Bentley Pool - June 20th - PB Bream

Another trip to Bentley Pool, I am still chasing a 6lb Tench and after reading a post on 'maggotdrowners' of a good catch on luncheon meat I was eager to give it a try.

I arrived at about 4.30pm to an empty car park, it was a nice sunny day, but with some cloud in the sky. I settled in on the 4th peg on the right hand side (again) setting up both a method feeder rod to fish to the island and a waggler rod to fish close to the lily pads.

Another guy arrived at about 5.30pm and after a brief chat he set up in the far corner of the pool.

I worked my way through various baits with no luck, I was getting lots of knocks on the waggler but nothing that I could hit, so I switched to the pole, with a 4.6lb hooklength and size 14 Gamma Power hook. I managed a small roach on maggots and bumped a few off before switching back to corn. There was an easterly wind blowing into my face which I think slowed the fishing down. I have subsequently read that you should fish with your back to an easterly wind and facing a south westerly!

2.5lb Bentley Pool Tench

At 8.00pm I walked round to see the other guy, but he had not had a bite yet.

Shortly after returning I managed a 2.5lb tench on the pole, it tried very hard to get in the lilies but the black hydro kept him out.

6lb 4oz Bentley Pool Bream

At 9.30pm the tip pulled round on the feeder rod and I was into a nice fish, not the same fight as a tench, turned out to be a 6lb 4oz bream that had taken the hair rigged luncheon meat.

I had no further action and packed up at 10.00pm and had a wander back to se the other guy, he had had a couple of tench on luncheon meat and was still fishing as I left.

River Dane - June 18th - Back on the rivers!!

I popped down to the River Dane for a very brief session to wet my lines after the close season.

I turned up at Byley Lane at 9.00am to find that I had left my bait at home!! A quick drive home followed and the back to the Dane.

I went downstream of the footbridge to the swim before the deeper section. I put about 6 bait droppers of feed into the swim and then tackled up.

1.5 T/C rod, 10lb Hydratuff main line, running drennan feeder, 2' 10lb sinkbraid hookliength with a S12 drennan SSB.

It was a nice morning with patchy sunshine, so I was not too confident of catching!

I glued three casters to the hair and cast in at 10.00am. I had to wait for 15mins for the tip to fly round.....game on. After a spirited fight I netted a nice 4-12 barbel. Unfortunately tha fish slipped out of the net whilst I was tryning to set up the camera!! so no piccy!! A couple more droppers of feed were added then I recast, then nothing else. I tired a spicy sausage Pellet O but with no luck.

Take Off

Damselfly

 

I turned my attention to some Damselflies playing in the sun whilst waiting for a bite.

I packed up at 12.00am and headed home mission completed. I will be back in a few weeks when the rush has died down, I just need to re think my tactics for the Dane.

June 14th - Bentley Pool - Again!!!

For some unknown reason I decided to go back to Bentleys to see if it fished I'm the mornings!! Well it seemed a good idea at the time!!

For once I managed to get up on time, set up and arrived at the water by 4.40am.

I settled in to the Lilly peg on the right hand side of the pool, there was a fresh breeze in my face and it was a quite chilly morning. I set up a method feeder, with a corn and maggot hook-bait and cast towards the island. I then set up a waggler to fish just off the lilly pads.

I have a bite fairly quickly on the feeder, a nice 2.5lb tench, a good start to the day.

Then nothing for the next couple of hours, an easterly wind started blowing into my face and this kept getting stronger so I decided to move peg to have the wind at my back, I opted to fish under the big tree on the left hand side.

Doug Butler and Barrie Roberts arrived shortly after I had settled into the peg, we had a good chat putting world to rights, whilst talking to Doug I hooked into what felt like a good tench only to pull out of it, nothing worse than loosing a fish except having someone watch you do it!!. I changed up to a size12 Gamma Power hook. Later I lost another fish which headed deep into the lilies and snapped me.

I packed up at about 13.00pm, at least it wasn't a blank, it seemed to be too windy and fresh to fish well.

June 12th - Bentley Pool

I arrived at about 4.30pm for another evening session on Bentley Pool. I set up on the right hand side by the lily pads hoping to winkle out a Tench or two.

I set up a Korum flat bed method feeder which was cast towards the Island, this was loaded with a scalded pellet and ground bait mix and the hookbait was a corn and maggot cocktail on a braided 4" hooklength.

I also set up a waggler rod to fish close in by the lily pads with 6lb main line, 5.5lb hooklength and a size 14 Gamma Power hook.

Bentley Pool - June 6th - Blankety Blank

I headed off to Bentley Pool for a short evening session, more in hope than expectation. The weather had been pretty rotten all day, rain and wind but the forecast promised a dry end to the day!!

I arrived to find one other person fishing on the right hand bank hidden under his brolly, so I decided to fish on the Left hand side next to the lilies!

The rain continued as did a fairly strong easterly wind, I tried the method feeder to the Island, waggler on the edge of the lilies with a variety of baits all to no avail, no bites no fish.

I packed up and headed home a little damp but none the worse for wear.

Bentley Pool - June 1st

Decided to head for Bentley Pool for an evening session after hearing tales of the quality tench lurking in the deeps. I arrived at about 3.30pm to find the car park empty on a very sunny afternoon.

When I got down to the pool I found a lot of carp cruising on the top, so I quickly rigged up a controller float but I failed to tempt them into feeding.

Whilst I was stalking Sean Downs turned up so we had a chat and ended up fishing on the right hand side of the pool, I was facing the island.

My Swim - Close in to the Island

I started on the tip, with and inline lead wrapped in scalded Robin Red pellets and with a fake corn bait hair rigged to a S14 Q1 hook and 10lb braid. This was cast about 4' short of the island.

I decided to prepare a pole line close to the island and was just plumbing up when the tip flew round.....the fish headed off round the right side of the island.....eventually I got it under control and finally landed a beautiful 5lb 6oz female Tench. I had no further Bites on the feeder.

5lb 6oz Female Tench

Switching to the pole I fished close to an overhanging bush on the Island and had two further female Tench, 5-00 & 4-12 on corn. The rig was 5.5lb main line with a 4.6lb hooklength & a size 14 Gamma Power hook set about 4" over depth. I had problems with the elastic in the pole, Diawa grey hydro elastic with a pulla bung, as it was too slack and secondly the pulla bung slipped up into the pole and left a slack elastic. Both Tench headed for the tree roots to the left of the island and with a slack elastic I was struggling to keep them out of it.

Whilst not catching I was kept entertained by the resident geese, on family of Greylag Geese with 10 chicks being looked after by a barren couple of Canada Geese and another Barnacle Goose with 4 chick. All was fine except when the Greylag chicks took a liking to my pole float, which ended up in the overhanging bush!

Family of Greylag Geese

Barnacle Goose & 4 Chicks

Sean fished a couple of pegs to my left, close to some Lilly pads, he had three tench capped by a 7lber at last knockings.

Packed up at 10.00pm after a very enjoyable session, 3 lovely Tench in beautiful surrounding, will definitely back in search of that elusive 6lber!!!

Lymmvale - May 29th - Blankety Blank

Back again and no joy this time out