Category Archives: Fishing 2016

Crucian Carp, Fishing 2016, Roach

A Final Tench

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I have been very fortunate this year; being able to get fishing so many times. I have also been very lucky when I have fished. Lucky with some glorious weather, lucky in what I have caught, and lucky in some of the company I have met along the way.

Picture of a Crucian Carp with an Edgar Sealy Floatcaster rod, Allcocks Popular Aerial reel and vintage landing net with quill float
Picture of a Roach on the grass
Picture of a nice Rudd lying in a vintage landing net along-side an Edgar Sealey Floatcaster De-Luxe fishing rod with an Allcocks Popular Aerial reel.

Fishing a favorite lake in Wessex, cloudy and cool, but sheltered on the bank of the lake in-amongst the trees. I fished my chosen swim, casting very close into the margins with my ‘secret’ bait.

Sport did not arrive immediately, the float simply quivered ever so slightly now and then. I would reel in to find I had been ‘had’, and my bait was gone. Obviously, there were Crucians’ in my swim, and very tentative they were too.  Again the quill float never dipped but quivered,  I gently raised the rod, not a strike as such and hooked a good Crucian. As I netted the specimen, I could hardly believe the size, the old vintage landing net creaked as I raised the fish to the bank. I never usually weigh any catches of mine but on this occasion I had to. The scales went to 2lb.12oz; blimey! After weighing the empty net it revealed that the Crucian was 2lb.4oz. What a fish to end the summer season on.

I could not believe it, A good friend of mine called me on my mobile, and whilst chatting, I had a ‘run’ on the right hand rod. I quickly excused myself, ‘I hung up on the good chap’ and tended to the rod. The run was a short one, I initially thought it was the final Tench I was so longing to catch. The run did not go far and I soon had netted what could only be described as a huge Rudd, certainly the biggest I had ever seen, or caught. Again I had to weight it. The Rudd turned out at 1lb 4oz, unreal! Soon after I caught a huge Roach as well.

I was blessed with catching many smaller Rudd all afternoon, but no final Tench graced my landing net this day.

At around 4pm I noticed a fish roll right next to my float. I waited for the bite excitedly; nothing emerged. I reeled in, re-baited and re-cast to the exact spot. I then saw a huge Crucian ‘porpoise’, ‘dolphin-like’ right over my swim. I have seen this behaviour in the Crucians’ larger relatives, the Common and Mirror Carp, and generally signifies them going heads down rummaging through the debris on the lake bed, swimming up and down to the bottom again, with a ‘take’ a certainty every time. However, not on this occasion. I took this as an omen to pack up and leave. No final Tench of the season. Goodbye and good to see you, hope to see you again next summer season, I believe they were saying.

Crucian Carp, Fishing 2016, Roach

Lightening Doesn’t Strike Twice, Does It?

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Fishing again at my favourite location. Glorious sunshine with a cooling breeze.

I had taken my new Edgar Sealey ‘De-Luxe’ rod and new landing net to see if I could christen them both.

Picture of a vintage split cane rod in a rod rest along side a wicker creel and a vintage landing net
Picture of a small Roach with an Edgar Sealey Floatcaster De-Luxe rod, Allcocks Aerial Popular reel and vintage landing net
Picture of a 2lb 11oz Crucian Carp with an Edgar Sealey Floatcaster De-Luxe rod and vintage landing net

After fishing for about two hours I heard a distant rumble. Now I know there is a military firing range not far away, but as I listened again and again it was getting closer. Exactly like June 16th, a storm was approaching; fast!. Boom, boom went the storm, not just one but numerous came and went by without dropping a single droplet of water.

At the place I was staying for a few days, the story was somewhat different, in that they had experienced tropical-like flash floods with flooded roads and streams; I had been lucky again not to get wet.

To cap this all, I finally managed to christen ‘in style’, my new rod and net, with numerous Roach, Rudd and a Crucian of over 2lb’s; what a day to remember!

Fishing 2016

High Hopes

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Taking a new landing net on a fishing trip is always a bit of a risk. It is often the case the one is guaranteed not to catch a thing with a brand new net.

This effect is doubled when also trying to christen a brand new rod.

Picture of an Edgar Sealey fishing rod, vintage landing net and wicker creel

Needless to say; my brand new Edgar Sealy Floatcaster ‘De-Luxe’, nor my brand new hoop landing net were troubled at all today.

Crucian Carp, Fishing 2016

Summer Idyll

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Today, the good lady ‘allowed’ me to take an afternoon out of our holiday. and I got the chance to fish my secret lake in Wessex again; this time with a ‘secret’ bait.

Picture of a lake covered with water lillies
Picture of a Crucian Carp in a vintage landing net along side a split cane fishing rod
Picture of a Crucian Carp in a vintage landing net along side a split cane fishing rod
Picture of a Crucian Carp in a vintage landing net along side a split cane fishing rod

This particular lake proved troublesome all 2015 season; as I did not catch a single fish all year. This summer day was a real treat, catching numerous Crucian Carp; great fun!

To top it all, I was able to christen yet another ‘Edgar Sealey’ rod.

Fishing 2016

Midsummer Madness

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I have been very fortunate to get to fish another secret lake in deepest Wessex.

This midsummer day brought warm overcast conditions. Perfect fishing weather.

Picture of a Crucian Carp in a vintage Ash loop landing net with a split cane Edgar Sealey fishing rod and Allcocks Aerial Popular fishing reel.
Picture of a Crucian Carp in a vintage Ash loop landing net with a split cane Edgar Sealey fishing rod and Allcocks Aerial Popular fishing reel.
Picture of a Dragon fly fitting on the cork handle of a fishing rod

I lost count of the Rudd I caught, nice ones too. I was very fortunate to land these two Crucians while being kept company by all the dragon flies around the lake.

Fishing 2016

River Interlude

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It is not often that I get to do a spot of river fishing so I was very pleased to get the opportunity.

Picture of a Damsel fly on a blade of grass
Picture of a Damsel fly on a blade of grass

Trotting a quill float down a river must be one of the most pleasurable techniques in fishing. Armed with a couple of slices of bread I fished bread flake for the Roach and Dace.

Great to see the Damsel flies. Something I have not seen for some years. Close up they are almost alien.

Fishing 2016

The Glorious 16th

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This year I have been very fortunate to have been offered the opportunity to become a member of another very secret lake in darkest Wessex.

Picture of a Crucian Carp in a vintage Ash loop landing net with a Mark IV split cane fishing rod and Allcocks Aerial Popular fishing reel
Picture of a Tench in a vintage Ash loop fishing net

Driving overnight, I arrived at the lake around 11:30. Walking round the lake I looked for signs of feeding fish; there were many. I introduced myself to a couple of members who were fishing the bottom lake. Nice bunch of chaps.

I set up on the top lake, and settled down after a very long drive. It was not long before I had landed a couple of cracking Roach. Although I was very pleased with my catch of Roach, I knew that the bottom lake was famous for its Crucian Carp. I was eager to see if I could catch one on the opening day of the course fishing season.

Setting up in a corner away from everyone else, I made myself comfortable, opened my flask of tea which was luke warm, but perfectly drinkable.

From the colour of the clouds above, it was evident that a storm was brewing and I could hear the distant rumbles of thunder.

I could not believe it when as soon as my float entered the water, I would mend the line then I would be into a fish immediately. Catching well over ten lovely Rudd, I suddenly hooked something far more substantial and put up a good fight,  rolled on its side as a bream does and gave up. As I drew it up through he surface and towards the net it turned out to be my very first giant Crucian Carp, just like a huge bar of gold. Stupidly I did not weigh it, but it was well over 2lbs. I fished on for a few more hours watching storm after storm pass by without getting a single drop of rain and suddenly I hooked a train! It made for every lily pad in the vicinity until I finally had it under control. I was absolutely over-the-moon to land a Tench of around two and a half ponds on the very first day of the course fishing season. My favourite species, and a classic summer fish. Not only had I not caught a Tench all last season, but this cracker was caught on a brand new, and in mint condition Edgar Sealey Floatcaster that I was using for the first time.

Was this all a dream?

Common Carp, Fishing 2016, Roach

Last Day Of The Course Fishing Season

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I had been looking forward to the last day of the course fishing season from September 2015, when I made my annual batch of tomato chutney. A jar of which I always put aside as a gift to celebrate the last course fishing day of the season.

Having managed a few days off work, I arrived at my location a couple of days prior to the 14th only to find the river had burst its banks, and was actually part of the surrounding fields – what a disaster!

Changing tack slightly, I met up with friends and fished a local lake. I had set myself a goal of netting a Carp from the surface. Quite a mean feat in a cold biting wind in mid March. I did take some time to get any fish on the surface, and non of them where really competing for any of the freebies, but I persevered and managed to land a good double. It came too the net quite easily and fought just as well on the bank as it did in the water. She was full of spawn as well, a really good sign of things to come when the weather warms up. Back she went very gently.

Picture of a Kelly Kellte boiling along with vintage fishing gear
Picture of a double figure Common Carp in a vintage landing net along side a mark iv split cane vintage rod
Picture of a river

As the final day approached, the 14th, my prayers were answered by the angling gods and the river had fallen quite some height. Enough to drop a line in. I had a fantastic day on the 13th, catching upwards of 40 Gudgeon, and upwards of 20 Roach and a Dace. All very small, so the landing net hardly got a wash, but great fishing non-the-less.

On the final day I met up with friends. We all fished from before lunch, and all had a great day. We were treated to a beautiful sunny day, and, as per usual, much tea drinking and cake eating took place along with our angling exploits.