We are going down to West Bay in April & was wondering what we are liking to be looking at catching?

Also wondering what baits will be working the best at this time of year.

Many thanks

Vicky x x

fish2

Well, I’d set my sights pretty high for this weekend ,stating that I was going for two PB’s from the clubs stretch of the upper Bristol Avon. I was very confident that Pike & Perch of those admittedly modest proportions could be caught from Foxham , but could I do it ? And on demand?? :eusa_thin
I have admit that a strange quite confidence had been growing over the previous 24 hours ( as well as a not so quiet impatience to get to the bank).
After all the usual last minute faffing around and inventory checks we were on our way, Matt skillfully guiding a heavily laden ‘glorious gudgeon’ on a northerly trajectory.
We arrived shortly after noon to find the river well settled from recent floods & carrying just a tinge off colour, it looked lovely and it was good to be back. Conditions weren’t ideal however with hard bright sunlight balanced by a cold northeasterly light wind.
After a quick reconnaissance walk Matt and I settled into our respective swims. I’d decided to go all new-fangled today , left the cane at home and brought out the carbon, even set up a bite alarm on the pike rod!omg . So one rod for pike with half a bluey and a light feeder rod for perch armed with worm & maggot were cast into likely looking spots.

my 1st swim gets a visitor

Facing the sun with a brolly keeping the wind off my back I was very content and still quite confident at this point . In fact just sitting there in the sun soaking up the peace and quite was enough for the first hour or so .
‘ The Foxham Two’
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Two hours later with only the slightest twitch on the quiver tip and the confidence/impatience balance was starting to shift. Matt was experiencing the same thing so we moved well downstream and boosted our moral with a hot lunch, all was well again.
The new swims were as action packed as the first . My confidence stumbled down another flight of stairs.
OK , out with the spinning rods ! A couple of fruitless casts into the river then off to a small pond beside the railway line , if anywhere could give me a perch even a small one it was here. nope , nothing ,nil , zip , the sun was getting low and the day was looking a stark shade of blank.
I trudged of to the weir pool with what now looked like a ridiculously large landing net and a confidence shaped hole in my stomach. A good few casts into the weir pool and still nothing. Then suddenly Matt yelped " I’m in ! " He was too and a fine little jack came to the net. I however still couldn’t get a take , the light was starting to fade , we’d planed to fish this spot on the feeder for dusk and I still had tackle set up in two other swims . Aways one to stretch the last cast rule to the limit I chucked my lucky ‘reflex red’ out one last time as Matt headed off .
I’d moved right to the edge of a drop off to keep the spinner out of the weeds and at the end of the retrieve it came in to view a yard from my feet , inches behind it was large mouth and jet black eye. That’s an image I’ll remember for years , surely she saw me ? maybe she did , just a split second too late. I watched her take the lure and whoomph ! the rod hooped over and I had the most exciting fight I’ve had for ages on my hands . Three times I thought she was ready for the net and she charged off even got up on her tail once. I Knew it was a PB and my heart was pounding . Happy ending , she was safely in the net when she slung the hook and I realized just how lucky I’d been. Weighed in at an agreed 12 Lb ( was a problem with the scales so could have been a bit less , but definitely a double) and easily a new PB fish2 See Matt’s ‘yin & yang’ report for photos.
With half my mission accomplished and a huge adrenaline rush we set up feeder rods against the starlight at the weir pool . Matt hoping for a good chub , me enjoying an ice cold bottle of ‘black sheep , oh , and still hoping for that big perch.
But it wasn’t to be , a few more last casts as we struggled to find anything other than a rod to pack away. Then suddenly Matt was in to a fish , a very good one too , it charged up and down the pool and his rod had a great curve in it. but there was a distinct note of anxiety in Matt’s voice , explained when I asked what hooklength he had on ; 4lb . Matt couldn’t hold it in the pool and it tore off downstream in to the shallows rearing up out of the water where I caught a glimpse as it broke the line.cryx cryx
How big ? very hard to say maybe 5 or 6 lb. what was it ? Didn’t see it well enough to tell , but I can only think of one fish that fights like that for so long and he’s got whiskers . Matt’s not landed a Barbel yet and I really felt for him.
Hopefully we’ll be back next week , I think we’ll both have Barbel on the brain ……….but that PB Perch is out there somewhere. :icon_wink

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY

While there have been some black drum, bluefish and jacks moving around the Sebastian Inlet, a lot of anglers are heading south in the river toward Round Island looking for redfish. Several big schools have been reported in the area, especially under area docks, mixed in with the sheepshead. Live shrimp is working well. Waters are still cold though, and that seems to have moved the trout to deeper waters.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY

Both Capt. Adam White at the Fishing Center of St. Lucie and Capt. Joe Ward of Capt. Joe’s River Charters are talking redfish north of Fort Pierce in the Indian River. Both reported water temperatures between 52 and 59 degrees, so action was under docks in deeper water. Sheepshead are in the same areas. Look for plenty of bluefish, jacks and Spanish mackerel around the Fort Pierce Inlet. Capt. White also reported some big amberjacks over the wrecks in 150 feet off the Fort Pierce Inlet.

MARTIN COUNTY

For the first time in a few weeks, some decent reports of black drum and croaker came from the St. Lucie River. The action was scattered from the Ten-Cent Bridge around into the South Fork of the St. Lucie River, but at least there was something other than bluefish and jacks reported. Many of the black drum were quality fish with some in the 20-pound range reported. There are plenty of bluefish, jacks and even sharks on area beaches and in the St. Lucie Inlet. There are still some schools of pompano in the area, as well.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE

Bass fishing is pretty good right now, according to Capt. Mike Jones at Garrard’s Bait and Tackle. A 17-pound stringer caught by Mark Lamb and Bill Woods on RattLTraps fished outside of Indian Prairie won one of the weekend tournaments. Jones and his partner’s 13-pound stringer were caught on blue and black Senkos fished at Taylor Creek Canal. Bluegill are coming from the reeds on the lake side of the Taylor Creek Locks, while shellcracker are being caught on the 20-foot ledge of the Kissimmee River.

hi all, i am just getting back into kayak fishing in a few years as now it is starting to get warmer. i Was just wondering if anyone goes kayak fishing in exmouth and if i went out in a month or so what bait of or fish i would catch.

Hi all was wondering what species you have all caught off the beach this year. Me and my mate carlos fandango have managed the following so far between us this year (mainly all at night)
ROCKLING
WHITING
POUTING
DABS

Be intresting to know how you have all done since christmas and where you have caught them from cheers in advance.

Lake of the Arbuckles: February 27. Elevation normal, water 41 and stained. Crappie being caught at surface to 38 ft. around brush piles. White bass being caught in creek channels. Bass fishing slow, but some taken on jerk baits. Report submitted by Jack Melton.

Blue River: March 2. Elevation slightly above normal, water 47 and slightly off color. Trout good on power bait, marshmallows and mealworms. Fly-fishing fair on woolly buggers. Bass slow on soft plastics. Catfish fair on livers and stinkbait. Report submitted by Matt Gamble, biologist Blue River Public Fishing and Hunting Area.

Broken Bow: February 28. Water clearing. Largemouth bass fair on slabs, jig and pig and black jigs in deeper water. Catfish good on juglines and trotlines with cut bait at 40-50 ft. Crappie good around structure in the upper end of the lake, n minnows and jigs around baited hole in the lower end of the lake and slabs. Report submitted by Dru Polk, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.

Eufaula: March 1. Elevation 1 1/2 ft. above normal, water murky. Largemouth bass slow. White bass slow. Blue catfish good on shad drifting deep flats. Crappie good on minnows at docks with brush and riprap at the I-40 bridge. Report submitted by Ed Rodebush, game warden stationed in McIntosh County.

Hugo: February 28. Elevation normal. Crappie fair on minnows around creek channels. White bass starting to be caught trolling crankbaits in the upper river channel. Crappie and blue catfish good below the dam during water releases. Report submitted by Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Choctaw County.

Konawa: March 2. Elevation normal, water 42 and clear. Largemouth bass fair on crankbaits at 5-8 ft. along points and road beds. All other fishing slow. Report submitted by Daryl Howser, game warden stationed in Seminole County.

Lower Mountain Fork River: January 14. Lots of fish in the river. The fishing is great. Also we will be getting 6 unscheduled stockings in the next few weeks for zones 2 and 3. The first of these stockings occurred on Wednesday, Jan 13. It consisted of about 2,500 rainbows diverted from another fishery. On the Wednesday proceeding the scheduled stocking, for the next five stocking dates, we should be getting some extra fish for zones 2 and 3. Tiny flies have been the fly of choice for most anglers. Midge patterns have been the star of the show. Report submitted by Sid and Peggy Ingram, Beavers Bend Fly Shop.

McGee Creek: February 28. Elevation 1 ft. above normal, water 44 and clear. Crappie fair on minnows and jigs at 16-25 ft. best off of creek channels around submerged brush. Report submitted by Larry Luman, game warden stationed in Atoka County

Murray: No report submitted this week.

Pine Creek: February 28. Elevation 3 ft. above normal, water clear. Bass good on jigs around rocky structures in deep water. Crappie fair on minnows around brush. Catfish good on chicken liver and stinkbaits. Report submitted by Mark Hannah, game warden stationed in McCurtain County.

Robert S. Kerr: February 17. Elevation normal, water murky. crappie fair on minnows while drift fishing the Big San Bois Creek arm. Largemouth bass and white bass slow. catfish fair on fresh shad and fishing the break off points between the deeper water and the shallow water along the river channels. Report submitted by Leland Sockey, game warden stationed in Haskell County.

Sardis Lake: February 28. Elevation slightly above normal, water 50. All fishing slow. Report submitted by Dane Polk, game warden stationed in Pushmataha County.

Texoma: February 28. Elevation 1 1/2 ft. above normal, water 44 and clear south and murky north. Largemouth and smallmouth bass fair south part of lake. Striped and white bass fair to good south part of lake. Channel and blue catfish fair from the Hwy 70 Bridge north. Crappie fair in the creeks with clear water. Paddlefish fair below the dam. Report submitted by Danny Clubb, game warden stationed in Bryan County.

Wister: February 28. Elevation normal, water murky. Largemouth bass slow. Crappie good on minnows and jigs at 15-25 ft. around structure. Channel catfish fair on juglines with cut shad and liver. Report submitted by Randy Fennell, game warden stationed in LeFlore County.

Hi all,
Ive just bought 2x baitrunner st 6000 reels, can anyone tell me what they are like? also i cant find anything on Rovex Magtec 12ft carp rods, i just bought 3 so can anyone tell me anything boout this?

Thanks
Kirk

match today……….. weather was supposed to be bright and nice turns out windy rainy..grrrr draws a rubbish peg…. pole fishing… caught one in the first 5 mins a skimmer…well dont that just give you false hopes this looks like it could be promising……………….yer right…… not a sniff for another 2 hours
then a small chub……………..fishng at 14.5 metres to an island after an elbow operation aint fun decided to fish the margins for a while …bang big carp …bang lost it again grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……..bang big carp …bang played a while lost it again grrrrrrrrrrr lets try out to island again ………………..big big big bang massive carp…………grrr my elastic was caught taking me and my pole down the bank side couldnt doo out else lost it fish not pole….mmmmm lets take up another hobby me thinks by now i feel like taking up kick boxing for obvious reasons…………arr well theres always next week…….._rainembarassed_rainembarassed

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY

Cold, cold, cold. Unfriendly chilly temperatures continue to stymie angling efforts on the northern Treasure Coast. Black drum, sheepshead and bluefish are the main catches dominating anglers’ buckets. Don’t expect to see decent trout fishing until midweek.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY

Capt. Tris Colket of Last Mango charters out of Fort Pierce City Marina said the Ron Boyer party of Vero Beach enjoyed a day with four amberjack to 35 pounds and an 18-pound cobia off the bottom in about 60 feet of water. Sealife is everywhere and bait is on the buoys, but so are hornbellies, he said.

MARTIN COUNTY

Spanish mackerel can be caught along the beaches and in the channels in county waters, but some of the better fishing for them is to the southern end of the region. Chartreuse is the color of choice for any lure or fly tossed. Look for whiting in the surf around midday.

LAKE OKEECHOBEE

Bluegill and shellcracker will be biting better soon, but not until the cool water is gone and the warm water reappears. Crappie are a good bet on minnow-tipped jigs dangled over submerged deep structure. Bass fishing is going to peak again when the water temperatures reach about 67-70 degrees.

COASTAL BEND — Redfish Bay and northward — Redfish are scattered along the ICW south of Antonio Bay. The reefs of San Antonio Bay continue to produce a mix of fish. Anglers caught a few reds on the north side of Copano Bay near the mouths of marshy sloughs when the tide is falling. Call Fin & Feather Marina pier at 758-7414 to see whether the bull drum run is ongoing. Anglers continue to catch a few redfish and drum in the deeper areas such as Hog Island Hole and South Bay. Most fish are being caught with dead shrimp, because live shrimp are scarce. Trout remain in the guts along the outside of Dagger Island with soft plastics or shrimp. Reds are inside Dagger. Uprooting seagrass with an outboard propeller is unlawful in the Redfish Bay State Scientific Area.

Port Aransas — Trout reports remain sketchy from the north jetty, but big sheepshead continue to be easy to catch there and at the Fina Docks, rustry bulkheads along the ship channel. Reds were along Morris and Cummings Cut and along the ship channel. Big drum are between the jetties and in channels for nighttime anglers. Call Fin & Feather Marina pier at 758-7414, The Jetty Boat is running out of Fisherman’s Wharf (749-5448). Horace Caldwell Pier has reds, whiting, black drum, day and night.

Gulf Beachfront — Still not much happening in the surf. Water is cold and murky and no visible baitfish. Plenty of whiting. Check www.corpusfishing.com.

Offshore — Party boats and charters on long trips are returning with amberjack, ling, sharks, yellowfin tuna and blackfin tuna and vermilion snapper. Shorter trips are returning with vermilion snapper, kings, grouper, sharks and triggerfish.

Corpus Christi/Nueces Bays — Big trout are holding to mud bottoms for waders willing to grind it out with soft plastics or suspending baits. Big sheepshead are plentiful at the biggest oil and gas platforms in Corpus Christi Bay. Live shrimp and dead shrimp works well.. Big drum should be at Indian Point Pier. Shamrock and the backside of Mustang Island has improved fishing for reds and trout for kayakers and waters. Channels of Boathole and along the causeway have a few redfish and drum with scattered trout. Call Jane’s L-Head Seafood & Bait at 882-2248. Call Nueces Bay Bait at 882-6420. The channel edges and channel-side spoils near Ingleside produced a few trout and reds this week on shrimp and soft plastics. Call Clem’s Pier at 949-8445.

Laguna Madre/Baffin Bay — Waders with soft plastics caught good trout but not many along the King Ranch shoreline with soft plastics and the MirrOLure Paul Brown lure. Cos Way and Red Dot piers report nighttime bull drum fishing is picking up. But mostly fishing was tough this week north of Baffin Bay. Drift anglers report tough trout fishing along the King Ranch with soft plastics and along the drop-off of Emmords Hole. Drum, along with a few reds and trout, were caught in the Landcut and Rocky Slough this week. To check on the drum run, Call Cos Way (939-7513) and Red Dot piers (937-5347) and Marker 37 at 949-8037.

Choke Canyon Reservoir — Catfish are good and crappie are starting to improve. White bass are in the creeks and river, spawing. Bass fishing continues to be tough, though the lake did produce another Sharelunker that weighed more than 15 pounds last month. It was caught on a plastic worm at a depth of 12 feet. A few bass were caught in deeper points and in the hardwoods at depths of 8 to 20 foot with Texas-rigged worms and jigs. Visit www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/choke/choke.htm.