Dinton diary.

[emmcee]

So after a couple of people saying they would like to see/hear about my time on dinton I've managed to find my pic's and even my old diary/ fish lists. So here goes, I'll start with my best session I had on there. I'll give a little insight into the season first  and to what then followed. 

So its 2006 and just before the start of the season a mate i worked with , who also fished dinton, asked me if I'd like to go on his bait. It was a homemade bait so something I'd not really done in my fishing and especially as I was more than happy with premier baits and also the fact that I'd given a recipe to tony at premier for him to roll for me and some mates on dinton that year but I wasn't sure. This mate and a few of his mates always caught loads of fish from dinton. 20 plus fish a year each which isn't or wasn't heard of on there, especially being they were all weekend anglers and along with the numbers of fish they also caught the big lumps. Over and over they would catch them between them all so I decided to go with him purely on the fact his bait had a knack of catching big fish. So my mates were left with the new premier bait and I went with my mate I worked with. He decided upon a milk protein bait to use that year, a very high protein one at that. So opening night (june 15th midnight)and my mate bags a 49lb mirror, the other bloke on the bait had a 44lb mirror and I sadly had nothing. I blame the draw Haha,  but straight away he was saying, "told you, this bait will have'em this year". Fast forward to the middle of October and we were struggling like mad. I'd had 4 or 5 fish til that point and my other 2 mates not much more. My other mates on the prem though (4 of them) all into double figures with a couple of the bigguns amongst them. I was well gutted, what a waste of a season I thought. Though my mate whose bait I was on said, " don't worry, this bait comes into it's own in the winter.  The colder the better". The following weekend and he had bailed out and gone to an easier water, now I was doomed. Now a lot of hard work, a nice slice of luck and if I do say so myself a pretty good bit of angling changed my season around.

Now fast forward again to 19/01/07 and my best session.  

So I get down usual time of about 3pm on the friday. Only a handful of us fishing the lake now as most packed it in at the end of October , so knew I'd get "my "swim. I was baiting 3 spots in this swim and had been since mid August when that area became unfishable so I hatched a plan to bait down there knowing it was free food for the fish and no one could fish off my back. So all sorted by 4-30pm. At 5-00pm I'm off to my mates swim, so I place my Neville sounder box on a bank stick as I had the box with wires back then and faced it towards my mates swim which was about 250 metres away (yes not good angling but it's what we did). So I get round there and its pitch black,  tea in hand my mate says "that a red light on your sounder box?". I looked up and said yeah but it will go out in a second,  did it hell. So I'm sprinting as fast as I could along the path, the nearer I get the louder the Neville is screaming.  I hald expected to find swans as it was pitch black and couldn't really see from my mates swim. No swans, middle rod is ripping. I lift the rod and thump,  thump,  thump.  Christ I thought, this is a lump. Not a spectacular fight, just a heavy weight.  My mate arrives as the fish is nearing the net and one scoop it's in. Head torch on and there's a lump of a mirror "the dustbin ". Onto the mat , in the sling and needle stops at 44lb 06oz. Well made up. Lift the fish for the pictures and right rod bursts into life. I hit the rod, one mate sorts the fish and another is there and he reasembles the net. Play the fish In and again no real fight but a heavy weight.  In the net and torch on and a big common is staring at me. So sort the common out and a new PB common of 38lb 06oz . So a bit of composure and we do the pics, mirror first and then the common (the blind eye common its called). Blown away and a call to a good mate to say what happened etc. Now later that night one of my mates had the biggun at 53lb and ounces and another mate had a 32lb mirror.  

So first light and camera in hand off I go to take pics for my mates. The mate I called the previous night said he'd be down as he wanted to see the 50lber.  Now once again not good practice but I left my rods out and bearing in mind one mate is the opposite end of the lake to me  and being 23 odd acres I'm a little off my rods. First mate done,  the 32lb mirror.  Then to my next mate with the 50, he's only 200/300 metres from my swim. We do his pics and hand shakes etc and I head back to my swim with my mate who drove down to see the 50. My mate asked if my rods were out and i said jokingly "yeah of course, I've probably got one on". Walk into the swim and left bobbin is jammed into the Neville's wheel. Pick up the rod and once again just a heavy weight and not being big headed but after catching a few chunks you kind of know when you've got a kipper on. So in it comes and it rolls into the net, yup it's a kipper.  On the scales and the needle stops at 42lb. This is a fish known as "Astra" . Absolutely gobsmacked, I recall feeling 10ft tall, on cloud 9 literally.  The rest of the morning and day past and it was soon dark again. It was just past 6pm and right rod goes, this time a 32lb 12oz common Grace's the net and my last fish of that session.  I recall walking back to the van grinning from ear to ear. And not just for me but my mates 50 etc.

Dinton doesn't give up its residents that readily,  maybe half a dozen on a good weekend in summer or autumn but that weekend there were 8 fish banked. It was and still is my best session and one that I know I'll struggle to beat and it became the centre point of what turned into one hell of a winter for me. 

This last pic is of my fish list that season. The last 10 were from November til the end of the season which was the end of March. 

[snowmanstevo]

Some proper lumps there,mate. 😬😎🎣

[Pete Springate's Guns]

Thats’s some session mate and Winter indeed 👍👌👏 Probably when White was at its peak? Although its back to something like its best again now.

[emmcee]

35 minutes ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

Thats’s some session mate and Winter indeed 👍👌👏 Probably when White was at its peak? Although its back to something like its best again now.

Yes it was at its peak. There were 2 maybe 3 50's in there and 10 - 15 40's.

I think a year later we had terrible summer flooding and some fish escaped and some in the next few years died, mainly the bigger ones. 

But yes back to it's best if not better now. It's not for me though as a weekender. 

[yonny]

This is awesome mate. Not a bad sesh for January lol!

It would have been easy to ommit some of those details and I'm glad you didn't. That's what it was like back then innit. Excellent read and fantastic fish.

[yonny]

I think Astra appeared in the Loftus chapter in one of Tels books?

[Pete Springate's Guns]

22 minutes ago, yonny said:

I think Astra appeared in the Loftus chapter in one of Tels books?

Yes indeed, just re-read it!

[emmcee]

3 hours ago, yonny said:

This is awesome mate. Not a bad sesh for January lol!

It would have been easy to ommit some of those details and I'm glad you didn't. That's what it was like back then innit. Excellent read and fantastic fish.

You know it yonny.  On dinton in winter we were always "trotting"  , from one end of the lake to the other. Mainly because you knew you weren't going to catch haha. And also I've nothing to hide nor  nothing to gain from lying or not telling the full story. 

Glad you enjoyed it. I'll do some more once I scan a few more pictures.  

[emmcee]

3 hours ago, yonny said:

I think Astra appeared in the Loftus chapter in one of Tels books?

Yes it was. I think he renamed it Astra-max due to it being its top weight when he caught it or his van was an astramax, something silly like that. Mind you that was before I got on there.  He also renamed another fish, " the long linear" which after he caught it  suddenly became "Bernie's linear". Mind you some of the members named fish at the drop of a hat. Some were ridiculous and being named for the sake of it. On dinton if you caught a new 40 then you could name it. My mate had a 48lber that was stocked from black swan into white swan and as he was the first to catch it he named it. This went onto to be called "Sid" (my mates nickname), the next thing you know one of the glory wannabes on dinton had renamed it "Sid the Pig". Some people are so desperate to be "someone " they'd do anything to be noticed Haha. 

[Pete Springate's Guns]

You tempted to ever go back Emcee? I had to drop my Gold card last year but back on the list for Black/Gold, whichever comes up first🤞🙏

[emmcee]

1 hour ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

You tempted to ever go back Emcee? I had to drop my Gold card last year but back on the list for Black/Gold, whichever comes up first🤞🙏

I'd love to go back but only if I could do mid-week.  The weekend's were and apparently still are a nightmare which is why I called it a day when I did. 

[Pete Springate's Guns]

11 hours ago, emmcee said:

I'd love to go back but only if I could do mid-week.  The weekend's were and apparently still are a nightmare which is why I called it a day when I did. 

Yeah, I understand that. I had half a dozen sessions on White through my summer holidays and was able to fish mid-week-fantastic water. Black was mad busy through the Spring (like everywhere!) but much quieter after spawning. I think the boats, general public etc plus the algae blooms put a lot off.

[chillfactor]

Awesome angling as usual mate 😎

[emmcee]

2 hours ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

Yeah, I understand that. I had half a dozen sessions on White through my summer holidays and was able to fish mid-week-fantastic water. Black was mad busy through the Spring (like everywhere!) but much quieter after spawning. I think the boats, general public etc plus the algae blooms put a lot off.

That's what put me off on black swan. I fished it for a couple of months one season and then the following season I gave it my full attention, doing the whole season on there. I'm pretty sure I was top rod that season but had nothing big. A few 30's to 38, the 38 being "the unit".  I did lose a couple of fish that I felt were proper chunks,  I just couldn't hold them. But the public etc on there done me In so I called time after one season. 

[Pete Springate's Guns]

Its not for everyone but I loved it on there-just wish I’d had the money at the time to renew my Gold ticket. Biggest I had was 38 too. Like you I was flat rodded once in Peg 1; lost it to a hookpull, partially opened a Drennan Conti Size 4😳. Saw an absolute chunk in front of Peg 3 whilst out in the boat-thought it was a log until I drifted over and it grew fins and waddled off-I very nearly fell in!

[emmcee]

3 hours ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

Its not for everyone but I loved it on there-just wish I’d had the money at the time to renew my Gold ticket. Biggest I had was 38 too. Like you I was flat rodded once in Peg 1; lost it to a hookpull, partially opened a Drennan Conti Size 4😳. Saw an absolute chunk in front of Peg 3 whilst out in the boat-thought it was a log until I drifted over and it grew fins and waddled off-I very nearly fell in!

Haha, I saw a big fish in there. I was looking in the little bay thats to the right of peg 30/31 (it was known as spooky bay when I fished it). There were a lot of fish in there and noticed a big common. I phoned my mate up and told him what I saw and he said that this common had not long been out at 41lb (recognizeable due to 3 missing scales on by its dorsal fin) .With that a mirror came up next to it and it dwarfed it by a lot. 

I saw this same mirror in peg 39, it rolled about 15yds in front of me. Came half way out, I had tourettes for the rest of that day. Haha 

[B B]

 Well written cracking fish and good pics  👍

[Pete Springate's Guns]

A long-term member told me about seeing the ‘Unit’ at very close range (he had witnessed it caught the day before at 44lb) tight in under a bush and being bullied out by a fish he reckoned was a good 10lb bigger....its some place😎

[emmcee]

7 hours ago, Pete Springate's Guns said:

A long-term member told me about seeing the ‘Unit’ at very close range (he had witnessed it caught the day before at 44lb) tight in under a bush and being bullied out by a fish he reckoned was a good 10lb bigger....its some place😎

It sure is some place. There are 3 or 4 absolute donkeys in there. I'd love for just one to get caught so the doubters know for a fact they are in there. 

And I'd hazard a guess that the fish you lost, the couple I lost and other fish that I know have been lost are more than likely these fish that are doing it. 

[emmcee]

So yesterday I managed to scan some more pictures from the list in my opening thread. So I'll do write ups on these captures.  

So I'll go back to the end of October. My mate who's bait I was on had bailed out and also the other fella on the bait. Now One thing my mate had told me earlier in the season was that fish loved robin red and especially in the winter ( I know everyone knows that fish love robin red but in a milk protein, I'd not even considered that). So as I was now on my own on the bait I decided to tweak it a bit. We had been on a strawberry flavour that my mate had sourced, it was used to flavour ice cream so was a very thin liquid and it leaked out exceptionally well.  But to this and as winter was approaching I added Robin red, bergamot essential oil and addit digest. Now I already had 10kg knocked up in plain milk and then rolled another 10kg in the robin red. Now I had actually been baiting 2 swims for a while, one where I had my good session and another that was a marginal spot further back up the lake that would be a fall back swim incase I couldn't get into my prime spot. Now the last weekend in October I managed a 30lb 06oz mirror from my main baited swim. Sadly the following weekend I couldn't get in there so fished my back up swim. 

So I'd set up on the friday by 4-30/5pm. My bivvy was set right back due to the main spot being a marginal spot. I'd deposited a few handfuls of chops over the spot and a dumbell wafter hookbait.  I recall it being bang on 7pm as one rolled right over my margin spot. Now I should add this spot although only a a couple of rod lengths out next to a Reed bed is 9ft deep. A mate popped round to see me and I'd said I seen one. As we chatted quietly another rolled, followed by another and another.  By 10pm we had witnessed over 20 fish roll, I was pulling my hair out. Was it tangled,  was the additional bits to the bait too much. Loads going through my head. Now to cut a long story short, that weekend I had a total of 37 shows over that one spot. I recast 3 times, each time the rig came back spot on. I packed up scratching my head. 

Back down on the following Wednesday for my usual baiting session. 2kg of red milk in my main baited  swim plus some particle as the tufties had started to appear and I wanted something there if or when the fish visited. My back up swim though I gave it a gallon of red maggots thinking the fish were hitting the last of the naturals and I intended on getting back in there on the friday. 

The friday comes and I manage to get the fall back swim. I set up and deposit half a gallon of red maggots on the marginal spot.  Whilst I let that settle i head to my main swim and deposit 3kg of red milk in there (1kg per spot). Back to my swim and 4 fake maggots on a blow back rig are lowered on to the spot. Once again 7pm and the first show. I'm really confident.  By 10-30 and a few lines the doubts are coming in. But I know the rig is  lowered spot on. I hit the sack about 11 but i can't sleep, the odd fish rolling keeping me awake thinking it will go any minute. It was about 2am I think and I crash out, proper deep sleep after a hard week at work etc. And you know what's coming, im woke by a faint alarm sound.  Thinking it can't be mine as not loud enough I then hear the bobbin smack the butt with incredible force. That has me out the bag and the margin rod is ripping.  I get to the rod and notice my jack plug has fallen from my taped up alarm so no sounder box but luckily the fish had gone to open water. This fish beats me up for about 5mins before I get it to the surface and notice a nice linear roll over, I know which fish it is as I had it in my first season on there. . I net the fish and sure enough it's a fish known as Sandy.  On the scales and 40lb 06oz I'm not complaining, its down a 1lb from my previous capture.  The rest of the session went by without so much as a beep but I'd take what I had very happily. I don't really like repeat captures but they are part and parcel I'm afraid, especially as I'm not a stalker so can't pick and choose the fish. 

The 30lb 06oz mirror from the end of October. "Single scale" 

Sandy at 40lb 06oz. 

Edited April 14, 2020 by emmcee

[yonny]

1 hour ago, emmcee said:

By 10pm we had witnessed over 20 fish roll, I was pulling my hair out.

I've been there mate. Being on fish and getting mugged off is almost more frustrating than not being able to get on fish😂

That lin is like 😮😮😮

Awesome stuff.

[emmcee]

24 minutes ago, yonny said:

I've been there mate. Being on fish and getting mugged off is almost more frustrating than not being able to get on fish😂

That lin is like 😮😮😮

Awesome stuff.

Totally right mate. If you're not on them then you can't catch them. But having them all over you and not catching is proper frustrating.  Had it many times on dinton.  We used to say if they showed on you then move Haha. 

I recall one session when I had a guest down. The first evening/night I must have had 50 shows in my area. My mate was , "you're going to hammer them". I knew I'd have nothing. The next evening and night still showing but a lot less. The sunday morning and not a fish insight. And similar to you, I was  just packing up. I thought I'd wind the left rod in first. Just put that rod in the sleeve and my other rod rips off and I had the long linear (Bernie's linear). Fine lines. Like you, 2 seconds earlier and you would have pulled the bait from the commons mouth. Sometimes your name is on it and sometimes it's not. 

[emmcee]

So I've finally scanned the rest of the pictures from my list in my opening post. So I'll continue with that winter. 

After catching "Sandy" from my back up swim I went back in there the following friday and I recall not seeing anything so moved to my main swim on the Saturday.  Once again that night was very quiet so after packing up I put all remaining bait out on the 3 spots. I recall the long range forecast and it had a proper wet and windy one coming in the following weekend.  I was back down again on the Wednesday and I gave it 1kg of boilie on each rod and half a bucket of hemp per spot as well. 

So the following Friday arrived and I got down my usual time for a friday. True to the forecast and it was certainly a strong wind , very mild and a bit wet. On arrival I saw a fish show about 150yds up the lake. My main swim was bang centre of the bottom bank right at the bottom of the lake and from there  I could see 85% of the lake from my swim. The only part I couldn't see was the car park bay. 

So being encouraged by the sighting and the wind howling I was quite confident.  I certainly heard a few crashing out, the wind carrying the sound to me so I wasn't entirely sure how close they were. Seeing that the wind was properly howling now the loose weed that was on the surface around the lake through decay or from being uprooted was blowing into my lines as I'm right on the end of the big south westerly. Back then my Neville alarms were continually beeping through the weed as the wheel would rock back and forth with each wave. 10-30 that evening and the right hand rods single beeps turned into a one noter.  Picking the rod up and I recall being flat rodded instantly and the clutch spinning which was done up quite tight due to the odd weed beds that were still around. The fish was feeling heavy and with its power it gave me a proper scrap. To my right was Reed bed which the fish headed for once I got it closer in. Luckily all the weed that had blown down formed a raft before the reed bed and once the fish found that and got covered in weed it stopped fighting. With that ,steady pressure applied and I scooped the lot up. Even with a net full of weed the tail was curved up the side of the net, holy **** this must be a long fish. Get my head torch and peel away the weed and there lying in my net is " the long linear " also known as "Bernie's linear". So I weigh the fish and it's a new PB for me so I sack the fish and go to see my mate. Being the time of year and the big wind the oxygen levels should be high so my mate suggested to sack the fish up until morning. I wasn't so keen but by this time it was near on midnight as I'd cast back out , had a cuppa etc before going to see my mate. I didn't sleep a wink that night worrying about the fish, constantly checking it, making sure it's up right and gills moving etc. As soon as there was a hint of light coming I told my mate to come round. So pictures done and a new PB, catching  "Sandy"a couple of weekend's before my poor season was slowly getting better. 

The rest of the weekend past without a bite. I did see the odd fish but that was it. A few more blank weekends followed this fish. Mid December though and another big wind was forecast.  So pre-baiting continued through rain or shine , blanking or catching, the bait would still go in no matter what. 

This particular weekend I saw fish on the friday again but no joy.  The Saturday was to see the wind pick up even more. To the point that I didnt sleep for one minute due to fearing that my bivvy would either be blown away or the tree next to my bivvy would blow over. My Neville alarms were continually beeping , driving me mad so I decided as I wouldn't be getting any sleep I turned them off. Around 3 or 4am the wind eased off just slightly and I crashed out. I was awaken by a phone call, one of the lads up on the back of the wind was calling me. "Hello " I said,  all he said was " thank god for that, you're alive". No word of a lie the wind being in my face was that hairy through the  night my mate was genuinely concerned for my safety.  Phone down and the next thing I hear is my bobbin smacking the butt of my right hand rod. I'd forgot my alarms were off. Pick up the rod expecting the fish to be out to my right and the line pings up through the water and starts heading on a 45degree angle to my left, what the hell. Anyway this is just a solid and unbelievably heavy lump. No line being taken just very slowly moving towards me. A mate further round the lake sees me and comes to see me. Slow steady pressure and all we see is a weed bed the size of my bivvy coming towards me and my line going into the middle of it. Weed bed in the margin and my mate is tearing at the weed bed. All of a sudden a rod length behind the weed bed and from the depths a right kipper swirls on the surface.  The line pulls tight as the fish makes a lunge. This weed bed is so big and so entangled my line just isn't coming out of it so I play this fish with my rod top to the weed. I get the fish back in and just within netting range, it rolls on top, its "paw print " and looking huge.  Lower the net and it makes one last lunge and with it the line parts at the weed bed.  #### absolutely gutted. I had caught this fish before in my first year on there at 32lb but it was most certainly a lot bigger,  last out at 39lb so being winter it certainly looked 40 but I'd never know, or would I? ..... to be cont' 

[B B]

Awww my giddy aunt.... gutted for you 

[yonny]

I am loving these posts mate.

That is ridiculous↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓. What a fish, and a fantastic shot too.

13 hours ago, emmcee said: