Dace Fishing On The River Nadder, Salisbury.

I decided to have a few hours pleasure fishing on the River Nadder before the season finishes in a few days, what with one thing and another I hadn't managed to get down to the river until now! So I was looking forward to running a stick float through and hopefully catching some fish. I gave Andy Brooks a call for some info, as he had been fishing the match on the river on Sunday, and low and behold he was at Brunel Road! So I decided to join him.
My Swim at Brunel Road On The Nadder.

I caught up with Andy, had a quick sandwich and a natter, before picking a swim. I set up in a swim that had some slack water on the far side, and decided to fish the crease, I set up a 13ft. waggler rod with a close face reel with 2.6lb main line. A 6 no4 wire stem stick float shotted shirt button style to a carbon chub 18 hook. After about an hour I had a couple of Dace plus numerous Minnows. The wind and sun were getting a problem, so I moved to the swim pictured above. It was narrower than the first and shallower, just below a pinch point in the river with a nice steady flow. I adjusted the depth to about 3ft. First run through and a Salmon Parr snaffled my double maggot hook bait, a few more followed before I hit the first Dace, which put up quite a scrap in the pacy water.

Me With A Nice Size Dace.

Regularly feeding a few maggots kept the bites coming, a few Minnows, Salmon Parr and good size Dace, some of which felt like sandpaper, obviously getting ready for spawning. I was bumping a few fish on the strike, a little frustrating but that's part of the fun of Dace fishing! I was getting a bite a chuck, and I didn't know what it would be next, including some Wild Brown Trout that fight like fury!

A Cracking Hard Fighting Wild Brown Trout.

The bites kept coming, some of which were no more than 10ft. down the swim. Andy packed up and brought me some more maggots, which was handy as I was rapidly running out! The action slowed a little so I packed up about 4 pm. I ended up with a net into double figures, not bad for a few hours! A lovely afternoon and nice way to end the river season on, even if I hadn't been down much!

A Cracking Afternoon's Dace Fishing.

Winter League Semi Final, Gold Valley Lakes.

After a couple of practices for myself and the squad it was time for the semi final. I was looking forward to this as well as being a bit apprehensive as the fishing had been a bit up and down. There is always a buzz around at the pre-match breakfast before a big match and today was no exception. With some big teams and big names involved it was always going to be a struggle. The weather was cold and a keen northerly wind was blowing. A breakfast bap was the first order of the day washed down with a cup of tea and a natter with the rest of the team, before Barry went up for the draw. I was on E5 on Middle lake, just a few pegs further up from where I was on the previous Wednesday. After a quick pep talk and a collection of the bait, it was time to get to my peg. Phil was running the bank today and I had given him my camera, unfortunately I had given him two sets of flat batteries! So apologies to those that didn't get photographed it was my fault! ( I blame the nerves! ) When I got to my peg I found that John was behind me on Gold, so we had a chin wag before setting up.

Phil's "Arty" shot of me fishing on E5, nice!

I set up two feeder rods, one a straight lead, and one a method, both were clipped up to just short of the rope that splits the lake in two. As I had a free peg either side of me I could fish two long pole lines at 10 and 2 o'clock so to speak, as well as one at 5m. A KC chimp 4x16 on 0.12 line to a 18 hook to yellow hollow was set up for the long lines, as well as a heavier 0.14 rig to cover the same lines. A lighter Chimp on 0.10 to a 20 hook on pink hollow was set up on the 5m line. I had about 4ft of water on the long pole lines, but it was a bit deeper close in. I was going to put some chopped worm and caster on one long line and some ground bait and micros on the other, with an initial pot of choppy on the 5m line, which would be loose fed after with maggot. After a quick comfort break back at the clubhouse it was time to settle down to the match. The hooter sounded and I cupped in some ground bait and micros on one of the long pole lines, and chopped worm on the other, as well as a small pot on the 5m line.


Keith netting a carp.

I started on the lead with hair rigged corn and cast it to the rope, after 20 minutes with not so much as a line bite I had a cast with the method. I left it in for a good while but again no indications. The guy to my right had had one on the straight lead, so I cast it out and left it there, it really is a waiting game and it gets a bit nerve wracking when the tip doesn't go round! I could see Kieth opposite had had a couple, as well as a few others on the lake, but despite my best efforts I couldn't buy a bite.



Barry, still smiling!

I tried the pole lines after an hour and a half but there was no joy there so I went back onto the lead. I started to feed a few grains of corn onto a line about 20m out, as some of the team in practice had caught a few late on this line. Half way through the match and I still hadn't had a bite. I decided to do what I did on the previous Wednesday, to give the maggot feeder a go, after a couple of casts Keith phoned up to see if I had anything and had to cut him short as the tip flew round! I had finally caught a fish to my relief! A carp about 5lb. A few more casts and then a skimmer of 1lb. Then nothing for a bit so I had a look on the pole.

Yours truly in a brief moment of action!

No bites over the 5m line, or over the pellet, but as soon as I dropped in on the far worm line the float buried and I was attached to another one of Gold Valley's hard fighting carp. A few minutes of careful playing and another 5lb fish was in the net. I had another look but no more bites followed. A few casts onto the 20m line where I had been flicking a few grains of corn resulted in nothing. So as time was getting on and a few fish were being caught further down the lake, so I went back out onto the maggot feeder, no indications until 1 minute from the all out when the rod tip flew of the rest, and the final fish again a fish of around 5lb was in the net landed after the whistle. At the scales I weighed in 17lb, not last in section as there were a few below me. The maggot feeder had caught me a few fish again and I can't help wondering what would of happened if I had started on it. Back at the clubhouse and it was clear that we had come last, Dave George did well to come second on Bungalow lake, but a bit disappointing in the end for the team but we learnt a lot, and Browning Andover Match Group will go from strength to strength and be back next year!

Gold Valley 02/03/11

Gold Valley's Middle Lake.

Back down to Gold Valley for the Wednesday open match, a few days from the winter league semi final. With three lakes in and a section on Gold, Middle and Syndicate. The weather had turned cold with over night frosts, it could have a baring on the semi. After a bacon sarnie and a cup of tea, it was time for the draw. I pulled out peg 65 on middle, a quick look on the results board from the open the previous Sunday and it won it's section with a weight of 65lb, but chatting to some of the regulars they said it either fishes well or it blows out, as the swim is quite shallow, and the cold weather could give it the kiss of death, either that or I could fish it like a plank! Getting to my swim and the first thing that was noticeable apart from the islands in front of me, was the strong north wind that was blowing in, it was freezing! Woolly hat and gloves to the ready! Having a quick chat with Phil on the phone who was on 63 last Sunday, I decided to set up two lead rods, one a straight lead, and one a method, both to be fished to the point of the far island, although I could move to other areas if this didn't work. A few casts and both rods were clipped up nicely. Both were 8lb breaking strain main line, with 0.20 hook length to a strong 14 hook. I also set up a couple of pole lines in open water, but this would be secondary if the island feature didn't fish. One was a KC chimp on 0.12 line to a 18 hook to yellow hollow, the second was again a chimp on 0.14 line to a 16 hook to green hollow.


Peg 65 on Middle Lake.

I had some corn, meat, various hooker pellets and maggots, plus some ground bait micro pellet mix for the method and pole lines. A few minutes before the off a carp rolled along the island, so at the all in I decided on a softly softly approach. I cupped in some micro mix and meat on one pole line, and micro and corn on the other. My opening gambit was to fish the island with a straight lead and hair rigged corn. After half an hour and trying a couple of different places with the lead and corn without so much as a line bite, it was time to chuck the method feeder. I hair rigged a pellet and squashed some micro mix into the method mould and cast to the point of the island, I was going to leave this in till hopefully it would go round. Looking down the lake it was obvious it was fishing hard with just the odd carp coming out, so I was still hopeful that I would get a few. Well that didn't work either, and a hour had gone without so much as a line bite! I had a quick look on the pole lines, but no indications. I tried coming off the islands with the lead into the flat water in between the islands, just in case they were not tight, but that didn't prove productive either!
Three hours had now passed and I was getting cold and bored! After another quick look on the pole lines with no joy, I decided on a different tack. I took off the lead and clipped on a maggot feeder, I was going to cast this more regularly, hoping that something would feed! After a few casts with the maggot feeder to the point of the island the rod flew round and I had a battle with an angry carp that had snaffled my triple maggot hook bait, and it was determined to go round the island! After a bit of bullying I had it in the net, a nice fish of around 5lb. A couple of casts later and the rod flew of the rest again, a fish of a similar size made it's way to the net, again after a bit of a scrap. I was now getting warmer and was feeling better in my self. After a few more casts the tip flew round again, this time I had latched into something much bigger, I got it away from the island ok but it seemed to take me an age to get it to the net, but it was worth it a fish of double figures. I thought I had finally got it cracked but no that was it for the rest of the match, despite regulars casts with the maggot feeder. The scales came round and I weighed 21lb 8oz, not bad for three fish! This put me mid way in section, but only ounces away from second. Hopefully the semi would be warmer and fish a bit better, well a few more regular bites would be nice just to stop me from getting to cold and bored!