Trip #22 – An afternoon in the Freezer!

I should have realised when my bottle of squash began to freeze that today was going to be a tough and disparaging day. But I was happy to be on the bank and warm because of the thermal suit which once again I was trying to put through its paces. Setting up on the bank of South Accommodation road (a Leeds ASA stretch) I was unsure of what to expect from the venue. Having never fished it before but being told that this part of the river held big numbers of specimen roach, I set up 2 rods. One I setup with a light line on which I would be fishing a single maggot or caster, and the other, a more “beefy” set up ready for any of the Chub the river held. 

Trip #21 – Third times a Trout!

I was once told that fishing well in winter sorts the wheat from the chaff, and can sometimes require a more refined approach to that of the tactics used in the summer. Having altered my reel lines and tied new lighter hooklinks I decided to put this into practice on a small feeder stream off the River Aire that comes into its own when the river is in flood. Having fished the small stretch of water twice before, I knew it contained fish, but the recent cold snap meant that I was going to have to be a little bit more delicate than I had been previously.

Trip #20 – Highbury Pond

This session was going to be my first experience of fishing on a Leeds ASA water. I have walked around the pond previously, hoping to see some features, some fish moving or even some fish being caught. Given the time of year there were no real features to speak of, no fish (that I could see) moving and only one angler sitting very quietly looking down on to one of his quivertips. On my return visit I decided I would give the maggot feeder a try. The cold weather also gave me an excellent opportunity to fully test my recent winter purchase of an Avanti Cyclotherm Suit.

Cheese Paste made easy!

With the definite onset of winter, we begin to use baits which are generally associated with catching fish in the colder months. Moving away from pellets, meat and worm and using the more traditional baits such as bread, maggots and cheese paste. These baits are also used very effectively during the summer months, but tend to come to prominence during in the colder seasons as they have the potential to pick out the specimen fish, whether your quarry be Chub, sizable Roach or maybe the occasional winter Barbel. However, speaking to one of my friends who often fishes for winter Chub he seemed uncertain on how to make cheese paste. As it is a method I intend to use very shortly in my own fishing trips I thought I’d describe a very cheap and easy way to make bait which is suitable for freezing and will last you for plenty of winter fishing trips to come.

You will need;

This is all you need to make Cheese Paste!

The recent flooding and it's cost

Moving steadily on the from a balmy autumn to a (until recently) mild winter has left the water levels in many of the UK rivers and Lakes precariously low. So the recent storms offered the rivers and lakes a chance to take on some of the water which they may have lost over the summer and autumn months. At the time, the Environment Agency and MetOffice released flood warnings on all rivers in and around Yorkshire. So now the river is back to its usual level I went for a short walk to my nearest nature reserve (Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve) to see if the recent flooding had an impact bank side.

Trip #19 - Predatory Practice - Take 2!

Having an afternoon spare meant that I was able to get out of the house and down to the canal for a few hours sport chasing an elusive Pike. Being cold it also meant that I could give my new Avanti Cyclotherm suit an outing in the hope of keeping warm and dry.

This is a heavily fished peg, the float in the rushes gave that away!

Christmas and no Fishing!

Apologies about the lack of recent postings, I’m afraid I got rather wrapped up in Christmas at home and because of the blasted weather in Wales I didn’t even manage to wet a line (even though my intention was to go at least twice). Now I am back up in Yorkshire I shall be venturing out shortly and will be reviewing my 2 most recent acquisitions. A Shimano Aspire Pro Competition carryall and an Avanti Cyclotherm Suit. I thought that I would review them (the suit especially) as they as offered week in week out in most of the Angling magazines, but I am yet to read a review of what they are actually like. One of my other Gifts which will have a direct result on my future blogging is a subscription to a fishing magazine which will give me the opportunity to exercise a semi-commentary on the issues many of the Elite Anglers who feature in these magazines frequently raise.

So over the next week or so (especially as it a bloody freezing in Yorkshire at the moment) expect to see a quick review of the suit, as it has been far too long since I have cast a line!

Until then feel free to have a read and ask any questions on the posts you see below!

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Trip #18 - 2 Casts 1 Fish

The River Aire (near Kirkstall Road) is a hugely frustrating river to fish. Being told by anglers and EA officials alike that it is notoriously patchy meant that any future fishing trips to the river for me would be make or break! The fact that we had nigh on continuous rain for a week would only make things more difficult but Saturday was spent Christmas shopping and I hadn’t been fishing for the best part of 2 weeks! I needed to get out and cast a line. I went down to view a swim I had been told to fish when the river is in flood and decided late on in the afternoon to pop down with my 11ft ledger rod and give it a whirl.

The river was definitely in flood!

The Netting of a Local Pond

A few weeks ago I received an invite from Pete Turner, an Environment Agency officer asking if I would like to watch a local pond being netted for fish. I thought I would be foolish not to. The lake in question is a natural fishery in Cookridge, currently under ownership of the BT Leeds Angling Club (unfortunately although I have been given permission to write about the day I have been asked not to name the lake specifically in this post). Having never fished this particular water I was keen to know what fish the lake held after recent speculation that the lake was frequently visited by the dreaded Goosander!

Trip #17 - Clayton Ponds - Lower Lake!

With limited bait and an uncertain forecast I decided to give Clayton Ponds another go, and this time I would try the bottom lake. Unsure of what to expect and hearing many cautionary tales of the lake I approached it with the intention of either Pole fishing or Slider float fishing on the waggler (given that it is 16 -18 feet deep in places).