AAF Group 2 Match 1 Dorset Stour, Colber

 Firstly, I am sorry that it has been a while but I have been very busy so these blog pieces will be kept a lot shorter than in the past. The story for this match goes that a while ago I was chatting to Greg and decided to start fishing some of the group matches again, probably concentrating on the natural venues but with an eye on the R.Sigs champs next year as they will be on a local venue to me.

 

This first group match was being held on the prolific Colber stretch of the Dorset Stour so it would have been rude to miss it. I booked in a week before and was soon being tapped up by Tree to join his team, if only for the natural venues, well why not. The draw was conducted the night before via Zoom as there was no suitable venue to hold a draw for 18 people and I was given C2 as a swim, now this meant absolutely nothing as I had never been to the stretch so it would be a surprise come the morning.

 

The swim was on the outside of a bend and I was sat on the top of a high bank with about 14m to the far side, as you can see from the photo there was a tree on my bank downstream and a bunch of reeds opposite it so they were earmarked for lines.

So my plan was to feed a few balls of feed rich groundbait on a pole line at about 11m, then feed worm down by the tree and loose feed maggot for a waggler line towards the reeds. My groundbait was ½ Bag River, ½ Bag canal and lake and ½ a bag of roach black all from the dynamite baits stable, simply because I had them spare in the garage.

I set up a rig for the pole, a heavy rig for down by the tree, a waggler, a light feeder and a 6m whip in case the pole line was good. I was ready in plenty of time so went and annoyed a few people and had a cup of tea.

At the all in I cupped in 6 balls of groundbait with 250ml of hemp, caster and deadened pinkie followed up with a palmful of caster and about 20 chopped worms on the perch line.  I shipped out the pole rig and started to catch small fish straight away, the first run lasted about 25 minutes before they petered off and a look down the worm line saw the fist of a few small perch come in.  The day was pretty simple, try to coax a few bites on the pole, then refeed a small ball and try something else for 10 minutes, the stamp of fish was small and I never really had them lined up, although I did give the whip a go for 10 minutes or so, but it was still nice getting a few bites, especially when I hooked a fish that pulled elastic out on the worm line, ok as I was swinging the 6oz perch granted.

The 5 hours ended and had actually enjoyed working hard to get the bites, I was on boards so we got the carbon put away and then started from the bottom of the stretch, it turned out that Glynne had charmed a 4lb tench out on his light maggot rig and that saw him weigh 3.375Kg, there were a couple of 2Kilo weights and then I weighed 3Kg dead for second in section.

 

I just needed a bonus fish as the match had been won from 2 pegs to my left by Greg with 3.55Kg and that included 2 small tench!  I was forth overall so in all a good day, on the team front I was top scorer, we will leave it at that.

What would I do different:

I think a second groundbait line further over or a worm line further down the river in the main channel may have been worth a few more bites in the quiet spells, and I would have fed my waggler line more accurately rather that trying to fish as far down the river as possible.

Rigs used:

Whip: Cadence 9.5m

Line: 0.13mm Powerline to 0.10mm Stream
Hook: 18 Colmic B957
Float: 1.5g DH 23
 
Pole light long:
Elastic: 1.2mm Drennan Power Pull
Line: 0.13mm Powerline to 0.10mm Stream
Hook: 18 Colmic B957
Float: 2g DH 23
 
Pole Worm:
Elastic: Preston 13H through 1 section
Line: 0.19mm Powerline to 0.15mm Colmic Stream
Hook: 33 B711
Float: 1.5g Drennan AS6
 
Feeder:
Rod: 3.3m Matrix horizon xs with 1 oz tip
Reel: TDM 3012 loaded with 8lb sensor
Rig: Helicopter 0.11mm hook length to 16 B560
Feeder: 20g Guru commercial open end (The smaller one)
 
Waggler:
Rod: Cadence CS10 13ft number 1
Reel: Daiwa TDR 2508 loaded with 3lb maxima
Float: Dave Harrell 2AA sensitip wag
Hook length: 0.10mm to a size 18 B560

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October 19 AAF Gp2 Match 1 Dorset Stour

So it is that time of year again when I try to get something down for the blog.

Last month I fished a group match on the Dorset Stour just outside Sturminster Newton, even though the weather on the run up to the match had done its best to try and prevent it from happening around 30 anglers turned up to a very colored and fast flowing Stour.
I managed to draw the golden peg and all I was told at the draw was that it was on Bream bend!!!  Well if that was the case I thought then I was in with a chance of a couple as the water would have been sock on, alas I was the peg downstream of the bend just as the river narrowed again, typical.

To be fair it wasn't all bad as There was a bit of slack towards the far side and some nice looking trees downstrream of the swim so I did fancy it down there for the possibility of a chub or 2 but only time would tell. 

I mixed my groundbait and then started to plumb up, I had a bit of a shock as it was about 6 feet deep at 13m and nearly 14ft at 12m!!  The flow on the long line was also problematic as it was still quite quick and I was being forced into setting up a 2g rig as my light rig, a 4g rig as a slowing rig and I also set up a 4g flat float if I needed to hold the bait still.  This was not ideal but if I came any shorter then I was not really able to fish a pole rig as the flow was to fast.  I also set up a waggler to cast down the swim in the vain hope that I might be able to get a few fish from under the trees on wag and mag and that was me all set up.

I finished prepping my bait and was actually ready for the all in, I had spoken to a couple of friends on the run up to this match and they both recommended cupping a few balls of bait in, but I knew better and decided to bosh in 6 baby's heads and then cup in 4 smaller feed rich balls over the top.

Straight after feeding I shipped out with the 2g rig baited with a red maggot confident of a quick bite, however, after an hour and with nothing to show I decided to pick up the waggler rod.  I had been trickling a few maggots down the swim towards the overhanging trees and much to my relief on the 2nd or 3rd run down the float went under withe a small bomber chub.... I hadn't blanked.  I managed to get a few bites by changing the depth, hookbait and exploring across and down the swim but I never felt like there were any big fish in the swim.   took the decision around mid match to quickly sert up a maggot feeder and cast it down next to the branches.

I set it up with a 0.20mm flouro hooklength and a size 14 carbon feeder hook and 2nd cast I hooked a decent fish, I hadn't seen the bite.  I cranked it quite hard as I was only too aware that there were old weedbeds in the flow and overhanging branches on my bank down stream, I got it to under the rod top and just as I was trying to get its head up it bit me off!

I am still not sure what had happened but I swapped to a 0.17mm mono hooklength straight after to to stop it from happening again.

It was coming into the last couple of hours now and by alternating between the feeder and the waggler i was still picking up the odd fish but they were all small.  Bri on the bream hole had had a skimmer and a few bits above me and I had been watching Mike down from me netting a few bonus fish from his short line so I was never really in the chase.  Anyway the all out was called and I ended up with 825g of small fish, this was just enough for third in the section as the river temperature had dropped dramatically with the infux of rain recently.  Bri had 1.3Kg and mike had 4.65Kg so I had been well and truly 'Harried'.

Still it was an enjoyable day in the sun and I cannot wait until the next time I can get onto the flowing water.

What would I do differently?

I would not have balled it in at the start and I should have set up a bolo for the middle of the river as my groundbait was getting washed down by the flow, I also think that a stick down the near margin may have been worth a few bonus fish.

End of year catch up 2017

Well that was 2017 then, out of all of my gaols for the year I managed to achieve 1 in that I won the R.Sigs Coarse Angling Champs again and came close with another by coming second for the second year running In the R.Sigs Carp Champs.  I did get to fish both in both Corps teams though, however, I don’t feel like I have had the rub of the green this year and it has been a series of near misses and calamities.

So to the last couple of weeks, my traditional end of the year usually sees me slogging it out on a carp lake somewhere hoping for a rod to rattle off, well this year I thought I would catch some fish.

I started on the Dorset Stour at nutford, it kind of summed up my year really, I spent loads on bait, carried too much kit to the river, then proceeded to break my cupping kit whilst balling in  only to find that the roach were not there and I ended up on a mighty blank….. So enough of that.  I even moved swims to one that looked bob on for a perch to sit there for 3 hours without a sniff on worm!!

The next day I popped down to the Nadder as I had heard that some good weights had come off a couple of pegs at the top of the stretch, I fished my little cotton socks off for a small chub and some bits in 3 hours before a dog walker came past and told me that a couple of guys had emptied it the day before…… I am spotting a theme here.  Anyway I moved to the last swim above Harnham mill and proceeded to get a few nice roach and a hybrid lined up until a massive essox decided to eat everything that I hooked.  I packed up early and went home with my tail between my legs.

It was Thursday now and I was allowed out for a couple of hours in the morning, off to the Lords walk I went and had a lovely few hours annoying the small dace along that stretch.  I bumped into another club member and he told me I wouldn’t catch anything big on maggot, so I stopped off at Tesco on my way home and blitzed some bread for the Friday….

Reinvigorated and with my kit stripped down even more I pulled up at the River Avon upstream of Salisbury, the day was brilliant as I had a few hours in the morning catching roach to 10oz and Dace to 8 oz on my 17ft float rod and a small crowquill trotting breadflake at them. 

Unfortunately a pike moved in again so I decided to move downstream a bit where I fancied it for a chub.  Same tackle and tactics and I was rewarded with a small chub and a lovely net of roach and dace.

My next trip out was after Christmas and I had to endure waking up to a mini blizzard, still I had things to do so I ignored my nice warm bed and drove up to Swindon to get a new cupping kit from Lee and then doubled back to Great Bedwyn to try and snag a big perch or two.  The drive was horrendous, it wasn’t the snow on the road but the trees that had given up under the weight of the snow that was causing the issues, I made it to the canal at about nine but because my man flu was making me feel the cold I was off by one in the afternoon.  I had managed 10 roach, a waspie perch and a small skimmer so at least the float had gone under a couple of times.

New friend!!

Next day out was the Friday again and I decided to try the other bank of Lords walk, it was a nice few hours but quite frustrating as the wind was horrendous, I had a few trout trtotting bread flake but had to set up a light bread feeder to catch a Grayling.  I enjoyed it none the less.

So that’s it 2017 done, I am still trying to beat my PB carp that has stood for 12 years now and I will be trying hard again to do better in the Army angling groups both match and carp.  I will also be trying to keep this a bit more up to date although “I went to the lake and blanked!! Again!” is all you may get.

I hope that your 2017 was a good year and lets all hope that 2018 is better.

AAF Group 2, Match 1, Dorset Stour

There were quite a few surprised faces when I rocked up with Craig at the meet for this match as I have been spending more time on hunting carp all over than actually practicing trotting a float down a river, however, it was a day out of work so I was in.

Only 28 had booked in for the first match of the season which was a surprise, I had got most of my info off of Tommy at work.  He had been regaling me with stories of double figure nets of roach taken on hemp and tares so my plan had been sorted a few days before the match.  My plan was going to be cheap and easy but more of it later, the headline, as I pointed out to everyone at the draw was that I had left my pole at home as I would not need it.

Fishing as an individual I came out of the bag at the end and had A7 to be my home for the day, not too bad but I had to drop Craig off the other side of Sturminster Newton so that was fun!!  Once I had dropped him off in a field and doubled back to my stretch this was the sight that greeted me. 

At least the walk was bearable…. just.

With the honking great tree just in front of me my plan of fishing bread under a 6m whip was quickly changed to bread on a 5m whip, any more and carbon was touching the tree so not ideal.  I also set up a tip rod to fish bread or maggot, then a waggler to cast behind the tree amongst the weed and finally my bolo rod got set up with a worm rig for fishing down the inside.

I was ready long before the all in  so had plenty of time to annoy the neighbours, then on the all-in I threw two small balls of liquidised bread into the swim at 6m and then cast the bread feeder downstream against a weedbed.  Now if the roach were active I would have expected indications in the first 10 minutes but nothing happened on the feeder so I picked up my whip and started to trot the rig through the swim.  First run through and there was a gudgeon on the end, and the second, and the third but that was the end of the action.

An hour later with no more indications on the whip, tip, wag or Bolo and I went for a walk to find out that most people were still blanking.  That told me all I needed so I went back to my swim to set up my elasticated top on my whip and then fish it as a pole as far under the tree as I could.  Once set up I bait dropped 3 worms, 20 maggots some hemp and some bread onto the line and I left the swim for another 10 minutes.  On my return I ran the rig through for a small dace first go, then I had 2 small chub from upstream of the bait and then over the next hour 2 more gudgeon and a baby dace and then that was it no more bites for the last 2 hours.  I tried every trick I had on the book for a bite but nothing came of it, not a touch.

I shouted the all out on the nose and was already packed up like a few other people,  Rocky had managed a few small dace a few swims up to my right for 300g so he was smashing the section with most people on 1 fish for 10-20g.  I weighed in 150g and this turned out to be enough for second in section behind Rocky, third was a tie for Freddy and Craig I think both on 20g!!!!!!!!  The river had fished CRAP, 2kg won the match and I think I had come in the top half with my massive weight.

Could be worst the next match could be on there…. Oh wait it is.  I will be unavailable for that one, but hopefully I should be able to do a few more this season and improve on last.  Till the next time.

What would I do differently?

Taken my pole and fished that tight and tidy under the tree with bread from the start.  That’s it.

Tackle used:

Whip:

Line: 0.15mm to 0.11mm

Hook: 18 B957

Float: 0.6 DH14

Pole (on the whip at 8m):

Elastic: blue Colmic

Line: 0.17mm to 0.15mm

Hook: 18 B957

Float: 1.5g Drennan Trio

Bolo Margin:

Rod: Matrix 6m light bolo

Reel: TDM 3012

Line: 4lb Sensor to  0.13mm

Hook: 14 B560

Float: 0.7g Frenzee

Feeder:

Rod: Drennan 11ft Ultralight feeder rod

Reel: Daiwa TDM 3012

Line: 4lb sensor to 0.13mm

Hook: Various

Feeder: Various

Waggler:

Rod: Drennan 14ft Acolyte

Reel: Daiwa TDM 3012

Line: 2.5lb Maxima to various hooklengths

Hook: various

Float: various

Trip to the Dorset Stour

I managed to get an early finish and a plan had already been hatched to go and try out my new Bolo rod before the end of the season, the Dorset Stour was the selected river and the Sturminster angling stretch called Colber had been selected, unfortunately Fate had different ideas and the parking that I had been told about was full so I was off to the Bull.

I trotted down to around peg 12 after chatting to a couple of guys who were already fishing, I had been hoping for a fair bit of depth but 7-8 foot would have to do me.  I got started by feeding 6 jaffas mid river before starting by running my light rig over the top, I had a bite first cast, and second and third and so the die was cast for the day.  I managed a skimmer randomly after about an hour and this was followed by a second about half an hour later, other than that it was all small roach and dace.

I tried loose feeding and lightened up the hooklength but I couldn’t seem to get the better roach to hang on the end.   I ended up after much chopping and changing with 50-80 small fish and the two skimmers, it had been a brilliant few hours.

What would I do different?

Not a lot really it was mainly a session to get the new bolo rod on the bank and that was a success. I am very impressed with it as it handled a 0.08mm hooklength under a 3g float very well and it had enough backbone when I hooked the skimmers that they never stood a chance.

Tackle used:

Bolo Light:

Rod: Matrix Reflex 6m light bolo.

Reel: Daiwa TDM 3012

Line: 0.18mm supplex to 0.08-0.10mm hooklength

Hook: 20 B560

Float: 3g Dave Harrell standard bolo

Bolo Heavy:

Rod: Browning Champions Choice 6m Bolo.

Reel: Daiwa TDM 3012

Line: 0.20mm supplex to 0.12mm hooklength

Hook: 18 B560

Float: 4g Dave Harrell standard bolo shotted bouble bulk

New Year Update

It has been a few weeks since my last blog, so I am catching up. I have fished 2 matches and had a few pleasure sessions since my last  post so here we go from the start. Firstly there was a trip to the Dorset Stour at Nutford to use up some maggot from the weekend, I decided to try out my new King Feeder All season feeder rod that I had got hold of for my river fishing and I thought that a few roach and chub should christen it nicely. I teamed it up with a Backfire reel and some 0.18mm Cenex feeder line, dropping a blockend feeder into a far bank slack for 2 hours gave me a tiny roach that hung itself on a long hooklength. I moved downstream into deeper water and missed a couple of rattles but that was it, the river had switched off as another guy only had a couple of tiny roach to show for a whole days trotting.

The rod however stood up against the flow well and was easy to cast the short distance across the river.

Moving on my next trip saw me at Revels fishery on an open match just after Christmas, I drew Trendalls this pond is usually reserved for the visitors to the camp site and after drawing I was told that I was on a flyer (Again!!). On getting to the peg I had an island 10m in front of me and a nice looking margin to my left, I also had Knocker sat in peg 3 about 10m to my right that cut off the point of the island and another guy in the peg to my left, that again restricted how far I could go.

As you can see the pegging was tight in areas but most of the carp in the lake hid behind the island that was in front of me as soon as we started fishing. I set up a maggot rig on yellow reflex elastic with 0.14mm mainline, 0.12mm bottom and a size 18 B911, and a margin rig that didn’t work and a short pole rig that didn’t work. My day was basically a non event with a lone carp and a handful of gudgeon on maggot to show for my line rotation and starting of new lines when I thought the fish may had backed off. My 4 1/2lb was not last on the lake but I lost £2 in the car park to Dave and Tom whom were both sat on the main lake and caught over 20lb. Next door to me Nick fished at 14.5m just past the point of the island and ended up with 35lb+, and the guy in the bottom corner had around 40lb for the lake win.

This prompted me to go out to Todber in the week to catch some fish and I basically fished exactly the same tactics that I had done at Revels to end up with around 40lb of fish in 4 hours off Whitepost Lake. I basically fished the same rig as the weekend with maggot, I started by kinder cupping in small amounts buy soon realised that because I was the only person on the lake more aggressive feeding got rid of the roach and pulled the small carp in.

The next trip was off to Shearwater to try the King Feeder at long range method fishing and also to get some fish in the net, I set up a 10ft and 11 ft Force commercial feeder rods with the bomb and method respectively and also the King Feeder with a method feeder with a Backfire 030 reel and 0.18mm Cenex Feeder mainline. The methods were set up inline and I clipped the long rod up at 60 turns and the 11fter at 35 turns. I caught 46 Bream to 5lb, a 12 lb Carp and a perch all on the method, when one line slowed (no bite within 5 mins) I would switch t the other line and was usually rewarded with a fish straight away.

The day had been that much fun that I decided to return the following week and try further up the lake in the shallower water to try and catch more carp. I also decided to just fish at range so I set up the King Feeder again this time with a 30g Banjo feeder on my 3^rd cast I had a bream and caught steadily throughout the day on 8 and 10mm magic marbles in white and yellow. Over the last few sessions I found the King Feeder All Season to be an really good medium to long range bream rod, it coped very well with carp to double figures and the soft tip prevented any hook pulls under the rod end that you usually get with more tippy long range offerings. Anyway, I finished this time with only 35 Bream to 6lb and a lone carp, I caught fewer fish due to having to bring them all in from 65yds out, and the last couple were from 72 and 82 turns that is around 75 yds out.!!!