Holiday fun on the reefs

Thought I would do a quick round up of the sessions that I had recently on my honeymoon to Mauritius. When I say honeymoon I mean fishing holiday! ;-) I had been kindly lent a travel rod by a friend with a Shimano link, which just fit into my suit case, along with a small reel and some lures etc.
On arrival at the hotel in the north of the island,  I immediately looked out from the window to see probably the most amazing sea scape I have ever been privileged to set my eyes on; also noticing the mullet and other fish moving around the lagoon.

I had days of fun catching all kinds of small reef fish ranging from small grouper, curang, captain fish and other somewhat bazaar fish. All of which where caught on bread and jelly worms a few below show these days.A few pics below to help illustrate the area and fish..

The most enjoyable session of the week  many will find bazaar. I spoke to a local guy in the day at the bar, he had seen me fishing and was interested in the tackle and techniques that I was using. After a few beers he told me he owned a boat and would be happy to take me out night fishing outside the reef as many of the larger fish feed at night. Being out about a mile from shore, with a man I only met that day, with only a torch, a hand line; was interesting to say the least. Out of the glow form the hotel it was truly amazing looking up at the star scattered night sky. We caught some small reef fish on squid but nothing readily kicked on...until i struck into something a bit larger....in pitch darkness it was a fight which I can only describe as blind! The fish came up close to the boat, Steve (good Mauritian name) shouted shark! His torch beam showed a fish of about 4 ft long, estimated at about 35/40lb....... it was at this point that my line pinged clear and the shark disappeared into the dark depths. True catch and release! Though it would have been nice to have a photo, I feel Steve would not have wanted it to be returned, so the fact it bit through the line was meant to be. Sharks are best on the reef where they should be. Reef fish examples.

The second week was spent at the south of the island in a swish 5 star hotel which had an even more exciting area to fish. Whilst scuba diving I noticed a group of small barracuda which were to much of an attraction to ignore. ...much to the holiday sunbathers amazement I landed a couple within my first few casts. The locals do not fish like us as the lures in Mauritius are very expensive so seeing the cuda hitting the surface lures also bought some attention from the hotel staff and beach workers. They live virtually only on fish and were also very happy recipients of my captures. They feel that cuda/tazar are more dangerous that sharks, so are only to happy to see them out of the swimming area! They are very aware also of not over fishing and only taking what they need on a day to day basis.

I also had some time on a sport boat for a day in which I managed to scrag a Dorrado which was a beautiful fish but to be honest the crew wanted in in the fish well asap so I did not really have the chance to play the fish to enjoy the fight. It would seam they make money from these sop they do not mess around!

I spent most of this week on a pedalo around the reef, i can recommend this as the fish fight like stink and it saves you a lot of money! Many of my fish were given to the lads who worked in the boat house whom went out of their way to get me access to the boats every day.More pics of the week.

 If anyone is thinking of venue in which the wife can sit in th esun and you can fish...this is the one!

A red letter day... with red as the word!

On Monday I had the great pleasure of accompanying one of angling's true gents, on a predator trip. The day was one of my best days in my fishing life. I will try to write a brief summary.

We arrived at the location for around 8, it felt great from the get go, with low light conditions accompanied by a nice temperature rise. We spent a while preparing the boat prior to getting acclimatised to being afloat. I am quite good on water as I have spent a lot of time with the kids in kayaks and canoes,as well as trips out to Blenheim etc. But this was like nothing i have been in before though very ,it felt very close to the water, the first wobble shocked me a little but it did not take long to settle down. It felt so different being able to maneuver into position and present the bait around areas almost inaccessible to others, whilst also being silent in your approach.

The tactics that we had decided on where chopped worm, bait droppered in then fish big lobs over the top. Though first cast did produce a sarg of about a pound, it did not really kick on.

So we changed are tactics, a very decisive move. the reaction was amazing with both floats getting movement straight away.....Esox everywhere!!! I personally have seen or witnessed pike action like it. Though the fish averaged between 5 and 7 pounds there masses of um! I think I would airing on the conservative side if I said that 50 pike were caught during the day. Again, another bonus of being in the boat meant that non of the fish saw the landing net and by using single hooks were very easily disgorged still in the water. Fish care does nit get nuch better.

It was interesting that though we caught a shed load of pike non were large...there must have been some big mommas in there somewhere but the smaller fish must have been beating them to the bait.

Amongst the pike were also some perch! I managed to land 3, all of whcih broke my previuos PB! at 2lb 13oz, 2lb 7oz and 2lb 4oz! These are pictured below.

2lb 13oz....new PB.

2lb 7oz...this one had a huge dorsal fin! Would recognise it again

This was the final and smallest at 2lb 4oz, also a very distinctive fish, as it had a large mark behind its dorsal fin.

Oh yeah... I also managed to catch my first every silver bream a whopper of 4oz!!!

A superb day fishing which I am still struggling to get my head around. Very pleased and most of all very grateful for the experience. Cheers buddy

Few wets lines and new targets for 2012

It seems like an age since I really concentrated on blogging, for which to those who follow it I

apologise.

I have been out and about but without a massive amount of quality fish being caught. Visiting gravel it's for zander with no results, the canal for stripe's when it's frozen etc. The most productive sessions that I have had, have been to small sections of the Avon at which I have caught some nice quality roach, dace and chub.

On the 27th I landed the fish pictured below as the winter sun warmed me on the river, whilst all the other members of the club fished the pools with little results.

I feel the swim that I am concentrating on might well throw up a few surprises. Already when float fishing I have lost two large chub, mistakenly put a very large dace back thinking it was a chub and had roach up to about 11oz.

My next task was a planned visit to the river test, in Southampton to put a few last percentage points on the board, but my fathers health has been very poor recently so this will have to be postponed.

I am now having thoughts of the next angling year, in which I am aiming to achieve the list below, with my focus now being on more specimen style fishing instead of pleasure/ match style.

Roach over 2lb

Perch over 3lb

Bream over 10lb

Tench over 10lb

Pike over 20lb

Zander over 10lb

Carp over 25lb

Grayling over 2lb

Crucian carp over 3lb

Barbel over 12lb

Whilst fully realising that these targets are high, I honestly feel that with the correct techniques and the correct water I can achieve these goals. I have spent time and money on changing my tackle to suit a more specialist approach, and along with getting told I can no longer play contact sports, have more time to dedicate to my passion.

Below is a picture that makes me smile. Whilst visiting on New Years day, I had a chance to take my nephew fishing. Whilst my brother visited our dad in hospital.We visited the same swim as I had caught from earlier in the week. Within about ten minutes he had landed his first ever chub,of 3lb 4oz. The photo was sent straight to his grandad who though in intensive care managed a smile at the photo also. Perhaps a future blogger?

I wish you all the very best for the new year .....tight lines.

Update....what I can remember!

To say things have not been great this summer would be somewhat of an understatement in many ways.

I have fished alot within only bits and bobs to show for it, for the hours dedicated.

With the challenge in mind I have spent hours/days on my local stretches of river searching out the very allusive barbel....with absolutely no reward! On one occasion watching 4 or 5 double figure fish swim throughout the area but having no interest in my bait..a nice spectacle it must be said. My efforts will continue until I do land one, I am considering a trip to either the Severn or indeed the Wye.
In terms of other fish I have landed my PB Zander from the Avon of 4lb 14oz, though small in comparison to some, I am always happy to catch new species and obviously new PB's.

I also managed to bag a couple of additional species when on a trip to the river Windrush with Danny, bagging a nice dace of 10oz and a grayling of 4oz!!!

We will see what happens over the next few weeks, I am determined to bank a barbel soon! It is becoming a very much love hate thing at the moment.

On the plus side I fished my first match in years and finished 4th! Just outside the money!

Tight Lines

Fishing on the Nile

As some of my angling friends will be aware I have recently been lucky enough to visit Africa with work, based in Kamapla, Uganda. Though the work that I was involved in took up the vast majority of the time, and to be honest was both physically and at times physiologically difficult to deal with. I could not go their without finding time to cast a line into the Nile!

On the last but one day of the visit I managed to get my hands on a very basic outfit made up of a 12ft foot rod, reel and a Mepps spinner! I had spoken to a few members of the hotel staff who had told me that in the area there were Nile Perch, Yellow fish, Talapia and many species of catfish. Prior to going I had already checked that the challenge I am involved only covers home water, as if could land a Nile perch then someone would struggle to beat that from the cut!!!

I went down to the river which was only 100 metres from my tent and gave it a go. To be honest though I did want a fish, the setting was mind blowing and the rationale of why people fish did not need any explanation. I have included a couple of images which captured the scene.---well a lot better than me rambling on anyway!

The two below are short videos but I am not sue they will work.... as you might hear the pupil that was videoing for my sounds happy to be up on his day off! At the end a snake appears just past the jetty!

After about 30 minutes, as the sun rose,I noticed some small fish had moved back into the shallows nearby. In fact they had all moved into their respective territories which were visible, as concaved clearings in the silt bottom. It did not take long and one of the fish took exception to the spinner and grabbed it.

From its appearance I could see it was a Talapia (as I had eaten one the night previously) which I think is a member of the Cichlid family. Perhaps no surprise with Lake Victoria so close? No monsters but I can now say that I have fished...and caught on the Nile!!!

Back to the pit with Bream in mind!!

With Friday being the start of my half term I had decided to get over to the pit early doors and fish for the Bream and tench. Arriving very early I spombed some participles onto a patch about 40 yards out, and quickly set up my rods both onto this area.

I was convinced that "the mistress" was going to give me a spanking this time, so sat back and prepared to take my beating!!!! This was until I saw a bream roll over the baited area, followed by a couple of beeps on my left rod....go on take it!!!! It did!. After a bit of rod dancing the fish was in the net, incidentally just as a pair of polish anglers arrived...after I told them last week that there was nothing in the lake I felt a bit embarrassed! On the scales she went 8lb 12oz.

First bream of the morning.

About 2o mins passed before the alarm screamed again, waking up all residents in the local area. This time the fish swan directly towards the bank, before fighting very hard in the marginal clear water. Slipping the net under another bream , which looked very similar to the last one....peas in a pod in fact, scaling 8lb 10oz!

Here very simliar sister!

A long quiet spell followed with only a couple a beeps indicating moving fish. I did have some issues with my right hand alarm, missing two bites due to the alarm not sounding but hearing the baitrunner which with bream was seemingly to late. This drove me crazy as when checked all appeared fine, perhaps they need a service back at Gardner!

After the long quiet spell came 5 mins off manic action, with firstly my left rod running, and landing a beautiful 9lb bream. Just 2oz of my PB weight!!!! Then whilst re baiting this rig the right hand rod ripped of with a slightly smaller on of 7lb 10oz.

Beautiful 9lb bream

Nearly two tone!

The shoal had definitely been over the baited area. Unfortunately as quickly as they came they disappeared, resulting in another slow spell. This was until once again my left rod howled out its shrilling scream. This bite was not a bream, but after a spirited fight a nice tench of 5lb 11oz was landed, quickly photographed and returned.

Nice belly

Things had definitely slowed down towards mid morning. Though I did managed to sneak two more tench the first being slightly larger at 6lb 0oz and the second coming as I was packing away my tackle to head back home. A smaller fish scaling 4lb 10oz

Pretty tinca

Last knockings!

I was very pleased with this session as in quite difficult conditions in a new peg I had managed to bank 7 fish again. Once again some other anglers did not far as well. I await my spanking!!!!

Wind of change....Bream PB

On Sunday I made my way back to scene of my PB tench last week, with again tincas being my target species. This time I went about it slightly differently. I had decided to spomb out a carpet of bait then fish over it, with aim being to get the fish feeding over my area instead of moving in and out in a sporadic manner.

I started off with about 10 spomb fulls of a mixture of corn, dead red maggots, casters and pellets at a range of about 40 yards from the same area I fished last week. I set both rods and sat back watching the sun rise. At 5.45 my right hand rod had a run, after a steady fight a tench of was landed. A nice start. 4lb 13oz butter belly!

Over the next hour i missed two good runs, one of which I think might have woke me from a quick nap, the other of which snagged me on something in the open water. When runs are hard to come by I get annoyed at losing them, especially as the nap was not planned...perhaps the general anaesthetic from Friday had made a return??

I did not though miss the next one which screamed off, I was into a better fish as I could tell by the weight on the line, not fighting in that mad way that the smaller male tench tend to do. Instead making powerful runs in various directions. The culprit was a very nice female tench of 6lb 4oz

Though i was pleased to have landed a couple of fish by 9 o'clock the swim was not showing the signs that I thought it might of feeding fish. When the bailiff came round he bought he usual good luck, whilst talking the left rod belted off. A male with an attitude issue was the guilty party, though only 3lb 11oz it ran me a merry dance looking for snags and roots. In fact the bailiff commented that it might be the smallest one he has seen! No picture was taken in the shame!

By 12 the swim had gone dead and I made the decision to change plans and move to the other side of the lake into which the very strong wind was blasting. Be nice for my newly acquired holes in my mouth!!!

I had made a quick call to my girlfriend explaining that I was only going to be an hour or so but just wanted to give a new swim a go. After about 45 mins of this hour my right hand rod bounced to life with the bobbin jumping up and down 3 or 4 times prior to slowly running off. I hit the bite and was in, this time though the fight was very different....bream o'clock! As I slipped the net under the fish I knew I was in the PB area. On the scales the fish went 9lb 2oz. this fish was far from pretty but as my new person best I could not grumble. She was though very empty of roe so could have been a bit heavier just a couple of weeks ago?

I put the rods back out the the hope that there may be a shoal out there....within 10mins the left hand rod ripped off...tench I thought, well you know what thought did!!!! Another bream, this time a beautiful dark bronze male which gleamed in the half breaking sun as it drifted into the net. On scales the fish was 7lb 9oz which I would consider large for a male! With this in mind I do feel there could be a monster female in there somewhere.

I did stay a bit longer than the hour but my bed was calling as were the co-codermol!

Tight Lines