Thursday, October 11, 2012

River Report

Finally some rain!
Thursday 4pm
The river is up a good 4 inches and rising. Theres not much more rain forecast but I will check again tomorrow. There is a little more colour than normal but water clarity still remains reasonable. Flow in the main channels has not changed.

More tomorrow.........

Revised: 7:15pm Still rising up by 8 inches over the last 10 hours.


Monday, October 8, 2012

River Barrow Piker "Junior" Strikes Again & Again....


 After the birthday excitement of the other week it was time to see if my boy could maybe come across a few pike on his new set up. After having a great start the poor lad has managed to get himself into awful bother the last few times out, numerous snags some of which to my amazement were not even in the river! (the far bank and some poor unfortunate's boat come to mind) not to mention birds nests, various loops and knots. All these have meant disappointment and little or no fish for him of late.
So a deal was made that I would not fish this time out but act purely as "ghillie" and "river guide". Yes the blind leading the blind comes to mind but nevertheless that was the arrangement.
He really wanted to end his run of bad luck and blanks especially after seeing the photos of my recent double. He wanted a fish! and I therefore needed a strategy!

Of late I've just been fishing one rod, short lure sessions, these have produced fish but I thought he needed an extra edge if he was to come home successful so with his lure rod already set up I as the responsible "ghillie" set up another rod, a static dead bait popped up. We could now move from swim to swim, I could mind the deadbait whilst he fished lures either side of it.

I picked him up after school and off we went to the first swim a place where I've caught a number of jacks. A smelt on the pop up rig was positioned just in the shade under an over hanging tree and the young angler threw lures as directed by the ghillie! This strategy did not entertain the pike they were having none of it, not even my magical popped up smelt could generate a run. Time was running out. We took a gamble, threw the gear in the boot and moved upstream a few miles to another spot. It was time to up the game. I swapped the lure for a sink and draw rig, set it up with smelt and showed him where to cast. I was getting ready to put the static back out when I heard him say "I've got one"......but it was gone just as quick, I told him to leave it in the water, we both waited as the smelt began to sink slowly once again. There was a boil in the water the fish came a second time. No doubt this time, he was in, all hell broke loose as the jack let it be known he was not impressed with being duped by his evening prey. We landed the fish, got it up on the mat where a impromptu unhooking demo was given and after a quick photo call the angler took great pleasure in releasing his catch.



 We were still recounting our great result when he was nailed again! a smaller fish this time but far more lively. I couldn't help but laugh as the fish ripped the braid off his reel as he attempted to control what seemed like a rocket propelled pike! After another unhooking demo we said farewell to the river and the pike as he slipped back into the night.


River Report

Monday 8th Oct. 3.30pm

The rain which has fallen over on and off over the last 24hrs has made little impact on the river level. Its up a couple of inches at the most -still remaining  very low. Flow in the main channels is slow to medium and visibility is still good.
I'm fishing tomorrow so it will be interesting  see if there's much change.

Friday, October 5, 2012

On The Double


I haven't been on the riverbank since Sunday and blanked then even still I could feel mild withdrawal symptoms setting in. I wanted to get out and about, see what was going on and what state the river was in. The weather's been pretty much a mixed bag this week but theres been a noticable drop in temperatures again especially last night, we were down to 3 deg. having said that theres not been enough rain for any flood the river is only up an inch or two. I'd noticed  from my local travels over the last few days that theres been quite a bit of activity on the river, I'd seen a few boats out trolling and the bankside brigade have been out in force too. Was anyone catching? I didn't know, I'd not heard anything for a while such are the joys of being a solitary fisherman! I wasn't going to catch anything sitting at home, the forecast looked reasonable so with any luck I wouldn't get soaked. I'd got a few new lures during the week and fancied trying them too so I threw a stripped down (lure only) kit in the boot. The mission keep moving / travel light / cover water, no exploring or new swims today as I only had a few hours. I had two places in mind both have produced jacks on a fairly consistant basis maybe there would be some bigger fish about willing to feed with the onset of cooler temps, taking the current levels into account I figured these would be as good a place as any to start.


With the school run complete I was on my way to the first swim, conditions appeared ideal a cool misty morning with the hint of a bright crisp day to follow. I wondered if it was my imagination or had the trees already turned a good deal, everything appeared distinctly autumnal this raised my expectations even further. I first went to the swim that has most recently produced fish.  A new addition to my "working lure" list the Rapture swimbait was first to hit the surface, as it came closer I could both see and feel it knocking in the water as it sent out vibrations to my unsuspecting quarry. I was sure something was going to happen at any moment.........but it didn't. Nothing, not even a knock or a follow! I went through all the lures old and new, up and down the bank I covered alot of water at all depths....... Nothing. The mist lifted and the river lite up as the sun shone through.....still nothing! This went on for just over two hours until I grabbed the gear and headed to the second swim a couple of miles downstream.

First double of the season, 11lb 7oz.

This is a very small weedy swim near a slack it could be fished thoroughly with a lure in less than an hour. I put on a Savage Gear 4Play and got down to business, after forty minutes I was preparing myself for another blank when it happened! I had twitched the lure back one more time and was about to take it out of the water when a late taker forced me to keep it in the water a moment longer, one of those takes when you see the whole thing happen under your nose (nature in action) incredible! Stealth attack, seize and retreat all in the longest split second you could ever experience.
Such was my position on the bank that two anglers in a boat were good enough to come by offering to lend a hand if I was unable to land the fish (bit of a stretch but I got there in the end)  and a passer by the name of Sean was kind enough to take a few photos. Came in on the scales at 11lb 7oz (first double of the season) and went back kick'n. Many thanks to all especially the fish!




Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Roving Rovex

With my son's 10th birthday looming last week, I had to get myself into "responsible father mode" so without hesitation I beat a path to the local tackle shop. He's only started fishing this year I originally set him up with a cheap and cheerful junior kit (a seven foot telescopic), line, reel, a few lures and sundries. He's done really well and appears more than keen, in fact he loves it. Looks like I've just found a new fishing partner.


I figured he needed something with a little more "poke" as it were! as he's been wanting to throw some heavier lures for a while now. I also felt he needed some extra rod length , the riverbank can be quite high in places, getting the lure out of the margin and over the bank can prove quite difficult for a short lad with a short rod. I settled on a Rovex Lure Pro 9 footer its got a very light carbon blank, ceramic guides and it can  throw 25-50gms lures effortlessly. All this for €25, I was quids in! If the truth be known I wish I'd bought it for myself  but I did notice they also do a 10ft version which will throw up to 60gms. Food for thought there.


A few new lures in the box and this boy is ready to take on the autumn pike in another after school riverbank adventure. 


We went lure fishing for a few hours late Sunday afternoon to wet the new rod, we fished till dusk but the pike did not entertain, we both blanked. Such is life HAPPY BIRTHDAY old boy'