Still at it!

More fun on the Taff!

Good day to all of you!

What wonderful weather it's been yet again this last few days! I cannot honestly remember a November so mild as it's been? Lets hope it continues a bit longer....I took a chap and his son out for a days guiding up in Hereford on the Wye just over a week ago and the conditions were spot on for what looked like a pretty darn good day.

Well, it was great for teaching and the lads seemed to enjoy picking up a few useful tips but i'm sorry to say that was the extent of the day apart from one small chub right at last knockings. A very disappointing day on the fish front, but hey, that's fishing....

I did a few hours grayling fishing again on the Taff with Mathew last Sunday and after catching around 20 each we decided to head off to our local club lake to try for a perch or two. Things were tough there and I managed just one fish of about a pound and followed the perch up with two carp of 11lbs and just under 18lb! All on the float and centerpin as well!

My next chance to get out was on the Wednesday and after driving down to Dorset, I met up with Stuart for a day on the Lower Stour at Throop Fisheries. We decided to spend the day doing a mixture of different techniques trying to catch as many species as possible. We tried float, lead, worm, drop shot, feeder etc etc.

Bit of carp action....

We had a great selection of fish ranging from Stu having a lovely 2lb perch, myself a chub of nearly 5lbs and most memorably a 6lb 15oz pike on a 6ft 6inch drop shot rod! What a scrap that was! We managed about 6 different species in the end. A great day out with my best friend.....

On the Friday I grabbed a couple of hours on the waggler float sat in the harbour in Warham. The water was up due to overnight rain and also due to a super high tide. The current was a little strong and very coloured up. Needless to say I struggled to get a bite but it was a very nice place to spend some time. I may well make a B-line for the place at some point next season in the warmer months, as I know there are some very big roach present.

The weekend was a bit of a blur as it was my 40th birthday and everything that could have gone wrong, did. I won't bore you with the specifics but needless to say it's one I don't wish to remember in a hurry.

Well done Connor!

Monday saw me venture back up to the Lower River Severn at Pixham and another 2 nights of expected excitement. I chose the same swim I had fished a few weeks back on the 'Flats' and set up my brolly and got comfy. I decided to hit the swim with around 25 x 4oz droppers full of hemp, mixed pellets and coloured maggots. I slung them around an area of about 15 yards round and set about getting the rods tooled up.

Rigs were the usual running lead set up with a 5oz grippa lead and 8" Fox Cortex hooklink to size 8 hook. I teamed this up with a small stringer of River Monster boilies and one of the same on the hook. My first take came around 3.30pm and despite giving the fish a bit of stick, it made a nearside snag and did me good and proper!

Very frustrating but it didn't feel like a big fish thankfully. All the kit came back and just the hook point had flipped over. My next chance came in the form of a slimy old bream of about 4lbs and another of 6lb 8oz.

Species hunt with Stuey!

The first barbel came around 7.30pm and after a good old fashioned scrap I banked a nice little 7 pounder. Great start to proceedings and relieved a bit of the pressure I was feeling. After an hour it kicked off again and a lovely 9lb 7oz fish found the net. I had a chat with a couple of mates on the mobile and tried to settle down for the night. That was never going to happen though and around 3am I was 5 bream the better and another 2 9 pound plus barbel too.

I managed a quiet spell up until 8am until I was awoken rudely by a belting take on the right hand rod. I flew out of bed and noticed a chap sat just up stream of my doing some painting. I played the fish out and weighed her at 7lb 3oz. The guy looked very pleased to see one banked in front of him. I however needed a bit more sleep....I managed a few hours sleep before Bob turned up to fish the afternoon/evening for the Pike and Zander.

Picture perfect from Pixham! 9 fish found the net in just 45 hours fishing......Wonderful!

We chatted lots and it was great to see my good pal in fine fettle. Lots of banter flowed but the fishing was no less than crap! Despite his hardest of efforts and skills....nothing took any of his dead baits. I managed to get into a very nice Barbel of 10lb 6oz while Bob was still with me, which was great as he was able to do some nice pictures for me....I then let him into a couple of bream on my rods to stop it from being a blank day for him. Bob left around 10pm and by 11.30pm I had another on the bank of just over 8lbs.

A chub was next up at around 1am and then all went quiet until the early hours where I banked a couple more fish including yet another fine double of 10lb 2oz. This thing was as fat as a pregnant donkey! You could honestly have put a saddle on it and rode the thing! Proper old chunk of fish....I got some great close ups and put her back. Things then died off and I eventually managed to get a bit of sleep.

You could have put a saddle on her!

I awoke around 8.30am and noticed the chap was back to finish off his painting works. As I was starting to pack away my kit he came over for a chat. What a lovely fella he was too. Very friendly and thoroughly enjoyable to talk to. Turns out he does a lot of drawings and paintings of the Rivers. He'd been after a shot of the Severn at Pixham with an angler in shot for ages and not found anyone present on arrival. Well, to say seeing me there was pleasing was obviously true as he'd included my set up in his gorgeous charcoal and second pencil drawing that was sitting on his stand. Beautiful works of art.

Well that's it from me i'm afraid....not overly sure when i will next venture out as the car has its dreaded MOT tomorrow then the wife is away for almost a week working. That's going to limit my bankside time worse luck.

Tight lines all
Keith x