WINTER COMES WITH A VENGEANCE - Stillwater pike (Winter fishing. Series 1: Episode 11)

Click to play video

 

Read the blog entry here: WINTER COMES WITH A VENGEANCE

 



 





 

 

THE TWO VWs - VERY WET AND VERY WINDY (Daytime carp fishing) (Winter fishing. Series 1: Episode 10)

 

Click video to play. Includes: Don't allow the weather to stop you fishing - bait revealed - carp on the bank

 

I've really enjoyed my chub angling so far this year but this week I fancied tackling a different species, and in particular, carp. Although I take conditions into account, of course, that's pretty much how I determine what I'm fishing for, it's basically whatever takes my fancy. I'm serious about my angling in one sense, but the basket everything sits in is the one called enjoyment.

Dudmaston's Seggy Pool

The featured venue is Kinver Freeliners' Seggy Pool, which is on the Dudmaston estate. Not as popular as the Big Pool, but certainly as far as winter day-time carp fishing is concerned, it's one of my favourites. Pleasant surroundings, great wildlife and general nature, and above all from an angling perspective, always a chance of banking a carp even in the colder months.

The first fish of the day

The video features the session and what a day it was weather-wise. The title says it all, so no need to elaborate there. But I'm a great believer in just getting on with it and not allowing the conditions to affect us, other than in venue or species choice. It was a couple of hours in before I had my opening fish, a common on lobworm boilie pop-up. It's always great to bank that first one.

A beautiful looking mirror

Exactly an hour later and the other rod went off on a screamer. Another pop-up, this time it was M1 that did the business. This was followed by a third run, that unfortunately resulted in the dreaded hook-pull. So not a case of 'third time lucky there, but as I'd already netted two, it wasn't exactly a blow. In fact, even if I hadn't, it still wouldn't have been. This is just fishing, and must always take its proper place in our lives.

On the mat ready for unhooking  

 

I added another couple of carp, pretty much towards the end of the session, which was a dawn through dusk one. I've been doing a lot of short outings so far this year, hitting the canal for a few hours, so it was nice to actually have a full day's fishing. It was also different in that I was sitting behind the rods for the first time, waiting for the alarm to kick me into action, as opposed to watching a quiver tip.

 

A common on the bank

 

I've already mentioned the wildlife, and that was topped by a muntjac that I spotted grazing right by the car park. In a split-second it was gone and that's why we need to be switched on and alert to the natural world around us if we are to make the most of it. On the flower front, as well as snowdrops in bloom I noticed a number of species in leaf, such as lesser celandine, cow parsley and broad-leaved dock. The evidence of an extremely mild winter. (Published February 8 2014)

 

My blog is published every Saturday. This is week number 552.

THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A PASSION AND AN OBSESSION - Canal chub (Winter fishing. Series 1: Episode 9)



Click to play the video. Includes: It's important that anglers understand the difference between a passion and an obsession - Bait and rig revealed - The toilet habits of the kingfisher

 

 

In this week's video I share the need to know the difference between a passion and an obsession. This is true in every area of life, but especially so for us anglers. In fact I would say that it's crucial we not only understand that there is a difference but then to make sure we are firmly on the right side of the line. In a nutshell, passion is good, obsession bad. I would also say that just because someone fishes a lot, that in itself doesn't mean to say they are obsessed. It's all about what's going on in our mind. Anyway, what about the actual fishing this week, how did that go?

A small chub on the bank

 

Underneath the first photo in this week's blog, I wrote the words 'A small chub'. But is it small? Someone contacted me recently to say he had never caught a 3lb chub and the ones that I have been banking of late have all been monsters. So although there's nothing wrong in using words like 'small' we do have to understand that they are just relative to our own experiences. The moment we feel a chub, or any other fish for that matter, doesn't have the same value as another based on size alone, then it's time for some serious re-evaluation.

 

Barbel Stix does the business again

 

I continued with my Barbel Stix approach this week, fishing both Frankfurter Sausage and Undercover flavours. That's the latter that you can see in the photo above. I think confidence plays a massive part in angling and no more is that reflected than in bait choice. Although the canal has been tough, the only bait I've taken along has been Barbel Stix. If nothing else, I know that it has put a lot of big chub on the bank for me. Another thing is that I can confidently say it won't 'blow' as a bait. In the whole of this week I only saw one family group of anglers anywhere on the canal - and they went after an hour.

 

Another chub poses for the camera with yours truly

 

Whoever said 'time flies' wasn't joking - I can't believe it's the first of February today (as I publish this blog entry of course). I'm still on track for my fish-every-day-of-the-year target, although to highlight the title of this week's blog entry, there's no obsession involved but lots of passion. Of course, I'm not able to fish twenty-four hours of every single day, and that is reflected very much in this week's sessions. I averaged out at about three hours per outing. I can do four mornings and it's no more total fishing time than the angler who does a twelve-hour session.

 

In the net and ready to go back

 

All the fish caught this week were my target species, apart from one bream in the final visit. However, when the rod pulled out of the rest and the fish took off like an express train, in the split second before I lifted into it, I was convinced that I had hooked into a carp. Imagine my surprise when I found myself banking a small bream, one that definitely punched above its weight for sure. As it happened, it was the only fish I caught that morning so avoided a blank. It's always nice when your target species hits the back of the net, but hardly an issue when something else obliges instead.

 

The bream that I thought was a carp

 

And finally (I like to end my blog with that as no doubt you've realised), for those who do access my website (www.anglingdiary.com) as a means of connecting with my weekly entry, you will have realised by now that it hasn't been updated for a couple of weeks. The people that host the site did some internal work, which meant that for the first time in almost 11 years, I was unable to get on there. Basically they weren't able to help, so I just had to draw a line under it. It's no issue though, I was just using the site as a place to host the blogs. They're still out there, and as from now will just be on Blogger as opposed to the site as well (Published February 1 2014)

 

Blog published every Saturday, this is number 551.