared off - a great fight saw us slip the net under a lovely 6lb tench.(main picture)
What a way to finish - well done dad
Maybe if you would have hit all those bites you would have bagged up on tench - who knows

Birkacre magic

After a couple of unsuccessful short sessions i decided to give it a 4 hour morning session on the float - something many dont do on this water.

Dad and i were kitted up with a 12ft rod, reel with 6lb mainline, 4lb hooklink and bread/corn for me / dad was on maggott/worm

.

Bites wasnt exactly one a cast but when the float went under it was usually a good fish.

I hit all fish on bread but missed a few bites on corn!!! probably because it wasnt hair rigged.

I ended up with 1 tench and 5 bream to over 4lb - dad have 1 roach and 5 bream to nearly 4lb.

A great session and i cant wait to get back.

its been a bad april

I havent done any fishing since my last blog

went on hols to the Algarve and got stuck there because of the volcano issue - disaster

anyway went to Birkacre last weekend of a couple of hours really just so i could join

so with season ticket in hand i will be there this weekend to have a go for the resident tench/bream

i will update the blog on monday hopefully pictures of many a good fish

Tenching at Birkacre

Again words of wisdom from manchesterfishingfiend had me onto this water and deliberating a season ticket on Wigan AA.

I had a look at the venue on the Saturday and a few tench and bream had been coming out - a bit of internet reseach and a recce got me onto the hot pegs and back i went with my kit and dad on the Monday morning.

We got the flyer peg and dad and i set up a feeder rod each and shared the peg - dad on bread crumb/groundbait with worm/corn on the hook - i started on a large method with scalded pellet and a 22mm pellet on the hook.

Dad had a bit of activity - and finally was into a roach about 6-8 oz - he also missed a few bites and lost one playing it in - but all these were either silvers or the smaller bream - the guys either side had bream - one to 5lb and a tench a similar size.

Me well in the 4 hrs i have a few twitches and 3 bites - i didnt have to hit these they were arm wrenchers - they only came when i changed down the size of the method feeder and put corn on a hair rig - i think the scalded halibuts really got the tench searching around and definatley outscored the different groundbaits that were being used around me.

3 cracking fish and i am hooked on the place - i may still buy a season ticket if i can find the time to give the Wigan waters at least one visit a week - work is hectic at present.

The other angler couldnt believe i had to pack up and get home while i was in the middle of a purple patch - but family life eh? its a balance and sometimes its doesnt favour the brave....

The largest and last one at 6lb 6oz

the middle one at 5.2

the first estimated at 5.5

slivers on Kingfisher

After a bit of research, a history lesson from Sam and help from Mike (manchesterfishingfiend) i decided i would take my dad and give it a go.

After a good mile walk from the car park to the water i was hopeful of some good action - my dad on the float and i was on a maggot feeder.

My dad was straight into a roach of about 3oz followed by a few bites - i had one on the feeder and missed a good rench round (from a roach???),

all in all a good 2 hours a few fish on the bank and my dad was happy - except for the walk back up the hill,

he was knackered!!!

until next post - my session at Birkacre