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Diary of an average angler

Who favours traditional methods & baits

fisherman

This diary dates back to a holiday in 2003 when I think the urge to get back into fishing took off. From around 2007 the trips became more frequent with 2010/11 probably being the peak of activity.
Things again pick up in 2020 - a sort of rebirth!

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Venues & topics
Species
Archive

Stake Hill (6)

Venue: Stake Hill
No photo message

Nothing worth photographing today

Arrival time: 17.15 (started to fish at 17.45)
Weather: Lovely evening following a sunny and warm day.
A light breeze.
Swim: Far corner.
Tackle: 11’ Korum light feeder, Shimano 5000 reel, waggler, 8lb line,
5lb fluorocarbon hook length to a 16 hook.
Bait: Bread flake and luncheon meat.
Fish: Six small carp, best 3lbs 2oz, some small tench and bream.

When I arrived there were around 5 or 6 anglers on the lake. The most I’ve seen. One was in my ‘adopted’ spot, but as I set down elsewhere, I noticed that he was packing up. I went over and had a chat with him. He was from Bradford and has been fishing the lake for about four years. He remarked that it was now getting busier. He was looking forward to some barbel fishing on the Swale as the river season opens tomorrow.

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Species: Carp, Tench, Bream

Stake Hill (4)

Venue: Stake Hill
No photo message

Nothing worth photographing today

Arrival time: 18.15 (started to fish at 18.30)
Weather: Bright with white cloud.
Light wind dropped as dusk approached.
Swim: Far corner.
Tackle: 11’ Korum light feeder, Shimano 5000 reel, waggler, 8lb line, 2½lb hook length to a 16 hook.
Bait: Bread flake
Fish: 16 small carp, best 4¾lb and a small tench.

After two years we’re back at Cringles, near Silsden, so I can visit Stake Hill again. The fishery has been open about five years. I first visited four years ago, so I have seen it develop. It’s a very tidy lake and a credit to the owners.

I fished the same corner as on the previous two occasions. Feeding with small pellets I quickly started getting bites on bread flake.

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Species: Carp, Tench

Fields End (84)

Venue: Fields End
Tench 3lb 14oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 15.00 (started to fish at 15.25)
Weather: Bright and warm with increasing cloud.
SW wind moderated and eased completely into the evening.
Swim: Reed End.
Tackle: 11’ Korum light feeder, Shimano 5000 reel, waggler, 8lb line, 12 hook.
Baits: Bread flake and luncheon meat.
Fish: Three carp, best 8lb 10oz, and four tench, best 3lb 14oz:

I was so shattered after last week’s all day session in the wind and sun that I decided to go to the lake for the afternoon and evening.

There was a fresh SW wind blowing so a swim in the SW bay would have been ideal, but all were taken bar one, and with that number of people concentrated in one area I decided to go to the NE corner, which was deserted. Back to the Reed End where I was last week. Glutton for punishment?

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Species: Carp, Tench

Fields End (81)

Venue: Fields End
image

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 07.00 (started to fish at 07.15)
Weather: Bright start but clouded over later. Light W wind became strong during the afternoon.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 11’6” Hardy Marksman, Shimano ST6000 reel, pre-loaded waggler, 8lb line, 10 hook.
14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, new Shimano Exage reel with 5lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Bread flake and luncheon meat.
Fish: Six carp, best 13lb 9oz, eight crucians, best 2lbs 4oz, a 4lb tench and three roach, best 1lb 3oz.

After a marvellous weekend, weather wise, things deteriorated a bit today.

I was the first on the lake, and started with my Hardy Marksman by dropping a piece of luncheon meat down the right margin. First cast was short, but the second resulted in a bite almost immediately and a good fish tore off. It turned out to be an 8lb 10oz mirror carp that fought very well.

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Species: Carp 10lb+, Carp, Crucian, Tench, Roach

Fields End (80)

Venue: Fields End
Barbel 5lb

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 07.00 (started to fish at 07.30)
Weather: Bright start but clouded over later. Fresh NW/W wind.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, new Shimano Exage reel with 5lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Bread flake and luncheon meat.
Fish: Two carp, best 7lb 8oz, three tench, best 3lb 11oz, two barbel, best 5lb, five crucians, best 1lb 14oz, and four roach, best 1lb 1oz.

I took a chance on the wind today (the forecast was far better for tomorrow but I had things to do) but while it was fresh, it wasn’t too much trouble in the Tree Corner. The story of the day was plenty of bites, almost one a cast, but most were unhittable. I expected this on flake, but a change to luncheon meat produced similar problems. I can understand how a small fish can tug at flake and register a bite, but the missed bites on lumps of meat remain a mystery: crucians perhaps.

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Species: Carp, Tench, Crucian, Barbel (lake), Roach

Fields End (79)

Venue: Fields End
Crucian 2lb 7oz

More photos in the full report

Arrival time: 07.00 (started to fish at 07.45)
Weather: Cloudy start, bright later. Strong SW wind.
Swim: Tree Corner.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano Speedmaster match rod, new Shimano Exage reel with 5lb line, 16 hook tied direct. Insert waggler.
Baits: Bread flake and luncheon meat.
Fish: Three carp, best 12lbs, nine crucians, best 2lbs 7oz, a 2lbs 9oz tench and a few roach.

The forecast was for a warm day, but windy. The morning was, in fact, far from warm. Cloudy with a strong SW wind it was quite chilly. I benefitted from being in the Tree Corner, which is protected from south-westerlies.

Having succeeded with luncheon meat on my last visit I started with this bait. A couple of missed bites in over an hour convinced me that, today, this bait wasn’t working.

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Species: Carp 10lb+, Carp, Crucian, Tench, Roach

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