The Week Ahead...

This entry was posted on 18th August, 2014

The Prospects…

It’s been a while since I’ve last put pen to paper (well fingers to keys) and written a weekly post, infact it’s been nearly three weeks, there’s a few reasons for this, but the main being I was on holiday! However it’s all back to normal now though and I’m ready and raring to go, so here goes…

Over the last few weeks and probably since my last report the weather has been extremely kind and we’ve certainly enjoyed some great summer conditions, with long periods of sunshine and temperatures well into the twenties gracing most parts of the UK. Of course we have also had our fair share of storms, some which have been pretty extreme, but these are to be expected, after all they are a staple part of British summer time! I think whatever happens with the weather this year; it would be fair to say that the summer of 2014 has been a pretty good one and it’s not even over yet!



Onto this week’s weather and it looks as if things might be changing, as its forcecast to be a little more unsettled. Temperatures are expected to cool, with an average of around 16-17 degree’s, and showers are expected on Wednesday and Friday. Hopefully, with crossed fingers, once Friday is out the way the weather will improve for the weekend, as it is of course a bank holiday!

What could these conditions mean for the fishing?

According to our friendly fishing app this week’s doesn’t appear to be the greatest of weeks, the start and the end look ok, with a peak fishing efficiency rating of 84% on Monday and Sunday, with not a lot in between! However with some overcast relatively mild conditions I’m sure there’ll be a few fish feeding and as they say, as long as you’ve got a line in the water you’ve got a chance!



If you are planning a trip this week and have spring species on the brain, then good luck and of course don’t forget to let us know how you get on! Send any pictures and reports to: contact@anglingdirect.co.uk

 

My Fishing…

Over the past few weeks I’ve managed a fair bit of fishing, in both fresh and saltwater.

Firstly I enjoyed a fantastic day afloat, with Phil White on his boat the Chinook II out of Bradwell. Fishing the sheltered waters of the Thames Estuary we had the hard fighting Smooth Hound as our target and we certainly weren’t disappointed, as on the day we managed loads of fish, infact so many we lost count! Not only were the numbers of fish very good, but also the average size, as we landed numerous fish over the ten pound mark, as well as a very special fish a few ounces over twenty! It was certainly a special day, with weather, conditions and fish all in our favour and what made it extra special was the fact we caught it all on camera. You can check out exactly how we got on by watching the video below, you can also click the link to read the full report…

Boat Fishing For Big Smooth Hound



On my week off also managed to squeeze in plenty of Coarse fishing, as I enjoyed a few days camping with my little Niece and Nephew, at Cobbleacre Lakes in Hevingham. Armed with just a feeder rod, some pellet and a few mini-boilies the aim was to catch them a few fish and to get them used to using a rod and reel, as I thought they were finally old enough to move on from the short 4m whip and maggots!

All in all we had loads of fish, with some nice Carp to around 5-6lb, which compared to the small Roach and Perch they had been used to catching, seemed massive to them! It was also nice to show my sister and brother-in-law the ropes, as neither of them had ever really fished much, but were keen to learn!

By the end of the week I think they were, excuse the pun… ‘hooked’! They’d well and truly grasped the concepts of fishing and were quite happy to bait up, cast, play fish, and unhook them all by themselves and most evenings it was them asking to stay, and asking for that one last cast!

As well as the good fishing, we also enjoyed a fantastic, relaxing week, with great weather, on a superb site, which I’d thoroughly recommend to anyone wanting to incorporate both camping and fishing.

Back to work and back to reality, I’m not sure what this week has in store, I have a wedding to attend at the weekend and a couple of fishing session backed up that need editing, so it might be a case of getting my head down and getting those done first. However depending on the weather I tempted to head down south on the bank holiday and have a go for some hard fighting Mullet! It’s not something I’ve done lots of before, but I’ve been chatting to a few fishing friends and they reckon it’s well worth a go before the months out, so watch this space! Whatever happens I’ll report back next week with the results.

 

Pictures Of The Week…

August’s picture of the month competition is now well and truly underway, and already we’ve seen some fantastic entries and some great interaction. If you’d like to view all the entries and if you’d like to vote for your favorites then you can do so by clicking the link below…

August’s Picture Of The Month



And of course if you want to get in on the action and stand a chance of winning a £50 voucher then get sending your pictures in!

Also it’s worth remembering it’s a picture of the month competition and not a just a fish of the month, so it’s not all about the biggest Carp!

If you want to enter July’s competition and appear on our blog and social sites then feel free to email your pictures and reports to…contact@anglingdirect.co.uk you can also share them with us on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

In The Press

As I’ve been away I’m a little out of touch with what’s been happening, but one thing that has been hitting the headlines is the amount of specimen Rudd being banked!

Specialist angler Paul Garner banked no less than 30 fish to a new personal best of 3lb 11oz 8dr from an undisclosed stillwater in the south of the UK.

The Nash Peg One consultant landed eight fish over 3lb and 22 over the 2lb-mark.

His previous personal best for the species of 3lb 8oz had stood for almost 15 years until he discovered this venue, where in his first four sessions he caught a hat-trick of 3lb-plus fish to 3lb 4oz.

“It was a pb that I never thought I’d beat,” Paul told Angling Times. “I’ve been searching for a lake like this for well over a decade.

“When the huge fish started coming on the very first session I just thought I’d got lucky. But they just kept coming and coming!”



Gardner Tackle’s Alan Stagg also enjoyed a successful weekend targeting the species on a southern stillwater.

Three Rudd over 2lb, including a brace of fish weighing 2lb 7oz and 2lb 3oz, graced the Hampshire-based all-rounder’s net during the Saturday night. He then returned the following evening and added a further seven two-pounders to 2lb 10oz to his tally.

All of his fish were taken on maggot feeder tactics at range comprising 30gr feeders, 5lb Gardner Target Fluorocarbon hooklinks and size 16 hooks baited with two white maggots coated in CC Moore Krill Powder.



 

In Store & Online

Once again as I’ve been away I’m a little out of touch with what’s been happening, but one thing I can report is the AD staff are certainly getting amongst a few fish, as when I opened up my inbox last week I was inundated with fish and catch reports!

First off it was Joe Atkinson from our Chelmsford store. Joe who’s been fishing the Bayeswater complex has certainly been getting amongst some nice fish, the latest this stunning 31lb 8oz Mirror! The fish was landed on a Sticky Baits yellow Signature pop up over a scattering of The Krill.



Next it was blog regular Michael Stewart, who’s been back amongst the fish on his current syndicate water, landing this 38lb 11oz beast known as Black Spot. As usual Michael’s kindly written a full length blog report which you can see by clicking the link below…

Black Spot Mirror – Michael Stewart



Last but not least it was the turn at AD Sittingbourne manager Richard Howland, who enjoyed a rather productive week on the River Wye, landing many nice Barbel. Like Michael, Richard also wrote us a full catch report packed with pictures and further info, you can check it out here...

The Wonderful Wye – Richard Howland



I apologies if this weeks blog is a little short, I’m in the process of catching up, but once I have I’ll be back properly next week! For now I’ll leave you with the product of the week and wish you all good luck and tight lines for this week and the bank holiday weekend, whatever your up to have a good one.

 

Product of the week…

Greys AirCurve Carp Rods

Greys has always been synonymous with quality products and the AirCurve range is certainly that.

Over three years, a lot of development has gone into the rods.

The AirCurve is the first Greys rod to utilise the new Toreon nano composite material technology. Toreon composite engineering provides a uniform dispersion of nano particles throughout the resin that binds the fibres together. The end result is a stronger, lighter material but it in no way affects the action that they want to achieve… To read the full review, click the link below…

Greys AirCurve Carp Rods