It's that time again

Merry Christmas to all who look in and may Santa bring you all you wish for, also tight lines for 2012 and all the big fish that come with em.

Good morning...even if it was early

Travelled down to the motel this morning for my 6.30am yes that's right 6.30am meet with Jeff, we were fishing for 7.30 ish and by wrapping up time at 12 noon we had managed 12 fish (7 to Jeff) up to approx 18lbs and I had lost 4, which serves me right for saying in the van on the way that I hadn't lost a fish all week.
All our fish were taken on the polaris float, a great way to catch the carp and a break from simply listening to the alarms. Thanks Jeff for the session, throughly enjoyed as always.

Brian my neighbour has just been round for a beer and a chat, arrangements made for golf on Tuesday at Upper Canada, can't wait.

Bad weather approaches

evidently so today I returned to yesterdays swim, result was 4 fish to 19-6, every fish was pristine and they fought hard all the way to the net. It is easy to forget that we are in October and within a couple of months the whole system will be completely frozen over. Tomorrow is work in the house and garden before my next session on Friday with Jeff.

What a bummer....................then

Took my time getting ready this morning, spoke to my son Joe on skype and had a long chat with an old friend known to most who follow this blog.....Cahal Daly who now lives in Australia before setting off for Long Sault. Called in at the motel to see Colin as he was returning home today then set off to the swim I fished last night. Would you believe it, one other bloody carper on the whole of the parkway and he is in the swim I was going to fish. All plans out of the window I jumped from one place to another but couldn't get settled. Finally I decided to fish the first bridge and as the wind was howling into the 'back door' I would at least be sheltered. Just got all the gear in place when it started to rain and rain and rain, the wind changed direction and whistled through the bridge and I had all on the keep the brolly in place. After about an hour the rod hooped over and I was into a fish, it fought hard in the current and when finally in the net looked like a good fish. It took the scales to 22-4.....result. Nearly a hour later I was in again, this time a 21-8 was on board, by this time the wind was so bad I had no option but to pack up but wasn't that bothered as the session had turned out good in the end. I might be on the bank tomorrow depending on the weather..............I am on holiday after all LOL.

Nice short session

On sunday I decided to take a trip down to Long Sault for a short afternon session into dark. The wind was a strong south westerly and there was a swim which I had been wanting to fish for quite a while and the wind was just right blowing from left to right. I started fishing at approximately 3.15pm and within 10 minutes had a 11-2 in the net, this was followed by two more of 16lbs and one at 14, nothing big but satisfying for a cool October day . I packed up at 6.30pm after putting in the remaining corn ready for the next morning

Heatwave over

The weather has broken here now and the weather is wet, windy but mild, hopefully just what the fish will want. Been for a game of golf to Upper Canada which is always a pleasant experience and on thursday night fished from 5pm to 10pm and managed 2 fish, one going 18-12 the other one about 12lbs.
Word has it that the carp are starting to feed so Monday may see the first proper session down at the Dam, I'm already looking forward to it.

Holiday weekend

It's thanksgiving weekend over here with Monday being a holiday day, took the temperature on the decking at 1.30pm today and it read 90 yes 90 degrees. Don't think I'll bother with the fishing till next week when it is supposed to get back to normal temps.

Phew

Went for my first session yesterday, fished Hoople on the float which usually guarantees fish....11.30 to 5.30pm nothing, zilch apart from one run which was probably a liner. Only saw 3 fish break surface in the time I was there. The weather is more like August than October at the moment and the anglers are struggling everywhere.

Tim............berrrrrrrrr

Today the tree guys are here to take out another 4 trees, this morning is a beautiful cool, crisp day without a cloud in the sky. Had a ride down to the motel last evening, fishing is very slow at the minute and has been through September so fingers crossed for an improvement there then.

If carlsberg did airports...................................

They certainly wouldn't have done Montreal. So you have sat on a plane for 7.1/2 hrs, been on the go for a total of 17 and you then end up in a queue with nearly a thousand people waiting to go through immigration..............deep bloody joy. Anyway after about 1.1/2hrs I finally got to pick up my luggage and meet up with my neighbour Brian who had kindly come through to pick me up.
Surely it's not rocket science to stagger incoming aircraft so that this ridiculous situation doesn't occur or perhaps they just don't give a toss. Either way something needs to be done, maybe next time it might be a flight to Ottawa.

House Renovations

From left to right

November 2007, May 2010, September 2011

September saw what is probably the final modification to the outside of the Canada house with installation of new sidings to try and make the property more modern looking.......we think we have achieved that and are pleased with the results. I am back over on the 3rd October for 3 weeks to close down the house for the winter, do a bit of decorating and hopefully catch a few carp and if I'm really lucky some other species.

New York, New York

Finished off our holiday with a trip to New York City, after a steady 9 hour drive most of which was through endless woodland, we arrived for our short two night stay on Staten Island we took the ferry across to New York city, this must be the best free…..yes free ride in the world, taking 20mins and passing by the Statue of Liberty before docking at Manhattan. We took the two tours up-town and downtown where we saw most of the sights, saw the park and finished off with a visit to Ground Zero where they are busy re-building the site, but nothing can prepare you for the true sadness you feel as you go round and massive waste of life caused by the terrorist attack. New York has made a lasting impression on me and i certainly aim to return again soon.

Apologies

for not keeping the blog update but here goes. Since the last post we had a session on the back door of the first bridge and managed 12 fish with the best one of 24.4 to Joe, we have had a couple of sessions on the Power Dam which have produced quite a few 20's to 24lb but nothing bigger. Julie has arrived and thankfully the weather is on the warm side so no complaints on that front. On Wednesday we got caught in a massive thunderstorm at at the dam and had to pack up at 9am as we were both wet through despite having a brolly..........it was a shame really as I had already caught a 24.4, a 21 and another scraper 20 and we had lost 2, the indications were that it could have been a good day but never mind. Another storm hit in the afternoon so the decision to come home wasn't a bad one.
Yesterday Thursday was a golf day with 3 friends at Cornwall Golf and Country Club, shot 78 which wasn't bad, then we were down to the Blue Anchor Restaurant on the waterfront for a lovely meal and a few beers.

Meet Catman Joe

Tuesday was an early start down to the Power Dam, temps were forecast to be in the high 80's again and they were not wrong. Fish came very, very steady throughout the session and by the time we packed up, we had totalled 11 fish between us including 3 - 20's and this 8lb catfish to Joe...........remember these Wazzy. Best fish of the session was a 23.14 to Joe

Bit of a disappointment

Went out to the new swim on Sunday, warm temps and north west winds didn't help matters and I only managed 1 fish around the 14lb mark, fish were moving along the shelf in front of me and were topping all over the place but obviously were not in a feeding mood and by 1pm I was heading home, I do think though that this swim has promise when the conditions change. It's back to the Power Dam on Tuesday..............we'll see how that goes

They're at it again

Went out today (Friday) to pre-bait a swim ready for fishing on sunday, the carp are spawning again so there is floating weed everywhere, on entering the bay where I am pre-baiting you could actually smell the fish, water depth is 23ft so hopefully due to the very warm weather we are having at the moment they will have taken refuge in the deeper water. We will see.

A good day at the office

On Wednesday we were up at the crack of dawn and leaving the house at 4.30am, on arrival at the Power Dam we set up the gear to the sound of crashing fish and cast out, my lead hit the bottom and immediately went off in my hand.....no waiting there then. Fish came thick and fast in the morning but action slowed down by around 11am as the sun came up and the air temp reached a very muggy 34 degrees, with no fish in the last 3 hours we decided to pack up at 6pm. Total catch for the day was 16 fish..................9 for Joe and 7 for me but the weights were impressive being 21.12, 22.6, 24.8, 25, 25.2, 26.8, 29.4 plus 9 mid doubles. No fishing now until saturday or sunday but we are going out in the boat to feed a new swim for a couple of days, the water is deep and hopefully will hold some big fishies.

On a non-fishing note, the Boston Bruins have just beaten the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup in ice hockey after a seventh game decider in Vancouver, this didn't go down well with the thousands watching on big screens in the streets as riots followed with cars overturned and set on fire, 3 people stabbed, shops looted, and major damaged committed. All in the name of sport.

The young-un shows the way

Thursday saw a return the island view swim, spawning activity was starting to decrease even if the temperatures weren't. Action again was very slow to start with but picked up by lunchtime and then got hectic for a couple of hours, in that time Joe managed 8 fish with a pb on the float of 26lbs-8ozs.....................I trailed behind with only 6 fish and a best of 24lbs-6ozs. By the time we reached home the air temp was approaching the 90's again, it's more like Florida than Canada at the moment.

Friday saw us once again back in our now familiar swim but this time activity was at a premium. We had intended to fish all day but with very little surface activity and only 3 small fish by early afternoon, we decided to call it a day. It seems that this swim is now finished for the season, once the fish have moved in to spawn they then move to deeper water out as the water temps increase in the shallows.....I am already looking forward to next May. We called in at the Motel on our way back, evidently all the guests were catching fish, big ones as well in the well known swims, for us Saturday and Sunday are days around the house, then on Monday its back down to the Power Dam, let's see if we can get Joe his 30.

Update

Sunday saw me heading for Montreal Airport to pick up Joe, he wasn't meant to be coming out till the end of June but has arrived early. He loves and misses his dad really but won't admit it.
Anyway on Monday we decided to fish from the bank close to the Marina, a swim that I had fished a few weeks earlier with Stuart, the weather was very hot and by lunchtime we had only 2 fish to show for our efforts......Joe had one around 11 and I had one which I would have put money on being a 30 but weighed in at 26-12. We decided we were flogging a dead horse by staying longer and packed up by 1pm. On the way home the temp was being shown at 94 degrees F.

The boat had developed engine problems over the weekend and was being repaired in the Marina, I got a call Monday evening that all was now fixed and we could take it out Tuesday.

We arrived at the Marina at 6.45am and decided to have breakfast first in the restaurant, copious amounts of coffee along with bacon, eggs, sausage and toast were devoured before we set off for my newly named ''island view'' swim ( romantic dont you think). Boy were we in for a shock, masses of floating weed covered the bay where hundreds of carp were busy thrashing about in spawning mode. Some just lay there and we were nearly able to touch them. Eventually after removing weed from the prop on more than one occasion, we reached the swim. I think we both knew we were wasting our time and with only 1 fish before lunch, we headed home making a few detours on the way, checking out possible fish holding areas. I told Joe not to be despondant, in a few days time things will change and the place will catch fire, just wait and see.

Wednesday was lie in day......well 8am, followed by office work all morning, we had a drive down to the power dam in the afternoon for a spin for walleye but the water is very high and still on the cold side, another week or two will be needed until this fishes me thinks

We aim to go out early Thursday morning, we'll see what that brings.

A slow start..........................then

Went back out today, conditions were not perfect as there was a north west wind blowing. I started fishing at 8 am and by 12 noon had nothing to show. Finally I was rewarded with my first fish and at 26-12 was a new pb on the float. This was then followed by a 21-4 before the icing on the cake being a new pb of 35lbs on the nose. I would like to say that it fought lke stink but alas it didn't......until it was in the net that is. I finished the session with eight fish all taken on the float and went home a happy man. God I love this place.

Wow its windy

But it wasn't when I took the boat out on Thursday.......nor was it forecast to be as strong. Went back to where I had cut out my new swim and found, probably 20 yds below, an area where I could actually sit on hard ground out of the water. 30 minutes with the secateurs and hey-ho swim No.2 was done. I catapulted a couple of pouches of corn out and literally within 10 minutes had caught a 20lbs 8ozs fish. Fish came thick and fast but the wind intensified so much that I had to stop fishing after 4 hours and get the boat to somewhere sheltered. I had caught 16 fish including 3 - 20s best going 24lbs in only 5 hours........not a bad mornings fishing. then spent 3 hours sat in the reeds waiting for the wind to subside so I could safely get back to the marina. Colin a guest with the Canadian Carp Club was having a red letter days fishing to remember, he only came out from the UK on Thursday and by the time he packed up he had caught 81 fish including 3 - 30s and a 25lb mirror, all on the polaris ( a new record for the CCC) I sat with him for the last hour, there must have been thousands of fish in front of him as the rod was never still.

Back out on the water

Yesterday was the first time out since Thursday due to my illness, the weather has now turned very warm and has reached 94 degrees as I sit here. Fished my swim at the top of the bay again and managed 10 but nothing of any size as the best was 17.5lbs, I cannot begin to explain how many fish were in the swim but we are talking hundreds if not thousands and it is highly likely that this weather will induce their spawning. The good thing is that due to the sheer volume of fish, they do not all spawn at the same time and it is quite possible that whilst fish are spawning in one bay, they are happily feeding in another. When I left in the boat I could hear them bumping on the bottom of the hull due the sheer numbers of fish.
Tomorrow I will be back out as wind is forecast so we could have a better day.......fingers crossed.

Now where did I leave that lawnmower.

Mirror, Mirror.......................

Took the boat out for the first time yesterday (Thursday), having scooted around for a while with the fish-finder on I settled on a previously unfished spot right on the end of a large bay, stood up in 4ft of water I rowed the boat out, put a marker in and dumped some corn, within 10 minutes I was getting movement on the line signifying there were plenty of fish around, though I knew that from the number of carp crashing out around me. It wasn't long before I netted the first fish and with regular spodding between 12 noon and 5.30pm I had landed 12 fish and lost 7, best 20lbs-8ozs and took fish both far out on the lead and close in on the polaris float. I also had my first Mirror which are far scarcer than the commons and followed it up later with another, needless to say I went home a happy camper (its not easy taking photos in the water with the self timer)
There were some very big fish showing themselves and I was looking forward to returning back today but the rain is banging down, it's windy and I am not well at the moment so hopefully will be out tomorrow.

The girls are back in town

Today (wednesday) was a day round the house working in the garden and getting the boat ready to take out on thursday. The engine had not been run since it was winterised in October but started second time, good engines those Mariners. A call to Jeff brought the news that the big girls have arrived in town. He had caught two thirties and there had been another caught. Yesterday another angler had caught three 30's in one session including a 39.12, not a bad session I'm sure you'll agree. Jeff finished with I think 15 fish including three 30's, best 37 and he packed up at 12.............oh and they were all taken ON THE FLOAT.

It's behind you......................

Yesterday (Tuesday) I paid my first visit to the Power Dam, I took the water temp which showed only 52 degrees so I didn't really expect anything. However I finished the session with three and lost one.....best being around the 23 mark. Have you ever been fishing and thought you were being watched, it happened here and on looking behind saw this lovely creature, apologies for the poor picture quality but you get the idea, she stayed for a couple of minutes before bounding off. Also had a walk down the bank and came across this eel...........didn't weigh it but it was 3.5 ft long, Jeff informs me that it is only a small one as he has seen them much bigger, I will have to have a go for them one night, bet they give a great fight.

It's not all about catching........but it helps

Well today the lads have returned home after what can only been described as one of the worst May weeks for bloody ages. Cold east winds with rain, rain and more rain together with cold water temperatures have all managed to hamper catching, but they did get a few 20's in the harsh conditions along with some smaller ones. I will post more on the catch when Wazzy gives me the info.
Despite the fishing we managed to have a good time, Wazzy revealed his latest purchase which I must say did actually work, Grumpies sold more Chicken Wings in the week than in the whole of last season and on wednesday Marion and Jeff gave us a superb barbeque, thanks lads for letting me stay over for those two nights.
Last night we had a few beers and games of pool at my house before Wazzy slipped out in the early hours of this morning to bag 14 carp to 26lbs to finish off the holiday.
The company was great, shame about the fishing, I will miss you boys and we will have to do it again some time............next year maybe.

Its miserable out here

Well it hasn't stopped raining since Saturday morning, air temps haven't exceeded 10 degress centigrade and needless to say I haven't been fishing. I did however set to work on the boat trailer and changed both wheel bearings, one tyre was flat and on closer inspection found to be toally knackered so I replaced that also. Wazzy and crew arrive today and the rain is set to finally ease by tomorrow with the air temp back up in the 20's by Wednesday let's just hope the fish co-operate.

Update

It’s been a long time since my last post so what’s been happening. On the fishing front I decided to go back to the commercials fishing the pole and waggler, not the carp ‘puddles’ as they are referred to by some, but to fisheries containing roach and good quality Ide which have provided great sport and I must say I have enjoyed it immensely.

On the 4^th May I was back at the consultant to discuss the results of my MRI scan.

Then on the Thursday the 5^th it was over to Manchester airport to pick up our neighbours from Canada who are over on holiday for a couple of weeks. They were staying with us for a few days so Saturday saw us in York for the day, it’s a long time since I had visited the city and I had forgot how interesting a place it was. It is unfortunate however that they feel the need to charge such ridiculous entry fees into the various places of interest. The following day we were off to the east coast, first Pickering, then on to Whitby followed by Scarborough and Filey before returning home. Sunday saw us at Chatsworth house….not my scene really but I must say I did enjoy every minute of it and the house is well worth the entrance fee. On Monday I took them down to Milton Keynes where they were meeting up with their friends to continue their holiday and maybe have a rest.

Wednesday 11^th May and I was off to Heathrow for my flight out to Montreal. Having made good time from Kings Cross to the airport I then found out the flight was delayed by 3 hours…….. better than the day before though as that flight didn’t go at all due to damage caused to the aircraft by airport personnel evidently, so a larger plane had to be provided to take the extra passengers. Anyway I am here now and it’s good to be back.

Today Friday……first day fishing, I decided to fish a new swim. It turned out to be very slow with only 1 run resulting in a carp of 15.1/2 lbs, fishing is hard at the moment due to the cold water temperature, however the air temp today reached 79 degrees and the water temp in the margins was 61, so fishing should improve even though the forecast is poor for the next couple of days with rain on its way

A not so merry christmas

Well I hope everyone had a good xmas and may I wish you all a very happy new year. For me this Christmas will be one that I won’t forget in a hurry. I have been diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, I won’t bore you with all the details suffice to say that if there is a more painful illness out there I certainly don’t want it. On the plus side I have lost 1.1/2 stone but I just wish it was under better circumstances.
Still it’s not life threatening and there are people out there much worse off than me, so onwards and upwards as they say………..tight lines all.