A NEW BOOK NOW OUT. Targets set and achieved.

My third book, 'Targets set and achieved' is now complete and ready for sale. As the title suggests it reflects the past seven years of my fishing. Twenty different rivers where double figure barbel were caught, crucians and roach to near record size, perch, chub, tench and bream to make the mouth water. All will be in the pages and well illustrated with lots of colour photographs.



There is a 1000 copy print run of the hardback edition and a further 40 leather bound copies for the connoisseur.



Copies available from myself just email phlpsmith9@aol.com or ring 07980 394864 for details



Still a limited number of leathers available.





Alternatively use the web page http://www.philsmithangler.co.uk/ where you can order by Paypal or credit/debit card.





Thursday 16 May 2013

It's crucian time.

With the late spring everything is topsy-turvy, but already it is time to try for the big crucians.  Generally my tench fishing so far along with many other anglers that I know of, has been rubbish so I'll leave that for a couple of weeks and move on.

The swim I've chosen for the start of my campain is quite shallow being less than 2ft going out to perhaps 4ft at 30 yds or so, for this reason I shall be legering for only the second time as my primary method for the cruians, the last time I caught the British Record. 

My tackle is a pair of Drennan 1.25lb 12ft Avon rods matched up with Shimano 5000 baitrunner reels loaded with 6lb mono line.  The flat bed method feeders are tipped with a short hook length of 4lb florocarbon to a size 14 hook, the bait being either soft pellet or sweetcorn.  I'm sure it is a fact that very few crucians would get caught on a running leger so a bolt system is used for this reason.  you only have to watch a crucian bite on a float to see my reasons for this though, cunning does not begin to describe these delicate biters.

The weather could have been better with a chilly SW wind blowing strongly into my swim, I just hoped it would blow the fish across in the same way.  I intended to fish my usual 48 hours over two nights and the first afternoon did not bode well with just two tench and a medium size rudd coming to the net.  Meanwhile crucians were being caught, in one anglers case a lot of crucians but I could only ring the changes on rig and bait then hope the fish would appear in my swim.

In the end I did get one golden bar of 3lb-7oz along with a lot of tench to 6lb plus, it seemed the crucians were shoaled up in different areas and I could only hope that my next visit would have more success.

                                                      First crucian of the season 3lb-7oz.

2 comments:

  1. Phil what a lovely specimen, I would dearly love one that size from Marsh Farm over the next couple of sessions, is a 4 on the cards?

    James.

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  2. I'm fishing at Marsh Farm but on Johnson's Lake at the back, season ticket holders only. It has already done 4lb's and I'm hoping to get one over the next week or two, but no luck so far. 3lb-4oz best this last session, but I'll be back on Teusday or Wednesday for another try.
    The day ticket lakes, mainly Harris has gone over the top and you will struggle for a 3lb fish now, lots of bits have been put in and it spoiled it.

    ReplyDelete