UKCF Anglers.

[Simon Bolivar]

Last leave Update No2:
The following day Thurs 27th, I fished the lagoon & had a 8lb Jack, lost a small one one & then lost a handmade Jerk bait Back to my 'normal' fishing.

I took the Fri 28th off, as I saw the Chiropractor the night before & seemed wise to rest my back, rather hump loads of fishing gear across the fields.
Sat 29th . I went back to the swim I caught my PB from & sat it out. Got there early so ensure I was first to the far end. Set up & had a bait in by 08:15. Just as I was was sitting down, a run!
Winding down & striking, I felt another good lump. Of course it was likely to be one of my previous two captures but with fish passing through this swim all the time, that's a chance I had to take, if I was to catch a bigger one. As it turned out, this one was a new PB of 18lb 08! Measuring exactly 100cms, the 14lb 06 was 90cms. Re-cast & sat down with a RASCC & coffee for an initial celebration.
Mon 31st Fished a totally new area after meeting a barbel angler, who gave me some good tips on deep holes. Didn't catch but did enjoy the QdO Panatela, another sad deletion from the Habanos line up.

Tues 1st Feb Fished the Lagoon, blanked.

Wed 2nd Fished the big fish swim, blanked, think I disturbed an otter when I arrived, there was a splash & a bubbles. That would certainly scare the fish off.

Thurs 3rd Fished at the new deep hole swim, smoked a 1970's Los Statos Delirious after breakfast. As I was smoking it, I became away the tide had raised the water level, day after full moon & water rose 0.8m. Had to move my gear 50yrs away & stand for the rest of the morning. No runs but I decided to move before lunch & as reeling in a dead mac, I felt a pluck, gave line & hooked into a lively 9lb'er. Moved around to a straight, with a higher bank, had lunch & then smoked a real celebration smoke for my new UK PB, a 1980's Cuban Davidoff Margaux.

Fri 4th Rested back again. Went for a walk along the Dorset Stour with MLW & sussed out some swims with trying.

Sat 5th, took daughter fishing at the Royalty. Unfortunately we were just a few mins late & the banker swim I had intended to use, was the only one occupied. So we fished by the car park. A cold morning & unfortunately no runs.

Mon 7th, my last session this leave. Decided to try the Stour. Had only fished this once before & blanked but have heard plenty about it so gave it ago with lures. Started by the dramatic weir & then as the level was low, walked down to the next bridge, had breakfast & waited an hour for the tide to start rising the water level. Then cast into the bridge pool with a large spinner bait & hooked another double! Luckily I was wise enough to check my landing net would reach the water, from the concrete ledge I was fishing from,. so knew I should be able to land it. A great end to my best leave or several yrs.

[Max A]

Congrats Simon, a successful start to your English fishing adventures, a nice smoke too!

[Simon Bolivar]

I have ben absent for a while, just too busy on leave to contribute much but this eave I finally had a great fishing success & so will make the effort to update you. I have just been through & read all 26 pages, back to 2015 & it's a very interesting read! Hopefully now I am back in I will have more regular captures to report.

25/01 Fished the morning at the Royalty, River Avon. Fished on the corner of the main river, by the exit of the of the Clock House Stream, which leads to a man made Lagoon, where I had been told last year, the pike go to spawn at this time of year. Last year I missed it by a week or so & they were all back in the main river. Didn't get any runs today but put my used deadbait chopped up & put it in around the swim I intended to fish tomorrow.

26/01 On site asap this morning, can't start here before 07:30 as you have to collect a ticket from the tackle shop first. Managed to be the first angler int he queue & then away, humping all my gear across the fields. Cast out two Joey's, minus the head into likely looking swims. Barely had breakfast when @ 09:15 the left hand rod was away, wound down & struck into it & it immediately shot into a load of thick weed on my bank. Managed to tussle it out *& land it, much easier than in the main river current.
My English PB has stood since 03/85 @ 14lb, caught in the Basingstoke canal, when I was still in the RN. Having spent the last 30rs in Belgie, I did fish when visiting family for 10 yrs or so but then started going to Bute for a week every year & then had to give up fishing on family hols.
Well this beastie looked like it might beat that, (see 1 & 2 pic's) as the scales proved - 14lb 06. Modest enough improvement but glad to get that monkey off my back. Let the fish recover, released it & re-cast. By the time i sat down again another run, same rod @ 09:30. Another good scrap & safely netted, proved slightly smaller 12lb 08. This was my 2nd best ever brace& could have lead to me best triple bag so I re-cast & lit a ERDM CS 2005 to celebrate the moment & to see if indeed a 3rd run would develop. Sadly not enjoyed the lovely smoke & put my chopped up dead's in the lagoon to fish tomorrow.



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[tommy]

Thank you for taking the time to visit me. For the lovely smokes and company. Maybe next time we will get a fish or two hey!

[Simon Bolivar]

Well I have been out Pike fishing this week, so far without success. Learning my new waters on the Ringwood AC ticket.
This morning I drove to Reading & met up with Tommy, first time since the Mill Hill GC herf.
We had a pair ERDM DT's for breakfast (2001 & 2013), followed up with a 1990 R&J Pan for Tommy & a modest 2000 Belinda Petit Princess for me.
We thrashed Cavandish, below the lock, to no avail but a pleasent morning very misty until 10:30. EE chap on the weir reckon he had a few pike on live bait but confessed a fellow EE was caught with 7dead pike from the weir last week.

Sent from my H3113 using Tapatalk

[Simon Bolivar]

Haha that’s brilliant

TBH I normally have a cigar after I catch and was a bit premature with this one as we weren’t staying that late.

Indeed, for me the best smoke is the reward smoke & what better occasion than landing a decent specimen. I used to have a detailed list of cigars to smoke depending on the weight & number caught on any one day.... of course I am far more relaxed these days! I'd rather catch before I light up but otherwise tend to have one smaller one in the morning after breakfast & the big cigar after lunch. In Belgium, I rarely got disturbed but on the Isle of Bute, I could get 2 or 3 runs whilst smoking one cigar.

[gav_sw20]

A solution I use.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313634311...UAAOSwgxJc3mtl

Haha that’s brilliant

TBH I normally have a cigar after I catch and was a bit premature with this one as we weren’t staying that late.

[Simon Bolivar]

Ironically I’d started a Choix Supreme about 45-mins before, the bait-runner real screamed off and I ended up ditching it as couldn’t cope with rod, landing net and cigar all at once

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A solution I use.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313634311...UAAOSwgxJc3mtl

[Dorsetman]

Hahaaaaahaaaaa!

[gav_sw20]

Worthy of a fine cigar indeed! But did you?

Ironically I’d started a Choix Supreme about 45-mins before, the bait-runner real screamed off and I ended up ditching it as couldn’t cope with rod, landing net and cigar all at once

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[Dorsetman]

Had another PB last night with an 11lb 13oz Barbel. The thing almost ripped my arm off when I struck into it.

Worthy of a fine cigar indeed! But did you?

[gav_sw20]

Had another PB last night with an 11lb 13oz Barbel. The thing almost ripped my arm off when I struck into it.

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[Simon Bolivar]

Looks a lovely day & a grand smoke too!

[Dorsetman]

Coming to the end of the Mayfly for this season, fish are replete and not so eager to come to the fly. Still a great time of the year to be out and I was even joined by Mrs Duck and her family!

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[Simon Bolivar]

River season started on Weds June 16th so I headed out in the evening with new tactics compared to last year.

I’ve tracked down a few old Barbel books on eBay and been reading them over the last few months and the consistent message in all of them is to get the fish feeding comfortably before putting your hook-bait in.

So, I got there at 5:30pm, picked a swim and proceeded to bait-drop 1kg of hemp and 2pints of casters into x5 areas of my swim over the next two hours. My mates I was fishing with thought I was mad as they had their hook bait straight in the water, not surprising after three months of no river fishing.

I then fished from 7:30pm ~ 10pm and had two PB’s. These being a 4lb Chub and a 10lb 8oz Barbel 😀😀😀

My target for the season was to get one ‘double’ Barbel and I’ve done that within two hours of fishing !!!

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Many congrat's Gav, real crackers, I'll have to remember this tip when I fianlly get to barbel fish on the Hant's Avon. I once saw a friend catcha 7lb barbel, at night, on the Thames at Sonning. At the time, back circa '75 that was a big fish. I have still to catch one so first target is to catch one, then to beat the biggest one I have seen. Both realistically achievable. If & when I manage that we'll move up slowly. Now sure how I'd manage a big dble on the Avon, which has a strong flow & lots of weed.
So whattcha gonna smoke to celebrate your red letter day? And which Cohiba will you choice?