Movember - Please Sponsor Me

Slightly off the topic of fishing, well completely off.

Did you know?

- Tragically, one man dies every hour from prostate cancer in the UK.


I and a few guys from work are taking part in Movember. This is an event to collect money for Prostate cancer. I would love it if you would sponsor me on the following link:

http://uk.movember.com/mospace/769060/

This is an official site and the main pages can be found at: http://uk.movember.com/

Please stop by and donate even a few pounds to myself or my team as I think this is a cracking cause

I will post my Moustache images during the month so you can see the progress

Thanks in advance

Chris Ainger

Day 1:

Session #28 Owls Castle Farm

I headed to the lakes and arrived at about 5PM, so only had just over an hour of good light to fish with. The leaves were starting to cover the surface of the lake but the carp were still around the top and loved the biscuits that got thrown in.

I managed to bag a whopping 1 fish. It weighed under a pound :(, but at least I didn't blank, so there is always a positive about these things.

Until next time...

Session #27 Chalk Springs - New PB

I treated myself to a session of 4 fish at Chalk Springs in Arundel. I have been here before and love the very clear waters and also the fact its only 10 miles from home.

I turned up at about 9am. The fish weren't the easiest to catch but that all adds to the fun. I hooked into a feisty brown trout first up which weighed 2lb 10oz:

Then my first Blue Trout ever. I have tried many time at this place but never even a close nibble until today... This one weighed 2lb 4oz:

In the afternoon I hooked into a very large fish but the line snapped as I was readying for netting. I was most annoyed, or words to that effect...

I decided to try a hand tied small dog biscuit look a like. I moved to a new spot and saw a large brown trout swimming around. After about 10 minutes I put the fly just in front of it and saw the mouth open and close around the fly. Before it could be spat out I pulled hard and hooked in. It was a great fight and proved even more so when I found that the fly was barbless!! This one weighed in at 8lb 2oz!!!

After that one I needed just one more and caught a 2lb 2oz Rainbow before 3PM.

This was my shortest but most successful day here ever. I was on a high. 

Session #26 Owls Farm Castle

I headed to Owls Farm Castle CADAC lake the other week for a quick afternoon session. I arrived at about 4 and left by 6:30.

I wasn't able to get to my normal spot so I tried a different lake there. I threw out a few dog biscuits and within about a minute the carp were there feeding away.

With in the session I caught 11 fish weighing a total of 38.5lbs. The biggest was a 10lb common and a 8 3/4lb mirror. All in all I caught 7 mirrors and 4 common.

It was a quick but satisfying session.

Pictures to come...

Session #25 Pattenden Session

I headed to the lake on a fairly warm afternoon. The carp weren't showing very much but I managed to get my corner and started baiting with dog biscuits. Nothing much showed but eventually carp moved in.

I cast at them but nothing took the fly or got near it. Then the ducks moved in and scared the carp away and ate everything. This was the way if the evening and I withdrew at 8 with no fish to show for it.

Until the next time...

Session #24 Owls Castle Farm

I headed out to Lamberhurst to have another crack at the surface feeding carp in the bottom lake. I arrived and the space I wanted was free. I started to fish at 10AM on the dot and didn't have to wait long for the first fish. I hooked into a slightly sluggish 3lb Mirror at 10:10 which was returned to the water with picture due to it going metal too much on the unhooking mat.

With the encouragement of dog biscuits I hooked into a bigger fish at 10:33, which when landed was a burly 6lb mirror.

Another 23 minutes later I was into my 3rd of the day, a very pretty 1.5lb mirror.

21 minutes later I was into another bigger fish, which when landed was a 6lb Mirror

Another 21 minutes later at 11:29 I was into another biggish fish which weighed in at 5 3/4lb

Things then quietened down during the midday sun. They were still cruising but not interested in very much. Then at 12:34 the next one hopped onto my hook. This was a 2lb Mirror.

Then another 50 minutes later another one hooked up and was a small but sturdy 1.5lb Mirror.

12 minutes later the best fight of the day hooked up. This one was literally stripping line from the reel in great quantities and I couldn't see how big it was. After about 5 minutes of it running left and right I got it to the net only to find that it literally weighed 1lb!!! Awesome fight, and definitely fought harder than all the rest that day.

The little Champ...

Another twenty minutes passed to see another 1lb carp come in, but this was the first Common of the day, just when I was wondering if there were any playing ball today...

Common Acrobatics...

I only had to weight 8 more minutes for the biggest of the day. It was a lovely conditioned 8lb Common. Not a bad scrap but was put back into the water after being very lively on the mat. This was only to save distress, but meant no pics was happening here.

This was a 3lb common.

Then a last mirror which was returned quickly so as not to get my gear wet again.

This one weighed in at 3lb.

I then headed home to repair the sunburn I had got from wearing no protection all day - How Stupid was that???!

All in all thought a good day, 12 fish caught in lovely surroundings and weighing in just under 40lb, I think that's a pretty good haul for a day.

Session #23 Pattenden, First Double Figure Fish

I headed to Pattenden even though there was pretty high winds. I thought there should be enough cover to fish and I was right. The only thing was there was nit much action on the surface. I tried to get the fish to an area but only one turned up just after I arrived. I managed to cast near the carp but it didn't properly take the fly and then swam away again.

After a while I left the carp for some Perch. I put on a tinselled gold headed nymph. I started casting. I sat on the bank and carried on casting out. I then cast along the margins and first cast there I hit into something big. It surfaced and was a big common carp appeared. It took about 8 minutes to land, which was fun. I had to unzipped my unhooking mat, get my sling ready and land the fish all at the same time. I managed the land the carp and the hook came out in the net shush was great. I got a few pictures and then weighed it. It was definitely the biggest I had caught. It weighed in at 13lb with the sling which is 1/2lb, so it was 12lb 8oz!!! So this was my first double figure fish ever, how cool was I feeling ;).

After weighing it was returned very quickly and carefully.

Common Carp with a slight gammy fin

The rest of the evening was spent trying to catch Perch, but I didn't get another nick all night.

I headed off head held high.

Session #22 Owls Castle Farm

I headed to Owls Castle Farm on Wednesday 7th July for a spot of Carping on the fly with dog biscuits.

I arrived and parked up and chatted to the grounds man and a couple fishing in the bottom lake. They said there were plenty offish moving so i headed back quickly to set up my rod. I picked my spot on the bank and set out my net and unhooking mat. I threw in the biscuits and the carp came straight for them. I put in a fly and they would quite take it far enough down to hook them. So in goes a few more biscuits and at 16:20, BANG, into my first carp on the fly!!!

It took about 5-6 minutes to get it to calm down and get it into my net. It was a beautiful Mirror Carp of 6lb 8oz.

Mirror Carp

Five minutes later, into my next, a lovely 4lb 8oz Common Carp

Common Carp

Then 5 minutes again, a smaller 1lb 9oz Common Carp. This was return quickly as it fought very hard and looked very tired at the end of the fight. So no picture here of that one.

Although the water was very busy the cap didn't bite so readily for a while. At about 18:20 I was into my next fish, another lovely Common Carp of 3lb 8oz.

Common Carp

After this I lost several flies due to either very large fish running too quickly or fish running behind a large obstacle in the lake and the line fraying and snapping.

I left at about 20:00 so as not to ruin a great day there. The couple drew 19 fish all at about the same time.

What a lovely venue...

Session #20 Zander at Grafham Resevoir

Myself and Tony headed to Grafham Resevoir at about 05:30 and arrived at about 7:30-8 and met up with Guy Eldridge and Son. We had a quick breakfast and then set about getting boat tickets and getting out on the water.

We paired up, me with Tony and, Guy and son. We headed out to the old fountain to see if we could start well there.

The Good Ship Eldridge

Once we arrived we anchored up. Not loang after we got there Guy hooked into number one and pulled up a great start at about 8lb. Soon followed by another of about the same size.

We then headed overto a shallow corner to see if we could tempt a few there. I had a follow from a good sized fish there but I ran out of line and room to moved and it disappeared into the murkyness again.

In the afternoon we headed to the other end of the resevoir.

The other end of the resevoir

We ended up moving a few more times, but only Guy and son managed to bag a few more Zander, the biggest 11lb when weighed.

At the end of the day we headed home knackered and both still wanting to catch a Zander.

Tony navigating the resevoir

Session #21 - Pattenden Lane CADAC Lake

I headed over to Pattenden Lake with Tony with the aim to use dog biscuits to catch top feeding carp. The method being to get them in a competitive state and then chuck in the fly and then BAM, one on the line.

Well we started well, but then started to individually target the fish. We found a spot on the lake to where the carp and tench were sunning themselves and threw in a few biscuits.

Tony then disappeared around to another edge of the lake and with in 5 minutes was into a decent fish. Once landed he had a lovely looking Tench of about 1.75-2lbs in weight (not weighed so we are guessing here).

Tony with Tench

This was promptly put back after a few snaps and we moved around the lake pursuing the Carp. Tony moved around the next corner and with in about 10 minutes had a rod bender on. It was heading to the bottom of the lake with a lot of effort. After about 3-4 minutes of holding his ground he turned the Common Carp to the surface and we landed the carp that just fitted into the trout net.

Tony with Carp

We will have to take the proper size net next time as anything bigger... This one was weighed and came in just shy of 9lb and was in lovely condition. Tony looked like the Cheshire cat with the grin he had and well deserved.

Things calmed down and the fish started to move out to the middle of the lake and so I headed to the starting position with a bit more casting room. Tony headed off around the lake chatting to the other fisher folk. After a while he changed flies to a tiny size 18 hook and caught the smallest roach in the world me thinks. There is no picture, it was just too small.

I threw a few biscuits and the carp started feeding and they got startled every time they touch my best dog biscuit fly I had tied. There was some very big carp having a test on the fly including what must have been an easy double mirror carp.

After a while I changed to a red and green berry imitation I had tied and started to get some interest on that too.

I cast about 12ft from the bank and a tench came round and manoeuvre directly under the fly. It nudged it and jumped away. And just as I thought that was it, it came back and gave it a few more taps. Then on the fourth investigation, it took the fly and, after about 2 seconds, I struck and he was on! With the help of Tony I landed it and it another Tench of about 1.75-2lb, although it was definitely bigger than Tony's... This was new species #1 of the night.

Tench

Tony's skills with the camera and my handling made a poor picture, but I have proof, WHOOP

The light dimmed down and after no action or interest for a while I switched to a green damsel fly with a tinsel top and had a crack at Perch. On my third cast I hit in to the whopper you see below. This was new species #2 of the night.

Perch

Not long after we packed up and headed home feeling quite happy with ourselves. Not bad for a first day out at new water, and a club one at that.

Session #19 - Unknown Location

Can't honestly remember where I went but didn't catch anything top report anyway

Session #17 Beltinge Beach

I headed out on a slightly windy day. Turned out the wind was an Easterly which meant it would be hitting me from the left.

I headed to the cliffs at high tide and found casting quite hard due to the cross wind and wasn't sure of the underwater terrain. I worked along the waters edge but didn't see anything. None of the other fisherman were catching either so I felt a bit better