Well people, me and lophius have just got back from a two day filming session at Emmotlands Fishery, just outside North Froddingham in East Yorkshire and what a session it turned out to be, well for me anyway. lol. Finally, after spending all season being Carls personal photographer and gilly I finally put a couple of fish on the scoreboard and beat my own PB, all on film too, bonus.
Day 1
Sunday afternoon start, 20 degrees and clear blue skies. Rods set up, one on kidney, one on sub surface livebait 2 foot off the bottom and one on boilie as this place is a popular carp water with carp in both the main lakes to well over thirty pounds, some over 40lb. Rods out, kick back in the sun and chill. Then out of the blue the lad in peg 1 hooks into a fish he has no idea of what. Its turns out to be a lovely 28lb cat taken at half 4 in the afternoon on a pineapple pop up zig rig 6 foot from the bottom. Confidence is high and we settle in for the evening. At dusk Carl gets one of only 15 bream in the lake on a maggot rig, then a couple of beers and bed after a screaming run from a small jack pike. 5:15 am and the livebait rod lights up. After a fight with the sleeping bag I manage to bend into a fish that is certainly not a jack pike. Twenty five minutes later, and after shouting Carl so loudly I woke everyone else but him I slip the net under a stonking cat. I wedge the net and go to wake sleeping beauty, still not sure what the cat will go as my radar is miles off this year. We get everything sorted and i try to lift the net and fish out the water and its obvious its a good fish. It has smashed the livebait perch and was hooked at the back of the mouth, then the moment of truth, we zero the scales in pop the fish into one of Erics slings, and its there, my new PB at 43lb on the nose. I almost take off for a lap of honour I am so chuffed. After photos and filming the fish goes back, then its back to bed to wait for the breakfast to be delivered to the bivvy.
Day 2
A quiet day with a couple of jack pike comes and goes, and after a few beers in the shop with jamie the baliff its back to the rods for the evening. This time its a surface and sub surface livebait and the boilie. I get the rods out, walk over to carls bivvy and open a beer. The rods had been in for half a tinny when the sub surface screamed into life again and after carl almost killing himself in the rush for my rods I latch into another cat. A real hard fast fight this time, all caught on camera and after ten mins I have another at 25 and half pound. Cracking looking fish and such hard fighters.
So there it is, my season has finally got going, at last. Have a look at the pics below and check out the new Emmotlands thread for a full run down of this great venue and a few things we have discussed with jamie that we may have coming up next year.
- from the topic: Better Late Than Never
Re: Now then fellas, play nice!!!!
November 2, 2009 by sas
Well fellas, just popping in before we jet off. The day was fantastic, the weather cleared and we had the most perfect day possible, I am very very hungover though. Cheers for all the best wishes, and a massive thanks to Carl (lophius) and his wife for there amazing suprise. I hope you enjoyed the day mate and I hope you twisted stew's arm into a barbel session or two. If not I will twist it for you. Thanks again lads and I will probably not be on now untill late next week so be good.
Now then fellas, play nice!!!!
October 29, 2009 by sas
Well chaps, the time has finally come. The wedding day that seemed so far away is now just around the corner. Sunday is the day that I actually have to start earning my catfish trips as I finally get that ring on my finger. So I am going to have to leave you all to play nicely as I am honeymooning alover for the net two weeks. Does anyone know if there are any cats in Iceland? lol.
So fellas, wish me luck, play nice and I will see you all on the other side!! D-Day approaches, lol
Re: Comedy Photos
October 29, 2009 by sas
Chris, they really are the funniest pics I have ever seen!!!!!!
Re: Landing Nets
October 29, 2009 by sas
The best gloves I have found are tradesmans gloves from good DIY shops or from electrical wholesalers, had a pair for years. They have finally dropped to bits but they were lovely and around the joints, and strong leather on the palms. Couldnt recommend them enough. They stood up to the rocks in india no problem and helped me control loads of cats.
Re: Rods
October 29, 2009 by sas
Its just a personal thing, Had loads of high thirties and a few fourties now and I dont feel I have done the cat justice unless I am knackered too. I know what you mean maurice about trying to turn a big one, I may be talked into going up to 3 1/2lb but I doubt I will go any further at the moment.
Re: reels
October 29, 2009 by sas
Nath, if you want to give emmotlands a go I can have a word with jamie as he is crying out for cat exposure. He probably wont charge either if its for an article. Its worth visiting, would be happy to take you up there. Give me a shout next time you are in donny, I only just moved from there, will come through and have a drink one night.
Re: What to do this weekend
October 29, 2009 by sas
Well I would crack the rods out one last time for the year lads, but unfortunatly I have a wedding to attend on sunday, and as its mine and mels wedding am sure she would be a bit pissed if I was sat behind the rods!!!! Time to focus on getting the nursery ready for our baby bump coming along in january, and maybe squeeze a couple of sessions in spinning for big perch on the canal or on the banks of the humber chasing my first elusive cod.
Re: Rods
October 25, 2009 by sas
Really not sure what to go for, didnt want to break the bank but I do like daiwa rods. Also played with the idea of making my own.
Re: Rods
October 21, 2009 by sas
Am in the market after christmas for four new cat rods. Have my eye on some daiwa pike rods, as to be honest I think they look like a better general cat rod than a standard carp rod. They have 4 more eyes than a standard carp rods and are designed for throwing heavy baits around. I would love some verdicts on these rods, I have posted the link below. The rod has 11 eyes as it a pike rod rather than a carp rod designed for distance.
http://www.daiwasports.co.uk/products/specialist/rods/689/5/mission-x-pike
Re: reels
October 21, 2009 by sas
Am shopping after before the season kicks off next year, I have a real soft spot for the GTE-B's. Lovely reels and they look great on the rods. They go quite cheap on e-bay, am after 4 8000's. Have been offered a new job which comes with a car so the wife to be has said I can use the money from selling mine to get some rods and reels. Not allowed to blow it all so I know what reels I want, now for the rods.
Winter Catting
October 19, 2009 by sas
Apart from Nath, is anyone going to be brave enough this year?
Re: Never caught a grayling
October 18, 2009 by sas
Maurice, how did you guess. lol. Only got one left now, the pike destroyed the other one. Wouldnt want to lose it in the bath though, that treble is bloody sharp! lol.
Re: Never caught a grayling
October 17, 2009 by sas
Nothing wrong with chucking some fluff dave, you are just too old to learn now aren't you mate? lol. The swale has loads in, but if its tons of grayling you want Brian, the river Wharf at boston spa is the place to go trotting. Tons and Tons of them in there, they are a bloody nuisance if you are trotting for barbel. It a mile off the A1 near wetherby. Day tickets from the tackle shop in the village. Cant fail on that stretch mate. Think I might have a go for some on the fluff this winter when I get a new fly rod to replace the one that I snapped the other week. Never had one on the fly, would love to get one on a dry fly. I fancy doing some piking on the fly this winter, I know just the lake, £3 for th day ticket if they ever bother to come round, and I had loads of fun the other year using a rubber frog. Loads of pike on the surface up to low doubles.
Re: rig photos
October 17, 2009 by sas
Simples, The large ceramic rings are the way forward. Cheers fellas.
Re: A problem with Korda
October 17, 2009 by sas
Well said maurice. I think they forget that fact sometimes.
Re: A problem with Korda
October 14, 2009 by sas
Its extreme, and it depends how pissed of you are with the lack of response, but some of the big tackle companies think they can take the piss out of us fisherman and we will just keep buying the stuff. I have a real issue with some tackle companies, especially after the lack of response I got earlier this year. The only firms that has ever answered any of my queries or given any kind of post purchase support are shimano and daiwa and I think that says it all.
Re: Targets for the winter.
October 14, 2009 by sas
I was refering to cats dave but I will give you that one dave, that is a serious fish.
Re: rig photos
October 14, 2009 by sas
Well then let do what this site is getting known for, and throw some ideas around and sort these problems out. I am with you on the first one, but I use a sliding stop knot behind a lead when I fish a fixed depth sub surface pop up livebait. I have tried to get my head around this but I am faced with pros and cons here. The pros are that I am fishing a fixed depth and not trusting to judgement, and the other is that the sliding stop knot gives a semi bolt action. The cons are as you said, if you do get a break then you are trusting that the stop knot will slide off allowing the lead to free. Not good I know. I think the only way aroud this is to fish the lead on a bolt clip and fish the hooklink to the depth required, but this then makes it difficult mid session if I wish to adjust the depth. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Re: A problem with Korda
October 14, 2009 by sas
One thing is for sure, it wont be getting removed from here lads so you can bitch as much as you want. Am with you dave, money talks, and as this site is free (yet costs me a fortune) you can vent as much as you want. Its such a valid topic though, the quality of tackle we are paying through the nose for. Am suprised Korda have not been in touch, but none of the big tackle firms give a monkeys about us cat lads, as I found out when trying to get sponsorship for the DVD. Not a sniff from anyone. The only thing we got free was a couple of days from the lads at one venue, and the use of their tackle shop. Has anyone thought of contacting trading standards on the grounds of false advertising. Things may change then!!!!
Re: Targets for the winter.
October 14, 2009 by sas
So very well done Nath. Have you got any pics, would love to splash them all over the site!!! I dont know about one of the fish of the year dave, I would put that down as the fish if the year! Well done, that is an acheivment and a half mate.
As for the charity thing mate, we were looking at the end of april, would love a couple of car fulls to head up the M1, hope you can join us nath.
Re: Targets for the winter.
October 9, 2009 by sas
Nat, have you tried joining as a member under a new user name? just a thought mate. Let me know.
