Fishing so far.

[JennyMorgan]

Roach, still very hollow gutted, presumably they spawned late this year, am catching them by the shedload! Bream, very few taking my bait, yet! Pike, pathetic. Either I'm doing something wrong or they just aren't there for whatever reason.

 

Roach, manic, loads of 'em. Single red maggot on a size twenty, single dust shot, maggot feed and cloud bait, can't go wrong! Right tiddlers to some half decent fish around the pound. Great fun!

[MauriceMynah]

Whitebait,  feeding really well on a quarter of a maggot on a size 37 hook to nylon (2oz bs) after nearly three days fishing I had close on a portion.

[JennyMorgan]

Whitebait,  feeding really well on a quarter of a maggot on a size 37 hook to nylon (2oz bs) after nearly three days fishing I had close on a portion.

John, try a drop net! Far quicker.

[BroadScot]

All this fishy talk has me thinking.... you guys could have worked at Bletchley Park! 

 

I caught a doz FFs in Iceland.Used a shopping trolley. Weight before defrosted heavyish!

 

 

Iain

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

Joking aside, what`s the fishing like on the broads in general?. The reason i ask is that we keep reading about Primeneseum parva (or whatever it`s called), also otters becoming ever more abundant, and in recent years, Seals moving further upriver (we actually saw one 3 years ago as far up as the Beauchamp arms).  I`ve also read in Anglers mail a couple of years back that catfish are growing in numbers, so with all this negativity around, what`s happening to all the fish, has it declined, if so, by how much?.

[JennyMorgan]

Speed, despite the otters, mink, cormorants, Broads Authority , seals, poachers and catfish fishing on the Broads has shown itself to be markedly improved over recent years. The only disaster appears to be pike stocks which have plummeted steadily over the last ten years. In my opinion this decline is down to one factor, humans, more precisely total numpties. 

[Baitrunner]

I don't think it is relevant but there were 2 guys retrieving a sein net in the middle of the Yare on Saturday. Looked very empty.

Hopefully they were legal. Either that or very confident of not being caught.

[Wonderwall]

Joking aside, what`s the fishing like on the broads in general?. The reason i ask is that we keep reading about Primeneseum parva (or whatever it`s called), also otters becoming ever more abundant, and in recent years, Seals moving further upriver (we actually saw one 3 years ago as far up as the Beauchamp arms).  I`ve also read in Anglers mail a couple of years back that catfish are growing in numbers, so with all this negativity around, what`s happening to all the fish, has it declined, if so, by how much?.

I ain't no scientist , but I think that nature is well established, and designed to cope with the problems with these small events in species which have been on the go for many many many millions of years.

[JennyMorgan]

Just for the record, bream & roach wise I have had my best ever  'opening week'. Yesterday I was fishing for roach in a dyke where I have never ever, in over fifty years, had any success with bream. My Drennan Crystalite, with two pound line, fairly bent into a bream that hit the ten pound limit of the scales that I use when roaching! Not a personal best but it was still a darned good fish in scale perfect condition. I have heard of several other bream out of the Broad to over seven pounds. It's all looking good!

[Baitrunner]

I am not a break lover but that's a cracking fish from the river system on light tackle.

[SwanR]

My hubby only caught one or two fish each day while we were there a couple of weeks ago. He wasn't best pleased when i read him your post JennyMorgan about your best ever opening week! 

 

He did catch an eel as did several other fishermen he got talking to. Someone said that they thought the eels had all but disappeared from the Norfolk rivers but that they seemed to be back in abundance this year.

[Wildfuzz]

3 days fishing at Hickling, deep dyke and White Slea, terrible catches very small silver fish, two bream of about a pound or so, no activity seen on the surface at all even after good carpet of ground bait and hemp set.

 

SWMBO and I normally have good steady bags here, I know many thousands of fish were relocated but the area appears almost sterile. Anyone with similar tales of woe from the area.........

[JennyMorgan]

Stuart, come South! Have now had four bream over eight pounds despite fishing for roach at the time! To be fair though, very mixed reports across the Broads.

[troutman62]

These so called pike anglers make my blood boil !

Trouble is there's no real answer to it, Maybe having to buy a separate permit for pike fishing would work to a degree ? then  the tackle shops shouldn't sell pike tackle without seeing It . wouldn't bother me paying out a few extra quid for something I love.

Especially if it would help preserve the species. It should be illegal to fish for pike without appropriate gear, like shooting a lion with a bloody bow and arrow ! I'll shut up now before I really go off on one.

 

Can't the Bailiffs ( if there are any) do more ? What about the Pike Anglers Association ?

[lurcher]

the local RO (& general secretary) of the Pike anglers club of Great Britain,John Curry has long campaigned for pike anglers to possess a compulsory minimum level of equipment when fishing for them.Convincing the relevant authorities to impose the necessary legislation is proving difficult but he's not one to give up.

[Wildfuzz]

I think the problem is not only the lack of, or wrong equipment to handle a pike, but many people are afraid of them. they like the idea of catching a Broads predator however when they do they damage the creature through fear of being bitten or worse leave the hook (s) in....... There may be a large and fearsome looking fish but, especially in summer with the low oxygen levels in the water they are very fragile.

[Wildfuzz]

Same old problem though of getting it enforced and catching and making an example of someone to warn the rest.

 

Unfortunately we must rely of people acting in the best interest of the fish, just like we would expect people to respect the speed limits, navigation signs, tides, mooring etiquette etc etc

[JennyMorgan]

These so called pike anglers make my blood boil !

Trouble is there's no real answer to it, Maybe having to buy a separate permit for pike fishing would work to a degree ? then  the tackle shops shouldn't sell pike tackle without seeing It . wouldn't bother me paying out a few extra quid for something I love.

Especially if it would help preserve the species. It should be illegal to fish for pike without appropriate gear, like shooting a lion with a bloody bow and arrow ! I'll shut up now before I really go off on one.

 

Can't the Bailiffs ( if there are any) do more ? What about the Pike Anglers Association ?

Agreed but I will say this, I have witnessed some of the self declared experts fishing in ways that really should not be encouraged. Re the Pike Anglers Club (Association), unfortunately, in my opinion, part of the problem. Pike conservation is their remit but inevitably they also promote pike fishing and more pike fishermen is not what the Broads need right now. The other problem are the experts who think that they can do no wrong, but do. I too will shut up now before I really go off on one, because I really could!.

[JennyMorgan]

the local RO (& general secretary) of the Pike anglers club of Great Britain,John Curry has long campaigned for pike anglers to possess a compulsory minimum level of equipment when fishing for them.Convincing the relevant authorities to impose the necessary legislation is proving difficult but he's not one to give up.

John is a great bloke but who is to set the standards & requirements? Okay having the right gear but folk do need to know how to use it. I have attended some of the local PAC meetings and cringed at some of the things I have heard & seen. Do I know the answer, like as heck I do but I have witnessed some local PAC members doing some really quite objectionable things. I have all the respect in the world for John, but not for some of his fellows.

[Bound2Please]

Keeps out of this one as mt views are much akin to JM's

 

Charlie

[troutman62]

Has anybody any idea how the fishing is on the Bure between Wroxham Broad and Brinkcraft recently ? 4 weeks to go for a week in a plush riverside shack on the outskirts, can't wait !

Last visit we stayed in a property down a dyke at Horning, lovely accommodation but crap fishing, the water was gin clear in the dyke.

[Wildfuzz]

Well the fishing has been appalling this year. Granted stayed mainly on and around Hickling and potter area, the catches here have been poor and of very little size.

best day so far was at Acle with a good steady catch of mid size bream. Talking to other locals here it seems to be the same for all. Only decent catches have been in the staithe.............. Or so the fishermans tale went!

 

SWMBO is very unhappy......

[Hylander]

Well what do they say -  one man's meat is another man's poison -  I bet the baby ducklings will stand more of a chance next Spring if there are no so many of Mr Pike around.    Just a thought do Otters take duckling?

[JennyMorgan]

And if the otters don't get the eggs or the young then Mr Fox will. I often see and hear foxes rummaging along the river banks at night. Marsh harriers are also partial to ground nesting birds.