UKCF Anglers.

[Johnny Thunder]

Nice one Si. Welcome to the angling club.
Great skills mate. My favourite fish to eat. Enjoy.

[screamingpope]

Went to a little stream yesterday with no plan or hopes. Threw in a bit of hemp and layed on with double maggot. 1.5 chub. So chuffed fired up a BBF and didnt bother casting again. Hampshire, what a wonderful place.

[Johnny Thunder]

First time out for quite a while this week. Decided on a 48 hour session at one of my local syndicates.
No massive fish in there, but a lovely little estate lake that I had completely to myself for the duration.
I finished with four fish. Three little scrappers and one decent Mirror at 16lb 11oz. Had a few smokes and
knocked up a couple of meals while there. Had a few tinnies and a couple of malts too. Very relaxing session.

[TonyN]

Nice catch johnny picnic and fishing at the same time by the looks of it.

[Simon Bolivar]

Sorry I didn't post this winter but besides a couple of cigars smoked, nil caught worthy of reporting. Aye, good to see the UKCF Fishing Club is back up & casting again. Leading star & Saturday morning Chef Johnny Thunder! Nice pics & far better food than I eat on the bank but you sure you were alone? Nice 16lb'er, good scrappers at that size. What's with the Solar panel? Bit of a high tech water for me. Don't even get a phone signal most of the time at the Loch's on Bute!

[Johnny Thunder]

Notice the water disturbance out in front of me Simon. The solar array charges 12v batteries that power an aerator pump
to keep the water well oxygenated.
I did misjudge the amount that I put into the chicken, king prawn and egg fried rice. It was a bit of a bellybuster.
I made up for it the following day by only having stir fry vegetables with my steak though Simon.

[Johnny Thunder]

Are you fishing Bute again this year Simon?

[Horsebox]

Smashing set up JT. I'm not an angler but appreciate a good camping setup when I see one [emoji1360]


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[Simon Bolivar]

Bute Part1: Sorry Johnny missed your last question. The answer was yes & I just got back from Bute on Sunday evening & am now safely back on the rig, have downloaded & compressed some pics which feature some beautiful scenery, hard fighting pike & a few cigars. I took a dozen with me of various vintages but didn't smoke for the first 3 days, as I had the remains of a throat problem & wanted to be 100% before I started smoking again & didn't actually want to get ill during my one weeks real fishing of the year!
So arrived the previous Sunday, late evening so only 90mins fishing. Hoping to catch one to get me off on the scoreboard but quickly had 3 jacks on lures! Impressive as I only caught 8 jacks during the whole of the last season on Belgium.
The following day went back & expected a dozen or so (last year remember I caught 71 in the week & 29 in a single day!) but only had another couple of jacks. Was joined by my mate on the Isle - Andy & his new puppy Dexter.
1/ Approaching Bute, things look grim :O( 2/ approaching Rothesay & already the weather has changed. 3/ first view of Loch Ascog this year - it's like coming home. 4&5 two jacks caught the first evening. 6&7 Andy showing me how's it's done. 8 Another wee'un for me. 9/ Dexter & 10/ the maw that contains 700 backward sloping teeth.

[Simon Bolivar]

Bute Part2: Monday afternoon we took the boat out & rowed around & around in the sunshine. The rollocks were very loose in thier holders so every time you tried to dig in (especially when going into the wind or heading to the rocks) the oar would come out & have to be re-seated. Very annoying. Nothing caught worth taking pics of. Next day we changed waters & went to the largest loch on the Isle - Loch Fad. It's a trout water that holds pike & all pike have to be returned. This was one of the first waters to pioneer this approach & they have proved you can have a viable trout & pike water, with good specimens of each. the largest pike from this water was 42lb! I managed my first dble of the trip, early in the day & finally felt able to have a smoke; ERDM DT 2001 with a coffee. Now we are fishing!

[Simon Bolivar]

Bute Part 3: Wed morning & we were up at 04:30 & took the boats out whilst the mist was still hanging on the water. The boats aren't usually available until 08:30 but because I was staying at the owner's flats we were allowed to arrive early & stay late. Trawling a dead trout & smelt, I had a good take at 07:00, a hard fighting 14lb'er. A new PB for me from this water & a great start to the day & really set me up. Knowing the day was already a success & the big ones were feeding, kept me buoyed up until we left at 22:00. A long day but I did celebrate with a Hoyo PR 2010, one from a split with Martyn; thanks mate, a nice wee smoke with a tinnie of JS. Happy days.

[Simon Bolivar]

Bute Final Part: So spent the last couple of days on Loch Fad chasing another big dble. 1/ Pic of the blue mountains of Arran at the top end of the Loch. 2/ The winning bait selection, Smelt & Rainbows. 3/ another glorious day, could do with more cloud cover for fishing though. After having lunch by a rocky spit with 2 deadbaits out, I had a few casts with a Loz Harrop Jerkbait. Just casting into the reed line & I had a hit that didn't connect. When I checked the lure I checked it & there were decent size tooth marks in the hardwood. So I re- cast but it didn't take again. I continued to fish for another hour & a half, hoping now aroused it might take the deadbait but then cast a 25cms rubber pike at the reeds & it hit again, nice 11lber. Dble no3. 4/ Last day. Having Just after midday I was trawling a large rubber pike & had a hit near the Trout pens, after a good scrap another PB in my net; this time 15lb 05. It was my first Upper Dble from Fad after 10yrs of fishing so not an easy water but a great end to the holiday. 5&6/ That evening as I packed up for the last time, the sky came alight, a dramatic curtain call. 6-8./ Leaving on the Sunday afternoon ferry, heading back to Aberdeen & the rig. Celebrated with a Bolivar Belvederes '98, amazingly strong after so much time. Hope you enjoy the story, Johnny Thunder?

[Johnny Thunder]

Fantastic write up Simon. The scenery is stunning and the fishing great too. I would bet that a 15lb Loch pike
puts up a fair argument once hooked.

[Simon Bolivar]

Indeed, all the dbles were great fights & the jacks went pretty crazy too at this time of year. Can't wait for next year, planning to go in March & catch them at their biggest. Just looking at an electric engine to use there next time for quieter trawling

[Johnny Thunder]

I am just considering a Minn Kota. Something around the 55lb thrust mark. This is purely for baiting up and possibly
landing fish though. Calculations are much more critical when it comes to working lures as I am sure you know.