River Ouse, Beningbrough 29/01/12

Its been a good 4 months since I last got the opportunity to go fishing, so as you can imagine I couldn't wait to go!

I left the house at 5.45am to drive to York and pick up my mate Darren. Now Darren is not new to fishing, but its been a long time since he last went, so we were both going to be very rusty.

I picked Darren up and we arrived at Beningbrough around 6.30am, got wrapped up and began the 10 minute walk down to the Ouse. By the time we were set up and ready to fish it was still pitch black so we had a quick coffee and then began fishing at first light.

And what a beautiful sunrise it was!

I tried various swims and various lures but nothing was interested. By the time I got to probably the best swim on this section there were already 5 people fishing it! Obviously they were all there for the same reason. It is where two rivers meet, the Nidd and the Ouse. They create a large swirling pool which screams pike. We fished until around 3pm when the rain set in so we packed up and began the 10 minute walk up hill back to the car. Although we both blanked, we really enjoyed it and are already pencilling in our next outing

I learnt some valuable lessons on this trip which I will remember for next time:

1. Remember a head torch
2. Fish the swims with a reputation first
3. Don't take too much tackle
4. Give dead baits a try
5. Go fishing more often!

It has arrived...

In an attempt to make sure I wet a line a few more times this year I have just bought the year book for York angling club. It was £39 for the year so if I go at least 10 times it will have been worth it. My first outing will probably be in a couple of weeks but I haven't decided which water to choose just yet, but is likely to be somewhere on the Ouse. Looking forward to it already, I'm itching to get out!!! I just need to get my gear in order now

http://www.ydaa.org.uk/index.html

I don't get out much!

The reason I haven't been fishing in so long is because I simply do not have the time! All my time is currently been taken up by my 9 month old son, Harry, not that I'm complaining. Hopefully over then next few months you will hear much more from me...

Not a red letter day...

Well,

The plan was to get to Damflask just as the sun was coming up. Even with the best intentions we only managed to get there for 9am. Unfortunately by that time we had missed a normally very productive period for pike. We parked up, grabbed our gear, and walked down to the waters edge. The first thing to greet us was a howling wind and we looked across the reservoir. It looked more like the North Sea than a sheet of water miles from the coast! The wind had whipped up big waves and a lot of silt, resulting in very coloured water.

Damflask, Sheffield

We began casting at the narrow, shallow end to try and pick up a few early smaller fish. Dave started with a small Kuusamo spoon, and I started with a 19cm Savage soft 4play in a natural perch pattern. Working our way towards the deeper water we would make a number of casts and then move 10 yards along the bank and repeat. After about 15 mins my brothers rod hooped over, and I thought we'd had an early success. It turned out to be a plastic bag fish...

Plastic bag fish!

We had a laugh and a joke and then continued casting away. By the time we had arrived at the deeper water in a sheltered bay it was 1pm. A quick break for lunch and a few cups of coffee and we were back to the job at hand. We decided to stay in this area and try a variety of different lures. After a few changes I put on a storm rainbow trout shad. At around 2.30pm I was retrieving the shad and out of no where.... BANG!! A pike smashed my lure around 4ft from the bank. At the same time my reel decided die on me so I couldn't reel in, so I had to hold the line and walk up the very steep bank. After a few tail walks and some thrashing around the pike was on the unhooking mat. We didn't weigh it but I think it was just a double. We fished for another few hours but then it tipped it down so we decided to call it a day.

All in all not a bad day, but not the best... 

Our next outing!

Our next planned outing is going to be Damflask in Sheffield on the 13th (unlucky for some). The weather is currently looking cloudy but dry. The plan is to get there for day break, and use big spoons and sinking soft plastics such as the Fox replicant, and Savage gear soft 4play. Check back here shortly to see how we get on!