Beach Fishing, Dungeness

Whiting, Whiting and Whiting With Whiting

The Boardwalk, Dungeness, TN29. UK

Dungeness At Night,.......... Or Is It?

Its been a while since I last got my lines wet due to a stint of flu and work commitments, but I was really looking forward to this session because I was being accompanied by my Dad and Brother. It was a quite a mad plan from the off and was surprised that they even agreed to come. my plan was to finish work at 9pm, have dinner, grab the tackle and be fishing by midnight, with 1 1/2 hours to fish till low water, then fish 4 hours of the flooding tide, and be back at home by 8am. After meeting at my Dads we were all packed and we were on our way, we discussed what may be about to catch, I was sure Whiting and Dabs would be around, with a small chance of a early Codling, but my money was on a Bass.

No Rest For The Wicked

We arrived at the boardwalk, on the west side of the point, and made our way to the beach. It was eerily quite for Dungeness, then I realised there wasn't a breath of wind, well the weather forecast does get it wrong from time to time, I was expecting westerly gust of 25mph. The lack of wind reduced the chance of bringing the Cod if any, into the shore and defiantly no surf for the Bass to play in, but I always say you never know unless you have a line in the water. I opted to fish one rod my Greys 12' 6" TSX Centaur rod with a Shimano Ultegra XS-C 10000 spooled with 20lb PowerPro braid, and a 18lb to 70lb tappered shock leaded, technically my winter Cod set up, a little bit overkill considering the weather. I decided to start with a 2 hook flapper with size 1/0 Aberdeen hooks decorated with glow beads, baited with Lugworm tipped with squid, and a 6oz breakaway lead, just to see what was out there.

Dads Know How To Be Different

My first cast had only been out 30 seconds before the tip violently rattled away, I waited for the second rattle before reeling a Whiting which was large enough for the bucket. I caught 5 in less than 10 minutes, before deciding that this would be too much hard work for me, well I had just worked a 12 hour shift, I still had a eye for a Bass or Cod and changed to a live bait rig, a clipped down with a baited size 1 hook tied with 1" of line onto the bend of a size 6/0 circle hook, with the idea a Whiting hooks itself on the smaller baited hook, then with the circle hook just in front of its mouth which hooks any fish large enough to make the Whiting its dinner. Without the wind I decided to fish this as far as I could, believing that the bigger Bigger wouldn't be as close in.  I've had these rods over a year now I now I'm really just starting to get the best out of them casting wise,  and without the wind I was fishing probably the furthest I have ever been able to.

 Noah, They Came In Two By Two

My Brother opted to fish the glowing beads 2 hook flapper all night long, he was double patting which made me chuckle, because whilst he was baiting his second rig without him being aware his rod tip was continuously shaking violently with bites, and when he sat down to relax and looked at his rod still rattling away causing him to get straight back up, reeling in Whiting, then starting the whole process again, I don' think he got to sit down all night. He really worked hard and was constantly pulling them in 2 at a time, we lost count of how many he caught, by right, he should of hit something else other than a Whiting but he didn't. He defiantly got the makings of a match angler though. My Dad was doing well too, opting to fish Sprat and Lug combos, he was constantly catching Whiting but the Sprat bait also bought him a bonus 4 Dogfish and a bite at close range which was defiantly a Bass slamming into the bait and pulling the rod tip right over, unfortunately he never connected with the fish, but it did give me the incentive to try close in, I had been fishing at long range for 3 hours over low water and even though I had hooked Whiting on my live bait rig it stayed put for a hour each time with only the occasional tremble on my rod tip to let me know he was still on. Time was up and I had a tally of 10 Whiting, half of which I caught on the live bait rig, but I tried, and have to say I got beat by both my Dad and Brother this time, I went all out for that big fish but they didn't seem to be any about for me. I will be fishing like this a lot from now till Xmas as there will be plenty of big Bass and Cod in the stormy seas to be caught, one of the best times for Surf fishing in the UK for sure! I know a lot of anglers out there absolutely hate the prolific Whiting, capable of taking large baits designed for other species, but at least they keep you busy, fill your bucket up, make great Cod bait, and remember they're not half as useless as Rockling!

The Dreaded Sea Pest AKA "The Yting" Or Bait

Weed And Fishing Don't Mix

Wrasse Saves The Day

Selsey, West Sussex, UK

I wouldn't normally blog about something like this, but can you imagine as a best man, organizing a Stag Party for your brother with 5 guests who are mostly carp fisherman with the promise of catching a shark? Well, the rest of the stag do went brilliantly to say the least, involving go-karting, camping, surfing, lap dancers and steak dinners. But the fishing was a completely different story, We arrived at Selsey, Smooth hounds were our target, we had 30 live peelers crabs and pulley rigs with 2/0 Mustard Big Guns hooks, everything seemed to be right, except for the weed, tons of it covering the beach, floating from the beach to about 10m out, every cast instantly picked up weed until the current dragged the rig to far. We were all a bit gutted, but in good spirit, we moved, packing up 5 tents and 7 rods and tried again on a less weedy beach a mile or so away. we managed to keep a few rods out for about an hour before the weed came and total stopped the fishing once again, it stayed permanently unfishable for the rest of the trip.

Ballan Wrasse Saves The Day

As I said in my last post, fishing doesn't always go to plan, and even occasionally it goes better, but this trip was different as so many people were involved, I would of moved again or gone home if the circumstances were different, but united as a Stag party, we all agreed that as it was nearly dark, it would be better just to camp the night. We were all too tired after a very long 5 hour drive and hard partying. But I have to say, I really do believe that if you have a line in the water you have a chance. And I did get one bite, and as line was being peeled from the spool on the baitrunner, I struck, convinced that this was a Smooth hound, I felt the fish fight, the sheer relief and excitment of believing that we will at least get to see a fish. Then fishing reared its magical head, with its twists and turns of the unknown, What I landed to my suprise, in my opinion was better than any Smooth Hound, A 2lb 13oz Ballan Wrasse, massively beating my Wrasse PB, they do love to eat crab, but with their small mouths catching one on a big Tronix size 2/0 bigdog hook and whole peeler crab bait with the weed situation made this a very lucky fish, and a very welcome guest to the beach. And allthough the fishing didn't go to plan, the 7 of us made the most of the night, camping on the beach as good friends, reminissing about old times, with burgers and beers watching the sunset, what more could you ask for?

Sabiki Fishing, Samphire Hoe

Wrasse Rattling Fun

Samphire Hoe, A20, Dover, Kent. CT17 9FL UK

Samphire Hoe, Pick A Spot, Any Spot

Sometimes in fishing, things just don't go to plan, and that certainly is the case more often than not.But it's the little surprises that keep fishing interesting. And after a unsuccessful day and night fish at Dungeness targeting Bass, all I managed to land was 7 Whiting during a half hour of madness during the nights high tide. The rest of the time my rods, yes all three, stayed as still as a post, and all my baits returned to the beach untouched. The thought of heading home in the morning during the hottest and longest spell of weather the UK has seen in 36 years, Seem like a wasted opportunity, I was on the South Kent coast and I wasn't ready to admit defeat. So a change of venue it was.

Baited Sabiki Rig Does The Job

I headed to Samphire Hoe, a mile long seawall built on reclaimed land from the spill of digging the Euro tunnel, now a beautiful park at the base of the famous white cliffs of Dover. Having never fished Samphire before, I was maybe a little unprepared, but wanted to target some summer species. I had some feathers and a light spinning rod and thought I had a good chance of getting some Mackerel and maybe a Garfish. But after spinning for a hour with various different feathers, not a thing.I hadn't even seen anyone else catch a fish either and most of them were fishing bottom baits at range, I knew that the bottom was like a tackle graveyard, with big boulders and weed, and I wasn't prepared to tackle this rough terrain just to join them. "What to do?" my arms were tired so I lazily started  jigging a sabiki rig down the side of the sea defence wall. then it dawned on me to use the 6 size 10 hooks of the sabiki rig and bait them with small 10cm chunks of the black lug worm that I had left over, and see if I could winkle out a few Wrasse.

Tropical Looking Corkwing Wrasse

I lowered the baited rig carefully to the bottom and immediately a succession of very quick rattles on the rod tip, saw me excitedly lift the rod and reel in, but no fish just empty hooks. I re baited and again the rig had been in the water for just a few seconds, the rod tipped rattled, I lifted the rod Immediately, and due to the braid and very light spinning rod with fast action, I knew I had a fish on, It was a lovely little fight and then I saw my first UK Wrasse for many years come floating out the sea. It was tiny about 3oz or 4oz, but a new species this year, that gave me more of a thrill than dragging Whiting onto Dungeness beach with a beach caster.

Ballan Wrasse, Definitely A Girl

I had found a method that worked and I managed to land 1 Ballan Wrasse and 3 x Corkwing Wrasse in the next 30mins. It was real fun, and to be honest I missed a load of bites, but it was constant action!. But then out the blue with my rod resting at an angle against the sea wall, a bite that just pulled the rod tip so hard it bent right around and behind the wall until the ultralight rod lifted violently into the air, I was lucky that I was close enough to grab it! then it was fish on! a great little scrap of a fight and something a little bigger but I really wasn't sure what fish it was, untill I got a closer look at the fish as I swung the fish over the wall. A 10oz Pollock! which nearly claimed my pride and joy "Snowbee 4 piece travel rod". But it was another new species to add to the year! And a great way to end my first and very short session at Samphire Hoe.

Tiny Pollock Nearly Took My Rod

The change of venue had worked, I had made the most of the fantastic weather and even added 3 new species for the year list. I really enjoyed the fishing at Samphire Hoe, although the fish were small, it was really fun catching them on the light fishing gear. And I'm glad I didn't hook anything bigger because without a drop net I wouldn't of landed it, Which of coarse is now on my shopping list as I would love to return and see if I can catch anything a bit bigger over a longer session.

Carp Fishing, Sky Lake

"I Love It When A Plan Comes Together"

Sky Lake, France

 

Morning view from Sky Lake

After what seemed like months of preparation, re spooling reels, changing batteries, tying and testing rigs, and impromptu trips to tackle shops buying bits and bobs that I may or may not need,  The time had come for my second trip to Sky Lake in France, Following on from last year, whilst learning the ropes for big carp fishing, I managed to land a couple of carp which gave me a new PB of 37lb, but this time I was going more prepared with the knowledge,from last year. I had a plan, and knew exactly how I was going to fish, helped by the fact that I was fishing the same area as last year, and the plan was even flexible enough to make changes at a split decision. I was expecting more this year, and was very confident of beating my PB, even hopeful of a 50lb plus fish.

Three Rods For My Fish

The trip started in a bar in Dagenham, where I meet up with the same Essex boys that went last year, It was good to see everyone again and after the polite pleasantry's and a few beers the normal banter started to flow. and it wasn't long before all the gear was loaded into the minibus trailer and we were off to Dover. we arrived at Sky Lake at 6am approx, after having a quick cup of coffee and getting reacquainted with Rob, Andy and Bernice, I made my way to peg 10 "the woods". Immediately I noticed how hot it was, the forecast was 30 degrees all week and the sun shone straight into my face from the opposite bank, a far cry from last years wet and cloudy trip. I decided to set up my bivey late in the afternoon after watching the swim, so I could position it where it would be in the shade most the day, a decision I didn't regret.

Ready and waiting

In my fishing plan I had made quite a few little changes from last year, although my bait was going to be the same, "Innovate Kream Krunch 18mm boilie" fished with a pop up snowman, I increased the pop up size from 14mm to 16mm, this balanced the bait perfectly and when tested in the margins sank very very slowly just resting on the hook. this would give more movement to the bait to catch the eye of any close fish and offer no resistance when taken, hopefully giving me more runs. I kept the hooks the same, micro barbed size 8 curved shank, I purposely kept the 12" rig as simple as possible with only a small piece of tungsten putty about 4" from the hook, firstly to ensure the braid was pinned to the lake bed, and secondly to turn the hook on a take, hooking the fish in the bottom lip. Other changes from last year I made was the lead size, after fishing with "Rigmarol Free Fall Lead Clips", I realised that this was kind of a semi fixed rig, So I upped the lead size from 2 1/2oz to 3 3/4oz G-force flatn pear leads, beautifully camouflaged and giving extra grip to the lake bed, with the intention that it would help set the hook on a take. I also Used Korda Dark Matter tungsten tubing, which is so blatantly heavy, you can fish in confidence that it is firmly fixed to the lake bed, out of sight from the wary carp.

Fish 1: 18lb 5oz, 1pm Sunday

After a hour or so of using the marker rod, I had settled on a spot to fish, directly towards the lodge, 75 yards out, this was a large sand/clay spot, and about 5 yards pass a large bank of weed. I put my first rod 2 meters to the right of the marker and my second 4 meters to the right, and John fishing in swim 11 put two rods to the left of the marker. now rather than bait just the area we're fishing, and another part of my plan, I baited up to 10meters to the right of the marker. my reason for this was if my left hand rod had a run and needed to be recast during the night, I wasn't confident that I could cast 75 yards in the dark and put the rig in the 4 meter

Fish 2: 29lb 10oz, 4am Monday

gap between Johns rod and mine, so I could just cast another 3 meters to the right of my undisturbed rod and still be fishing in a baited area, giving me more chances of catching a fish. 6 kilo of boilies would be enough for the fish to stop and feed, but also keep them there longer as they would need more time to find and pick up the bait over the large area, giving me and John the opportunity to pick off more fish.

After the first 24 hours of fishing is was clear to all of us that the majority of the carp were shoaled up in the corner of the lake in

Fish 3: 35lb 9oz 7am Tuesday

swim 12, they were spawning very late this year due to a very long and cold winter,  no one was fishing in swim 12, and the group decided to leave it that way, mostly because it would of seemed rude not to fish your drawn swim, we had left all the corner swims free, with two fishing on each bank, which gives a lot more water for everyone to fish, It was better all round just to leave the fish undisturbed and in peace whilst they done their business, decides people were picking off the odd fish here and there, but I did wonder and hoped that they were going to move around the lake.

Stalking the margins

Well for the first few days it was very quiet with the only action being at dawn when the fish seemed to leave swim 12 and come through John's swim then through mine and then turn around and head back to swim 12, where we had managed to hook and land a few fish between us each morning, was the large baited area working, and stopping the fish going any further?, the fish definitely weren't crashing anywhere else on the lake during the night. Except I had noticed regular crashes during the day, to the right of my swim, and every time John walked the rigs out to our markers to clip the line at 75 yards, he disturbed fish

resting in the shade of the trees, I couldn't resist, from Tuesday I baited up the margin just 1 meter

Fish 4: 25lb 9oz Wednesday 3am

from the bank under a overhanging tree, with about 5 10mm Kream Krunch boilies every four hours or so, on Thursday I put a bait out which was a fluorocarbon combi rig with a critically balanced Innovate 14mm Jaffa pop up 20mm, fished slack line, the rod had only been out 40 mins and as I returned to put a few more boilies out, the reel began to click and line was being taken, as I reached for the rod I struck, I had hooked and landed 22lb 7lb mirror, somewhat of a sneaky daytime bonus fish.

Fish 5: 34lb 10oz Wednesday 4am

The nights for me and John had been quite steady with fish and missed runs, which kept us awake most the night resulting in us going to sleep earlier and earlier as the week progressed, as we both were getting tired, but Thursday night I awoke to what sounded like a domestic cat going for a swim, there was explosive splashing in the lake just left of our boat, I ran over to see what was causing the commotion, and realised that a large predatory fish maybe a pike or catfish was attacking my landing net which was in the water holding some live bait Rudd which we were fishing for pike with. I grabbed the net and attempted to scoop it

Fish 6: 28lb 10oz Thursday 3am

under the large fish which was still attacking the net. but It got away, then moments later, I could hear what sounded like a group of people walking through the woods behind us, inquisitively me and John headed into the woods to investigate. As I peered through the gate to the fishery I could see 3 wild boar, only little ones, Never seeing boar before, I had to get a closer look, they was not phased or bothered by us or the torches, John opted to stay put whilst I crept closer, the boars were really not bothered

Fish 7: 22lb 7oz Thursday 3pm

at all and had definitely seen me. but then I heard a very loud angry snorting to my right followed by hoofs being dragged along the ground, similar to a bull in my imagination, I looked round and saw a large dark shadow, was that the daddy boar? I wasn't going to find out, and in a crazy and comical Blair Witch moment, a terrified me, turned and run as fast as I could through the woods with my head torch light bouncing around, all the way back to my swim.

Fish 8: 22lb 1oz Friday 7pm

The last night was here, and although I had landed 8 fish I still hadn't beat my PB of 37lb, I wasn't giving up, the signs were good, early evening and fish were crashing all over the lake for the first time all week. In a last ditch attempt to bag a new PB, I fished all three rods to the 10 meter baited area in front of me but spread the gap between the rods by 5 meters. With leaving early the next morning we had opted to pack the bulk of our tackle away including the bivey, and sleep under the stars, a gnats dream

Fish 9: 38lb 1oz, Friday 11pm

and our worst nightmare, but It wasn't long before I was awoken by something different than the high pitched buzzing of a blood thirsty vampire insect, my bait alarm, bingo!  I landed a beautiful new PB mirror carp of 38lb 1oz. Unfortunately for John whilst the fish was being unhooked it had managed to splash water all over his sleeping bag, completely soaking it!, it was at least 5 meters away lol. After gaining confidence during the week I recast the rod back to where it was between my two other rods, two hours

Fish 11: 37lb 11oz, Saturday 5am

later, another run on the same rod. and a even bigger PB and my first ever 40lb plus fish was on the bank, a fish known as "The Pretty One" tipped the scales at 45lb 6oz. And again I recast the same rod to the magic spot, and again the bite alarm woke me up, I savoured every moment of the fight, knowing that this was the last fish I was actually willing to catch, I was so knackered by now, and before even landing the fish I had decided to call a end to the fishing. The last fish was a big common weighing in at 37lb 11oz.

Fish 10: "The Pretty one" 45lb 6oz "new PB" Saturday 2am

I had landed three of the biggest fish I have ever caught all in one magical night all on the one rod, how and why none of the other rods had runs is a mystery. I stuck to my game plan, it had come good and I smashed it on the last knockings. A night that I will never forget, it left me totally knackered, completely satisfied and absolutely ready to leave, this was without doubt the best fishing trip I have ever had and would like to say a really big thank you to John, with his help in clipping the line at 75 yards, landing the fish, one even from a boat in the dark, and taking photos and video footage, I know I would of struggled and not of landed half the fish I did without his help. The week really drummed it into me how much help is actually needed in fishing for big fish, All the guys made it a team effort  unselfishly leaving their rods for quite some time, with long walks to offer assistance to others that were playing fish, and hats off to them all. Because there is nothing better than sharing the excitement of a big catch with friends.

Catfish Fishing, Roman Lake, Furnace Lakes Fishery

Reward For Missing Cat

Roman Lake, Furnace Lakes Fishery, Slinfold, Horsham, W. Sussex. RH13 0QZ

Roman Lake, Furnace Lakes Fishery

A long wait for an exceptionally long and cold winter to end, and time to visit my favorite venue ever, for many reasons. Spring has sprung and with a three day holiday booked, it was time to return to Furnace lakes fishery. I had lost a monster Catfish here last season which I have blogged about on "The One That Got Away", I had one goal, to spend the next 48 hours and to try to hook then harder still, land the biggest Catfish I could, I was ready for revenge, but were the fish? I set off early to arrive at opening to ensure that I got a swim on Roman Lake, which holds the biggest head of Catfish at the venue, upon arrival at the cabin to pay my ticket, I was told the fishing's been really good, with lots of Catfish being caught, everything was looking up, even the weather forecast had gone from rain to sun with clouds. I made my way to my swim where I spent a hour watching the water for signs of fish, before having my gear transported to the swim in the quad bike service.

Ready, Set, GO!

I eagerly set up camp and my rods, using 3 x Fox Ranger  XTS 3lb test, matched with Shimano Super bait runners XTR 8000RA spooled with 20lb Korda Subline. My first rod was at distance tight against the island under a overhanging willow tree, a favorite spot, that had been successful for me in the past, baited with a 1" cube of luncheon meat. My second rod was baited with double 21mm halibut pellet, which I cast out tight to some reeds that a big fish was frequently disturbing. And for my third rod, I used my light spinning rod to float fish for live bait, and easily with every cast caught plenty of Roach and small Bream with a single maggot on a size 20 hook. After a hour I had enough small 5" Roach in the keep net, I now set up the third rod for live baiting on a dumbell rig which I fished in the margins. The day had gone quietly and not a bite, but fish were being caught elsewhere on the lake, and I was still confident of a catch.

Snotty Bream That Thinks He's Still A Skimmer

Night had fallen and I changed my live bait rig for a running leger hair rig, baited with 6 lob worms which I threaded onto the hair about 10mm at the head of the worm (if that's what you call it) and then injected a small amount of air into each tail, to make the 6 worms tails float and sway and wriggle vertically above the hook, it was very fiddly, and took way to many attempts, but once I got it right, it looked spectacular when I tested it in some shallow margins, how can a Catfish turn his nose up at that! I had one bite all night, and yes it was on the worms! I struck into what I though was going to be a big fish, and to my surprise a fish immediately surfaced during the strike, and then skimmed 3m across the surface before skidding onto the bank at my feet. I looked down, and was surprised to see a very sizable Bream, which tipped the scales at 4lb 8oz, Not the best way to land a fish, but a very welcome catch.

Its secret to power is from the long tail!

With the lack of any real takes during the night I felt the dawn, with its poor light, rising sun, mist still rolling like clouds across the lake and the incredible sound of the local wild life beginning to wake up, this had to be the time for a bite, but it didn't happen, after 2 hours of sitting by my rods in the damp cold after a very disturbed and excitable nights sleep left me very tired, so I decided to get back into the bivey and have a sleep. I must of only been asleep 30 minutes when I awoke to the sound of a screaming reel, Line was being stripped off the reel on the double halibut rod, the bobbin was on the ground and the bite alarm was silent! I never did work out why, it was turned on and I watched the line going through it just before striking. As soon as I struck I felt the rod pull hard and slow away from me in a very big curve, I was on and it was big!! line continued to be taken for at least another 20 meters before I even tried to take some line back. The adrenalin kicked in! this was a powerful fish! and memories of the fight with the lost monster last year came flooding back! my body began to feel the strain, catfish are very powerful! and patience is needed to land these fish, as we played the tick for tack battle of gain a few yards lose 10 yards, and vise versa, the shaking and big wobbles the fish puts through the rod as it twists and turns in the water was making me feel very nervous, but 15mins later I had done enough to tired the fish, and I had the biggest Catfish I've ever caught in the net! not only a 21lb 14oz PB Catfish fish for me, but the first fish I have caught in the UK that was over 20lb in 30 years of fishing!!

Donkey Chokers Aka Halibut Pellets

Buzzing with the excitement of the catch and covered in slime, I decided to go to the lodge for a wash and brush my teeth, on the way I spoke to several fishermen about their catches during the night, paying attention I learnt that no carp were being caught, and all the catfish were coming out on halibut pellet, and not from the shallow margins but from deeper water. and with several stories of braided hook links being severed by the tiny rasping teeth of the Catfish I decided to change all my rigs, to 18" long rigs made with 40lb cat link with size 2/0 eagle wave Catfish hooks baited with double 21mm halibut pellet with a large PVA bag filled with a variety of different size pellets as feed on each cast. I also changed the spots of where I was casting to, 2 of my rods that were tight to the island I then started dropping the baits about 7 meters from the island, which was in about 8' of water just at the bottom on the steep incline toward the island, my margin rod was now being cast straight into the middle of the corner of the lake where the deep channel of the lake narrowed before turning into the corner, which I thought would be like a bottle neck for any fish cruising along the deep.

One Little Brute Of A Beautiful Fish

The morning went by without a bite until a almighty crash in the reeds just to the left of my swim made me literally jump out my skin, without hesitation, I reeled in a rod, and crept quietly through the soft mud and dropped my rig right where the fish crashed. I let off enough line to fish a slack line and then set up the rod rests in the reeds and carefully lay my line between the reeds so to avoid a tangle. It took only five minutes before the alarm was bleeping sporadically, I crept over to the rod and watched the slack line as it tugged gently at the reeds, my rig had moved a meter along the reeds, and just started to move again, except this time the line straightened and what was on the end started to take line, I struck! It was fish on! The fish headed straight out towards the middle of the lake, which gave me the opportunity to reposition myself at my swim, now the reeds weren't in the way, The fish put up a really good fight, but I knew it wasn't as big as the last one, It weight 12lb 6oz, but it was a beautiful fish and looked quiet different to the other Catfish I'd seen caught, it had 5 whiskers, darker in colour, and way more stockier, when I released the fish it darted straight back in to reeds where I had caught him from, coincidence? or was that his territory?

New Catfish PB And My Biggest UK Fish To Date 27lb

Well, I was happy as Larry, even my cousin Jerry who turned up and was fishing the next swim along managed to land his second hooked fish and banked his first ever Catfish at 29lb, so we had both done what we wanted to do, but it wasn't over yet, I still had one night left. my rods had been out since 6pm and just after I'd finished eating sausages cooked on the BBQ at midnight, my left hand rod bobbin gently rose and then the bait runner kicked in, I struck immediately, and straight away the rod slowly but powerfully curved round till the drag on the reel gave line, this was bigger than the last, this fish went powering through and past the next swim and onwards before I stopped it, admittedly I was giving it more stick due to the bigger hook and cat link I was now using, I had to, or it would of kept going I'm sure, the extra pressure I was exerting on the rod was killing my back, I think the fight only lasted 20mins and my arms were shaking, but all that is forgotten as soon as the fish is in the net! This one tipped the scales at 31lb on the nose, minus 4lb for the sling, left me with a new PB of 27lb, I was dancing in joy, as I've been known to do on occasions. what a day! I recast the three rods with the last three PVA bags full of pellets I had left, and went to sleep a very happy man.

Couldn't Resist, Even Cuter Than A Cat

I have found that there is something magical about Furnace Lakes Fishery, even if I blanked it would be worth the visit, it's such a beautiful location, with stunning scenery, the abundant wild life is amazing, with rabbits, bats and birds galore, at night the place seems misty and magical and the crashes of big fish just remind you that every bite is worth the effort as it could easily be the fish of a lifetime. I came here to catch a big Catfish after losing one last year, mission accomplished? definitely yes! I know the fish I caught weren't big as far as Catfish are concerned. but two of them were the biggest fish I've caught in UK waters in 30 years of fishing. so I have accomplished my mission!  and you know what the best thing about it is? I got a reason to go again! next time I'm going for a 30lb plus!!! and that will be another story.

Carp Fishing, Oakley Road Fishery

Worth The Weight

Oakley Road, Bromley, Kent, BR2, UK

Oakley Road Fishery, New And Improved

After working 14 days in a row and with over 60 hours overtime, yes......I'm dead. Well not quite, but close, I feel like a walking zombie on auto pilot. It's May bank holiday, and my one day off was luckily forecast to have glorious sunshine with a temp of 20 degrees, how could I not go fishing?. My plan was simple to find a trip that would be as easy and lazy as possible, cast out a rod and sleep in the sun till the sound of my bite alarm awoke me. I pondered about this for at least 5 days, and the only venue that kept popping up was Oakley Road Fishery. It ticked all the boxes, 10 min drive, no rigs or bait to buy as I already had everything I needed, and it would be less busy than other commercial fisheries which would of been packed due to the nice weather, bank holiday and it being closed season for fishing rivers. It even had a chance of a decent sized fish. Although I've fished this place a lot over the years, and I used to know exactly how it fishes, but last year it closed for maintenance work, the silt was dug out, purpose made swims have been built and finished of with a gravel path which goes all around the pond, it was very different now, but would it fish the same??

Fish 6 Boilies close together with PVA Mesh

We arrived at the venue at 8am, that's me and Sarah, a lot earlier than I had imagined, probably due to my work body clock annoyingly waking me up at 6am, but I didn't mind to much as I was going to sleep most the day, and fishing is supposed to be relaxing, well sometimes it is. Sarah had put her gauntlets on the table, "I will catch more fish than you with one rod!" she announced, no, actually it was definitely a statement! She has learned a lot about fishing from me, and is now more than competent to set a rod up, bait up, cast out, feed and land fish. I brushed off her confidence, but underneath I know the way fishing goes, and she could quite easily come true on her words. even with the threat of losing, I decided to still fish in a lazy way, I used my old but lighter carp gear, 2 x Fox warriors 12' 2.5 test, matched with Shimano ST 6000RA's loaded with Fox 10lb soft steel mono. My rigs were simple running leger with 1oz in line lead, with a 10" long hair rig made from 12lb braid and a size 10 barbless hook. One rod baited with a 10mm Innovate Kream Krunch boilies fished about 7 meters out which I baited with 40 loose boilies. the other rod was fished almost in the centre of the pond with a small cube of luncheon meat, with no baiting. I set my rod up on the alarms, and waited. Sarah decided to fish the more conventional way on this water and float fished the margins.

Sun And Fishing Together!!!

It was a glorious morning! the sun was shining, and although we had been fishing about 2 hours, not a bite, for either of us. But I was hopeful because a fisherman 2 swims down had landed a nice Common Carp which tipped the scales at 12lb 6oz. I was struggling to keep my eyes open when my dad unexpectedly turned up with his rod. Doing his normal thing, quickly catching a small carp, as if to show me how, then disappeared as quickly as he arrived. And if he wasn't showing me how to do it, whilst I was talking to him at the other end of the pond, Sarah hooked and landed a small carp on one of my rods, which obviously I had to give her the fish. There was a short spell of about a hour when several people landed fish and some more low double Carp, but as the sun reached its peak bites were non existent and the sun seemed to stop the fish feeding, With my reclining chair right back I settled for a bit of snoozing during the calm.

Worth The Weight, 10lb 15oz

The day was coming to a end, I hadn't changed tactics, just waiting patiently for the fish to find my baited area and start feeding. Then all of a sudden the pond came to life, fish were topping all over and you could see them cruising about, just under the surface, temping me to change to floating bread crust which I tried with Sarah's rod for about 10min, but the fish seemed wise and reluctant to take the floating bread, but then my bite alarm sounded on the Inovate boilie rod, slow bleeps gradually getting faster and faster until it was one continuous bleep, I struck, immediately I knew it was a sizable fish, it put up quite a little scrap, but after a few lunging runs, I had him beat and ready to be netted. It was my only fish of the day, but well worth it, a Common carp weighing 10lb 15oz.

Shhhh I Stole A Photo With Sarah's Ickle Carp

Well the day was at an end, and was the pond different?, yes and no. It was lovely to see a few children fishing the small stocking pond whilst their parents watched or taught them to fish, something I don't see often enough on other waters, Oakley Road fishery certainly offers a chance for the future generation of angler to hone their skills whilst catching silver fish and Carp with the chance of a big one, The bigger pond seemed to fish the same, less bites and fish, but the stamp of fish seemed a lot bigger now the smaller fish have been put in small pond, I saw over 20 carp caught with 5 low doubles come out during the session, and I've been told there are bigger in there with some low 20's. I admit that a lot of anglers may overlook fishing Oakley Road Fishery, due to it being on the small size, but it is what it is, a well stocked, well managed, still developing fishery slap bang on the outskirts of SE London, and I for one will on the hot summer evenings when I have a few hours after work will be there to stalk and temp the fish to the surface with floating biscuits or bread just as I have done for years, and hope to do for many more.

Barracuda Fishing, Puerto de Vueltas, La Gomera

Holiday Species Hunt Continues

Puerto de Vueltas, Valle Gran Rey, La Gomera, Canary Islands

View Of Vueltas From The Sea Wall

During a weeks break in the sun on the beautiful Canary Island of La Gomera I had planned to do a day or two of big game fishing, for many reasons things didn't go to plan. My location was very remote and would have required getting to the other side of the island to the bigger port of San Sebastian, which would of added almost 120 euros to the all ready expensive cost of chartering a boat. I Also had to bear in mind that this was a break for me and the misses, and due to the very rough sea and high winds during the week of my visit It could of been disaster for both of us, as we both suffer from sea sickness. As I realised that going big game fishing wasn't on the agenda this holiday, I very happily settled for some Lure fishing for Barracuda, during my stay I had been chatting to other fisherman who were all telling me stories of Barracuda being caught on lures off the harbour wall, I had tried during the day without success until a German fisherman called Khosro, Informed me that if I wanted to catch a Barracuda That I needed to be fishing at dusk or dawn. Now, I'm not the best lure fisherman, and to my memory, despite weeks trying I have never caught a fish on a plug, only a few small pike on spinners and a lucky Pollock on a soft sand eel, So to catch a Barracuda on a plug would be dream.

Alluring Attraction! Lets Hope So!

I set my alarm for 4.30am and planned to be fishing by 5.30am, but as this was the first time I had even looked at the clock whilst on holiday, And I failed to realise that the time on my alarm clock application on my phone was confused and was 2 hours out, resulting in me eating breakfast having a coffee and ready to leave at 3.00am with 2 hours to wait DOH!!!. It didn't happen!  I feel back asleep and woke up way to late with the dawn well and truly over, double DOH!!!. I had missed the morning session, but nothing would stop me missing the evening one. I arrived about 1 hour before dusk, I was totally set up for this type of fishing, an ultra light fast action "Snowbee, Sea Bass Special, 10gm - 50gm" a superb 4 piece spinning rod matched with a "Shimano, Stradic FJ 5000" spooled with "PowerPro,  9kg braid", a brilliant outfit, and one that I'm definitely going to put to use back home for Bass, Pike and Perch. Rather than using a wire trace, I opted for a 40lb fluorocarbon trace to help increase takes, and I made this 7' long, because if I did hook a fish I would be able to lift it by the 40lb trace up the sea wall. which was a concern as I could not pack a nets in my suitcases. There was a another few options that I had considered If I was to hook a really big fish, firstly of climbing down a  wall ladder to the sea level and use a fish gripper, which would of been very dangerous and left me with one arm to climb back up the vertical ladder with a angry flapping fish and lure hanging off the other arm, or the more plausible second option of playing the fish 100m back to the beginning of the wall, where a ramp dropped down towards the sea getting closer to the water, but this would involve playing a fish for longer and getting it around approximately 8 very large tyres used as buffers for ships dotted along the sea wall. But the main thing was to get a fish hooked first!

Light! Camera! Action! Garfish Is Pure Entertainment

Well my first session was exactly like all my other lure fishing trips, not a bite and no fish, I had slowly worked my way from the beginning of the wall and back down over the two hours, I had tried all of my lures at one point and my only success was to learn how to make my red head popper pop across the surface like they're designed to, as I had never used one before. It was dark and raining! I had given up, I sat on the ramp looking out towards the water, wondering if I was doing something wrong, or if the strong winds had forced the fish to move elsewhere, and then reflecting off the harbour wall lights I saw glimmers of silver flashing across the surface about 60m out. I rubbed my eyes and again I watched at least 10 fish come clear out of the water. a shoal of Garfish!! I grabbed my rod, I knew straight away that the "Yo-Zuri, Floating Crystal Minnow Lure" would not reach the shoal as it was too light, and in less than 5 seconds with the quick link attachment I had switched the my lure to a "Tronix, Blue Casting Lure", which is designed for distance casting, I cast out to the spot, and as the lure hit the water it exploded! maybe a hundred fish, bait fish and Garfish instantaneously startled by the lure. And immediately I was was on, The hooked Garfish spectacularly tail walked across the surface of the water for at least 10 meters at a ferocious speed. It even jumped a few times, What a show! This was exciting! This is what lure fishing is about! although the fighting fish put on a magnificent display during the fight, it wasn't long before I had landed my first ever Garfish! A skinny torpedo, with a reptilian beak, It made my night!

 "Great Barracuda" Released To Become A Monster

With the excitement of the night before, I returned the following evening to continue my pursuit of a Barracuda, I found Khosro fishing the wall, he had given me advise earlier on in the week about catching Barracuda, and as we passed on the wall we compared lures, tactics and wished each other good luck, If there were any Barracuda about, surly one of us would get one! I had been fishing for about an hour and the sun was setting now, and it was prime time for a fish, I decided to try my "Rapala, X-Rap Saltwater Lure, 14cm, Silver". I hadn't used it as of yet, believing it to be to big. But Khosro with good advise convinced me that it wasn't, just how big are the Barracuda here I thought? I hadn't even asked that question! With the third cast with the X-Rap, I had my first hit, I didn't hook up, but it was action! and proved by the teeth marks left in the lure! It then went quite for a bit and I needed a rest, so I gave the rod to Sarah who continued to fish, she even had a hit bringing the fish to the surface before losing it! Like an excited school boy I took the rod back, and cast out. Straight away a hit, I stopped reeling in, nothing! I gave the lure a twitch, and again bang the fish hit it, but I still didn't hook up. I let it float to the surface and nothing, I twitched and nothing then I started to reel in and Bang the fish hit the lure again, but third time lucky! it was hooked! It didn't put up too much of a fight due to its size, but its speed and angry ferocity was amazing, just like most of the fish I had caught here, when it surfaced I thought for a split second that it was a Garfish, But It wasn't, no long beak, This was my Barracuda! And fowl hoked! I worried that the hook would pull, but maybe luckily for me, the fish was quite small and it lifted straight out the sea and up the wall easily.

Fish Hooked Only Condones Celebratory Good Quality Cigars!

I didn't catch anything else that night, I packed up whilst smoking a celebration cigar that Sarah had given me for catching my Barracuda, but to be honest it was the Garfish that left more of an impression with its fighting acrobatic display, god knows whats it like to have 1000lb Marlin jumping about on the end of your line! The Barracuda wasn't a big fish, but a new species for me! and the fact that I had caught in on a hard lure, especially with my poor track record of lure fishing, has given me a bit of faith to go more often, being mobile, hunting the fish, spotting them and then trying to trick them into taking the lure, and then watching the water explode as a fish takes the lure on or just below the surface is magical, its a visual thing you just don't get with bait fishing, and it's what makes lure fishing so exciting!