Sea Fishing - Blue Mink Charters

I'm a little late in posting this for one reason or another so might not have the greatest detail. As I mentioned in my last post, I'll first report on the last match on Pem Centrals calendar. The club were on Blundells fishery Ash pool. By all accounts, I didn't miss much with a few of the lads struggling for much of the day. Wayne Fairhurst won the match I believe with a weight of around 50-odd pound so well done Wayne. I'm going to be processing the clubs results soon and getting them up to date so hopefully will be able to give a full season update soon.

On to my last venture and a change of scene was in order as me and a bunch of pals boarded Blue Mink out of Fleetwood for a spot of sea fishing.  Skippered by Andy Bradbury. This trip had a long build up for me as I had been looking forward to it for some time. Once on board we headed out to our first mark of the day where we had hoped to pick up mackerel and codling to start with. Using feathers for the mackerel or baited feathers for the codling and other species, we were putting a few fish on the boat. Most of the mackerel were being kept for eating or for bait later in the day when we were going to try for a few tope. Sadly most of the codling and other species we caught were undersized so most went back safe and sound. We thought we were doing quite well but Andy had decided we needed some help with the mackerel and had a go himself. We were well and truly schooled as he very quickly filled a bucket with mackerel, equivalent to the size it had taken 7 of is to fill in the first half of the day!! After a few hours, we decided enough bait had been caught and we moved off in search of some tope.

My previous best tope was a mere 8/9lb so I was really hoping to beat that today with regular reports of fish over 30lb being boated in previous trips. Using mackerel flappers for bait, it didn't take long for the first of the days tope to be boated, caught by first time boat angler Chris, it was a good fish for him and a good start to the day

The tope were coming regular enough with a some good sized ones coming out inbetween bull Huss and the inevitable doggies. My turn seemed to be taking a while though as the tope seemed to be eluding me but then all of sudden I got a good take from a fish and a good run followed indicating a tope was on the line. After a good scrap, a tope of roughly 15lb came up at the side of the boat, sadly for me though, the fish shed the hook as we were trying to boat it and it got away without me getting my hands on it. Sadly that was my only tope of the day but the other lads put a few on the boat, Derrick Snr was getting amongst them quite regular, this being the best of his

After losing a real good fish earlier on, Darren eventually landed what was probably the second largest of the day, roughly mid 20's.

Finally on the last cast of the day, Derrick Snr's rod screamed off again but this time he passed it over to Derrick Jnr to do the honours. After a good long scrap the largest tope of the day was boated and weighed at 34.5lb 

So a good day was had on the day but I still feel that the big tope is eluding me so hoping that my next outing on the boat on the 15th August will bring the big one my way. Before that however, I'm back on club duties as Pem Central take on Whitmore Fisheries East Canal on the 2nd August.

Tight Lines!!!!!!!!

Old Hough - Upper Bembo

So on Saturday 5th July, Pem Central found themselves heading south to visit Old Hough fisheries again for a match on Upper Bembo.

As usual for our visits this way, we all met for obligatory butties at a middlewich butty van, the name of which escapes me as I am more usually interested what's cooking up in it rather than what's written above it. Today's visit was like all others with the usual banter when Lionel tipped up but parked on the road rather than in the car park. As we observed his strange behaviour we noticed him pull out a sheet of directions and start studying with great concentration and looking all around him, except at us. Club secretary Paul decided to help Lionel out and went to have a chat, at which point Lionel looked round to see Paul staring in his window, he near on shit himself at the sight and have us all a good giggle to set the day off on the right foot. Good old Lionel.

At the fishery, the draw bag put me on peg 11, one peg away from the end peg which was occupied by Phil Lloyd. My initial thoughts about this lake was that it was all F1 fishing, but as the events of the day would prove, I couldn't have been more wrong. Anyway.........my initial plan for the day was to focus on a maggot approach, looking for fish right against the far bank, which was about 15 metres or on the short, 2+2 line. I also had a bed of lily pads off the far bank to my left so I plumbed a line in front of there as a 3rd option. So plan was to fish maggots on all 3 lines, with loose fed live maggots for tight across and short, and dead maggots over groundbait for near the lillies. I did have pellets available as a back up bait but the plan was always to focus on maggots.

As the all in was called I cupped in some groundbait by the lillies and went straight across tight to the far bank with a so gel maggot on the hook, and fed a small cad pot of maggots with it. Immediately my float was active in the swim and seconds later I found myself connected to a 'pin' roach. I put this straight back rather than in the keep net and went back out. Same again. 2 maggots this time as yet again pin roach were the only fish I could find. After trying a 4th time and connecting yet again with those pin roach I decided to put some groundbait on this line with a helping of maggots and leave it to see if anything better moves in. I then decided to have a little look on the lily pad line and with 3 dead reds on the hook I lowered in. After a minute or so my float dinked and I found myself connected to.......a small pin roach. At this point I felt I could be in for a tough day and decided to put this in the keepnet in case these were to be my only quarry for the day, of course I was now starting to regret puttin back the earlier fish. After a couple more attempts to get a bait down on the lily pads, I finally found a way through the pin roach that were taking it on the drop and found my float finally settled with my bait on the bottom. After a while the float shot under and I found myself connected to something much more substantial, things were starting to look up. After a bit of a struggle, I scooped a foul hooked barbel in the net. At least it was a sign of better fish in the swim and with this indication I changed hook to a larger, size 14 and hooked between 8 and 10 dead reds, hoping they would get past the roach and find the barbel on the bottom. Safe to say that whilst it avoided the roach up in the water, on the bottom, even with a size 14 and 10 dead reds I was again catching small roach. Frustration was starting to set in now and I topped up this swim and had another little look onthe far bank line. More roach ended this approach and I was seriously scratchin my head for ideas. All the while I had been loose feeding maggots short so a quick look on the short line was next  however, this approach yielded yet more roach, most of which fell off the hook before I got them in.

At this point I sat back with a brew and had a think. I knew the lake was quite deep down the track so I decided to set up a new rig with a heavier float, the plan being to place most of the shot just above the hooklength to bomb through the roach in the water and the maggots were replaced by softened pellets for feed and banded hard pellet on the hook. After feeding the swim with about half a pot of maggots I went straight over the feed with a banded 4mm pellet. This approach was definitely a waiting game but patience paid off and a lift bite saw me connected to a better fish and I was soon landing a carp of around 1.5lb. Having nearly doubled my weight with that one fish, I stuck to this approach for the remainder of the match an slowly picked up carp and tench between 12oz and a couple of pounds, all of which were caught after getting a lift bite, I don't think I've ever had so many lift bites in one session.

As the match was moving along, Phil had started to catch on the end peg and as usual for Phil when he's catching, his gob starting working hard as well.

At the all out I wasn't sure how I'd done in relation to the rest of the club as I couldn't see many but I know Dean on the opposite bank had caught well on the  end peg opposite Phil. The weigh in started with Phil and when he put a surprisingly low 16lb on the scales, I was praying that my fish would go better after all his gobbing. I put 18lb on the scales, which I had to work hard for but I felt it would put me a long way off the pace.......it did however, give me the opportunity to throw a few words Phils way. The rest of the weigh in proved the point and I was well off the pace. Danny Lancaster won the match with around 48lb with Father and Son duo Mark and Dean Jordan taking 2nd and 3rd place, both with weights over 40lb. My 18lb put me 11th out of 14 but with 2 guests on the match I gained 9 pts for the league.

Next match for Pem is Blundells fishery on Ash lake but due to other commitments I will be missing this match. I will report on the result though. Until next time..........