30/07 Dove

A new area to me and a complete blank, didn't catch anything at all apart from 2 grayling and a few minnows.

Some interesting looking swims though, definately an area to come back to

26/06 Dove & Trent

Started out on the Dove in a swim I'd liked the look of on a pre-season recce. One rod chucked out aimlessly with a pellet attached, the other paternostered small livebaits for perch. Bit of a supprise to find my minnow taken by a rainbow trout. Even more of a supprise to find a stone loach swim into and get trapped in my net as I nursed the trout back. A well voulenteered livebait. Not really, I didnt use it as a livebait. I ate it. Again...not really it went back.

Anyway, the local youth river swimming and shouting team then turned up - about 20 of them so I moved upstream. Unfortunately some of them were also in the jumping off bridges into the river team as well and I ended up back in the car and headed for the Trent.

Fished another new swim thats appeared near to where I fished the previous evening. 1st barbel @ 21:30 (again) of 9lb 3oz and a second fish of 8lb 12oz at 21:45. One smaller one at 22:30.
The photo is of the 1st one, thought I would practice taking photos that chop the top of my head off. Also caught 4 bream.

25/06 Trent

The swim I intended to fish was taken so dropped into a new swim that's appeared. Looked good for barbel on the right hand rod and perch on the left. As I couldn't catch a suitable livebait ended up fishing for barbel on both. OTM barbelwise for the season. 9lb 5oz at 21:30 and a 6lber @ 22:25. Both to the right hand rod.

Also caught a few silver things, a bream and a toad (although not on rod and line).

21/06 Derwent

First outing for me of the new season, not very productive but good to be out again. Rivers totally different to how I left it in March and full of life. Even ended up in the swim I finished the season off in as my 2nd swim of the day. Just one OK perch of about 1 3/4lbs and some small fish. Left early due to sunburn and a lack of fluids. Problems I didn't have last week in Majorca.

March to June - The Closed Season

Might as well write my closed season update now, I'm not going fishing again before the start of the season. And not even fishing at the start of the season as I'll be away. Anyway, it won't do me any harm to miss the opening week rush and allow things to settle down a bit. Plus I can let everyone else make some swims for me.




A quiet closed season on the fishing front. Spent some time fishing for perch at a semi-commercial fishery, mostly unsuccessful. One decent perch which had recently spawned and loads of small ones. A few carp and a shed load of tench...they do like their prawns.




Had a couple of days at a local estate lake tenching and had a few up to 7lb 6oz and some nice bream.




In reality, a lot more golfing than fishing, managed to shave a bit off my handicap - came down from 8.4 to 6.6 and just starting to find a bit of form now...