April catch reports

[jules007]

Finally broke my record long blank and hooked and landed a lovely 12lb common today, while playing it i kept it up in the top layers and it looked a right belter, thought it may go 16lb plus but seems not, good to get a fish, no pic as no one to do the honours 

[jh92]

Went on a quest for my first catfish this weekend, I lost one the other night as it was steaming towards a bridge, I was felt a bit defeated lol. Anyway I carried on and managed this beauty this morning at 29lb 8oz 👍buzzing 👍👍

Anyway I feel like I got the bug for these things so getting some catfish rods ordered, I now want a bigger one but have learnt I need stronger gear lol.

I'm wet and covered in slime, so packing up and going home 🤣 mission complete 👌

[yonny]

Caught my first carp of the year this weekend after a winter in which I did next to no angling for one reason or another. The weekend started well with 3 carp and a tench. Another bite resulted in a loss on Saturday morning but it was enough to have me blagging another night. Unfortunately, despite that warm sunshine, that cold easterly had them backing off and without a move on the cards I was stuck camping for the night. Still, a lovely weekend and I just hope I can get back out at some point soon.

Here's the best of them. The linear is I think an original, typified by the little melted heart-shaped tail that most of the OG's in this water have. The common is I think a stock fish but no less welcome for it. Clearly one on it's way to being a real biggun.

 

[ouchthathurt]

  On 07/04/2025 at 06:19, jh92 said:

Went on a quest for my first catfish this weekend, I lost one the other night as it was steaming towards a bridge, I was felt a bit defeated lol. Anyway I carried on and managed this beauty this morning at 29lb 8oz 👍buzzing 👍👍

Anyway I feel like I got the bug for these things so getting some catfish rods ordered, I now want a bigger one but have learnt I need stronger gear lol.

I'm wet and covered in slime, so packing up and going home 🤣 mission complete 👌

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  On 07/04/2025 at 06:56, yonny said:

Caught my first carp of the year this weekend after a winter in which I did next to no angling for one reason or another. The weekend started well with 3 carp and a tench. Another bite resulted in a loss on Saturday morning but it was enough to have me blagging another night. Unfortunately, despite that warm sunshine, that cold easterly had them backing off and without a move on the cards I was stuck camping for the night. Still, a lovely weekend and I just hope I can get back out at some point soon.

Here's the best of them. The linear is I think an original, typified by the little melted heart-shaped tail that most of the OG's in this water have. The common is I think a stock fish but no less welcome for it. Clearly one on it's way to being a real biggun.

 

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Great result lads, well done 👍🏻

[jh92]

Off the mark with this mirror at 19lb 8oz, not the species I'm after but I will take it 🤣 nailed it on a size 2 wide gape double 20mm boilie 🤣

[jh92]

21lb 12oz common 👍

[B B]

  On 08/04/2025 at 16:52, jh92 said:

21lb 12oz common 👍

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Looks like the same swim you had the cat in 👍

[yonny]

  On 08/04/2025 at 14:13, jh92 said:

not the species I'm after

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Starts fishing for cats...... catches carp.

I think it's clear if you want a cat you need to get the carp gear back out 😅

[salokcinnodrog]

  On 07/04/2025 at 06:56, yonny said:

Caught my first carp of the year this weekend after a winter in which I did next to no angling for one reason or another. The weekend started well with 3 carp and a tench. Another bite resulted in a loss on Saturday morning but it was enough to have me blagging another night. Unfortunately, despite that warm sunshine, that cold easterly had them backing off and without a move on the cards I was stuck camping for the night. Still, a lovely weekend and I just hope I can get back out at some point soon.

Here's the best of them. The linear is I think an original, typified by the little melted heart-shaped tail that most of the OG's in this water have. The common is I think a stock fish but no less welcome for it. Clearly one on it's way to being a real biggun.

 

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  On 08/04/2025 at 14:13, jh92 said:

Off the mark with this mirror at 19lb 8oz, not the species I'm after but I will take it 🤣 nailed it on a size 2 wide gape double 20mm boilie 🤣

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Those mirrors are impressive looking fish.

 

[jh92]

  On 08/04/2025 at 22:58, B B said:

Looks like the same swim you had the cat in 👍

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Yeah mate as I'm new to catching cats it seemed like a good idea as it's away from everyone else lol

  On 09/04/2025 at 05:59, yonny said:

Starts fishing for cats...... catches carp.

I think it's clear if you want a cat you need to get the carp gear back out 😅

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🤣🤣🤣 just my luck mate lol, they were proper on it though, I landed 3 and had a hook pull on 1 and a drop back that lead to nothing lol. Not much of a fight on the cat gear though, the rods are 4.5lb or 5lb tc I can't remember exactly but they are like broom sticks, and was using 25lb line 🤣

 

 

  On 09/04/2025 at 06:33, salokcinnodrog said:

 

Those mirrors are impressive looking fish.

 

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Thanks mate, not sure if its the strain but they had really weird eyes lol I did another mirror at 3am this morning, a mid double I expect, didn't bother weighing it or doing pictures, temps dropped and had ice on all my gear 🤣

That's me done for the next 10 days now, oh and the locking pins on my barrow broke as I hit a pothole with the wheel, barrow ended up rolling over, smashed my shin up as i tried to stop it🤣🤣🤣

 

[jh92]

Managed to sneak 3 nights in for this week to test my new rods 😏🤣

Had this one around 2am this morning at 29lb, caught it on a piece of chorizo sausage topped with half a pink wafter 👍 the rods are like broom sticks to cast with, but have got a decent back bone, enough to put pressure on the fish and turn it when its heading towards snags 👍 

[jh92]

Done a mid double common yesterday and just done this one at 17lb 12oz, it's hammering down and my hood wouldn't stay up, it all went wrong 🤣

Anyway it will be my last night tonight, hopefully get another cat 👍

[jh92]

Shambles lol, I should of deffo checked the weather and put a bit more thought into where I was setting my bivvy up, the rain continued all through yesterday and got heavier over night with thunder, lightning and hailstones. The rain was so bad it made its way through the bivvy, the groundsheet some how failed and had water running across it. The ground I set up on just bogged down, this morning I was basically set up in a giant puddle, the bugs vacated the ground and decided to crawl in the bivvy, I had worms and slugs making the way up the bivvy, it was a complete mess 💀🤣 thrown the towel in this morning and just packed up in the rain, piled it all into the car soaking wet 🤣🤣no more fish to report lol

[chillfactor]

Great stuff lads .... good to see you out catching.  I'm off to churn pool at the end of the month with a few mates . First time fishing in a long time !  

Hopefully have something to write about.  

[yonny]

  On 17/04/2025 at 06:48, chillfactor said:

Hopefully have something to write about.  

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No doubt you will fella 👌

[elmoputney]

  On 17/04/2025 at 06:48, chillfactor said:

Great stuff lads .... good to see you out catching.  I'm off to churn pool at the end of the month with a few mates . First time fishing in a long time !  

Hopefully have something to write about.  

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Good luck matey, hope it's a memorable one. 

[yonny]

Hoping @Pete Springate's Guns gives us the low down on his latest result!

[Pete Springate's Guns]

  On 17/04/2025 at 16:58, yonny said:

Hoping @Pete Springate's Guns gives us the low down on his latest result!

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Ha! I’ve been lurking and not contributing for some time now but a new PB is worth sharing…..

I’m still on a session at Dinton’s Black Swan as I type this………Arrived at dawn yesterday. Clearly lots of fish still in the big ‘winter bay’ despite being on the back of a big SW. Lapped a couple of times, debating where to plot up with 3 nights ahead. Decided to keep it simple and put my rigs where the fish were actually showing rather than where they might end up……

Cast 3 singles out for drops amongst the emergent Eel grass which they seem so attracted to. Decided to get my head down for a couple of hours-I’d set off at 2.45am. An hour or so later I’m woken by a screaming Neville. Lifted in to a very heavy feeling fish which was dogged rather than spectacular. Worryingly, it hit the surface about 25 yds out and started shaking its head at me as I led it in; with braided mainline I’m always anxious when they do this with no water depth to cushion the lunges. Fortune was on my side and I netted a Common that got larger with every yard I gained. 

With the assistance of 3 other anglers we weighed and photographed an amazing creature of 53lb 2oz! Blown away! 

[yonny]

Absolutely next level mate! Awesome!

Edit: what a shot too. Fantastic photo of a fantastic carp.

Edited April 17 by yonny

[Roughtor]

  On 17/04/2025 at 17:23, Pete Springate's Guns said:

Ha! I’ve been lurking and not contributing for some time now but a new PB is worth sharing…..

I’m still on a session at Dinton’s Black Swan as I type this………Arrived at dawn yesterday. Clearly lots of fish still in the big ‘winter bay’ despite being on the back of a big SW. Lapped a couple of times, debating where to plot up with 3 nights ahead. Decided to keep it simple and put my rigs where the fish were actually showing rather than where they might end up……

Cast 3 singles out for drops amongst the emergent Eel grass which they seem so attracted to. Decided to get my head down for a couple of hours-I’d set off at 2.45am. An hour or so later I’m woken by a screaming Neville. Lifted in to a very heavy feeling fish which was dogged rather than spectacular. Worryingly, it hit the surface about 25 yds out and started shaking its head at me as I led it in; with braided mainline I’m always anxious when they do this with no water depth to cushion the lunges. Fortune was on my side and I netted a Common that got larger with every yard I gained. 

With the assistance of 3 other anglers we weighed and photographed an amazing creature of 53lb 2oz! Blown away! 

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Wow ,that's fantastic ,great photo ..

 

Need to have that framed and put on your wall..

[elmoputney]

  On 17/04/2025 at 17:23, Pete Springate's Guns said:

Ha! I’ve been lurking and not contributing for some time now but a new PB is worth sharing…..

I’m still on a session at Dinton’s Black Swan as I type this………Arrived at dawn yesterday. Clearly lots of fish still in the big ‘winter bay’ despite being on the back of a big SW. Lapped a couple of times, debating where to plot up with 3 nights ahead. Decided to keep it simple and put my rigs where the fish were actually showing rather than where they might end up……

Cast 3 singles out for drops amongst the emergent Eel grass which they seem so attracted to. Decided to get my head down for a couple of hours-I’d set off at 2.45am. An hour or so later I’m woken by a screaming Neville. Lifted in to a very heavy feeling fish which was dogged rather than spectacular. Worryingly, it hit the surface about 25 yds out and started shaking its head at me as I led it in; with braided mainline I’m always anxious when they do this with no water depth to cushion the lunges. Fortune was on my side and I netted a Common that got larger with every yard I gained. 

With the assistance of 3 other anglers we weighed and photographed an amazing creature of 53lb 2oz! Blown away! 

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Wow😍 😍😍😍  that is next level, congrats Mr Guns that is a mega stunning beauty. Well done Yonny for making it happen too it would have been criminal not to share this one 😏 good luck for the rest of the trip 👍

[Roughtor]

Where I live there is an abundance of disused ,deep quarries,some are barren,and fishless...but a few have some surprises and have held carp and other species for many years ..

When you fish these places,you have to think like a miner  ,and find the galleries, which are mined ,and step down into unimaginable depths ,find the galleries and you find the patrol routes..

The weather was awful ,I had a river running under my shelter,at one point ,wind,rain,hail,thunder,lightning..and a big fear of falling branches made it interesting..,then all the mica,clay residue gets everywhere...anyway ..

 

I found the marginal gallery, and fished very simple running lead tactics ,using the Ressi specials I use a lot..After the storm had passed ,I seen kingfisher,heard deer rutting,and woodpeckers, nature at its best ..

[Roughtor]

Also during the storm, I heard a right commotion behind me in the woods and saw a roe dissappear like a rocket past me in the half light ,in the morning I put my 'tracking ,predation head on ' and soon found this ...

[chillfactor]

  On 17/04/2025 at 17:23, Pete Springate's Guns said:

Ha! I’ve been lurking and not contributing for some time now but a new PB is worth sharing…..

I’m still on a session at Dinton’s Black Swan as I type this………Arrived at dawn yesterday. Clearly lots of fish still in the big ‘winter bay’ despite being on the back of a big SW. Lapped a couple of times, debating where to plot up with 3 nights ahead. Decided to keep it simple and put my rigs where the fish were actually showing rather than where they might end up……

Cast 3 singles out for drops amongst the emergent Eel grass which they seem so attracted to. Decided to get my head down for a couple of hours-I’d set off at 2.45am. An hour or so later I’m woken by a screaming Neville. Lifted in to a very heavy feeling fish which was dogged rather than spectacular. Worryingly, it hit the surface about 25 yds out and started shaking its head at me as I led it in; with braided mainline I’m always anxious when they do this with no water depth to cushion the lunges. Fortune was on my side and I netted a Common that got larger with every yard I gained. 

With the assistance of 3 other anglers we weighed and photographed an amazing creature of 53lb 2oz! Blown away! 

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Well I picked a good day to log back in .

Congratulations on the pb hell of a common that mate 😎 

And thanks for the welcome back lads 😎

[elmoputney]

  On 17/04/2025 at 19:20, Roughtor said:

Also during the storm, I heard a right commotion behind me in the woods and saw a roe dissappear like a rocket past me in the half light ,in the morning I put my 'tracking ,predation head on ' and soon found this ...

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Excuse my ignorance but.

What is that???