Pellets

I like the "two tiddlers" link and, without realising, have used it. You
have a nice site there, very interesting.

I am down with tonsillitis from my grandson so fishing is off and I am grad
I did not go today as it is chucking it down here in Wiltshire. If I am fit
enough I will go and wind up the old brigade again on Friday. I did think of
another way to wind them up today when I saw a Halloween prop of a long pole
with a skull on it, I thought of sticking it in the mud by my swim and
pretending to do some satanic ritual by it using fake blood. Catching big
bream should suffice though.

--
Gandalf


"Derek Moody" wrote in message
...
In article , Gandalf
wrote:
"Derek Moody" wrote in message
...

Why do you never have a camera when you need one :-)

It was that long ago Box Brownies were far too expensive and getting the
fish to stay still that long never worked.

In message , Gandalf
writes

You mentioned that they were good for tench, my record for tench over
the last three years is abysmal with only one 3 lb in all that time.
Bit late in the season now but any advice on pellets other than just as
groundbait.

First thing is to find somewhere with some decent tench! You say you're
in Wiltshire, though, so there are plenty of waters around you holding
good tench. I'm a member of South Cerney AA ( http://www.scac.org.uk )
which has a number of good tench waters. It has two small waters at
Wickwater available on day ticket, one of which is a "carp puddle" and
of no interest to me, the other of which is more of a heavily stocked
general coarse fishery, and a bit more interesting. I prefer to fish the
more "natural" pits, but this small day ticket water is fairly easy and
contains a good average size of tench; perhaps 5lbs or so. The general
coarse water is shown top left in this photograph:

http://www.scac.org.uk/public/lakes/...2/wick1&2.html

The location of the lakes is shown he

http://www.scac.org.uk/public/lakes/lakeswin.swf

Before I joined the club I used to buy day tickets from the clubhouse at
Ham Pool, but it may be possible to buy them on the bank or from local
tackle shops, I don't know.

I've stopped tench fishing for the year now, however I expect it is
still possible to catch some. I prefer to float fish for tench. It's not
always the most efficient way of catching them, but if we were into
efficiency we would buy a seine net. I would adopt a scaled down
approach. The water will be clearer now, so my summer tackle of 6lb
mainline to 6lb low diameter hook length and a #6 or #8 would be too
heavy. I should think more of a heavy match setup, with a 3lb low
diameter hooklength and a #16 or #14. You still need some power to get
the fish out, and anywhere near snags a good tench will make mincemeat
of 1lb bottoms and #20 hooks.

I probably wouldn't use pellets at all now that the water temperatures
are lower and the fish less hungry. I'd start by loose feeding maggots
and fishing a couple of maggots on the hook. I'd probably put a little
hemp in. If bothered by small fish, I'd change hookbait to a medium
sized worm, or a couple of grains of sweetcorn. Bread is great for
tench, but on waters like Wick the roach and rudd will have it off the
hook before it sees the bottom.

--
Steve Walker

Hi Steve,

I used to fish South Cerney and all over that area as a youth. Good waters
for almost all fish species back then but it seems they have grown a few
houses around most of the lakes I used to fish.

I have access to three lakes, all hold tench to moderate size of about 5lbs.
The one lake that is my usual lake for ease of getting to and around holds a
good number of tench as many other anglers seem to catch them. They have
told me all sorts of tricks and tips but I none have worked for me apart
from the one tench which was had on feeder with a red powdery groundbait and
two maggots on a #16. I use 4 lb main line and 3 lb hook length. That very
system is what has bagged me some reasonable bream lately from the same
lake.

I have not had a lot of luck with warm as each time I have been plagued by
small pike, actually landed a few of them.

Location was a thing as the one was had off the edge of a little island but
I have tried all the spots where I have found tench in the past like the
edge of reeds and close to lily pads. All the typical tench type swims but
there are not many such features on this lake.

As you say, we are past the tench season really and any deliberate tench
will have been hard fought for or simply lucky if they happen to be feeding
with the bream.

I will have to do the concerted effort early next summer.

Many thanks for the advice.

--
Gandalf

"Steve Walker" wrote in message
...
In message , Gandalf
writes

You mentioned that they were good for tench, my record for tench over the
last three years is abysmal with only one 3 lb in all that time. Bit late
in the season now but any advice on pellets other than just as groundbait.

First thing is to find somewhere with some decent tench! You say you're in
Wiltshire, though, so there are plenty of waters around you holding good
tench. I'm a member of South Cerney AA ( http://www.scac.org.uk ) which
has a number of good tench waters. It has two small waters at Wickwater
available on day ticket, one of which is a "carp puddle" and of no
interest to me, the other of which is more of a heavily stocked general
coarse fishery, and a bit more interesting. I prefer to fish the more
"natural" pits, but this small day ticket water is fairly easy and
contains a good average size of tench; perhaps 5lbs or so. The general
coarse water is shown top left in this photograph:

http://www.scac.org.uk/public/lakes/...2/wick1&2.html

The location of the lakes is shown he

http://www.scac.org.uk/public/lakes/lakeswin.swf

Before I joined the club I used to buy day tickets from the clubhouse at
Ham Pool, but it may be possible to buy them on the bank or from local
tackle shops, I don't know.

I've stopped tench fishing for the year now, however I expect it is still
possible to catch some. I prefer to float fish for tench. It's not always
the most efficient way of catching them, but if we were into efficiency we
would buy a seine net. I would adopt a scaled down approach. The water
will be clearer now, so my summer tackle of 6lb mainline to 6lb low
diameter hook length and a #6 or #8 would be too heavy. I should think
more of a heavy match setup, with a 3lb low diameter hooklength and a #16
or #14. You still need some power to get the fish out, and anywhere near
snags a good tench will make mincemeat of 1lb bottoms and #20 hooks.

I probably wouldn't use pellets at all now that the water temperatures are
lower and the fish less hungry. I'd start by loose feeding maggots and
fishing a couple of maggots on the hook. I'd probably put a little hemp
in. If bothered by small fish, I'd change hookbait to a medium sized worm,
or a couple of grains of sweetcorn. Bread is great for tench, but on
waters like Wick the roach and rudd will have it off the hook before it
sees the bottom.

--
Steve Walker

Ok, I found a flaw in the two tiddlers ploy.

I had a man come and chat whilst I was fishing and the conversation went, as
usual, to how I was doing. I was about to do the "two small ones" ploy when
my rod left the rest which was odd as it was only a half pound bream.

When I pulled it out the water I improvised on you ploy and said that this
was all that was about, just small ones which is true compared to what I had
been catching the last few times out.

The guy looked like a bit of proper angler but then says "Wow, you get lots
that size " at which point the two tiddlers idea sort of floated out of my
ear. Turns out he was one of the regular match anglers I upset last week.
However he took great interest in my set up and when I left a took a look in
on him and guess how he was fishing.

That was all I caught all morning so as I was not feeling too good I came
home and will go again on Friday, I have decided to modify the two tiddlers
ploy to "How big do the gudgeon get in here" followed by a village idiot
type laugh. Hey why be subtle.VBG

--
Gandalf


"Derek Moody" wrote in message
...
In article , Gandalf
wrote:
"Derek Moody" wrote in message
...

Why do you never have a camera when you need one :-)

It was that long ago Box Brownies were far too expensive and getting the
fish to stay still that long never worked.

It's amazing how few anglers have pictures of themselves fishing (as
opposed
to holding the pick of the catch) - and pictures with the rod bent into a
decent fish are even rarer.

My second hobby is photography and I always get the best shots when the
camera is missing. I had a kingfisher fly by the other day and although I
had thee camera the bird jsut speeded up the closer the camea got to the
eye. SAme in Zoo's, every bloody animal tunrns it's back to me as I
approach. These is a theme me thinks.

Hmmm. You took stale buns last time you visited?

Going again next Friday.

If you have a similar session allow yourself to be heard muttering that
all
those **** carp keep getting in the way of your roach fishing.

I would have to shout with all the noise they were making. I will
certainly
make a lot more show of the catch, say weight each one shouting the size
as
I put them back. It has been suggested I enter their competition which
would
be interesting but I want to enjoy my fishing.

No - you're taking the wrong angle - keep on operating quietly, they'll
still notice. Then let slip that yoy're not satisfied that you're getting
the full potential of the water; which, come to think of it, is probably
true or you'd have moved on to a bigger challenge.

Or you can use the 'two tiddlers' ploy, see:
http://www.fishing.casterbridge.net/method/brag1.html

Got to be the cost of the oils used to keep them soft, I took a look and
they smell horrid.

You smell volatiles - chemicals which dissolve in air - fish smell the
ones
that dissolve in water. Something that pongs to you might be scentless to
a
fish and vice versa.

So you had a few trout on bread then, not tasted fresh trout for years
and
the farmed ones really do live up the joke as they taste so muddy.

I'm lucky to have a stretch of chalk stream close where a busy footpath
makes fly casting too dangerous and duck feeding provides continuous
groundbait. Every now and then a fly fishing purist sneers at the method
but I confuse 'em by talking about flyfishing for coarse and sal****er
fish
- and inviting them to try baitfishing for trout - which they mostly find
a
lot harder than they thought.

And that'll be the last trouting session for the season - I'll be ready to
start serious coarse fishing once we get enough rain to perk up the
rivers.

Cheerio,

--
Fishing: http://www.fishing.casterbridge.net/
Writing: http://www.author.casterbridge.net/derek-moody/
uk.rec.fishing.game Badge Page:
http://www.fishing.casterbridge.net/urfg/

In article , Gandalf
wrote:
Ok, I found a flaw in the two tiddlers ploy.

I had a man come and chat whilst I was fishing and the conversation went, as
usual, to how I was doing. I was about to do the "two small ones" ploy when
my rod left the rest which was odd as it was only a half pound bream.

When I pulled it out the water I improvised on you ploy and said that this
was all that was about, just small ones which is true compared to what I had
been catching the last few times out.

AIui every passer by assumes that all anglers lie. You are merely conforming
to their expectations but adjusting the truth in a different direction to
the one they expect.

The guy looked like a bit of proper angler but then says "Wow, you get lots
that size " at which point the two tiddlers idea sort of floated out of my

To which you reply, "Oh, I don't count those."

ear. Turns out he was one of the regular match anglers I upset last week.
However he took great interest in my set up and when I left a took a look in
on him and guess how he was fishing.

That was all I caught all morning so as I was not feeling too good I came
home and will go again on Friday, I have decided to modify the two tiddlers
ploy to "How big do the gudgeon get in here" followed by a village idiot
type laugh. Hey why be subtle.VBG

If it works for you...

I'll be ready to
start serious coarse fishing once we get enough rain to perk up the
rivers.

...and I got in a grayling session in the interim. 10 fish, best just on
2 1/2 lb if you squinted at the scale from an angle and the rest (bar two
little ones) around the 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb mark.

Cheerio,

--
Fishing: http://www.fishing.casterbridge.net/
Writing: http://www.author.casterbridge.net/derek-moody/
uk.rec.fishing.game Badge Page:
http://www.fishing.casterbridge.net/urfg/