Eight hour Session at Rixton

Had a long session at Rixton today, starting around lunch time through till 20.30, the weather alternated between threatening clouds and bright sunshine, although the temperature was very disappointing.
Sport was slow in starting, but once again the ever dependable Skimmers saved the day. It took till around 2pm before I caught my first fish, my casting was all over the place today so I was scattering goundbait all over instead of concentrating it in one small area. Just couldn't concentrate today.
There was little evidence of the Tench feeding during the day
Up to the end of the session I caught Five Skimmers all around One Pound. As the light began to go the Tench began to come on the feed, at eight o'clock I hit in to a good tench of around three pounds, which was a good end to the session.
I saw the usual array of wildlife for which Rixton is rightly famous, Kingfishers, herons and a huge Rat.

Rixton Looking Beautiful

My one and only Tench

A Nice Skimmer

Three Afternoon & Evening Sessions at Rixton, With Rain and More Rain

Spent Saturday, Sunday & Monday Afternoon and early evenings at Rixton, the conditions on all three days were appalling, never have I fished in August in such heavy and continuous rain, the Clay Pits were a quagmire, all my gear was filthy, and I do mean filthy. I had to completely wash everything I took with me before putting it away.
On the positive side the fishing was good, I caught some nice Skimmers of over a pound in weight, but more importantly I managed to catch a Tench on each visit, Including my biggest ever Tench of six pounds.
I used a Hair Rig set up using Sweet Corn, Spam and Fish meal pellets, this set up seems to be the definitive set up on Rixton. I managed to keep my casting fairly accurate so my groundbait was kept to small area thus concentracing the fish in a smaller area.
All the Tench were caught in the last hour of each visit, just as darkness was falling, I'd forgotten just how powerful a fight they put up, my Telescopic Feeder Rod was bent double, it felt wonderful fighting with my favourite summer species.
The tench I caught tonight had the most awful growths on it's head, to be honest it looked like the Elephant man, I was in two minds weather to knock it on the head but it was feeding so it cant have been too ill, it put up a splendid fight!
As I'm off for the next week I'll have a couple more sessions before I return to work, I had hoped to get on the Bollin, but in these weather conditions it would have been unfishable.

Rixton Tench,Afternoon & Evening Session

Had a very good session at Rixton Yesterday, the weather was windy but it was a very mild wind. There was varying amounts of cloud.
I began around 2pm, using my Browning Ambition Telescopic Feeder Rod with a hair rig set up, alternating between Pellet, Sweetcorn and Luncheon Meat. The first bite wasn't long in coming, once again, it was one of the what seems like thousands of Skimmers Rixton is full of! I continued to make contact with the Skimmers for the rest of the afternoon, sport was steady throughout the day, with periods of inactivity.
Obviously I was hoping to make contact with the Tench ,which Rixton is famous for, I'd all but given up hope of one of the mythical Tench when around 6pm my tip flew round, how I missed it I don't know, but miss it I did, it must have been a Tench. Although a missed bite is annoying it does fill you with confidence, so I decided to stick it out till dark.
I was fishing my favourite peg on the opposite side to the car park facing the large bed of Lilly's I noticed as time crept on and darkness was closing in, definite signs of feeding Tench, so I concentrated on my casting trying to keep it as accurate as I could, concentrating on a definite area.
At 8.30 my tip flew round, I was on, there's no mistaking a Tench, the fight was powerful and long, a couple of times I thought the Tench would get to the overhanging bushes and smash me but I managed to slip the net under it, I'd done it, my first Tench for over 18 months.
Once I'd unhooked the fish and released it, as quick as I could I re-cast to the same spot, as soon as I put my rod down the tip flew round, I was in to another one, if anything this Tench fought harder and longer but I managed to persuade the fish to see things my way, gently slipping the net under what must be my second favourite fish, the Pike being my first, but defiantly my favourite Summer species.
These two Tench were the biggest fish I'd landed on my telescopic feeder rod, I was pleased the way the rod felt and handled the fish.
See below for a rather poor photo of one of the Tench.

More visits to the Bollin Planned

After Saturdays visit to the Bollin I'm planning a few more visits, so because where I was fishing was a little uncomfortable, I'm going to dig myself a peg, I'll trim a few overhanging branches, then I'll be able to get myself set up for a nice long session.
Next time I go I'll take a ledger rod with me and my small folding seat. I've been reading reports from the fishing forums, there are reports of good sized Brown Trout and reasonable Chub and Dace not to mention the odd Pike. As the river is not too far from home and not often fished, I could have a little Gem all to myself!

Once again the weather has changed

Around a week ago it looked as if the weather had changed, it looked as though summer had arrived at last. The experts were saying the Jet Stream had moved further north, meaning we would have a more normal summer. The improved weather lasted a week, it's now back to the way it was all through June and July. The long range weather forecast for August is appalling. I think this is having  massive effect on fishing for this year, I've been to places where I would expect to catch but I've failed for no apparent reason, lets hope the Autumn Pike season is a good one or this year will be the worst in my Angling Journey.

Nothing doing on the Bollin

Went to the river Bollin for the first time in years today, the river had changed so much since I last fished it, the sandy bank I used to fish from has been washed away. Access down to river is all but impossible, when I first arrived I had a walk along the bank looking for a place to fish from, I was on the point of giving up and going home when I noticed a pathway through the trees, I followed the path and came a little spot with reasonable access in to the river.
I set up my 13 ft John Wilson Trotting rod with my Rellum Centre Pin reel, I used a Drennen 4 No 4 Wire Stem Stick Float, set at around 3foot.
I trotted through various swims at various depths, didn't get a bite in the three hours I stayed. In the past I've had some very good sessions on the Bollin, also I've had sessions like this one, fishless, there wasn't a sign of a fish all day, nothing was topping, except for a fish that fell to the ultimate angler, The Kingfisher, I saw the bird take a fish, it then flew off at an incredible speed right over my head, what a beautiful site. I also saw two of the most beautiful Butterflies I've ever seen, they were a vivid Blue colour, almost the same colour as the Kingfisher I saw.
Although I caught nothing, I enjoyed the session the peg was pure Mr Crabtree (see photo's below) On a different day I'm sure I would have caught a few fish, but today it just wasn't to be!

Change of Plan for this Saturday

Tomorrow I'm going to have a go at Long trotting, something I've not done for years, I think it was twelve years ago the last time I Long trotted a river, haven't done it since I've lived in Stockport.
Long trotting used to be my chosen method of fishing the River Tame on Tiviot Dale stretch of the River Tame. I'll be using my John Wilson 13ft Trotting Rod and my beautiful silky smooth Centre Pin reel, both of these I received as presents for my 40th birthday, a long time ago now!
I'm off to the Bow Green Farm stretch of the River Bollin, on the Warrington Card, I'm not going too early, around lunch time. It's been quite a few years since I fished this stretch of river, I went for a look at it a few months ago, it had changed from what I remembered, so in all it'll be an interesting day