WINTER FISHING: BBBBBRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Hi there,

It's been a long while since my last blog (does this sound uncannily like a confessional speech?). Well the truth is I haven't been fishing for quite some time but in the hope of righting a wrong, I'm both writing and fishing again:)

Although it may seem like madness to be going fishing so early on in the year, that's my full intention (and plenty of it too). My thinking behind this decision centres of the theory that if I can catch in the freezing temperatures and get some early practice in, it must surely stand to reason that the milder months will seem like a stroll in the park. Hopefully, by which time, I shall have overcome some of my worst habits such as snagging in trees, casting with no apparent accuracy and being generally clumsy.

In preparation for my forthcoming jaunt to the local fishery, I have prepared a mix of groundbait consisting of red crumb, ground hemp, ground halibut pellet and fish meal. Ground hemp is a firm favourite of mine already as it fizzes up in the water and, even though I know nothing of the science of it all, my female logic assumes this may increase the prospect of grabbing some fishy attention. In addition to this, I bought a pint of maggot last week and as the torrential downpours and persistent untamed winds prevented my using them, a friend suggested I freeze them and use them in my groundbait mix at a later date. Being quite the novice, and willing to accept any advice that comes my way, this is what I intend to do.

Having only caught a hybrid roach (see the piccie?) on my first expedition of the year, I'm looking forward to getting out there and wetting my net with something a bit more substantial, although at the moment I'm happy to catch anything better than a rusty tin can or clump of weed.

Fishing in winter can be hard going and I have been advised by a lifelong fisherman who knows his stuff to feed little and often, fish in the deeper water on the bottom and in the sunnier spots. This is because fish tend to feed less enthusiastically during winter months and the deeper waters with sunnier areas are a couple of degrees warmer which the fish like and will increase the success rate of catching. Bearing this in mind, I will give it my best shot and see what happens. Oh, and I was told to fish in the same spot but knowing my aim that may be a little harder to achieve.

The main aim is to enjoy the experience, so with this as a priority, I'm looking forward to a new year filled with fishing frolics and fun:)

Might I also thank all the guys at http://www.breaking thesurface.co.uk/ for their fantastic forum (which is second to none) and invaluable friendly encouragement and advice... You're the best!!!!

All that's left to do now is try and get some sleep (which is easier said than done as I'm getting pretty giddy and silly about it all) and get going tomorrow.

Tight Lines

Ladyhooker :)

What do creative writing & fishing have in common?

Another hobby of mine is creative writing (it’s what I studied at University), so every once in a while you might find a short piece of prose or poetry pop up on the blog…I’m afraid this is one of those times. This particular piece is about when

I was lucky enough to catch Mary, my very first carp:

Mary

The racing wind hurled a cold, translucent battalion of watery arrows against my face and body. The spattering patter drove against the surface of my waterproof jacket. My saturated pants shone like latex, making my legs shiver as I stood at the lake edge. It was difficult to keep the rod still through the feeling of intense cold.
The outer margins housed an abundance of vegetation turned russet in the autumnal season. Each south westerly gust of scathing wind swayed the crisp, jostling leaves to and fro directing my drop bait and float further into the bank. With the prospect of a line tangle in sight I contemplated recasting but decided to wait a little longer.
Throwing a small handful of live maggots around the float, I noticed an instantaneous waver pulling the fluorescent orange tip further into the water. There was something nipping at my double hook bait of curling maggots. With eyes fixed intently to the spot, something told me this could be the moment I was going to catch. Another small dip transpired. Another…then another. Suddenly, my indicator disappeared completely into the silvery waters crust. I struck. Instantly there was a heavy pull from underneath.
I switched my anti-reverse lever to the left of my spool and wound back to ease the tension of the tugging from below. The fight began; I was playing a fish at last. Once the weight of the fish relaxed against the slack I wound down. Pulling the rod upwards, the muscles in my arm tensed as the furthest end of my rod curved into a deep arc. The fish began to pull again. I wound back once more. My catch relaxed somewhat so I repeated the wind down motion.
The cold may have made my target more lethargic than in the summer months as the fight was not as hard as I expected. It wasn’t long before I could see the silken, creamy underbelly of the creature twisting under the surface of the shining waters skin. Bringing her gently forwards, the head came into clear view. Once securely netted, I brought her out of the water and rested her gently on an unhooking mat, took out the hook and smiled with sheer delight as the fully scaled mirror carp looked at me with innocent, gingery eyes.
She was stunningly beautiful probably only around 4.5 – 5 lbs in weight. Her scales glinted like chiselled shards of slate on the surface of her moist skin. Glowing beiges, nutmeg browns and paler yellows shone like small pearly clam shells on her body. She jerked and flapped her tail to display her unrest so I covered her eyes lightly with the palm of my hands to calm her.
Placing my thumb in the fish’s mouth, I put the fingers of my left hand tenderly under her head whilst cupping the underside of the tail with my right so I could perform a low-level lift.
Grinning with illation, my legs trembled as I knelt on the muddy ground with my catch and looked up towards the camera. A snapshot in time captured forever where Mary and I shared the same moment. Who would have imagined the sense of pleasure and satisfaction gained such an event?
Why did I name her Mary? She was my virgin fish. The first carp I had ever landed. And as with all momentous occasions, this one will be etched in my mind forever.
Wishing to cause her as little distress as possible, I placed Mary in the landing net once more for her journey home. We said farewell as I returned her to the water.
The wicked wind and cruel rain had disappeared for the entire duration. It wasn’t until the moment ended that I noticed how extreme the weather conditions had become. This made me realize how intense a session of fishing can be, providing me with the insight as to why so many people throughout the world have made fishing the greatest sport in existence.

How to Fish cont......

We have already established that it’s highly unlikely from the equipment and bait you will be using to land yourself a colossal record breaker, but hey, that’s okay. As you can see from the photo (and the deranged grin on my face) there’s just as much pleasure to be found from catching small silver fish such as roach, perch, skimmer bream etc, as there is in any other and the benefits for a new angler far outweigh the negatives (if there are any). Why???
Firstly, as a novice, any fish is a bonus and the smaller ones tend to travel in groups which means that if there’s one in your swim there are potentially a lot more. As long as you keep up a steady supply of bait to keep them there you are more likely to catch a higher volume fish. Secondly, practice makes perfect and on one of my first fishing trips, both myself and my two boys had a fantastic time by pulling one small fish after the next whilst we left my boyfriend to the more technical art of carp fishing. Not only was it fun but it gave us the chance to get used to putting maggots on hooks, feeding the swim, casting out and reeling in which are all essential skills. Basically, why run before you can walk? Fishing is intended to be enjoyable and if like me you are happy simply to catch, float fishing is ideal.
Another consideration to bear in mind is that the very small fish don’t require landing via a net which keeps things nice and simple for a beginner (after all, we only have one pair of hands). Thirdly, although I was in the capable hands of my experienced angler partner, should I have caught anything bigger than a small perch, I would probably have panicked, possibly putting me off the sport and causing unnecessary damage to a larger fish that requires a certain amount of expertise to land. I truly believe that to be a responsible angler one should start from the bottom and work upwards, this way your confidence grows at a steady rate and you are never out of your depth (pardon the pun). However, there are some skills that you will need to master pretty swiftly:


HOW TO SET UP YOUR ROD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBFDFKt-j94&NR=1 (how to video).


YOUR FLOAT RIG
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=matt+hayes+float+&docid=1187156001154&mid=5C0F04FBB86F1ECF04EA5C0F04FBB86F1ECF04EA&FORM=LKVR# (Matt Hayes…float rig)

Plumbing the depth (using a plummet)
Plumbing your line to the correct depth is essential if you wish to maximize the number of bites you detect via your float tip. It’s a pretty tricky thing to do when you are new to fishing (as I have found) and takes plenty of practice.
Here’s a fantastic link that demonstrates all you need to know on this subject:
http://pleasurefishing.com/html/plumbingdepth.htm

Striking
The strike is a skill that you will need to master as soon as possible for any size fish. This is to ensure that the hook is set correctly in the mouth of the fish and ultimately that you will not lose the catch whilst bringing in.
http://www.5min.com/Video/Ledgering---Bite-indication-and-striking-8776


Disgorgers: An absolute must
One of the most challenging aspects of fishing for small silver fish would be that of getting to grips with using a disgorger. This skill, as with most things, improves with continued hands-on practice. Being a bit of a softie, I was worried that I would harm the fish but this is actually the correct way to safely and effectively remove hooks as they don’t often set on the lip and are virtually impossible to remove without.
Using a disgorger is easy once you know how and ensures that you are doing your utmost to respect the health and condition of each fish that you catch. Once you know how it’s easy. Here’s a link to a website I found explaining in simplistic terms how to use a disgorger:
http://www.totalfishinggear.co.uk/TFG_J08_VideoClips_Main.cfm?ID=201

So that’s some of the basics covered. You also need to know about baits (please see relevant section).

GETTING STARTED : TACKLE & OTHER ESSENTIALS

One of the first things to consider before you begin fishing is what equipment you will need. Not wishing to run before I could walk, I bought some basic essentials. All of the following items were very inexpensive and as I mentioned in my previous blog I am lucky enough to have an experienced angler to both advise and ,if need be, lend me some of the items I required. The list (below) includes the basic tackle needed to begin catching fish and a rough idea of clothing because nobody in their right mind would fish in British weather without making some kind of provision for it. So here's the list:

Tackle
Rod & reel, 3lb line, floats, disgorger, forceps, small tackle box (for keeping those bits and bobs in), net, shot, hooks (size 18 & 16), unhooking mat (not usually required for smaller fish but always handy in case you get extremely lucky on your first trips), bait box (maggot tub with aired lid), fishing umbrella, chair.

Clothing
The type of clothing needed really depends on the weather but a pair of sensible boots with socks are important all year round as they provide comfort and a waterproof jacket is a good idea for obvious reasons. There are many types of specialist clothing you might wish to purchase but as a beginner there's little point in going to the expense of kitting yourself out when you may decide after your first few trips that fishing simply isn't for you. Have a rummage around wardrobes and drawers and see what you find is one of the best pieces of advice I can offer. Muted colours are said to be less likely to make fish wary from their vantage point and layering clothes rather than sporting one item (especially above the waist) ensures you keep warm or are able to remove some should you become overheated.

So there you have the basics but always remember some of the equipment varies dependent on the type of fish you intend to catch. I was looking to net small coarse such as perch, Skimmer Bream, Roach or small carp (under 10lb). If you are looking to catch other varieties and larger fish you should always research before you commence which prepares you as much as possible for potential eventualities.

When you have the things you need, the next thing you need to do is find a suitable place to fish and plan your adventure (see post entitled 'Planning, Preparing and fishing loction').

Why Go Fishing?

Hello and welcome to my new blog about female fishing for beginners. As a recent convert to the sport, I decided to record some of my adventures as a personal record and for others to follow.
Dubious as to whether or not sitting in the cold, wind, rain and whatever other weather conditions might be thrown my way, I decided to give the world's most popular (and predominantly male) sport a try. Why?.... Well why not?
Another sway to my decision was that my boyfriend has over 26 years of fishing experience under his belt (or should I say Brolly or Bivvie) which began in childhood and with children of my own, I imagined it would be a great way to spend quality time together away from the rigours of modern life.
Getting away from it all, even for just a couple of hours occasionally, seemed like a fantastic idea and so the journey began.