Sunday, 28 October 2012

A Fishy Tale.


In the green and murky depths of the tranquil lake ,It lurks, a scaly glittering prize.
Ponderous,  it glides beneath the glassy sky, searching the forest of roots.
Seeking bugs and worms or anything interesting to take.
Sensitive whiskers probe the calm, for vibrations of living prey.
Suddenly, before its eyes appears a most enormous prize.
Perfectly round, bobbing and swaying, emitting an odour of delight.
The hunter moves and softly, slowly, gently sucks and rolls it round its mouth.
It gently blows it out , backing away, the hunter likes to play.
It bobs and sways, tempting its attacker who again moves in, in glee,
Large rubbery lips caress the ball, daring it to flee.
Suddenly he feels a tug, a massive pull, he finds he can't let go.
He dives and runs to get away, shakes his massive head.
It pulls him back, he leaps to try to shake this horror loose.
The water boils from thrashing tail, and again he dives.
In amongst the lily roots, winding round and round,
Scraping at this evil ball that has him in its grip.
He fights with every ounce of strength, never giving ground.
Huge swirls of mud, plumes of spray, thrashing tail and fins.
No tranquil scene this battlefield, a tempest has appeared.
Tiring now his strength is waning, one final thrust he makes.
Down into the depths he runs, frantic now he weaves,
Pulling, winding in between the roots, and then....
Suddenly, its gone....................

Winters here, it's Sea Fishing Time!

See You All in the New Year - Check out Sea Fishing for Winter Action! - Get Hooked!

Friday, 26 October 2012

Carp Fishing at Hendre, Cardiff - Sat 8th October

Preparing:  Well finally got all my gear together and a good selection of baits and ground bait. Checked that everything works properly and I've got the right tackle to do the job. I have two kinds of set-up one light with 6 lb to 15 lb tackle, and one heavy set with 15 - 25 lb Tackle. The idea is, no matter where i go, if the Carp are bigger than normal i can switch gear with ease.

Very important is clothing as well, as with early morning starts you can find it can get a little chilly out there. Even though the weather is forecast for clear skies and sun shining it's the end of October and the weather will still be cold. Have got myself a good pair of walking Trainers/Shoes. Excellent grip on the rubber soles and completely water proof. Using ex-army trousers and shirts  to keep in the warmth with a good sweat shirt to keep you warm and an all weather jacket to keep out any showers. Oh not forgetting my KORUM fishing Cap that i won on an online fishing competition lol.


Well the scene is set for a great days fishing. I will also be doing some normal waggler fishing and maybe a bit of pole fishing as well. As its the first time out with the Carp gear, today is all about getting used to the gear and the way it feels and fishes. Lets keep our fingers crossed we land one of these very shy Carp from the lake.....

4am
............
Just got up and the weather is freezing! So ill make sure to wrap up warn. Time to get some fuel in the body and ready for the off. Will be setting off at 5.30 to get down the lake side to catch the first light. With cold weather like this fish deep and pay attention to the margins the fish will be surely taking cover from the cold, if they had any sense they would lol.  Reed beds are their favorite place for cover in the cold. So fingers crossed lets have a great days fishing...... Get Hooked!

at the lake side.....

Got to the lake side by 6.30 and the weather is freezing. I am wrapped up warm but can still feel the cold through the layers and i have quite a few layers. Thank god i built up a bit of a sweat dragging the trolley all the way to the lake, keeps you fit! This was the first time setting all the Carp gear up so it took me a while as i was being fussy making sure everything was right and that everything worked the way i wanted it to. I wanted to make sure i was comfortable and could reach each rod easily and quickly.
It took me just under 2 hours to set everything up and that also included my match rod on a waggler rig. The scene was set and i was all ready to catch those fish. It was such a shame that the temperature was almost freezing, the wind was around 60 miles an hour and the fish were hiding and didn't want to feed in the extreme cold. I managed to catch a couple of what i would class as skimmers, little bream only a couple of ounces in weight. But that was all for the entire day. 

Now considering i started at 6.am say and wasn't leaving till 6 pm, i was in for a long day!

The wind almost blew me off the river bank it was that strong and casting waggler in the wind is not a good idea! No matter where you were targeting you missed almost every time. Brian joined me eventually on the trip but he really wasn't well and i think was very brave of him to come down for a couple of hours but the temperature and wind got the better of him and he ended up retreating home half way into the day. A decision i wished i had taken with him! I continued the day, feeding the swim and missing silly minnow bites. I think that was the only fish stupid enough to be trying to feed in the cold.

I did however have a couple of small runs on that Carp rods, but it was just fish picking up the bait and dropping or spitting it out after a foot or two and that was it, oh and a load of fake bites caused by the wind being strong enough to whip the fishing line in the water making it bleep. No one around the lake was catching. There was a few brave all weather fishermen out, only to be leaving with sad faces cursing the cold.

Well as you can see it wasn't a day for catching loads of fish, but it was a day to get used to my new equipment. I got to test all the equipment and check that it works all OK. I am pleased to announce that everything did work, and well. I am all set for next year now to get out and catch me some specimen fish. I don't let a bad days fishing put me off as i still actually enjoyed myself. I spent most of the day organizing my tackle box and testing different fishing tackle but still it was a great day out. I may have caught only 2 skimmers and a cold but at least i still caught on a day when all others came up blank! 

Get Hooked!

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Carp Fishing - Getting Ready

Well i was all excited this morning as today was the day i bought my new carp gear. I managed to get there nice and early to make sure i was first in the cue. All the gear has now been checked and made ready for my first carp outing. 

This trip is basically to test all the equipment properly and get used to using it. Like anything that you buy new, its always advisable to test run it before you get a bit more serious. So finger crossed we should be in for some great fun. Even though my main reason for this trip is to test out the new carp gear i will probably be using the pole and whip as well as i wont be able to resist bagging in a few smaller fish during the day.

( A friend bagging in a few nice size Bream)

I have stocked up on a variety of baits so the fish are going to be spoilt this weekend. I am making sure i have a bit of everything just to make sure i get the fish feeding and hopefully bag myself a nice Big Carp weighing double figures, but you never know whats going to happen till the day. I have been told that Hendre has got quite a few nice size Carp, up in the high doubles, in the lakes but they are shy feeders so it takes a bit of skill to catch them.

Whilst preparing for the Fishing trip i thought it was only right that i should familiarize myself and remind myself about the different Carp rigs there are. Presentation now days is everything. There are so many to choose from and they all work in different ways depending on how your fishing. I thought i would share a few with you. Get Hooked!















Sunday, 21 October 2012

Almost at the End of the Season - Winters Here!

Well it looks like we are almost at the end of the season, I know that most lakes and commercial fisheries don't actually have a fishing season and it's down to the individual owners to rest the lakes and fisheries, but as the winter draws in it gets way too cold to go out and fish. The rivers and drains, some still waters and canals and i suppose this includes all back waters, do have a season and are closed from the 15th March till the 15th June. You would think they would shut through the winter but hey even fish cant spawn in cold conditions. OK i agree we get the "all weather" fishermen that don't seem to care and go out even if there is snow or frost on the ground and they will try anything to catch that special fish of the year. Hey, when i was younger i was one of them, i wouldn't care if it was pouring down i would still go out fishing, even if it was only with one rod and a lure to go jack piking, i would still go out and guaranteed i would catch.

 Photos of Hendre Lake - 2011-2012

Well as the weather draws in i think we will only manage to get 1 or 2 more trips this year. The first is definitely a Carp trip as i am dying to see what the Hendre Lake has to offer in the way of Big Carp. (This is my local Lake) and if the weather is kind to us i have to try and get up to Cefn Mably for a day on the big lakes as the fishing up there was brilliant and i really do want to have a go at some of the bigger fish they have in the lakes.

Well the weather for the coming weekend is looking promising and we could be in for a good days fishing down at the Hendre. I am going to try and do an early morning start to see if i can catch the first feed of the day. So fingers crossed, my equipment arrives in time and we are all set for a good days fishing next weekend. Get Hooked!

(Note: We will also start up the Sea Fishing section of this site during the Winter as we try and tackle some of the peers and coasts around Wales. WATCH THIS SPACE!!!)

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Fishing Cefn Mably - Wednesday 10th October 2012

Woke up this morning and the weather is grey, damp and overcast. Now as long as there is no rain, it should be the perfect fishing weather. After the rain  the bottom will have been all stirred up by the downpour, and should now settle and the fish will be feeding well. The forecast says it will stay dry all day but grey and overcast. I think that if it warms slightly, we may get a little drizzle but that's about it. Am taking my woolly hat as the temperature is now dropping.  There won't be that many fishing days left this season as the weather is about to get too cold to go out, or for the fish to feed.


When we got to the lake side we found it a bit muddy and damp, but who cares, this is fishing, and what a day fishing we had! First off the mark was Brian landing a nice size common carp followed by myself with a couple of little skimmers and then my mum, who beat the both of us, hooked into a lovely 6 to 7 lb Carp. Next time i have to take the scales so we can get exact weights of the fish.


  Now thats how to start a day fishing!
The rest of the day was non stop action for all 3 of us. My mother managed to get a few different species but it looked like Carp was on the main menu for today.You would have had to have been there to believe it, well over 60-70 fish between the 3 of us. Brian topping the scales with 4-5 lb Carp and my mum just leaving us behind landing a few Carp over 4lb and loads of smaller all around the 1-3 lb mark and upwards and not forgetting her 6-7 lb korker at the beginning.  Brian kept hooking the big ones as well, most of his was over 3 lb in weight and i managed to bag up with a load of smaller fish and several larger carp as well i also managed a nice size Rudd (at least 1 1/2 lb) and my mum and myself both managed a nice Goldfish each.
I have to say the Cefn Mably is a brilliant place to fish. The lakes are well stocked and the area is well laid out. There is an on site tackle shop if you need to stock up on anything including getting fresh bait on site. They also have a cafe' area and a nice lounge area for spectators to sit in comfort whilst watching people fish the main lake. There is a total of 8 lakes up there with a plan to build 2 more in the near future. Cefn mably is brilliant for the beginner and also the specialist, if you are into Carp fishing then this is one of the best commercial Carp fisheries in Wales and a place i will definitely return to next season to see if we can conquer the remaining lakes. Get Hooked!

Friday, 5 October 2012

Fishing Peterstone Lakes - Saturday 6th October 2012

Well I have packed all my gear ready for the trip tomorrow, meeting Patricia (my mother) And Brian (my step-father) at 9.30 in the Morning and then straight up to the lake. The weather is forecast sunny with low cloud at times and the odd shower, so it may be a "get ya brolly out" day tomorrow. I have only ever fished this lake once, just a short while ago, and from my first experience of the lake I can't wait to get stuck in again. They have a good selection of fish and excellent quality and size. They have an on site shop, they keep a small selection of the more popular baits, plus serve all day breakfast rolls , teas and coffee etc.

Update: Saturday 6th October 2012 - 08:15
Woken up this morning, looked outside and what a surprise I got! Beautiful blues skies, sun shining and not a cloud in sight! I think today is going to be  a great day for fishing, am very excited, had to sit down and take five before double checking I had packed everything. OK am all ready for the OFF so just wait for them to come pick me up and of to the lake we go. Lets hope I've got some good news to report with regards to the fish we catch. Fingers crossed for a biggie!  
This is what greeted us when we arrived at Peterstone Lakes.

What a lovely start to the day, the sun was shining, a slight breeze in the air and calm lakes for a perfect days fishing. Started the day slowly as it was quite difficult to get the fish feeding at first but as soon as they started biting, we were in for a great days fishing. The action was good, the fish seemed to feed in sessions so one moment you were striking every cast, the next you would have to wait ten minutes before you'd get the next bite.
I Started the day trying out my new Carp whip, managed to hook a nice size Carp only to lose it when trying to fight it in. I soon put away the whip and went back to the waggler float. Then it was great, loads of nice size Bream, 28 in total, so i didn't do too badly. My mother was also like me, non stop action , fishing the pole she managed to hunt out a few different fish as well as the bream she landed some Roach and Perch and a cracking Bream a lovely little 5lb nugget......


Brian was also fishing the pole and managed to land lots of fish but also came up top trumps with a beautiful Common Carp around 14-15 Lb (the scales we used were no good so the exact weight is somewhere in between) .Also some massive Bream and a 4 lb+ Barbel, to go with his catch of the day. All in all we had a terrific days fishing. Peterstone Lakes offers great fishing for the beginners and the advanced and is definitely a place I would recommend any try fishing. Get Hooked!

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

Fishing Hendre Lake 2nd October 2012

HENDRE LAKE - 2nd OCTOBER 2012





Well the weather forecast was right again, some showers , overcast and very windy is the start of the day. looks like we need to break out the Wind Beaters for float fishing today. So it could be a feeder and ledger day depending what the water is like when we get down there. Wrap up and make sure we take everything we need with us, we should still have a good days fishing even though the weather is rubbish. Its that time of year, need to get in a much fishing as we can before the full winter hits and we won't be able to go out. Lets hope for a good catch!

UPDATE:

What a great day we had fishing at Hendre. right from the off the fish started biting and didn't stop all day. A lot of small fish to start with but the big ones soon followed. Great place if you like to stay active and like fishing the float. For those who are into Carp fishing I recommend spending the day and night as they seem to be very shy feeders at the lake. I have to admit I lost as many fish as I caught, they seem to be very crafty feeders and very lively when caught.

All in all, it was a great day out fishing and i will definitely go back there as i think this lake has more to offer. Get Hooked !