Cry Me a River

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBuHw2RjtOc&feature=related

Cry Me A River - Pride and Glory

This week I am Totally Out Of Action. Unfortunately My Fish Mobile Sustained an Injury whilst I was Eagerly Flying down a Bumpy Track just to be with The River. The Suspension , in my haste , is now Totally Banjaxed and I will now have to pay the price of being Without Transport and consequently Fish. It's quite unfortunate as we approach the best time of the year of Banking a Large Pike. My lesson could mean me missing out Big Time.

You Meet The Strangest People Whilst Out Fishing.

Prior to this breakdown , I had been out a few times since my previous. Chub and Pike Pb's were top of the list and I did have some success whilst out with Bruce , and more so with Mike and Gulper. Bruce and I spent a days Roaming on various parts of one particular river only to find the Pike in solum mood , just picking up one fish in a good 5 miles of river. We did manage five runs in one particular spot but the fish were that small , they simply just couldn't get the bait down. Still , as always we had some fun and Bruce did manage a nicely marked Fish that Simply Gleamed in the Winter Sunshine. Our Target had been set much higher but at the end of the day we had managed a fish and consistency is sometimes all you can ask for in The Piking World. Being in the right place at the right time will eventually produce a Grandma. I have known Pikers go 30 + Jacks before now before a Good Double has Turned up. Sometimes it's all on the roll of a Dice.
Roaming With Brucey.

I also had a trip out with Alan , again on the same river but this time we drew a blank. Pike and Chub again were the target but with the river receiving an influx of cold rain from the previous day , we were always up against it. We would have targeted a Still Water but unfortunately these were all frozen , so the Rivers were the Only Option. Try as Hard as we Did we failed. We knew we had the right baits , tactics and swims but the fish were simply not having it. We have had some great days in the past and this one would bring down the average. At the end of the day we both knew deep down that Chasing Big Fish unfortunately goes hand in hand with blanking and everything evens out in the end. It didn't stop us trying our little hearts out on a day that most Anglers were sat at home by the Fire. Big Shoulders are part of a Specimen Hunters Armour. We Will have our revenge.
Alan Getting Rough and Tough !!

And Finally I had a great day out with The Chester Predators on board " The Fury " with Captain Gulper together with Paul and Mike on " The Mini Fury". There was a great Buzz and these Fabulous Boatests (lol) went on to land four Good Doubles in quite unfavourable conditions. Even these Mighty Pikers had to admit they had learned a great deal on a Day that Surprised us all. And that is the Beauty of Angling - You just Never Stop Learning and why even on the toughest days you can Always take a tiny piece for the Whole Jigsaw Puzzle. After hitting the River Early , Conditions were to change quite dramatically but instead of failure - Success was was abundant and the sometimes complex learning curve was astonishingly widened. Even I managed to get on the score sheet with a low double that came quite literally out of the blue.
One for The Ladies.

Slash has been on holiday this week with it being half term. A Scheduled trip on The Mini Fury had to be postponed due to High Winds and I know both Matt and Mike were both disappointed. I am sure a new date can be rescheduled. Matt had a day on The Severn and banked a Nice Winter Barbel as the Water Temp rose to 6 oc although he has previously caught Barbel at much lower Water Temps. Top Angling Mate.
Another Winter Fish for The Slashmeister.

Not sure when I will be out again as I await a new Suspension System for the van. Let's hope it's a Quick Fix so I can get out where I belong on The Majestic Rivers.
Enjoy " The Break " Fishy's !!!

Tight Ones !!!!

Return of the Mojo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZMzhGEiMXM Rusty Cage - Soundgarden

It would appear , after looking at the date of my last blog entry , that I am actually spending more time at The Water's Edge at the moment than I was last Summer. It may be the back end of January , but that has in know way stopped me from getting out and about. This of COARSE , can only be a Good Thing , for my Roaming Free Articles are only an account of the Actual REEL Deal and what I really enjoy the most. If I am not out Fishing then writing about my adventures is the next best thing , plus , ( contrary to belief ) I do actually have to work for a living , lol. As of late I just haven't had time to actually sit down and write opting for more time on the banks. One thing is certain , My Angling Mojo is Well and Truly Back and , I am Glad to say , Firing on on All Fishy Cylinders.

15 lbs 4 ozs and things were looking up.

They say in the Angling World that you are only as good as your last capture. If that is the case, then I am currently on Cloud Nine after the Successful capture of one Particular Specimen Fish last week. Not content with just this feat , I actually went on to help , with two equally satisfying assists whilst guiding on successive days. The Captures were part of a total Team Effort , and in such the said Team ( Secret Squirrel United ) all went on to land Equally Large Lumps. I will write about the event in a future article , as I don't have all the details or photos as yet. Please watch this space.

I am currently targeting Pike and apart from some major static fishing I have also managed a few days Roaming Around on a few local Rivers and Streams , enjoying the freedom of Mother Nature and all She Offers at this time of year. Nature really is thriving at the moment with large flocks of Redwing and Fieldfare never to far away as they enjoy their escape to the Uk to shelter from their Native Harsh Scandinavian Winter. http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/redwing/index.aspx http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/f/fieldfare/index.aspx

Numerous times over the past month I have travelled light with a Wobbling Rod and walked for miles targeting slacks bends and eddies searching out Old Esox. The Rivers have been spot on after an initial flood of a good week or two. This influx of this much needed water , in my mind , always does the rivers and fish the world of good and brings new life and feeding vigor to all Species as the levels finally fine down. This can always be an opportunist time as Hungry Esox look to go on a ravenous Feeding Spree.

Another Scraper Double

During one of my travels , I managed to catch a glimpse of a spawned out Kelt of about 5lbs lying static in the Crystal Clear Margins. As I inched closer I could see this juvenile Salmon was covered with a White Fungus " Saprolegnia " , which can often grow on Salmon when they have been in a river system for some time. It can have an adverse effect by weakening or even killing the fish. But normally , any fish successfully making it's way back downstream to the estuary and finally The Sea will see the fungus heal once salt water is reached. This in turn allows the Fish to become Fit and Healthy once more. Judging by it's size , the next time this particular fish returned to the River of it's Birth , it would be a fully grown Adult Fish of well over 10 lbs or more.

I actually got to within 20 feet , before the fish became aware of my presence and it slowly ambled back into the mainstream current. It was obviously quite healthy despite it's grotty appearance. My senses were immediately alerted to the actions of this occurrence and I was sure that any Pike in the vicinity would also have picked up on these movements. It could all prove positive , and only time would tell.

I favour Smelts for all my Wobbling. They are fantastic way of imitating a dying or injured fish plus they instantly sink straight from the packet with no swim bladder to worry about. There is no rocket science here , It's just the case of a free lined rod and reel with 50 - 80 lb braid and a Strong Trace. Let's face it , It doesn't get any easier. I initially cast out to a favoured spot , and allow the Smelt to flutter down through the water. I always pay particular attention at this point , in watching the braid being pulled off the water surface as this indicates that the bait is still sinking through the water. When it finally stops , the Smelt is obviously sat on the bottom of the lake or river bed and a retrieve can take place. The reason I watch the braid so carefully is that on many occasions I have actually had a Pike take on the bait on the actual drop and so any abnormal twitch , lull and rapid movement normally See's a quick strike from myself just in case of such an interception.

My initial cast had been spot on , and I watched the Smelt disappear from view as the braid peeled of the reel. Everything came to a stop SO I engaged the bail arm and started the retrieve with sharp jolting movements of the reel handle. After 10 seconds or so I caught sight of the smelt as it travelled up in the water on it's way back to dry land. It really did look like an injured fish with it's sporadic movements , and then , and without any warning , a large arc came from nowhere and the smelt disappeared down a large mouth that opened and closed in the blink of an eye. My instinct had proven correct and a Hungry Pike have Devoured the tasty morsel in one gulp. I Grinned , and immediately struck connecting with the hungry fish immediately. It certainly gave a good account of itself by initially tearing off numerous yards of line before tail walking twice. This always gets the heart strings twitching especially if it's a good un. I could see the fish was pushing double figures and opted to Chin it there and then. It was becoming more lethargic and I could see that both sets of trebles were well inside the fishes mouth , which was good for obvious safety reasons.Finally She was mine and I admired her once the hooks had been removed.

She was a Cracker and on Stalking Gear it was all Most Rewarding. She went back after a couple of quick shots to her watery home , and I watched as She took her time before suddenly shooting off soaking me in the process. I had a grin as Wide as a Cheshire Cat. I managed one more jack from the spot before calling it a day and moving on. This Type of Stalking is always exciting , and you just never know what will turn up next. Some text book swims never produce and other bland swims defy the odds so it always keeps you guessing.


I also spotted the skull of a Very Large Salmon on the way back to the van. This fish had not been so lucky in the floods. It had been a good fish somewhere in the region of 15 - 17 lbs I estimated. I left it to be reclaimed by nature possibly during the next flood and , possibly providing a meal for it's own fry.

I have also opted recently for a bit of Stick Float Fishing for Dace and Roach on my local River. Once again the level and colour was spot on for this The Most Majestic of all fishing methods. I learnt my stick float trade many years ago as a school boy on The Dee where , if I was lucky one of the numerous Welsh Match Internationals would allow me to Carry on fishing after the Weigh in had taken place. It really is a pleasure to fish in this manner feeding little and often to bring the Silver Fish closer and closer sometimes to just a rod length out in 11 ft of water. Armed with a Trusty 8 x no 4 Peter Drennan Stick I went on to catch numerous Roach and Dace feeding hemp and caster at regular intervals. I was also pleasantly rewarded with a New PB Graying that was more than Welcome. She was a Stunner and was quickly returned to the swim as appose to the keep net to fight another day.


This Cold Snap is causing havoc with many of our still waters frozen over and even the rivers seem out of form with four successive severe frosts , even the matchmen are struggling to catch. Let's hope things warm up for next week.

Tight Ones !!!

Something Better Change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSEOzimKnEY The Stranglers .. Something Better Change

Hi , and can I offer you a Warm Welcome back to the Start of Some Brand New Fishing Adventures for 2012 at Roaming Free. Can I start by wishing you all a belated " Happy New Year ". I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas Holidays and have settled back into your routines. My Angling Year has started much like it finished.......... Slooooow. These things are set to try us I suppose. I have been fishing long enough now to have suffered a few of these lean times. You just have to keep battling away for it always comes right in the end , I guess you just have to be patient grrrrrrr.

I started the year pretty much the same as I left it in 2011 , in the good company of that Born Again Fisher and NWOBHM Guru - Alan Goulbourne. The weather has been somewhat up and down to say the least. One day sub zero temperatures followed by temps into double figure which is crazy certainly for January. We have mixed our days up with attempts for Barbel Chub and Pike.First Fish of the New Year for Alan.

The Mild Conditions brought it's fair share of rain which meant that my two main Rivers The Dee and The Severn have both been in flood. I did have a dabble on the Severn for Winter Barbel without much success. Slash on the other hand got off to a flier catching numerous fish to over 8lbs on a New Boilie. Bravo Sir.

Slash Rewriting the Rule Book Again with this January Barbel.

I spent one glorious Mild Evening more like May than January on a Flooded Upper Severn whilst after Winter Barbel, where I was treated to one of the most breathtaking Sunsets I have ever witnessed, that in itself , was well worth the 100 mile trip in alone. At one stage I had Curlews , Lapwings and Tawny Owls all competing for who could sing the loudest. A Good Salmon topped things off by leaping out of the water mid river at spasmodic intervals. I was at peace with the world and Life........ was shear bliss.

After a secession of blanks Alan and I targeted a small river that somehow had manage to fine down much quicker than the rest and we were treated to some good sport from both Pike and Chub. The Chub was particularly satisfying as it was only through Alan's shear determination of trying various swims that saw him triumph. This Guy really does have the bug and boy does he learn quick. They weren't Monsters but it didn't matter we had caught and that's all that mattered. Sometimes Shear Consistency of Catching Fish regardless of size is Always Comforting. It just means that you still have your finger on the pulse and time will serve it's fine rewards when it is ready.

Alan and I even managed to team up with Neil and Gulper on a well known North West Pike Water. On a Frosty Morning we set forth for the challenge with Pressured Esox uppermost in our minds. This fish had seen many baits and methods in their time and delicate rigs with minimal resistance playing the main role.

Neil Bags One

We were all treated to a magnificent Sunrise before casting out to known spots that Gulper had fine tuned his trade on and off over the years. He even predicted the feeding times. True to his Word Both Neil and Gulper went onto land three fish a piece within minutes of predicted taking times by the master. It was quite uncanny but I knew from previous trips to Scotland on one particular water that you could virtually set your watch by the timing of the first run. It was a good day full of fun and laughter as always even if Alan and Myself failed to catch. I think I need to fine tune my rigs after two dropped runs.

Gulper gets to Grips

I finally managed my first fish twelve days into the New Year in the shape of a feisty jack off the River Dee. The level had finally fallen and the margins were quite clear , certainly enough for a Pike to exploit it's hunting powers. I actually managed two jacks in short succession and it was nice to have a bend in the rod again.First Of Many.

Heres Hoping Some Really Hungry Mothers Turn up in the Near Future. Them Big Girls Must be Starving after such a sustained period of flood. Let's hope we can get amongst them soon. With all these Tiddlers - Something Better Change !!

Tight Lines !!

2011 Review. Sometimes I Get a Good Feeling

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OnnDqH6Wj8 Good Feeling - Flo Rida

True friendship is like sound health , the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.

As far as Years go , 2011 was a fairly mediocre as far as Fish Captures go. It may sound as if I am having a whinge , I am most certainly not , for it is all part of the challenge. A long dry Spring and Summer saw the Rivers Painfully low and for once maybe the Fish Won the day. Having said all of that , what the year lacked in Captures it certainly made up for in Friendship and Continued Learning. I have be a lone Angler now for many years now and I am still more than Happy , Content and at Ease in my own company. However , 2011 brought something New to the table , with the Gift of both New and Old Angling Acquittance's , and this was to set the tone for the whole year. A Pb Salmon plus a New Pb River Severn Summer Chub over the Magical 6 lb Barrier , plus some Cracking Brown Goldfish Captures were the Highlights of a Fairly Slow Year. As Always , whether Successful or not , it was Always a Pleasure and Privilege being out and about in Mother Nature and All She Offers.

Piking as I have found over the past few years can be quite a social event. I am lucky in Having Two of the best Pikers in the North West as Mates and so , with that in mind Mike and Gulper led the way as ever with their continued Unselfish Help - Skill and Laughter. Our Spring Trip to Ireland saw Baz , Neil and Buzz all join forces briefly before the weather and personal circumstances took there toll. Mike showed incredible strength and endeavor battling a Very Nasty Tooth Abscess whilst skippering a boat. Many a mere mortal would have crumbled , But Mr Chairman Battled On Regardless. The Trip never really got going with many an unseen circumstances taking it's toll. Saying that Captain Gulper Reigned Supreme during the week taking Top Boat Spot with The Fury. We all battled away and it was Baz that finished the trip on Top Spot with a New River Pb , enough said. I was Very Impressed with Neil's Boating Skills and this Guy certainly knows his stuff and many a Large Croc is set to fall to his silky skills in the future , for sure. I came away from Ireland Much Wiser and Enjoyed Myself Immensely despite the ups and downs. A Big Thanks to All the Lads for the trip.

I continued my ships passing in the night Angling Relationship with that Welsh Wizard Bruce , who really does have me wondering that maybe it's not just luck with him after all , lol , ;)) Gwindaff needs to spend more time on The Banks than in the Pubs and Clubs Chasing Big Fish instead of Old Trout , but I guess your only young once. Keep Plodding Mate.

I continued to play , in my new Adopted Guiding Roll or " Doing a Gulper " as I call it , by accompanying my Old Mate Alan Goulbourne on many a trip for him to take more PB's of Many an Individual Species in a season than I have had Hot Dinners. It was Great putting Something back into the Sport for someone else to enjoy , and The Look on Alan's Face as He Cradled a few Lumps was more than just Satisfying. It aim for it to continue into 2012 in Helping Others achieve their Dreams whilst having the odd fish myself. Slash , for one reason or another , I failed to touch base with , but as always we were in constant contact through Phone or e mail and we certainly need to get out more come January. Slash had a steady year and was recently landing Both Quality Barbel , Tench and Pike during the recent Cold Spell. Thus Proving that he is Top Notch.

It has just gone to prove one thing to me , that know matter where we are in life , Friendship is an important and integral part , and it should be savoured through both good and bad times. Malcolm Hough and Clive Parry are both waiting in the Wings , and both proving there worth as Top Anglers , and it is a pleasure to have them as Angling Correspondence. Top Bombin Gents , keep the flow of success coming.

And So Into 2012 and All it Offers whether I be on my own or with my mates. Bring It On I say <"))))<

Tight Lines for 2012 ............ Go Get em !!!




















Happy New Year !!!!!!!!!!