- Joined
- Jul 26, 2011
- Messages
- 239
Though I've been a Maggotdrowner and supporter for a few years this is my first fishing report.
I’ve not been fishing since September 10th, first Caerphilly County was locked down (that’s where Cefn Mably is located) and then Cardiff County (where I live) was locked down for 2 weeks and following that the whole of Wales was in a Firebreak lockdown for 17 days. Having got out of that without getting infected by the coronavirus it was time to return to the bank. Cefn Mably reopened last Monday so today, now the rain has stopped, that’s where I went. I wanted to catch some roach or skimmers so headed for the Match Pond and walked down to peg 6 as I’d had a few bream from there previously. Unfortunately the platform on that peg was no longer attached to the and and was floating free so back to peg 5.
With today's target being roach and skimmers I set up my 13’ Browning Super Match Advance rod, Shimano Super Match RE reel with 4lb main line and 2.5gm Drennan insert waggler. I catapulted a few red maggots about about ½ way to the island, with the float set at just over ½ depth and a red maggot on my size 18 hook I cast out. Nothing happened for nearly 30 minutes despite regular feeding and casting, then the float dipped – nothing hooked but at least a sign that maybe something was interested. More feed, more casts, some changes to the depth and eventually I hooked a small roach so no blank today – phew!
I continued feeding and casting and continued to catch the occasional fish, mostly small roach/ bream hybrids from the look of them. Then something pulled back, well just a bit more than the others, this turned out to be a bigger skimmer about 1lb. Thinking that might be a few more lurking on the bottom I set the float to fish just off bottom and that brought me a couple more skimmers, maybe 8ozs each. Then nothing, so I shallowed up again and started back into the smaller fish.
While I’d been fishing out in the middle I had been feeding maggot and small nuggets of groundbait closer in, around the area of the bottom of the margin shelf. Using the same waggler rig, I really am much too lazy, I dropped in there and had a definite bite that brought me a small skimmer, then another and another in successive casts. A bit more feed in the middle and back out I went, this time when the float dipped there was something heavier on the hook, which came in like a lamb but turned out to be an F1 about 2lb. Then a few more skimmers, that I needed to net, and little roach/bream hybrids. Back on the bottom of the margin shelf and this time a gudgeon followed by a Rudd that needed the net.
And so it continued alternating the middle and the margin until I packed up. At the end of my session I had taken 55(ish) small fish, a half dozen bigger skimmers that I needed to net, 1 gudgeon, 1 Rudd and 1 carp. Proper old school pleasure fishing with a waggler just like I did 25 years ago and using the same gear that I had used back then. I loved it.
I’ve not been fishing since September 10th, first Caerphilly County was locked down (that’s where Cefn Mably is located) and then Cardiff County (where I live) was locked down for 2 weeks and following that the whole of Wales was in a Firebreak lockdown for 17 days. Having got out of that without getting infected by the coronavirus it was time to return to the bank. Cefn Mably reopened last Monday so today, now the rain has stopped, that’s where I went. I wanted to catch some roach or skimmers so headed for the Match Pond and walked down to peg 6 as I’d had a few bream from there previously. Unfortunately the platform on that peg was no longer attached to the and and was floating free so back to peg 5.
With today's target being roach and skimmers I set up my 13’ Browning Super Match Advance rod, Shimano Super Match RE reel with 4lb main line and 2.5gm Drennan insert waggler. I catapulted a few red maggots about about ½ way to the island, with the float set at just over ½ depth and a red maggot on my size 18 hook I cast out. Nothing happened for nearly 30 minutes despite regular feeding and casting, then the float dipped – nothing hooked but at least a sign that maybe something was interested. More feed, more casts, some changes to the depth and eventually I hooked a small roach so no blank today – phew!
I continued feeding and casting and continued to catch the occasional fish, mostly small roach/ bream hybrids from the look of them. Then something pulled back, well just a bit more than the others, this turned out to be a bigger skimmer about 1lb. Thinking that might be a few more lurking on the bottom I set the float to fish just off bottom and that brought me a couple more skimmers, maybe 8ozs each. Then nothing, so I shallowed up again and started back into the smaller fish.
While I’d been fishing out in the middle I had been feeding maggot and small nuggets of groundbait closer in, around the area of the bottom of the margin shelf. Using the same waggler rig, I really am much too lazy, I dropped in there and had a definite bite that brought me a small skimmer, then another and another in successive casts. A bit more feed in the middle and back out I went, this time when the float dipped there was something heavier on the hook, which came in like a lamb but turned out to be an F1 about 2lb. Then a few more skimmers, that I needed to net, and little roach/bream hybrids. Back on the bottom of the margin shelf and this time a gudgeon followed by a Rudd that needed the net.
And so it continued alternating the middle and the margin until I packed up. At the end of my session I had taken 55(ish) small fish, a half dozen bigger skimmers that I needed to net, 1 gudgeon, 1 Rudd and 1 carp. Proper old school pleasure fishing with a waggler just like I did 25 years ago and using the same gear that I had used back then. I loved it.
