snowmanstevo

Not great mate. When I lost my brother it was my wife and children that stopped me going bonkers (only after a 2 wk bender) 🙄🙄 Focus on the important things in life and try and remember the good times….. easier said than done but the old ‘time is a great healer’ really is true mate. Chin up matey.

I’m booked on two this year so obviously dates would need to suit if we get some dates sorted I’ll let you know matey

And they deliver to your swim 🤣🤣 Me and a few mates hire his small Merlin lake and I’ve had fish to 31lb from there His Hayes lake has 10 swims but tbh 7/8 anglers are best for lake exclusive. You’re left alone there ain’t many silly rules you can have a few beers and a BBQ and the place is spot on. The fishing isn’t too complicated a decent bait and sharp hook should see you have a chance of a kipper or two …..as you can tell I luv the place 🤣🤣🤣

Tbh I’d have to wait for dates and venue tbh……… But if there is say 7/8 of us take a look at Merrington Hayes lake Shropshire…….. Mega cafe,showers immaculate swims and if a pleb like me can catch there we all have a chance 🤣🤣🤣

It’s certainly been warm oop north 🤣🤣 With this heat I’d be topping up my tan from mid morning till late tea time. There’s always a chance of nicking one off the top but like us i think there more interested in catching some rays !!!🌞 Last Friday I baited up virtually as soon as I got there (18:00) but didn’t get the rods out till a couple of hours later. If conditions stay the same for a period of time I’ve found the fish adjust to it they gotta eat sometime ! But quite a few of my club waters are struggling due to the lack of rain and temps we’ve had over the past few wks and for me my river sessions are on hold for a while tbh.

After getting strict orders that we was spending the wk end together from her indoors and knowing that a happy wife = a happy life my only angling was to be on a local club water after work Friday so I could be home bright and early Saturday morning ! Catfish was the quarry and a quick trip to matey boys house and 20mins sat in traffic on the M56 seen us get to the water a little after 6. It’s the small snaggy pool I’d fished a few wks back the walk to the pegs are short and with an on-site toilet it’s a lovely little stress free water perfect to unwind after a long wk in work. We opted for a double peg so first thing was a brew and smoke and decide our plan of action. Two rods was positioned one by a set of lillies and the other placed by hand on the far bank under a snaggy old tree. A couple of kilo of pellet maize hemp and chops all soaked in a fishy liquid 🤢was dumped over my large snowman hook bait Food was made brews brewed and we sat up to around midnight chatting and putting the world to rights (as you do) 🙄After a long day it didn’t take long to doze off and taking a pee around 2am not a beep to either rod and the pool looking pretty lifeless tbh I did hold out much hope for a fish. At around 3am a one toner had me out of my pit and after a spirited 5 min battle this 12,7 was safely in the net. The rod was recast to the same spot and a kilo of pellet dispatched over it as I drifted off to sleep as the dawn chorus started 😎 After a few hours dozing I was lying on my bed sipping a brew thinking bite time was over as the bream and small carp started to show themselves around the pool when at 7am a screaming take had me on the same rod that was recast. Straight away the fish charged down to the opposite end of the lake and no amount of pressure was going to stop it I just simply held on. 3x I got it from round the back of a small island and every time it just charged back round it 🙄🤣 after 15mins the runs it made had slowed down and it sought sanctuary under a tree everything went a bit solid and I was fearing the worse. A change of angle and the rod held high I got something moving around 12inches and said to matey boy it’s either big or I’m bringing in a branch when the rod tip gave a satisfying nod as the fish was still attached. After another little drama when the fish kited left to go under a tree I was pretty much in control by then and got it up on the surface and after a few mins of it wallowing around we tried to net it but it wouldn’t fit in !!! On the second attempt with it half in the net matey boy leaned over grabbed the tail and placed it in the net ! Result ! I let the fish rest for 20mins and to have a rest myself I brewed up had a cig and peered into the net with a huge smile on my face. Weighed and pics we watched her slink back into the water as she swam away casually. It was the biggest fish in the lake the biggest fish I’d ever caught and obviously a new PB cat. My second PB of the week and my 3rd this year !!!! 😎 She went 47,11 on the scales and I sat there with a massive smile on my face.Another mate turned up for bacon buttys and coffee and we started the slow pack down and before we knew it was sat in traffic again as the Saturday day trippers made their way to Wales Her indoors was less than impressed with my smelly clothes and I was ordered to shower and change as she had a few jobs for me to do then an afternoon of family time all done with a massive smile on my face 😬 I know cats ain’t everyone’s cup of tea but the battle/fight they give is amazing and I for one enjoy targeting them. Thanks for reading ! 😬😎🎣

Cheers Phil really enjoy my river angling nowadays 😬😎🎣

Thanks matey

I use solar tbh mate ….. I use to use them as goal posts but that’s just a pod really …… singles front and back and pointed at the rig as much as possible but I’m not anti pod just stick with what I know tbh matey…….. And I’ve done my best since I returned not to talk about footy 🙄👍🏼🤣🤣🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

Cheers matey

So my O/T is as good as over so it was time for the drive south for a session on the river. Went to a club stretch that did me well last year and it was good to be back bank side. It was a lovely day and the weather behaved itself and the only other people me and matey boy seen was a couple in a canoe. All fish came in a 5 hr feeding spell through the night and ended up with 5 barbel with 2 of them going 9+ and a PB chub at 5,7 as you can imagine I was over the moon. The wildlife and solitude really is good for the soul……… but not the horse fly bites have 😫😫🤣🤣 A couple of mat shots as was a bit unfair asking me auld mate to battle the vegetation for every fish. 😬 Its a 3 hr round journey for me so you can imagine I was glad to get home after a long day/night. Cup of tea,cheese and ham toastie,shower and I was whacked 💤💤💤 All in all a great session with a good mate and got a roast on the go listening to Floyd and celebrating the PB with a few Guiness, thanks for reading 😬😎😫

90% of my angling is with sticks ……. Pod only comes out when the ground dictates…….. can’t beat pointing the rod at the bait imo

No mate but my 2 3/4 are 9fts so break down small

I went for the Wychwood 10ft riot rods in 10ft 2 3/4TC there as cheap as chips and have done me fish to low 20 don’t discount them mate lovely little rods 😬😉

Same with me and sensor for the last 10+ years ……… line is like a which boilie is best thread…… always going to be different opinions but if a line works for you as said stick with it. 😬

In saying that I had 3 18m boillies on the hair moulded the lot in a big lump of matching paste and still managed fish under 10lb 🙄🙄🤣🤣

It’s the law to have new line on new reels 😉🤣🤣 Sensor Brown for me tbh. And I’ll be honest I use to believe that red is the 1st colour to go underwater but since I’ve caught millions of silvers on single/double red maggot and dead reds I don't take much notice of that nowadays

Greedy pig rig………. And wrap em in paste or……….. get stalking 😉

I didn’t think the snowman set up was that bad tbh 🤔🤔🤣🤣😬

I’ve had sonik rods since 2011 I think ? The S3 if I remember rightly and I’ve got there S6 in 2018/19 can’t remember tbh and there still as good as when I bought them the cat I posted before was on my S3,s and them rods have deffo been used and abused. All my gear has stood the test of time given the amount of time/abuse I give them and it’s not high end stuff…….. i just must of got lucky I suppose my Fox Warrior spod rod has been used for sea fishing as well as launching a spod for 10years ? Don’t think any of my brollys or Bivvys have let me down over the years and as I’ve said I only buy mid range tackle not high end………. In saying that I do look after my kit very well both on and off the bank (that’s not a pop at any of the posters who’ve had stuff fail on them) I must have just got lucky with my purchases but I do try and do some research before I part with my hard earned coz I’m a tight northerner 🙄🙄🤣🤣😬😎🎣

May was a write off for me angling wise the dreaded 60hr wks kicked in at work and while it may be good for fishing tokens it’s not good for bank time. The 4 day break seen me do a Thursday overnight on a local club water that’s a very small snaggy mixed fishery that also has a handful of cats. Picked up matey boy and a quick trip to the local tackle shop and a leisurely drive to the lake we was up and fishing for dinner time. I had to be home to pick the daughter up from Uni Friday dinner so the plan was to catch whatever swam throughout the day and target the bigger girls through the nite. It was a pleasant day t-shirt weather and silvers,bream and a small carp graced our nets but i lost a decent tench to one of the many snags in this tight little pool. The forecast rain started a bit earlier than hoped so 2 swims was baited heavily with pellet maize hemp and some old salmon trimmings frozen from a few months ago and the lot had a good glug of fish oil and a couple handfuls of krill active hook bait was a 26mm moggy muncher bottom bait and 20mm squid and scopex flouro pop up to a simple size 4 strong hook 35lb coated braid running rig,traps set game on as we retreated to our beds as the rain intensified. The rain carried on but it was a warm still night and the odd beep kept us both awake for the first hour into dark before drifting off to sleep. BEEEEEEEPPPPPPPP a one toner at 1am as line flew off the open spool and I was up in a flash and hanging on as the rod bent double as an angry cat sought sanctuary in a fallen tree. Mate woke up and put his waterproofs on and then proceeded to take the mick for the next 15 mins as I did battle in my t shirt and boxer shorts 🙄 Given how tight and snaggy the pool is id like to say what an epic heart in the mouth battle it was but barring a 10 second drama where everything went solid as it found the fallen tree steady pressure soon got it out and most of the fight was done in open water thankfully as it gave me a great battle and fought every inch to the net 😎 A quick smoke and dry off while the fish rested and it was weighed and pics time 27,7 it went and the third biggest in the pool I’ve been told so I was more than happy with that. Sadly nothing else the rest of the night but after a dry off and fresh clothes i lay on my bed with a big smile on my face still buzzing off the battle and didn’t drop off till 1st light which made me have a very rushed pack up to go and get the daughter 🙄🙄 but thankfully she understands my addiction to fishing and didn’t mind me turning up stinking of fish and the car full of sodden fishing kit 🤣🤣 Think that’s me now till the rivers open as the dreaded work kicks in again so hopefully can get amongst the barbel and chub on The Severn. Thanks for reading. 🙄😎🎣

I fell in on the winter social we did there……. It was in February…….. and cold 🥶🥶🥶🤣🤣🤣

Why are you not legally required to carry your rod license 🤔🤔🤔

Our club insists that you take your EA licence with your club book and when I do baliff checks I have to log that they have them with them. I’ve seen 2 EA Baliff’s in just under 50years angling