Here you go matey

picture of Joes' p.b. 8lbs - 4ozs as requested Steve, keep in touch mate,
Holds a fish better than me that's for sure

And it came to pass......a damp squib

Well it started raining Tuesday evening and Joe said that if it was raining hard on Wednesday morning he wasn't bothered about getting up. As it turned out that was a good call as wednesday morning came and it rained and rained and rained all day and into the evening. Unfortunately this put a damper on proceedings and with it an end to Joes' holiday. Although the weather had been poor for the majority of his trip and we didn't catch as many fish as the week before, I do think that we did ok for quality with two 30s and 2 new pbs. Final totals for the week were as follows:

32 carp caught in 5 sessions

14 x 20lb +    7 for Dave and 7 for Joe

2 x 30's         pb's of 35-4 for Dave and 32-6 for Joe


Bait tubs emptied and washed, corn in the freezer and another season passes by.

ROLL ON NEXT YEAR

Dam................................yes that could work

Today (Monday) we decided to fish down at the power dam and what a good idea that turned out to be with seven fish  over 20lbs and a new personal best for me of 35 lbs 4 oz. Joe had a back-up fish of 28.0 and we finished the day with 15 fish.

Hopefully we will be back here for Joes final session of the holiday tomorrow

Sunday 9th June

Fishing was a bit better today although not by much and by the end of the session we had five fish, three for Joe and two for me. Two fish were 20 plus the best being 23 lbs 4oz to Joe.

Saturday 8th June

Today we went to the island view swim again, the weather was cold, wet and windy and the fish just didn't want to know. I had the only run of the day which accounted for a fish of 25 lbs 12 oz. We fished until early afternoon and then called it a day and made our way home.

Just gets better for Joe Thursday 6th June

We arrived at the swim at around 7pm and started fishing at 7:30 conditions were not favourable as there was a cold east wind blowing, the water level was slightly up but dropping, however  between 7.30 and 11:30 am we managed to catch 8 fish. Top prize once again went to for Joe who caught another new pb this time 32 lbs 6 oz, I had a backup fish of 28 lbs 2 oz, at 11:30 the swim died and it turned very cold, it was raining so we decided to make the trip home. We won't be fishing on Friday I don't think, so the next session will be Saturday

It was during this session that we encountered an Health and Safety issue with the weigh scales in that yours truly nearly knocked himself out, however after a meeting the necessary alterations were made

Before

After

Ding ding....round 2 Wednesday 5th June

Due to the fact that Joe didn't arrive until midnight yesterday, we decided to make an afternoon start on his first day and arrived at the island view swim at around 1 pm. The water level had dropped considerably,  however by the end of the

session we had caught three fish and lost three, joes first fish of the holiday was a new PB of 29-2 and I had one of 22-4 . Tomorrow we will be making an early start for a full days fishing and the carp are now starting to spawn in some of

the bays

Monday 3rd June

Monday


Today was the day that Dave returned home so we decided to go to the Power Dam for a few hours before he had to go to the airport.

Water levels were lower than I have ever seen them but it did nothing to deter the fish, or the quality. Usually the water is up to the top of the concrete

Dave managed 8 fish to my 2, 5 were over 20lbs with the biggest weighing in at 24lbs - 8 ozs, a great days fishing by any standards I'm sure you will agree.

We finished at 3.30pm and by 6 we were heading for Montreal airport.

Final totals for Daves holiday were:-

117 carp caught in 6 sessions

19 carp over 20lbs (12 to Dave)

1 x 30lb carp to Dave

Sunday 2nd June

Guess where we are heading this morning, well catching carp is why Mr Wass is over here so question was would the swim produce again??

Well conditions were right and we did catch a total of 23 fish but only one fish went over the 20lb mark, not that we were complaining though, at the end of the day we retired, totally knackered, back to base camp. Ordering in tonight, no cooking required

Saturday 1st June

Saturday

Up bright and early, we were down at the marina by 6am and in the Island View swim by 7am. Water levels were very high so it was chest waders on and most of the gear left in the boat, although we were able to use our chairs which was the main thing. I really wanted the swim to show what it was capable of as I had been continually ''bigging it up'' to Dave prior to his visit. The swim is only 4ft deep at around 20 yds with a sand and rock bottom, so it was the polaris float which we decided to go with. Action started quickly and the fish fed intermittently throughout the day, final totals were:-

48 fish caught

9 over 20lbs

Biggest fish 29lb - 12ozs to Dave

Highlight of the day had to be when Dave landed a 29lbs-8ozs fish and the very next cast landed the 29-12, not bad eh.

Friday 31st May

Today Friday we went down to the first bridge basically it was very very slow until around 6 pm when I started to get a few fish however the highlights of the day was a 30lbs carp caught by dave and I had one that weighed in at 22 lbs 12 oz, the weather was very very hot as the temperature soared to 34 degrees,

by the end of the session we had caught 11 fish

Thursday 30th May

 Thursday we fished the island View swim, upon arrival the wind was in a perfect position blowing from the west, however as being the trend this week the fishing was very slow and by the end of the session we had 12 fish the largest of which

fell to dave and weighed 26-4








Stressful game is this fishing lark, unless of course you are able to chill out, some are better at it than others

Monday 27th May

Back on the Island View swim today, managed a total of 9 fish with the best going 22lbs. Today marks the end of fishing on my own as Mr David Wass arrives from the UK tomorrrow for a week so I will be off the Montreal airport tomorrow to pick him up.

Thursday

Due to the poor weather forecast for today I decided to fish from the bank and fish the bridge swim on the Parkway,  I didn't really know what to expect as the water here is much deeper than where I have been fishing and as a result the water temperature might be lower, however this was not the case, all in all it wasn't a bad morning as I had six fish including a 22 and 29-10 , I also lost a fish which felt like a monster and at one point I thought it was actually going to spool me, however the moment I started to get line on the fish it threw the hook. It's funny how the ones that get away always feel like

the big ones and it has happened a few times already this holiday but in this case I genuinely feel sure it may have been that special fish however we will never know. Around lunchtime we had a massive thunderstorm and this killed the fishing stone dead for the day, I did continue until around 4pm with no more fish to show so I packed up and came home, I am not fishing on Friday due to the temperature dropping and the weather is crap I am hoping to go back out again on Saturday

Sunday/Monday

Sunday saw an early start and I was down at the marina for 5.30am, in my swim for 6a.m. and fishing around 6:45. I had decided that if it fished well then I would bivvy up for the night and by the end of the day having had 16 fish to 20 lbs 6oz, up went the bivvy, on went the cooker and shortly afterwards I was sitting down to chicken curry. I had an early night and set the alarm for 5am, the weather on Monday was perfect with a west wind blowing in and it wasn't long before I had

my first fish. However it was a slow day by this swims standards and by the end of the day I had managed 12 fish but with a best of 29 lbs 12 oz, during the day I saw some absolute monsters out in the bay and may have to change tactics to see if I can get a better stamp of fish. I seem to be catching males on the whole and the females seem very scarce, however they are there because they keep showing themselves so all I can do is persevere and wait for them to get their heads down. It looks like bad weather for the next couple of days so the next session may be on Thursday.

Friday

Fished on Friday, managed ten fish with the best running 23-4, a lovely fish which, like most we catch have never been hooked before, whilst there I received a call from one of the guides who was surprised to hear I was catching as it was very very slow elsewhere.
Time now to introduce my neighbours, these furry little people reside behind me when I am in my swim, I think they tolerate me which is probably stretching it a little, not sure whether the occasional tail slap is directed at me or the bloody canadian geese

Tuesday

With an overnight low of only 1°,  I decided not to make an early start and to go around lunchtime. When I arrived at the swim the water level had rose significantly due to the high winds the previous day. I was fishing by 1.30 and it was an hour before I got my first fish which was the first 20 of the holiday at 20 lbs 2 oz,  I then had a small one around 10 and then another one at 20 lbs 8 oz I also lost 2 fish, one was a good one which came to the net but then made another run and threw the hook. I  finished the session at 6:30 so not a bad short spell of 3 fish and 2 lost, the water temperature is creeping up now and has reached 56° it won't be long before the place really kicks off

Back out with a blank

Went out fishing Sunday, feeling much better thankfully,  fished the swim that I had been pre-baiting at the beginning of the week, however low temperatures and very strong winds made it hard going, I packed up at 4pm without so much as a bleep. The temperatures are set to rise on Tuesday onwards so I intend to be out again then. Work around the house on Monday to earn some bownie points

Off to a decent start

6am Monday, boat loaded and off to the swim visited yesterday, gear out of the boat and a bit of trimming to the foliage and we were all set. The water here is only 4ft max but very coloured and I have seen fish swim past my legs in the margins previously. Tactics were to fish the polaris float combined with 2 grains of corn and one artifical piece, feeding corn with the catapult. 5 minutes after casting in the reel screamed off and after a brutal fight a 19lb common was in the net. By the end of the session I had caught 12 fish best going 23-4, the weather had been hot and looking down at my feet I realised just how hot, they were well and truly toasted ( will I ever learn).

Upon reaching the marina things really went belly up as I had one of my bad neuralgia attacks, this has ensured that I have been pretty much house bound since although I am feeling slightly better now, eating is still a problem but must be patient. I am hoping to be out again maybe sunday when the winds are forecast to be from the West. Here's hoping.

I love this swim, nice and cosy

Change on the cards

Went across and baited the swim again. When I had finished decided to take the boat up to another swim which I have fished in previous years and supplied my current p.b. When I got up there, believe it or not you could actually smell the fish, that was enough to decide a change of plan for Monday I am going to go up there, many fish were showing and in the shallow water it is warmer so its well worth a try

Looking good

Went back out to the swim that I fed yesterday, it looked as though all the corn from yesterday had gone so I put in another bucket in and will go back on Sunday to feed it again ready for an early start on Monday. On the ice hockey front, it's the stanley cup playoffs and the Montreal Canadians play the Ottawa Senators again tonight hoping to tie up the series 1-1.....go habs go.

Pre-baiting time

Yesterday I made the trip ot to the local feed suppliers and picked up the provisions, 120kgs Corn, 40kgs Cracked Corn and 40kgs Wheat, made a strart with the soaking process and got things ready for the next morning. Thursday I was off and away by 6am with the boat down to the marina. Went out to bait up a new swim up ready for fishing on Monday. Swim looks good with a depth of seven feet but shallower areas of 4-5 ft as well.  I heard a few fish coming out while I was there, finished by dinnertime and headed back home. Weather is nice and warm touching 85°, the water temperature is 51° which I'm expecting to go up nicely by Monday and may get them going, we’ll see.

Better late than never

Just a few pics from our January trip to Ontario and Mont Tremblanc, Quebec


                                                                     At the house

                                                      

New build up and running

Happy New Year everyone and may I take this opportunity to wish you all the best for 2013.

Today saw the start of our new house extension, single storey jobbie with shower and toilet at the back (forward planning for later years, sad I know), hopefully the weather will play ball as the
footings are nearly completed with the concrete pour scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, so if your looking in up there, hold off on the wet stuff at least for a couple of days please.

Not long now until we're off for our Canada winter trip, really looking forward to it especially as our new grandson will be with us along with his mum and dad, no fishing scheduled although I wouldn't mind having a go at this ice fishing lark but only in one of the heated sheds that you can hire.

Barnsley have parted company with yet another manager, poisoned chalice awaits the next contender, seems unfair that despite the fact that they break even and are debt free but with low crowds,  they are unable to compete with the high spending debt ridden, poorly managed clubs that year after year borrow money in the hope of reaching the promised land that is the Premier League, there will be more Portsmouths' over the next few years, just wait and see.

Rant over