Jack Brown plays........

A Wizard Fish

We generally have a few old characters coming in to the shop, and we are always entertained by their regular fishy stories. One fellow in particular is renowned for his mispronunciation of words, for instance... he has a Dwaia rod with a Shimani reel, and the rod has a dodgy furrel.

 Well he's told us today that he hooked a Sturgeon (Sterlet ?) at a commercial fishery at the weekend and when he gave it some pressure it leapt from the water like a "Merlin".....I wonder if the lake was anywhere near Camelot !!!

So Many Waters, So Little Time.

It's been a while, I know, there are periods when you should be waterside, conditions are correct and you just know where they'll be and what will catch them. The 'stuff' of life gets in the way sometimes. We get bogged down with the flotsam and jetsam of day to day demands and the work just has to be put in.
I'm lucky in many respect to have access to as much fishing as one Intrepid Piscator could dream of, alas,I am what a quirky American might call "time deprived". I really haven't been on the banks nearly as much as I would wish, so what have I to say for myself ?
 Firstly, my quest for the Common will continue and I've booked some time away from the shop to have a couple of sessions soon. I have also been given kind permission to fish some more at the 'Dog Bone' lake. Also, In early October I will be priveleged to once more cast a line into the mysterious depths of that fabled pool..Redmire.
 Carp seem to have devoured my angling life this year, I will be field testing a new bait for 'Browns Angling' in the cooler months and my winter fishing will be on a CEMEX run lake in pursuit of another stunning fish.
 I have rejoined my river syndicate and will try my hand at extracting a pb Perch sometime....time, oh time.
 I did manage a cheeky midweek overnighter, only my second night this year on the particular lake.
As I rolled up to what I'd foolishly hoped would be an empty Car Park, my first feeling was one of disappointment.....two other anglers on the lake.
 I had a quick scout around, not stopping for chat, eyes peeled for signs.
 Fortunately both anglers were comfortable with the wind behind them in their oversized bivvies probably watching DVD's or sleeping, to notice me....or the fish that were topping in an area on the other side of the lake. "That'll do for old Gurn, I thought" and I dropped a bucket in the swim as a 'claim'.
 Whilst walking away I heard a lage Carp crash and turning around saw a flat spot out in the lake, "That's one rod sorted", I thought, and walked a bit faster to get the gear.

First things first then, set up the rods and cast one to the spot and another to a plateau at aroung 60 yards, I was fishing and no-one even knew I was there.
 I sat and watched the lake for around forty minutes and the area in front of me definitely had a few Carp present. I may have even seen the biggest Carp in the lake come out right in front of the swim, a fish I had caught last year.
 The bailiff showed up seeming a little perplexed at the ramshackle state of my swim.
 I explained that the rods just had to go out immediately and everything else had just been dumped in the swim pending setting up .
 I pointed to the area I'd baited on the left rod and exclaimed that if I didn't catch a fish off of it I'd hang my rods up and go into angling retirement. He laughed and just a he did so, a Carp rolled on the very spot. He wished me luck as he left me to continue to set up base.

Once sorted, I entered the time honoured ritual and 'Steve' the kettle was stuck on the Primus as I sat back and drunk in the sounds and sights that are my escape from the 'stuff'.
 Night  fell and I was suprised I'd not received a pick-up yet, in fact I had to wait until 11pm for that left hand Stevie Neville to burst into a song and shatter the silent aire of the lake.
 Up and at it then, I felt that satifying 'thump thump' that only a fish hooked at range gives as I struck into it.
 It is one of my favourite things, to be stood alone doing battle with a Carp, and you're the only one that knows.
 With little drama a fine Mirror of over 20lb graced the net..

One quick snap and he was soon on his way.

 As I sat awake, watching over the lake I counted no less than twenty Carp topping, a couple of hours later the same rod was away and and once again I struck into resistance, this fish felt more dogged and determined to stay deep, unfortunately after about a minute the line fell slack, I'd been cut off, "Mussels, damned Mussels"...what can you do about them.

 That was to be my last action of the night, at least I didn't have to retire !!

As the morning progressed and I hauled my kit back to the Car Park, one of the fellas from the other side of the lake came over.." I can't believe how quiet it was last night " he said.

Amazing Underwater Pike Footage (No Hooks)

Chris Yates Interview

I have no idea how long this link will remain valid, so enjoy it whilst you can.
Chilly Interviews Yatesy.

The Nearly Man

Ok, so with "The Common" having been caught I've been tempted away from 'Her' home. What fish could possibly drag me away then ?..Well how about another "needle in a haystack Common".
By kind permission of Alan Taylor, a trip to a private lake reputed to hold a Common Carp somewhat larger than the one I persue.
Joining me on the trip was young Nash consultant Jack Brown, a fine young Carp angler and work colleague.
 The lake is around six acres in size, shaped like a dogs bone with two main 'lakes' joined by a channel with an average depth of ten feet.
The shape of the lake presents obvious location problems especially when you consider that the stock level is just eight 'original' fish and 20 to 30 Dintons stockies.
 We set out in the boats checking the lake bed for features with prodding sticks, however, an algae bloom made using an aquascope ( a modern version of a glass bottomed bucket ) a waste of time with visibility about a foot.

With such a low stocking density, we baited lightly with hemp, pellet and groundbait, just little traps really on spots we thought may hold fish.

 The sunshine was brutal, the air muggy and it made for an uncomfortable time, especially as it isn't condusive to catching Carp. We thought we may see then basking in the mid-day sun, we did see one of the stockies, no mad dogs though, just two Englishmen.

The lake appeared to be a veritable paradise for wildlife, not least the various species of Butterflies. I've been a fan of these most beautiful of insects since I once saw a Swallowtail on the Norfolk Broads. The predominent species on this lake seemed to be the Marbled White but I did manage to creep up on this Red Admiral.

 Also spotted were the other fishermen...Grebe, Heron and Kingfisher. The Kingfisher's perch being quite close, he would plunge headlong into the depths, emerge with a fish and then dive for another before returning to his vantage point with a brace.

 The area also appears to be 'Snake Central' with many Grass Snakes and an Adder spotted, the latter certainly made one think twice before putting a hand in a bag or walking through the grass.

 In the evenings, the bucket barbeque was fired up and we enjoyed a fillet steak or two with some local Bombadier Ale and maybe a tot of Brandy, all very civilised, of course. This became a precursor to an hour or two of nonsensical chat, all good fun.

 After two fishless nights at one end of the 'Dog bone' I decided to have a sneaky peek down the other end. The 'other end' is silty, reed fringed and has only one proper pitch. A noisy Rookery greeted me and three Comorants sat on the rotting bows of a dead tree, looking a little like those Vultures in Disney's Jungle book as if saying, "So what are we going to do?".."I dunno,what are we gonna do?".

 I immediately saw signs of a feeding Carp with bubbles sheeting up in the water and boiling of the water...I went back for a rod.

  I found my lightest lead, set up a bottom rig with two grains of maize and a 'plastic fantastic' for balance, tied up a couple of PVA bags with micro pellets and on seeing the fish vacate the area cast the whole lot from the middle of a bush before sitting back on my bucket.

 About half an hour later the fish returned to the spot, it was only a matter of time before my rod cranked round, I thought.

 As my heart pounded in expectation, for a moment I became lost in a world of old hungry Commons and wet nets, a world of peace and solitude, away from the howling masses.

 "Aah so you found my secret swim" came the unmistakeable voice of the bailiff swiftly follow by a good licking from a couple of German Shepherds, closely followed the bailiff coming in to the bush, closely followed by Jack.

 Back to reality it was then, I never caught the fish but suggested to Jack that the whole Carp population were at this end of the lake as I had also seen another whilst in the bush.

The plan then was to watch this end for an hour and if we saw another Carp 'top' we'd move down....Ten minutes later, a golden head and shoulders popped up to say "Hello"...time to move...in the heat of the day, it wasn't a joyous hour but had to be done.

We decided that using Chod rigs and not using a boat would cause minimum disturbance, we didn't want to spook the fish back to where we had previously been and the use of Chods meant we'd be presenting a bait wherever it landed without the need for thrashing the lake to a foam with Marker Rods.

 After another blank night, Jack left to fulfill an appearance with the Nash guys in Belgium, with hopes of a little bit of fishing time on the Kempish Canal.

 I did stick it out for another night.....

A hot air balloon passed above, as the passengers peered down at me, waving, I read the logo on the side of the massive fire breathing beast.....GO....it said. I got the message.

There are two footnotes to this account..1) It is worth noting that from the time we cast a lead in to the 'other end', to the time I left, not a single Carp was seen.

2) I have heard today that the big Common of this lake was actually caught last night, the first time this year...its weight ?.....45lb !!!

 Once again, I am 'the nearly man'.

 I am left to thank Alan Taylor for allowing me the pleasure of persuing his wonderful fish. His website can be found here.

The Common....caught!!

At 08:28:01 yesterday morning I received the following text message.. "She's been out this morning", I knew exactly that it meant that the Common had graced the net of some fortunate sole for the first time in nearly a year.
 It transpired that it was the anglers first ever fish from the water, caught on a bait and rig probably intended for Catfish. The weight of the fish is also somewhat sketchy, the magic number followed by "in the weigh-sling".
The irony of it all has not been lost on many anglers who persue this fish but in many ways I am happy and indeed I even shook the captors hand in the shop yesterday. It is good to know that the fish is still there in the lake (we know fish are moved illegally on occassion), but most of all it was the words of a witness that resounded in my head for most of yesterday...."She is the most beautiful and impressive fish I have ever seen"...I will take a couple of weeks break from the lake, but, the quest will continue.

The Glorious Sixteenth

At a work party on my river syndicate last week a member (no, not me) unceremoniously decended a tree whilst attempting to trim a branch, somewhat faster than he had climbed it..if you get what I mean.
 Far from receiving the sympathy and concern of his fellows, he was met with raptures of laughter and applause.
 The syndicate leader, a chap of deadpan, dry wit was grateful, "Thanks for that my old mate " he said, "You have entertained us greatly and for that we will name that swim in you honour." The poor chap seemed to cheer up on hearing this, only for the syndicate leader to shoot him down again with, "There you go then members, this here is now "The C*** Swim"...To more raptures of laughter.
 Oh how it would've been a delight to spend the opening night/day on that glorious river The Gt. Ouse, it was not to be.
 My quest continues with abandon at the home of 'The Common' but in the last few weeks a veritable festival of Tench has descended upon me, not such a bad thing I hear you say but the pleasure is curtailed by the heavy tackle I am using due to weed and the possibility of monstrous Catfish.
 The weather seems to go from the sublime........

to the ridiculous...........

and all in a days fishing.
 The "Glorious Sixteenth" found me then, near a public path, beside the park lake that is 'Her' home. You know the kind of place...where men go to shout at their dogs, or get shouted at by personal trainers.
 Visitors arrived at my side at a constant flow as I attempted to set up my home for the night. Some were welcome, my parents, on the look-out for a Kingfisher (which did turn up about twenty minutes after their departure), some were unwelcome, the gossip-mongers, ready to stab a fellow piscator in the back at the earliest convenience, I'll have no part in that.
 Darkness fell and the Bats, at first seemed reluctant, there don't seem to be as many mosquitoes about for them this year...yet.
 They soon put on a fine display of aero'bat'ics, I do love the little critters.
 Conditions have changed on the lake bed and I had decided to try different rigs to my usual, and as if to sign in the new official season, at midnight exactly my right rod was away resulting in quite an impressive Tench and probably the biggest from the lake this year, the lack of sporting battle and lack of a decent photo dictates that it would be pointless to say its weight, but, it was BIG.
 With the rig and bait back on the spot I soon drifted off to sleep dreaming of early season Barbel and Chub, how I miss them.
 At 2am the same rod leapt into life with what can only be described as a tanking run. I struck and the rod arched over, I could feel the fish thumping around, a long way out in the lake.
 Constant pressure soon had the fish heading in the right direction and after about 10 minutes the fish was in the net, a stunning Mirror, not a stockie, but one of the characters, these fish aren't huge but I believe they have age and guile, I was happy.

By 4am the lake was alive with 'boshing' fish, many were Carp, perhaps the Lunar Eclipse had cast some unseen spell on them, I just new that I'd get a run and sure enough I was in again.
 This time the battle was a more dogged affair, until about fifteen minutes in everything went solid.
 I know the routine well, give constant but not heavy pressure for a while, it wasn't budging...Put the rod back on the rest for as long as takes for the fish to find it own way free,, an hour later and no movement...Last resort, straight line, walk backwards slowly, the fish started to move and the fight was back on.
After another ten minutes or so a Mirror of 20lb+ was thudding around in the margins, as I guided her to the net she seemed to look at me knowingly, the hook pulled and she waved me 'Goodbye'.
All in all an eventful night which has helped in taking my mind off of that river for a while yet.
I packed away and headed home a content fisher.

Busy, busy, busy

It's that time of the year, isn't it ? In a piscatorial sense it seems like it's all going on at the moment. My quest for the Common still continues in earnest and the lake is beginning to get fished more, the Carp are spawning and once it's done and dusted I am sure they will get on the munch a bit more. The lakes Catfish population is once again giving itself up to anglers using certain baits and methods in a kamikaze fashion, they really don't seem to be the brightest of fish, needless to say, I will be avoiding said baits and methods in my focussed escapade.
 Ticket renewals have also been the order of the day. I've renewed both my Club and syndicate on my beloved Gt. Ouse and hope to engage in a few more sessions this year in search of it's ever dwindling Barbel and maybe even a fat Chub or Perch.
 I have also secured yet another weekend on the fabled Redmire Pool in early Autumn, something I always look forward to. I will have to look up our infamous 'Redmire Rissotto' recipe again.. My plan this year will be to fish an unpopular swim in the hope that the residents will feed with a bit less suspicion there, and maybe even try to winkle one 'off the top'.
I am still bailiffing for two clubs this year, it's a thankless task and difficult to fit in around my work but has its obvious benefits.
The new Nash PegOne barrow had its first outing the other night and I will write a full review after a bit more use.
I am still fully committed to catching that Common but have a few alternative adventures lined up to keep me sane.
The shop is incredibly busy but I'm due a few days off fishing at the end of the month.
For all of you getting out on the 16th, Good Luck and tight Lines.

Where's Gurn Gone ???

Hello Folks....The quest continues, I've gone undercover for a little while but will return soon...;-)