30/07 Trent

Thought I'd go back to where I fished Monday for a bit longer and catch more and bigger barbel.

Didn't quite work out like that, had to wait 'til dark for small fish at 22:00 and 23:05, the biggest about 7lbs. 3 bream and a foul hooked 2lb pike.

Much less fish activity all round. Still, could have been worse, for some reason I thought the smaller barbel was going to be an eel when I was playing it.

26/07 Trent

Fancied a change of species but couldnt make it to a tackle shop in time and ended up barbelling again.

Early fish again, my customary 6lber at 19:10, a slightly smaller one at 19:55 and a better one at 20:55. Looked like it would be a double but fell just short at 9lb 13oz. Even caught one after dark...a 7lber at 22:10. Also one bream and a chublet.

Plenty of fish showing, big and small - maybe this is where I should be fishing.

23/07 Trent

Fished one of my favourite bits of river but it didn't quite live up to expectations. Started well enough with a 9lb 9oz barbel @ 19:40 but the rest of them failed to show up. A few knocks and taps and a bream later on was it for the day.

18/07 Derwent

After a busy weekend of golfing managed to sneak out for a couple of hours on the river. Had a barbel very early on (20:00hrs) which filled me with confidence for the evening...however that was it apart from a 3lb chub. About a month into the season and I'm stuck catching 6lb barbel. Need to get out more and find some bigger fish but struggling to find the time - or the fish!

16/07 Trent

First visit to this stretch this season, might wait a bit longer 'til my next one its probably better in autumn/ winter time...

2 bream for me and my accomplice was biteless. Gave up a bit early due to bad weather, maybe if we had stayed later things would have been different.

10/07 Dove

An uneventful evenings fishing with 1 minnow caught between 3 of us. At least I didn't blank...

08/07 Derwent

Just the one bite @ 22:15, gets me OTM for the Derwent though. Another one of about 6lbs.

The only other excitement of the evening was wrestling my unhooking mat back from a hungry cow. I can't imagine it would have tasted too good anyway. The mat that is, I'm sure the cow would have been delicious.

04/07 Dove

OTM for the Dove. Same area as last time, same swim actually...

Just a small one of about 6lbs caught at 21:05.

Bit of a rematch in the sweet vs savoury bait challenge, this time the savoury bait came out winner.

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...

14/03 Derwent

Walked about 5 million miles. Caught a 4lb chub. Caught a 9lb 2oz barbel (@ 19:15). Missed some bites. Listened to the footy on the radio. Saw some birds. 3 months to go...

12/03 Derwent

Nice to finish the season on a high...two 11lb barbel and a 3lb perch

Next swim down from where recently I'd had perch to 3lb 8 and lost a big pike, obviously some good fish in this area. Both barbel to 'sweet' flavoured boilies, 11lb 10oz @ 16:55 and 11lb 2oz @ 20:25. The perch was 3lb 1oz and took a worm.

Still need to work on my photography...I tend to rush things a bit and could probably do with a better camera with a better self timing thing or even a remote. Think my photoshopping is awesome though...

09/03 Derwent

Just a quickie after work and just the one 5/6lb barbel (18:55).

Have played about a bit with sweet baits vs savoury lately and when I've tried it have just had chub but always on the sweet bait. This barbel must have a sweet tooth. Or gums, mouth whatever it is they have.

07/03 Derwent

Ended up going back to same swim that I had my perch from the other day and having opted to fish for perch I just took my small landing net and didn't bother with the unhooking mat. This turned out to be a big mistake...



As I had a couple of deadbaits in the bag thought I'd pop one on the spare rod whilst floatfishing for perch on the other.



The end result being that I hooked a pike too big to fit into the net. Well, I did get about 1/2 of it in before it got out again and came off. Estimated at about 20lbs I was more than a little gutted.



No perch but did snare a barbel of just over 8lbs on lobworm (17:20) which I'm sure did appreciate the use of my unhooking chair...

06/03 Trent

Barbel Adventures end of season fish-in. Out of 9 fishing, only 1 fish made an appearance and not a barbel in sight...congratulations Leyton.

05/03 Derwent

After the lord mayors show or summit like that...

No perch from my swim that always looks good but never produces, moved down to leaf city in the hope of a chub when it got dark. Struggled to even catch leaves.

03/03 Derwent

One perch of about 1 3/4lbs after 5 seconds...

Had to wait a while for the next one, worth the wait though at 3lb 8oz.

Only those 2 bites before dark, a couple of quick ones missed later on, maybe ruffe or even bullheads. 2 knocks on the chub rod. And lost 2 feeders.