Saturday, 29 April 2017

2012


Some of the pike that I managed to catch in 2012
(I did not always remember my camera, or to check the batteries,)
However,considering that I had only caught a few before , I did not do so bad , there's plenty of room for improvement still !!





































Sunday, 14 December 2014

The search is back on !

After what seems like ages the search is back on ! 
Losing my Dad to alzheimer's just over a year ago , starting a new lecturing job at a different college, with weekly lesson observations, and  Ofsted inspections, showing the younger lecturers,and the students, that at nearly 60, I've still got it as a chef( AND SOME ! ) , had an adverse effect on me wanting to go fishing , let alone write about it.
But I feel the time is right to make a start!
All the gear has been sorted ,new lures purchased ,braid checked, now as soon as I have finished doing the rounds as Santa I can get back to what I love doing the most - LURE FISHING !

There is only one other thing getting between me and my fishing, and that's my 9 month old granddaughter !!

Sunday, 1 June 2014

Haysden Perch Fest !

This week I've been having some great fun ultralight lure fishing for the perch on Haysden Lake ,that are smashing into shoals of smaller fish . 
Nothing of any real size , but great fun on the light gear,even the little un's smash into the lure with a real thump!Its a competitive world under the surface ,often 5 or 6 fish go for the lure at the same time.
6' 11'' - 0.5gm - 7gm
The Tronix Pro HTO Rockfish UL (ultra light) has a solid tip and light but crisp action to allow you to work tiny lures. Perfect for fishing 'down the side' or for casting.
.LRF (light rock fishing) has been big in Japan for years and is slowly starting to gain popularity here in the UK.
Basically LRF is lure fishing in miniature using scaled down rods, reels lures and light lines to target smaller species. It is amazing how many different species you can catch and this variety is the real joy in this style of ultralight lure fishing.

I've cut the tip down to the second from top eye 
I tend to use a 2-3gm jig head plus-lure makes it 4gm or so , 


The trick to this fishing is finding the prey fish, find signs of activity and the perch are not normally far behind, you have to keep on the move though , as they can disappear quicker than you can find them.
When perch are smashing into a shoal of small fry,I tend to fish on the edge of the main activity , picking off fish from the edges,rather than bullying them from the middle and spooking the rest of the raiding party.I caught over 60 fish in one session ,before getting exhausted and frustrated at not being able to find the bigger ones ,that are in there ;)
 If bites slow down ,change lure type and/or colour , if bites stop- MOVE.


small perch taken on a drop shot plastic worm


 A feisty little stripy 

I fished on Longfield today ( Sunday) just for a change , there was a lot of feeding activity with rafts of bubbles appearing all over,apart from the shallow end which is covered in an oily film , and cotton wool balls that clog up the braid on my reels.
Caught a dozen or so perch ,biggest one about a pound and a couple of micro jacks
No two fish fell to the same lure



 on a small chartreuse spinnerbait


on a small floating crankbait 

also caught on
 1" kopyto shads, different colours
2" kopyto shad, different colours

Got an all action shot of Tony Crossly netting a good sized roach on Haysden.
a lot more fish showing up this year !



Thursday, 29 May 2014

Mission (im)possible

I haven't blogged recently as I have not really had much to talk about, but after attending the AGM of Tonbridge and District Fish Preservation and Angling Society, I realised that my blog may be put to some good use , I did something similar once before , but never saw it through .
this time it is different , my club is losing memberships fast , not long ago the membership was over 2,000 now we are below 1,000. This could mainly be due to a lot of anglers preferring to fish commercial fisheries, as they are almost certain to catch something!

I aim to highlight the great fishing that is available in our club waters , with a bit of hard work the rewards are there , for those that can put the effort in . and all for £50 a year .
some examples of the fish that an amatuer like myself has caught over the last couple of years .

5lb + Lure caught Medway Chub
18lb Lure caught Medway Pike

an eden lure caught perch


A brace of Haysden tench


2.5lb Ballast Pit lure caught perch


20lb Ballast Pit bait caught ,Pike 

other anglers catches
 a Medway lure caught pike 
1lb medway roach 
Ballast Pit slabs
20 + Ballast Pit carp


Son In law Ross with his first ever fish, a lure caught eden perch