A great Wey to Fish.

This trip we decided to try some of the vast River network we have on our Godalming ticket, both me and Steve love our river fishing but prefer it to be a bit colder after a couple of good frosts.

I had just finished my first week in my new job which involves commuting to Kent so I've been doing some long hours, and to be honest as much as I love my early morning fishing sessions I was knackered so decided to pick up Steve up just past 7am, which for us is late.

First stop of the morning was to the Apollo tackle shop to grab some maggots, and a brew.

Apollo is situated on the Marsh Farm grounds and is an award winning tackle shop stocking all you need and the staff are great and very helpful. But enough shopping its time to get fishing.

We headed for Eshing near the start of our Wey section, the original plan was to Barbel fish the morning, static using feeder tactics, but due to heavy rain over the last couple of days we decided against it and opted for fishing the slacker water with trotting tactics, starting on the small backwater next to the car park.

I was using my trusty all-rounder rod, centrepin loaded with 4lb line straight through to a 14 Hook, Dave Harrell Stick float with maggot as bait.

I really rate the Dave Harrell floats as they are very well made and have the brightest tips which makes it easier to see at distance, perfect for trotting.

I fed the back channel briefly before casting in, then second trot through I had my first bite which resulted in a lovely little Chub, fin perfect.

After a few more trots through I moved on, casting a line here and there in likely spots but to no avail, it was like the life had dropped clean out the river,  but then on a trot through on a nice bend I had a bite which was a very substantial fish, very heavy, moved out into the current, kicked a couple of times then came off, I was gutted, I'm pretty sure it was a Barbel.

We walked for quite a while but there was nothing much happening, Steve had a Gudgeon and a Minnow, but that was it.

Although the fishing was poor it was still a great and stunning place to spend a few hours, we decided to move on and see if we could catch a few Perch at Broadwater, the great thing about being a club member is you can just drop onto different waters throughout the day without the worry of multiple day tickets.

We had a good lap of lake and watched some Huge Carp in the out of bounds area feeding on bread thrown in for the Ducks, a spectacular site to see Carp on a busy lake feeding so confidently, they knew they were safe.

We set up near the Car park and decided to share a swim so it could be a bit social. The only reason we chose this swim was a couple of months ago I had a load of Perch and Rudd recently from this area and just hoped they would still be about, only difference is it was now bloody cold, and we had no other signs to go on.

We fished for a couple of hours with only a couple of bobs on the float, although a nice bit of time to have lunch and chill. 

We decided it just wasn't going to happen, so we decided to pop to Bramley Lake up the road. Bramley in a lush looking estate type lake which is edged with lilies. There was one angler on so we had a chat, he had nothing to show for his efforts, which was encouraging. We setup in what I call the lawn swim, Steve was on the float, I was on the feeder. I tried in close, out far and under some trees to my left, but nothing, except a Signal Crayfish. We gave it our best shot but failed.

Next we decided on Busbridge for a bit of lure fishing, but sadly it was just too busy to fling plastic so we gave up and left for home.

One of the great things about being a fisherman is the diverse locations you get to fish, this morning we was fishing a beautiful river where we didn't see another sole for miles, then we fished a very busy open lake where there is dog walkers, runners and cyclists whizzing around, but if I'm near a lake I'm happy, no matter the outcome on the fish front. A brilliant day.

The wait for Paradise is over...........

I had been looking forward to going to Anglers Paradise since February when I was last there for the Lure weekend, which was awesome, but this time I was returning with family and friends, which could go either way.
Travel plans where changed slightly due to a change of circumstances for Steve meaning he and his daughter Jess had lost their ride up, so we scoured the internet for a minibus come crew cab van we could hire so we could all get there, my car was well big enough for who and what it was going to be taking but with 2 extra people plus fishing kit there was no option.
Abacus hire in Andover came through in style with a 9 seat Renault Traffic with loads of space in the back, result.

Saturday
We all met up Saturday morning, and by all I mean in the minibus there was me driving, Steve and daughter Jess and my daughter Ellie, in my sister Kim's Mini there was Kim driving, my wife Emma, son Liam and family friend Vicky, let the road trip commence.
The journey should take about 3 1/2 hours on average but due to the sheer weight of traffic stopped and starring at some bloody old rocks on the A303 it was pushed towards 5hrs.
My side of the crew was staying in one of the top villas on the complex called Excellence, which had 2 double rooms and a four poster room all with on-suits, and even a Jacuzzi bath in our four poster en-suit. Steve was staying round the corner in another high end villa sharing the same view.
We parked the vehicles and walked round to the reception to collect the keys and meet in the bar to have a glass (or 2) of Zygs famous wine and have a chat with Zygs daughter Zenia and book our food nights for the week.

Then it was time to have a look around the villa and move all the stuff in, everyone was amazed how stunning it was and the views out the back where to die for, as with all villas I have stayed in they are fish themed all over the place, rods on the roof, pictures on the walls just brilliant.
We decided to get straight out fishing and went down to Pixie lake with Liam, Pixie has an incredible head of small ornamental fish with the odd donkey thrown in.
It didn't take long for Liam to have his first Golden Rudd and Goldfish, I got fixated trying to catch a big Koi that kept popping up, but I ended catching a small Carp of about 4lb, which in a lake this small was quite hard. After a few more we headed back to the villa to get ready for a few drinks up the bar, a great way to top off any day, which became a regular occurrence during our stay.

Sunday
Obviously with having the family with me on this trip to Anglers Paradise meant I was going to have to do some non fishing activities, which was fine with me, just being at this fantastic place was enough, but today, me Steve and the kids were going fishing for the morning on the float lake.

Float fishing in the edge we had many many fish including Goldfish, Golden Rudd, Golden Tench and Koi, was great fun and the kids were hooked. After a couple of hours my daughter went back to the villa whilst Liam and I went to fish mystery lake, because not even I know whats in there. Liam fished the edges and caught plenty of Rudd and as usual for Liam plenty of Gudgeon, I stalked a few Carp off the top using free lined bread, but sadly all good things have to come to an end and as we was at the Wine and Dine night later we headed back to get ready.

The Wine and Dine night is always good fun, Zenia and Zyg head up the evening which includes some beautiful chicken and sausages plus as much salad, garlic bread and wine as you like.
Once the food is consumed and your suitably drunk Zyg and Zenia will crack out the merchandise for you to buy, a brilliant tactic. After we headed into the bar to continue the fun.

Monday
Today was a family day, we was heading to the town of Bude, set right on the sea front, with some stunning eateries, there's a famous fudge shop which was amazing and the best pasties I have ever had, well worth the trip.

When we got back we had a bit off chill until Liam begged me to go fishing, so I couldn't say no.
We went down to the Beginners Carp lake as I have never fished it before and thought it would be good for a bite, and it was. I pitched up opposite a nice bushy island with a hole dead ahead, and using my 12m baiting spoon I was shipping my flatbed feeder under the bush then using a quiver tip waiting for the bite, which was normally whilst shipping back he spoon.
I had a load of Carp around the 5-6lb mark. I let Liam have a go too and have a few as the float fishing was not producing the goods on this occasion.
After packing up the rest of the day was spent chilling with the family and eating fudge.

Tuesday
This year I had made it my mission to try and catch my first Catfish, so this morning I was starting the campaign on Octopussy lake, home to some truly monster Cats and Carp.
I was using a solid bag of pellet with Luncheon meat on my R/H rod bait spooned out to the right of the island, the left rod had was positioned round a bit with a mesh bag of pellet with a large Halibut pellet. I had arrived quite early to try and get a good chance as I only had a few hours. 

After about half an hour I had a short screaming run which sadly amounted to nothing, then shortly after another dropped run, I was starting to get a bit frustrated then whilst spooning out my rig I obviously undone the spool on one of my Diawa big pits a bit to loose and it rolled off into the deep margins. After 15 minutes of dredging the lake bed with my net I finally pulled up a very silty spool, I was not happy.
I decided to pack up that rod and start packing the rest o the kit when fishery manager Joe turned up with Marty one of the fishery guys and after a good chat I decided there was a few things I could change on my rig to make it more Catfish efficient, for next time as it was time to get back for a little trip out.
We decided to visit a local little village called Okehampton, to have a little look about the local shops and stock up on a bit of grub for the villa, it was a lovely little village and well worth a trip.

Wednesday 
Today I was up at the crack of dawn to meet Steve out the back of the villas to go down to Easy Access lake which has a good quantity of Cats so it was time for another go, time to try the newly thought out rigs for less resistance. We fished the far side of the lake, with an island in front I was fishing about a rod length or so off, lightly baiting with Carp pellet for an hour or so before casting in. It was a really nice day, but maybe not the best for fishing as the air pressure was very high (getting the excuses in early).

There was a lot of bubbling fish in front of me and I did eventually get a run from a small but perfectly formed Carp. As the day creeped on we stopped for a break and to witness a truly magical moment, an Anglers Paradise blessing with a couple who very recently got married, and as with a lot of things here it has to be a little different.

The were brought down to the Koi lake on the back of a little buggy then walked around next to the pagoda where Zyg performed the ceremony, after then blessing the lake with port it was time for both Bride and groom to jump through a beautifully designed floating flower arrangement (made by Joe and Marty) in full wedding gear, as you do. A really memorable event, finished with a cup of Zygs famous wine.

As the family disappeared back to Bude for yet more fudge and a day at the beach I returned to Easy Access lake to carry on trying for a Cat.
After some more bait was deployed and some more Carp were banked it was not looking like a Cat was coming to the bank for me, I was feeling a bit like Mick Brown.

My wife and kids brought me dinner and desert down to the bank, which was amazing, but as the sun dropped I admitted defeat, packed up and left.
Even though the Cats evaded me again it was a hugely enjoyable day, as they all are here in Paradise.

Thursday
Today was mine and Emma's 10 year wedding anniversary, and we awoke to the villa decorated by my sister and Vicky, and looked amazing, and to show how in tune we are we ended up buying each other watches, mine a stunning Fossil watch which was engraved also, my wife's was a Micheal Kors watch, she was over the moon.

Our original plan was to spend the day at Paighton Zoo, and although it never rains in Devon, it was definitely moist so we decided to go tomorrow, and me and Liam decided on a couple of hours in the rain on Float lake. We had a few Golden Tench, Rudd and a few stunning Koi off the top.

With the fishing done for the day, and the week sadly we headed back to get ready to go out for a meal down the local pub. The food at the Junction inn was amazing, not a bad word to say about it and highly recommended and all payed for by Steve which was a great surprise.  

After we headed back to the bar at AP to carry on the celebrations with 2 bottles of Procceto, which was far too bubbly for me, but went down well all the same.

Friday  
Today we all decided on a day trip to Paighton Zoo, as the weather was too bad yesterday.
We arrived just before opening and queued for a short while before going in, I was really excited as I haven't been to a Zoo for a long time and as an animal lover there's a lot to do and see, but sadly the weather was pretty bad, as usual the weather app that stated it should stop raining by about 10am was way off, but we tried not to let it bother us. I think a highlight was the Lions and the Gorillas, fantastic to watch.

After a fantastic day at the Zoo we went round the corner to Morrisons to get a load of pizzas, garlic bread, salads etc and have a mass feast at our villa for us plus Steve and Jess.
The last evening was brilliant yet sad as it was the last night here, drinks flowed and way too much food was cooked and ate.
We went over to the bar for a couple of drinks and for the presentation evening which sadly I hadn't won any but then I didn't spend as long fishing as I usually would, but was a good evening.
I made sure I brought a few bottles of wine off Zyg as all the money goes to charity and I love the stuff.
 bhjbhjb
We said our goodbyes to the other anglers of which we made good friends as usual and to Zyg, Zenia, Joe and all who work at Anglers Paradise for making the whole family so welcome and headed back to the villa.  
We packed most of the stuff up that night so there was less to do in the morning and headed of to bed.

Saturday 
It's always hard leaving a place you love so much but it was time, we loaded the van and car, popped the key back to reception and headed off for the 3 1/2 hour journey home.
I really cant speak highly enough about Anglers Paradise, it really does have it all, yes there are other holiday fishing venues around the country but I would bet all I own that you wouldn't catch the fish you could catch here and everyone is so friendly you really do feel like part of the family.
A HUGE thank you to Zenia, Joe, Zyg, Rose and all who work at Anglers Paradise. See you all soon.

Its Been A While.... 

It's been a long time since my last post, sadly not so much fishing but a new role at work as a surveyor means I have been working a fair few hours.
But in between work and family life I have managed a bit of fishing since my last post back in July, firstly me and Steve returned to Marsh Farm for our first night session, and I couldn't wait.
We decided to fish the far end of Richardsons as the first half had a match on the following morning so we needed to be out of the way.

My plan was to start very light float fishing tactics until dark then crack out the barbel rods for feeder fishing through the night.
I baited lightly to start and was having a few bites from Rudd, small Tench and the odd Crucian but nothing big.
After dinner the sun started to drop so it was time to put the rods on the alarms.
I was still fishing one of the rods in the margins and the other into open water, both on flat bed feeder method, one using plastic caster, the other real caster.
The bites were slow but steady to both rods and I had some really bad pictures as I'm not used to having my picture taken in the dark.

By now it was really dark, and we had both made the mistake of using a weather app, which stated a fairly mild whether throughout the night so we didn't even bring a Bivvy or shelter, I mean its summer, I luckily had a sleeping bag, but during the night the weather plummeted.
I woke up at about 3am, all the kit covered in dew and freezing cold,  Steve was already awake and making a fried breakfast just to keep warm.
After some food we decided to pack up and leave, it was far to cold to continue fishing, and with a drop in temperature like that it was unlikely to fish very well anyway.
Well not the best night session but still had a few fish, just worth remembering whether apps are just pants.

Fishing for Tinca's at Marsh

This fishing trip I will be flying solo as my fishing partner Steve had a prior engagement.

In eagerness for starting my Godalming Angling ticket I decided to fishing Marsh Farm in Godalming for some hard fighting Tench and Crucians, and as usual I couldn't wait.

I left home around 06:45 as Marsh doesn't open till 07:30 so there was no need to get up really early, which was nice for a change.

The gates had just been opened when I arrived so I parked up and as the tackle shop was yet to open I had a quick lap of lakes.

I decided to fish peg 1 of Richardsons as there was a nice warm wind pushing into the corner, Harris was looking a bit clear and Hill pond was closed for a coaching day.

The Tackle shop staff seemed to be running a bit late so I walked my kit to the peg in readiness, I was trying to travel light as my back is getting a bit of a battering at work recently, one rod coupled with a centre pin, net and handle, rucksack, chair and small bucket for pellet and groundbait.

Shortly after I had set up the swim the staff arrived so I paid for my ticket and a pint of Casters which I believe are the best Tench bait for Marsh, well for numbers of fish anyway.

I put a little bait either side of my peg to start with, just  few casters , pellets and some Roach groundbait I had left over from my last session.

Tackle wise I was trying pretty light kit, 10ft float rod with the centrepin as I said earlier, pin loaded with 3lb line and a 2lb hooklink, size 20 hook and light pole float shotted down so just the very tip was showing.

Sadly although the conditions were near perfect the strong wind did make it very hard to see the type of bites a Crucian would give but I decided to stick with it and see if the wind dies out.

After a nice chat with an official at Godalming Angling talking about the coaching programme they have often on the Hill pond which is a fantastic  idea and one I think more fisheries should follow suite with.

I love float fishing, starring at the float then that first bite, even if the float just bobs slightly I think my heart skips a beat, it's such an exciting way to fish, and I was soon into my first hard fighting Tench, not huge at around 3lb but great fun on the light gear.

I was really enjoying the day, Marsh Farm has so much to offer, whilst enjoying the sport I was seeing and listening to the kids around the Hill pond catching there first fish and the magical expressions on the faces of a newly hooked fisherman/woman, there was Buzzards overhead and I even had a stunning Heron catch a fish from the swim next to me, only wish I had the camera in my hand at the time, but both cameras where on the tripods filming for a new YouTube.

All was going well and during a brief moment where the lake was completely flat I was able to see the really shy bites from the Crucians and a had a 2 in quick succession to just over 1lb which I was more than happy with.

Shortly after the wind picked back up again and the Crucian bites were no longer visible but the float shot under and I was into a powerful fish causing me to hold the rod right out into the lake whilst the fish powered down the right hand margin, my heart was in my mouth thinking this was one of the huge Tench and I was playing it very carefully and letting the rod blank do its job so as not to snap the very light hooklink. After a hard battle sadly a Common Carp of about 7lb popped up, I dont mind catching Carp at all, but when you think it a PB Tench it's a bit of a downer.  

But on the plus side the next fish was a 4lb Tinca and a new PB, just, but Tench has always been a species that I've struggled with so I was over the moon.

I celebrated the Tench with a nice cup of tea from the tackle shop, yet another plus point for Marsh Farm, and then continued fishing for a while longer.

Sadly I had a family event to attend so had to pack up about 2pm, but what a day, by far the best days Tench fishing I have ever had, over 10 Tench in total from just under 3lb to a 4lb PB, along with a couple of Crucians, Roach, Rudd, Bream, F1's and the unexpected Common Carp, I can't wait to start the Godalming Angling ticket in July and be able to night fish brilliant water.

Having a Gander.

Day 1

This weekend has been a long time coming and one I've been looking forward to, it's the weekend me and Steve check out the waters on our recently joined club, Godalming Angling Society.

This is the PERFECT club for us as were not Carp focused and although I do enjoy Carp fishing I would much rather wet a line for Tench or Crucians, so this was the only club for us.

I picked Steve up about 8am, no rush, and drove straight to Apollo Angling on the Marsh Farm complex, mainly to ask some questions about the rules to make sure we stick to them as some were not straight forward.

After clearing that up we set off around Marsh Farm, Coffee in hand (as I forgot mine this morning and I don't function without it) on walking around Harris another angler pointed out a huge quantity of Tench spawning in the corner, what a great sight and there was some real clonkers there too.

As we have fished Marsh a few times we only had a quick lap then headed out onto Johnsons lake which is just behind, the railway bank was shut due to maintenance work so we headed off the other direction, and what a lake,  I can see why there is a lot of hype over this lake, not only does it now have a British record Crucian Carp but it's a truly stunning lake, snaggy bays, weed beds, islands it had it all, beautiful. I had a note pad with me to make notes of areas of interest or information off other anglers whilst walking around, mainly because I have a very bad memory.

Next on the list was up the road to Busbridge Lake,  which took a bit of finding, once in through the locked gate we walked up to possibly the most stunning lake I have ever seen, just perfect, lilies in most swims, tree lined, well kept but just the right amount of neglect to give it a natural feel.

We spoke to the only angler on the lake who was also a new member and very impressed, he had caught a 5lb Tench too, which was nice. I can't wait to fish this lake.

Next on the run was the main Carp water called Broadwater lake, this is a public park lake which seems to get very busy for anglers and dog walkers alike. It's a really nice looking lake and although it's not on my priority list as there's other waters more my type of fishing it is one ill fish at some point.

Next up was a smaller lake called Bramley, a very picturesque lake with plenty of lilies and rushes in the margins.  The lake was quite clear too meaning in the shallow parts of the lake we was able to spot a few Carp milling about, as with Busbridge it was a nice quiet lake with only 2 people on.

I love walking around lakes, whether its whilst at work on a lake I will never fish or a lake I fish all the time just being waterside relieves stress like nothing else can.

The day drew to an end and I was still hyper about the following days activities, walking the miles and miles of River Wey

Day 2.

I picked Steve up about the same time as yesterday and we headed to Johnsons to see if we could have a look along the railway bank, but this time there was a match on, so we headed for the River.

The River Wey is stunning, we walked so many miles in total, and it has literally everything the river angler could want, deep sections, shallow sections, slow and fast, from Barbel to Carp. Although some sections were a little hard to get to there was a lot to go for.

By the end of the day all I could think was how I was going to get enough time to fish all this river, but I'm sure somehow ill manage. I was also thinking how much my feet were aching.