Barton Court

mithrandir · #1 11-18-2007, 10:55 AM

I had a day out fishing Barton Court on Saturday. I was going to try a bit of trotting on the clear chalk waters of the Kennet.
Not being as fit as I should be I also planned on changing to a maggot feeder and chair approach when the energy ran out.

The day started well, despite being an hour late due to technical problems at home, I arrived having just missed breakfast to a mild and overcast fishery

I was travelling light so had a quivertip rod I was going to use as a float rod and a leger rod during the day, not ideal but practical.

I spent the fist hour and a half trotting a small avon float with a size 18 hook and single maggot down some of the smaller side streams. These were narrow and shallow but you could easily see the fish in the water.

I got frustrated by the cheek of these fish as they watched the bait as it drifted toward them and then just swerved away as it came near.
I was getting tired after being on the move for this long so after finding a nice little spot that looked really fishy I set up the leger with a small maggot feeder and again a small hook and 8 inch hooklength and plonked myself in the chair.

Got no knocks or takes at this point except for one really slow drag type bite, I thought it was weed on the line the way it move so I reeled in to find a first for me.
A brand new species to my fishing ( don't suppose it counts for the species hunt???)

A Signal Crayfish, fairly hooked, it had the bait and hook in its mouth, so much so that I could not retrieve the hook.
After disposing of this ( I was told they must not be returned to the water, so it was quickly dispatched), I decided to wander a bit further down stream to a confluence of to streams as they joined to make the main river. This swim had eveything, trees, reeds, bridge, moorhens and a few brown rats!

(there is one in there if you know where to look!)

This too was an unproductive spot for me, I was not having a good day so far.

At about 1 pm I moved a bit further up the stream that had joined the first one I fished and found some fast water with a mini rapid in it and some nice overhanging tree roots, picture did not come out of this, sorry.

In a scrape in the gravel just ahead of the rapid was a small whale sitting in the flow( it was actually a decent sized trout, but 5 hours fishless and my mind was getting a bit bizarre). I decided to try for this one.

Trickled in some maggots, set the feeder with maggots on a gentle lob upstream and to the right of Moby Dick, and waited. Within a few seconds the rod tip was dancing and I lifted into a large trout, I saw the flashing flanks, as it thrashed against the hook hold and then

TWANG

A feeder and baited hook went flying past my head.

I had bumped it off the hook.

I tried again, the tackle was in good nick so I just relaoded the feeder and recast.

I was in true Captain Ahab style now, no thought I could have spooked the swim, no subtlety, just straight back to the same spot, the rod tip rattled again and I struck into fresh air, missed it.

Now it was getting personal.

I calmed and decided to trickle in some maggots and have a coffee whilst I let it all calm down.

I cast in a while later , this time trying a bit nearer the roots and had knocks and bites, not connecting with anything I wondered if this was going to be my lot for the day.

Finally I got Moby Dick on the line again, he thrashed the bait tightened the line and I bumped him off again!

Time to think!

Went up to a larger hook, two maggots and a longer flowing hooklink ( about 15 inches )

After a couple of tries I got him on the line again, I got him halfway to the bank, had the net in my hand and BANG, I bumped him again.

Now I was foaming at the mouth, ranting about the great whale and thinking of throwing all the kit in the river and going home!

This fish was fearless, he would not spook, laughed at my feeble attempts at fishing and just returned to his little scrape in the gravel and waited for my next free offering of food.

I decided to try laying the bait under the roots and see what would happen.

This brought me a few takes but nothing connected until I got a small twitching on the rod and reeled in this blank buster

A troutlet!

Now I was feeling a total numpty, all I could catch was micro fish and overgrown shrimps!

I stopped, caught my breath, focussed my mind and decided, there was an hour of daylight left, my day had been a succession of failures, Iwas fishing like a pratt and was totally knackered. How do I redeem myself.

Only one solution......

Fish properly!

So I calmly re filled the feeder, re-baited the hook, trickled a few maggots into the swim and placed the feeder two feet upstream of Moby Dick,

whoosh, the rod tip goes, I strike and see I finally have the rascal on the line for the fourth time!

Calm

Calm

Calm

I play him, he goes down the rapids bit, I hold him.

Calm

Calm

I walk toward him, tightening the line,

Calm

Calm

I see he is tiring

Clamly I lower the net, get his head up, and slip the net under him.

AT LAST!!!

He weighed in at 2lb 8oz

Not a monster, but a PB for me, and so satisfying after the battle to get him on the bank.

Returned I watched him swim back to his station on the gravel, I scattered the remains of my maggots into the water to feed him and his mates up a bit more, packed my kit up and headed off for the pub to meet up with everyone else and see how they had faired on the day. Whilst packing up I noticed what I had done wrong, I had the 4oz carbon quivertip fitted instead of the 2 oz glass fibre on, maybe that was why I had bumped he off so many times, well I know for next time!

fishypaul · #2 11-18-2007, 12:03 PM

very entertaining report mike,you thoroughly deserved that trout and what a fine fish it was too,

well done mate

Catfish Virgin (Still!) · #3 11-18-2007, 12:42 PM

Nice write up Mike, glad you got the Brownie in the end. BC is very much a roving/mobile sort of venue so hopefully when your health improves we can go back and you can get the full benefit of it. You should have put the crayfish on the hook, trout love them!

Meanwhile a couple of miles upstream, Claudia and I were at the Denford Fishery again chasing grayling and trout (and in Claudia's case "rainbows").

Denford is another venue best tackled on a roving basis and I reckoned we walked many miles during the course of the day.

We all caught quite a few grayling with my best just tipping the scales at 1lb 7oz.

I also had "loads" of rainbows to 3lb+ and a couple of brownies as well.

Although trying as hard as she could Claudia just couldn't get a rainbow in the net to add to her species hunt. She did however catch plenty of good grayling and a few brownies. She's also improving her centrepin skills at a rapid rate:

Twiddler · #4 11-18-2007, 02:33 PM

Whilst Mike was throwing a fit at Barton court, I was practising my skills on fishing with a centrepin. My good friend Peter was so kind to lend me one of his rather expensive CP, a Purist II, a dream of a reel, very smooth action, lovely for trotting.

Anyway, as Mike said, we arrived a little late, due to technical problems, I set the alarm for 5am on Sunday instead of Saturday.....doooh, still I arrived at Denford in time for a quick sausage roll before starting chasing the grayling.

The host Nigel preparing breakfast for team

The river wasn't at it's peak condition, water level still low and crystal clear, which was great to find the fish but you know what they say, you can see them, they can see you. No need to worry, as it turned the fish were anything but shy or easily spooked.

I decided to set up with a 5BB trotter, bulk shotting, 16" hook, changed it to a 12" later of the day, hoping to catch one of those huge rainbow I saw cruising around everywhere.

My first hour or so was more a practice to get use to fish with a centrepin, which I really enjoyed.....Jeff was so kind to help me out when I got stuck and quickly fell in love with my rod, a 'tricast finesse match', a rod I inherited of my friend Peter, which I really treasure.

Jeff falling in love with my rod

A couple of hours later Nigel, our host, joined us for a quick dabble, as it seemed like Jeff and I hit a good spot with lots of fish caught.

Nigel with one of his rainbow trout

Here a pic of my first fish caught on a pin, a little grayling

12.30pm arrived and it was time to meet up for lunch, which was kindly cooked and donated by our host, a superb pea and ham soup..which was washed down with a glass or two of ale and cider, kindly donated by Neil.
We were spoilt rotten, thank you Nigel and Neil.

Needless to say, the team all put some money in to the pot, which Nigel will donate to the ACA.

The Denford Team

After lunch I walked a bit further down stream, to see if I can get a rainbow, as I still need one for my species hunt but no matter how I tried I just could not tempt one to take my bait.....I changed hook size, shotting pattern, walked the river up and down but nothing......the rainbow were everywhere and everybody got plagued by them, only me who couldn't get one *cry*

Nevertheless, I managed a couple of brownies and 10 graylings, biggest about 12oz......
A great days fishing, as I experienced a fun way of trotting...with a pin.

16.30pm arrived and we started to pack up as it was getting dark....and yes!! Of course we met up with some of the Barton court team to catch up with their successes.

A Great days fishing with super company.

BaggieRich · #5 11-18-2007, 04:19 PM

Well done to all of you. 3 superb reports and some good fish.

I love the moby dick tale Mike.... I'm like that myself mostof the time.. Calm, calm calm, when the reality of it is that I'm generally winding like a lunatic and pumping the rods like I'm fighting a marlin. Those poor old pout don't stand a chance

Glad you all had a good day, but what's this about teams? Some sort of on going comp or something?