Return to the valley

I visited the lake in the valley for the first time in six years tonight from 5pm to 9pm.

All quiet down there not a soul about, only the steady.hum of the generator keeping the trout fattening pond aerated disturbing the tranquillity. The were no anglers on the trout lake
Even the birds were noticeably quiet, except for very early on a buzzard was mewing around the woodland behind me.
Apart from that no obvious change. It appears the lake bird life has done well though with a family of young mallards, I counted 13 parading around, and a good show of young flitty moorhen.

I settled for a swim at the far end of the lake, the first swim I ever fished, next to the reed bed and lily pads.
There were still multitudes of rudd around,so I elected to fish the plastics, changing later to hooker pellets.

All this size

My first fish was a roach, followed by rudd and roach almost continuously before hitting my first crucian which weighed in at 14 ozs, no sign of growth as all that followed were about the same size!

Occasionally the ease of catching was interrupted by the carp tearing around on my light tackle, they were all around the six pound mark though.... for now.
Talking of carp, once again I was reminded that this is the only fishery I have seen carp tail walking. I wonder why they do that? Must try and get a photo, I need to be be quicker though.
So first trip over, not certain if I can stay later into darkness. Must have a word with George the farmer, as the access road does go past a couple of the farm cottages, so he may not like late travellers.
I'll probably have a dawn session next time out.

Updates

Yet another lie put to rest


From the Barbel Society Facebook page;

·          Andy Orme Ex Chairman puts the record straight in his own words:

I was amazed to read on the Internet a statement that I was pushed out of my role as the Society’s first Chairman.

That is not true.

I resigned during a phone call to Steve Pope.

Steve was my natural successor because he was the real dynamo behind the formation of the Society.

I have always supported the aims and objectives of this important organisation.


FishingMagic
After over 12 years participating in the web forum, I've decided to withdraw from Fishing Magic.
The main reason being is because one or two loud trolls have moved in, and every attempt to have a discussion is dissected to such a degree that the theme of the original post quickly disappears and becomes just a, "you wrote this" and the "no I didn't write that" argument!
So farewell FM, there were some great times, sadly they have gone.

Aces vs Chavs update
As it's been published elsewhere first here are the results
Total weight: 420lb 1oz

Aces 221 lb 15oz  Chavs  198 lb 2 ozs

Individual weights  1st place Graham Marsden (Ace) 47 lb 4ozs
                                2nd place Andy Nellist       (Chav) 41 lb
                                3rd place Stu Dexter          (Ace)  40 lb11ozs

Can anybody be that stupid?

A certain grey haired individual who will remain nameless, he will know who he is though as he looks in almost hourly.
He was not only daft enough to get himself booked for speeding outside his own front door, but he got himself booked again, and do you want to guess where?
What a twat of the first order, talk about dumping on your own doorstep


Can you guess where it is yet ??

Fishing and stuff

Return to the valley

I have received approval to fish my lake in the valley. I’ll report on my experiences soon.

Aces V's Chavs


I set out at just before 5am this morning for a "match" amongst a few friends from  "The Anglers Arms".
22 of us descended on  Woodlands View near Droitwich and fished on Arles Pool.
Great company on the second of  a now annual Fish-Ins where the old guys take on the youth. The Aces v's The Chavs.
Old guys means anybody over 50 and youth seems to be any over 40!! Although the age break alters to ensure even numbers on each team
So people like Graham Marsden, Eddie Bibby and Stu Dexter, were in attendance as well as Steve Spiller and Andy Nellist.
All in all a great day,in excellent company all of whom have no side to them.
A bit hot, but plenty of fish caught including just one barbel. I was going to have my photo taken with the barbel just to wind up the humourless few who watch and nit pick! But thought nah, why give them something else to make up a story about!

Old Jim


My next door neighbour  Jim(coming up to 80) called me yesterday and ask if I would take him to A&E. Jim is the old boy we looked after for about 12 weeks a couple of years ago when he disturbed a wasps nest and got chased around the garden and ended up with a broken leg, just below the knee.
Well on one of his regular visits to out patients for other ailments , he slipped off a kerb in the car park of the hospital. limped about with it for a few days and then slipped off it again getting out of the car in his drive.
The result a torn Achilles tendon, so his foot, on the other leg, is in a pot for 6 weeks (at least).
We started last night with a couple of bottles of wine and he shared our paella. Oh, well here we go again!!

Thank you Steve Pope

Spreading the word

The comments I have seen by one or two on the Internet are potentially libellous. If these individuals were worth sueing I would investigate possible legal proceedings. There are some truly odious people out there in the fishing world who make it their life's work to bait people and spread lies and innuendo and I will make it a personal mission to ensure that as many genuine people know who they are. Fred has done an excellent job for the Barbel Society and he will be a difficult man to replace.
Steve Pope at 12:47 26/7/12.

Life goes on

New neighbours


Some weeks ago we had a great deal of activity in the "cow parsley field" next door.

The baler

In fact over two days, we had two mowings, some baling, and cracking bit of kit that lifted the bales, twisted them around and wrapped them in black plastic!

Then yesterday our new neighbours arrived, we knew they were coming, in fact we put an order in for one.
We've been growing vast areas of mint for just that happy ending, pre-flavouring we call it!

The one on the right has our label

The rest!

The new fence

Did I show you my handywork ?
In fact the garden is looking pretty good.
We experimented with some vegetables this year, the Florence fennel  and celeriac are doing pretty well, but carrot totally failed so we're trying again.Broad beans are beginning to show well and all the peas have been eaten.We've also had our first meals from the Charlotte's, the Pink Fir apple are looking good, they make great crisps by the way.
Fruit trees are not looking brilliant I think we have a disease, so a few scabby apples on both trees,the cookers looking healthier.
A few conference pears and not many Victoria plums.
Gooseberries though were very successful, apart from the usual crumble,we've made ice-cream and sorbet. Rhubarb is also coming out of our ears, not tried the ice-cream maker on that yet!


The otter

How Joe Public views the otter!

Into the valley


Some of you may recall my stories with the above heading a few years back on Fishing Magic,
  Into the valley, pioneering? Part 1
Well I'm awaiting a call back from the  farmer in the hope that I can get back down to the pond and see how it has developed over the last few years. There were some cracking "crucian" carp at around the pound mark, it'll be interesting to see if they have matured and if they are in fact proper ones. fingers crossed, because if I can get down there I may well have a few early mornings and evenings to report on.

Is this a crucian ?

Crack of dawn visit to the middle Trent at Hazelford tomorrow just for the crack!.

Before it gets out

Resignation

Just to let those who may be interested know, last Friday evening I resigned, as yet unacknowledged, my position as the Communications Chair of the Barbel Society.

This also in effect means editor of Barbel Fisher the bi-annual members magazine.

Before there is any speculation, I can advise that my resignation has nothing to do with relationships with the Chairman Steve Pope. I have found him since my almost five years of dealing with him, and Society's business, to be nothing like the image portrayed by past ex committee men, or their taggers along.

It didn’t take me too long to find out that the deficiencies lie with them, I’m afraid!

Anybody with an ounce of common sense, and I pride myself with having pounds of that; can see what Steve is all about.

With the Society maintaining similar numbers each of the last few years, it's influence continues moving onward and upward, which must be due, at least in some part, to the considerable time and effort I have put in for the last 4 years in these financially troubled times. 
So, good luck to the Barbel Society for the future.

Me?

Things to do, I shall remain a member of the Barbel Society, and hopefully have a great deal more fishing to report.

Diary Date

Barbel Show 2013

Sunday 9th June 
.

Cracking new venue too:  Chesford Grange Kenilworth Warwickshire

http://www.qhotels.co.uk/hotels/chesford-grange-near-warwick.aspx?gclid=COz-4PCUnrECFZMmfAod_Dv9gA


Cooling Towers


The cooling towers in the distance on the previous blog and a marker for a hole to cast too....gone!!

http://youtu.be/AewRUtblfPk

Oh I do like to be beside the.....

Bit of water on!

Before!

I decided to get out of the house again and took a trip down to the Barbel Society stretch at Sutton on Trent, mainly as a reci, for a " celebrity" visit to the fishery, but because I fancied a dabble on the big river.

High tide, where's the cattle drink ???

Well, I arrived just about high tide,which was the idea, so that levels could be checked and also to see if the marsh could take vehicles.

The river was the highest I've seen it on my visits to Sutton, but this was also probably due to the seasonally high tide. The marsh was sopping, I wouldn't have trusted it in a 4x4 let alone the old Octavia!

I walked down to a popular area called the beach just to see if anybody else was out, they weren't, but the beach was knowhere to be seen!

The beach

So I wandered off back to the cattle drink swim at the top of the lane from the entrance gate, to have a go.

Do you think I could find it, the cattle drink that is?
No!
I leaded around, but think with hindsite I should have been another 20 feet downstream!
Funny how your geography fails you when the scenery changes!
I set up two rods, one to fish just off the torrent with my Shimano 6000RA, and the other, my old Mark IV, and Purist II sleeping down the inside with the quarter tin of garlic spam.
All in all my trip lasted 6 hours, one or two taps on the meat, but no movement on the other rod, despite numerous smelly bait changes. Often snagging on the return hooking into the flood banks sunken vegetation and retrieving, grass or nettle stems. A shortening of the hook length overcame that problem.

I met a few people, Bernard the baliff turned up and we had a nice long chat putting the world to rights. I'm enjoying these fishing trips!!
Two others, locals, at different times, asking how they could get to fish the stretch, hopefully two new members.

Met a few of the regulars, one of whom apart from trying to lick the paint off the car, took a fancy to me....I think!

I'm coming!

The only boats around today were,   two of these barges, both empty, heading up to Hoveringham, the other one of the two came back  later, laden down to deck level with gravel.

See you later when I'm full!!

Oh what a perfect day!

I have to say that this fishery has a certain pull to it, not certain what that is, I even enjoyed and put some heart into my fishing.
Bird of the day oyster catchers.

Great tits


Our second family slipped out unnoticed yesterday morning, they had at least six eggs, but I didn't check them after that.
In think I mentioned on an earlier blog, that I was  not at all certain it was the same pair as our first brood. The male seemed to have narrower chest bib and they were certainly quieter than the first lot, so perhaps they were a different pair?

My mates Baz and Jerry

Tonight with Martin James


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00tq93k/At_the_Waters_Edge_05_07_2012/


Good luck boys.

I have a problem!

I have a problem !


I had to force myself to go fishing today, literally I've been going since June 16th but just couldn't be arsed.
Not certain why this should be happening.
THE BOSS hasn't a problem with me going, it's just me summoning up the inclination to be out there on the river.
So off I headed for the hour journey, determined to fish the middle Trent, not knowing the conditions, but expecting high water.
Indeed it was high, the highest I've seen it down the fishery, but according to Steve the resident baliff it was three feet down from the weekend.
The high bank swims were pretty much inaccessible  and very muddy . I did take my dog spike and rope with me but decided that I didn't fancy the scramble back up to the top after a days fishing.
Especially if those dark black clouds dropped their lot on me during the day.
So I headed up stream, and for the first time found that the weir pool was lacking anglers!
Now, I had decided before I left home that I would take the the opportunity to fish the slower inside runs, so left my heavy gear at home and went along with my centre pins, that included a  Ray Walton Rolling Pin and my Purist ll.
The weir called!
Full use was made of the RP for  upstream casts into the weir pool, but my inadequate gear soon proved to be a problem.  Too many snags and too many losses of gear, and with one big drop back missed whilst setting up rod two for the slack area.
Anyway, whilst sitting there a guy who a later discovered to be an ex-matchman turned barbelfisher turned up and we chatted for sometime.
He'd bought his gear but left it in the car. So we chatted and chatted and then Steve the baliff turned up and we chatted and they both went off.
Shortly after I said to myself , "I've had enough of this" and moved to a less hostile spot. Still not quite in the right mood, I half heartedly set about fishing.
Nothing happened, I knew the fish were feeding because on my way upstream I passed one old boy as he tackled a 5 pounder in the fast current.He had caught two and lost three.
No I didn't ask him how he had lost them, but it does puzzle me, because I find it very rare to loose a barbel once hooked unless snagged, his swim wasn't snaggy.
There was one other angler at the extreme boundary of the fishery, I saw his landing net but couldn't see him. I may add that I thought afterwards I should have checked if he was in the swim and had not fallen in!!
Anyway he hadn't, because he came upstream later with the first guy I had chatted with, and sat down and all three of us chatted.
He had caught a number of barbel and chub and this was his first visit to the fishery so he said he would be back.What he also told me and it was confirmed by, Paul, the first guy I chatted to, was  that his last fish a 4lb barbel was grabbed by a pike!
He was able to land both fish, the pike was about 20lb!! The barbel although grabbed midships was unmarked!!
So we chatted and chatted, and Jason, he was the second lad decided he had better make his way back down to Peterborough.
He left me and Paul..chatting. By the way Paul still hadn't got his gear out of his car, he had decided he was just happy to be by the river .......chatting.
Sometime later I decided to pack up, this fishing lark was taking second place, and I didn't mind a bit.
Paul helped me take a few bits the few hundred yards back to the car, we passed the guy I mentioned earlier who had lost fish, he now said he landed 5 and lost 6!!
Paul and I said our goodbyes and he followed me out of the fishery.
So, I still haven't been fishing really, it's going to be pissing down over the next few days apparently, and I don't fish weekends .
Maybe next week the urge will return