Can't keep a good angler down - still looking for my first tees doublethough

After being up all night with the baby finally got to sleep about 4 and then she was back up at 6 and our lass got up to see to her but I ended up waking up anyway, the missus came back In our room and see I was up so she said to me 'go fishing for a few hours I got nothing planned'... Well I don't need telling twice ;)

Got the car packed up as quick as I could and headed off to the middle tees, got set up for about 7ish and casted to the far bank, 20 mins later the rod screamed off, struck nothing there :/

Fresh bait on and back in the same spot, 30 mins later rod screamed off again and I was into a pike..

After a little scrap got it near the edge and I could see it wasn't hooked properly, anyway it ended up getting off before I had chance to net it, only looked 6-7lb..

Was a bit pee'd cause I couldn't blank again after 2 blanks.. 

So done the usual again fresh bait, cast to the far bank but to a different tree this time and 15 mins later rod screamed off, felt for the fish and nothing there? Really annoying. Possibly chub? Who knows...

So cast out again back to the tree where I had my first run, and waiting for about 45 mins and rod absolutely roared off, struck! Game on!!

After a half decent fight I managed to get her in the net, was proper buzzen as I didn't blank :D

9.01lb of tees pike ;)

Sat it out another half hour without a touch so thought a move was in order, so walked for about 5 mins and found a nice peg with a tree on the inside bank.

Cast out and put the bite alarm on as it was low and I wanted to sit back out the way a bit so I didn't spook any pike.

Sat it out for a bit and not a touch so thought what the hell time to move on, just put my bag on my back and the rod roared off but this time I left my net setup ;)

Struck and it felt like an ok fish, about 5 secs after I struck it went on a 30 yard run, managed to stop it and got it a rod length from the bank and then it decided it didn't wanna come in and tore off, the little tw@t nearly pulled me in.. Got it close in again and this time I flew off the other way straight under a tree, just couldn't stop the run.. It managed to stop its self cause it wrapped its self round a branch.. I thought I was gonna loose it!! Anyway the branch snapped so I wound it in as quick as I could, straight into the net she went.

Weight her, quick photo and I thought she was gonna go 10lb but nope! 

9.15lb 

I'm knocking on the door of these 10lb tees pike! It's only a matter of time..

Seem to be having a good run of 9's atm.

Anyway after this fish I decided to head home as I had to be home by 11:30 to go sort some stuff out..

Needless to say I didn't wanna come home! But I did go home a happy chappy ;)

Disappointing Night On The Swale - :(

Decided at last min to go to a quick over nighter at Cundall for some barbel and got my mate to come who I haven't been fishing with in months.

Got there for about 6:30, got setup and baited up by about 7:30, day shelter setup, bed chair and sleeping bag all set out, the wind was bang on, the Swale was low but fairly murky, conditions seemed ideal!!

I nearly fell in as the bank was slippy as hell and my mates howling at me, then 10 mins later he goes down the bank to cast out and he does fall in! Funny wasn't the word LOL.

Unlucky mate ;)

Got to about 8:30 and my mate had a run but the fish dropped the bait, possibly just a chub mouthing the bait?

The night was drawing on and seemed to be a few fish rolling but a few times it sounded like pike striking? Possibly was pike cause there was a full moon and it light the river up a fair bit..

Nighttime passed and nothing had happened, spoke to the lad a couple of pegs down and he had nothing either and his mates never, but he seemed to think there was an otter hanging around the swim most of the night, I didn't see one so can't be sure.

Was a disappointing night as that's 2 blanks in 2 sessions in 2 days on 2 rivers :(
It was great to go fishing with my mate though, had a good laugh and that so that made up for it ;)
I kinda expected not to catch going with him on a night lol, reason being he's done 6 night sessions and never had a fish and Everytime I've went with him I haven't had out, and the few times I have gone without him I've always done well! Noisy tw@t lol...

Think my babel hunt it over til next year now, be out a week Tuesday with Marty probs for pike.

Luring On The Tees - 2 Different Stretchs, 2 Different Species

Checked my rota yesterday and realised I had a 1pm finish today and since I'm not fishing til next Friday I thought I would go throw a lure about for an a hour or two..

Finished work and jumped in the car and headed to my first stretch, I was hoping to not have to go to the other place as I was gonna see how the luring went..

Got setup and headed for my first peg, my tactic was use darkish lures as water was coloured, made 10 or so casts and nothing, on went a nice colourful lure with plenty of silver on it, tried a other 10 casts nothing, tried another 3-4 pegs and nothing, went to my final peg I planned to fish and cast out and first reel in I felt tap tap, tap tap, struck and felt the fish shaking about! Reeled in and got a perch about the same size of the lure! Greedy little sh*t :D

Walked back to the car and off to the next stretch, I got in every peg I could making 15-20 cast each peg, started to get fed up cause didn't even have a touch, that's when I thought one last peg! I knew a peg that held a pike as I had it on before and lost it!!!
So walked down to the peg and made around 10 casts and I thought I'm not gonna get my pike :(
Thought Bollox to it one more cast, got the lure half way in from the far bank and just felt some thing hit it hard!
Struck and zzzzzzz went the reel, my face lit up ;D after a 5 min scrap I thought I was gonna loose it but managed to get her in the net,, quick weight and pic and back she went to get fat for winter for some other angler to catch

She took the scales to 9.05lb

Was hard work but I'm happy, tees was coloured up a fair bit and had an uncanny flow about it, but just shows hard work can pay off ;)

Cracking Days Pike Fishing, Still No Tees double!! - For Me Anyway!

Decided to go fish the tees for pike yesterday but mick was heading off to dinsdale, mick being mick couldn't resist my boyish charm and decided to come with me down the tees for a days Piking...

I got there about 8:30 and cast out 2 rods and sat back in me chair, 20 mins later my rod screamed off, give us a good little scrap and in the net.. 7.11lb

[IMG]http://i1043.photobucket.com/albums/b432/ronny1986/null_zpsa6075a86.jpg[/IMG]

Just I was taking my photo of the pike my other rod screamed off!! Arghh but cause i had set the timer on camera and wanted to get the pike back ASAP I left it, quickly put the pike back and grabbed the other rod but it took me into a snag and got off :(

Anyway mick arrived and I borrowed him a rod, a reel, some dead bait, and a trace? Least he brought his own bank sticks lol

Hour or so later and I had another run, this time it felt a bit bigger and after a good fight, she came into the net!

9.10lb

Ps: jim notice the camo!! Yes I've worked on it ;)

A short while later had another dropped run! Thought poor mick was gonna blank til his rod tip started bouncing gently, he left it a couple of secs wound down and struck!

Fish on!! After a very good scrap and it came to the top I seen it was a big fish and told me, he was buzzen! But it didn't wanna go in the net, eventually we managed to get it in, mick had a beaming smile..

Weighed it and she took the scales to 15.02lb! Jammy t**t!! Here's me still waiting for my first tees double and he pulls one out the hat

Them stripes on the back of the fish are amazing!!

We sat for a few hours and no more runs but the banter was bang on as usual...

Mick left about 4:20 and I stayed on, brought a rod in and casted it to the far bank, managed to miss the tree above me I caught I dunno how many times lol
20 mins later and had another run, stuck and felt like there was nothing there, so I reeled it in and as I got it to the edge I realised I had a small pike on, got it in, quick photo and weighed it and took the scales to 2.14lb

I packed up shortly after and headed home, rather pleased with my self ;)
3 pike in my first proper outting but then I had a blank and then 3 pike again today..

A summary of today
3 pike and 2 dropped runs for me
1 pike for mick and 2 dropped runs also

All in all not a bad day at all, on the bright side I did beat my tees pb, still not a double though!
My arch nemesis the double figure tees pike will come to my net one day ;)

Cheers for a good day as usual mick ;) legend mate

First Roving Session - - - > Success!!

e and Jim been talking all week about roving and Piking and it got me in the mood to go roving, I was gonna go to the middle tees but the missus wanted me back early'ish to take kids out with it being there last day off, so I thought why not try a smallish stretch on the Swale.

Got there for about 6 and walked to the end of the stretch to work my way back up, so jumped in a peg near the end and my plan was to sit in the first swim for around 1-2 hours til the sun got up a bit more...

Set the net up and then the rods, I had two rods set up, one on ledger one on float so I opted to use the float rod, cast it out and left it for a good half hour and no bites or touches, so reeled it in and casted it slightly further this time, another half hour gone and still nothing..
This time I tried closer in, half hour passed and still no bites, just as I started reeling! BANG..  Fish on ;D
It literally took 30 secs to get it cause it decided to weed its self up in the edge, so was only a matter of scooping it up.

Go her out the net weight her, she went 6lb 8oz, nice fish but not the monster I wanted. Saved a blank anyway ;)

Moved down to the next swim about 10 mins after the pike but nothing, just kept moving and then found a nice peg so jumped in there, opted to fish the ledger in this swim.
Casted out a half a joey and within 5 mins the rod screamed off.. Hit into it and was still stripping line, I knew I was into a good fish...
She fought like a beast! Got her half way in when she decided to tail walk before stripping more line, managed to get control over her and as I was reeling in I seen the pikes head, the pikes huge head!
Got her in the net and was well pleased with my self.
Weighed and quick photo and back she went.

Here she is all 12lb 7oz ;)

Tried a few swims up and as I was reeling in a small pike chased the joey so I stopped reeling and seen the pike pick up the dead bait but dead bait was a bit big for the pike so it dropped it, in Hindsight I should if struck when I seen it pick it up, the joys of shallow water ;D

So kept moving and kept trying pegs with no luck and I was just what's apping Jim about other parts of the stretch and was just about to move so I picked up the rod and it must of slightly moved the fish and bang a pike grabbed it, struck but it got off... Bollox!
Time for a bait change, put the smelt on the trebles and cast it to the same spot as I just lost the pike, the fish didn't even hit the bottom when the rod screamed off again...
Was a little fighter this one, launching its  self out the water, tail walking.. Anyway got it in and done the usual, camera and weighed it ;)

6lb 13oz:

Tried a few more swims with no luck, but did find a barbaric rig in one of the swims, looks like they were fishing for small stuff but used a wire trace to put the lead onto the line :/

Headed off home about 12:30 with a beaming smile on my face ;)

Roving is the way forward! It's a great skill and I am greatful to learn this skill from the true roving master, jimlad!
Cheers Jim!!!!!