Thursday, 26 June 2025

Isle of Wight Fishing Return 2025

 Isle of Wight Fishing Return 2025

Looking forward to returning to the beautiful Isle of Wight. Had a wonderful time back in 2024, time of my life.
Met some lovely people, visited many places all around the coast. Incredible scenery, and amazing fishing.
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work in progress,  please return at a later date, thanks for your patience.


Thursday, 19 June 2025

Speed Fishing, Bleak Match One on One

 The Ultimate Bleakathon

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In this latest blog post look at an often dying art if Bleak Fishing. One to look forward to, let's see what happens when two Friends set a challenge to see who can catch the most Bleak in a set time. Also be adding tips and advice here for those looking to have a go at Speed Fishing for these small silver fish.
Making Contact: anglingwithshaun@gmail.com 
Been literally decades since last sat it out and speed fished for Bleak. A good old fashioned Bleak Bashing Session. Bring it on mate 💪😆 
Chatting with a Friend (to be revealed nearer time) who is active on the match circuit. We discussed Bleak, being I caught the above Bleak yesterday, now concluded in a future one on one challenge, head to head to see who can catch the most.
Image below credit courtesy: Wanderlust 
Bleak: Fact File (British Wildlife Facts)
Great Sensas Titou Bleak Floats as used by The England National Team 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 
Been a long time, no longer a spring chicken, wonder if can still compete, a lot slower, not the same dexterity once had, health issues, eyes not great. Excuses, excuses, dispite everything still quietly confident can beat him 😆 Boy o boy do I wanna beat him 💪 
Can I still hold own, and ultimately win the day by catching the most Bleak. 
The venue has been decided, Ross-on-Wye. 
Won't be bringing stacks of gear travelling light by coach from Victoria London. A few Bleak whips, bait apron, keepnet, a stool, and bait. Date to be confirmed.
Just sorting out the gear got some of these Colmic Bleak Floats, and Sensas 3000 Feeling hooks.
6 Trabucco Alborella Spectrum Whips be setting up...
How to attach a rig to your whip 
The Bleak King 👑 Hadrian Whittle incredible Bleak Master breaking so many UK Records image courtesy of Angling Times.
A good video by UK Bleak Record Holder Hadrian Whittle on Bleak Tactics
One of The Bleak Legends nicknamed Bionic Bleaker Tommy Pickering
Personally do like to make alot of my own homemade groundbaits. A really super fine mix can be achieved using a coffee grinder, and a super fine flour sieve.
Try adding some evaporated milk, for an even better lingering cloud in the water
Condensed Milk, will also give some extra cloud, and added sweetness
Along with milk powder, fine groundbait, Bleak like Aniseed, and also Garlic. Looking to create a nice lingering cloud in the top part of water column, fine enough not to add feed, fill up Bleak. Look for a number of different groundbaits available on the market.
Sensas Ablettes
Sensas Ablettes Orange
Sensas Super Black Gardons
You can pick up bags of Ground Aniseed to add to your mix.
Sensas Farine Competition Pastoncino Bicolore
Sensas Surface
Sensas Terre De Surface Jaune
Sensas Ablettix
Mondial-f Rapide
Milk Powder
Another little video for you How to catch big weights of Bleak
Another video Bleak Fishing Master Milos Pavlicevic
To be continued, work in progress, please come back visit at a later date, thanks for your patience.
All will be revealed in the not to distant future, in the meantime enjoying your Bleak fishing.

Wednesday, 18 June 2025

A day on The London Docks, Marshwall

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Firstly welcome everyone to my blogger site, most will know me via Facebook. However in recent times, decided to get more involved with this platform. Many posts still to update, including some unpublished, be editing and reposting at a later date.

Thanks for your patience, and understanding. Do hope some of you get something out of this blog.

So let's get back on it, starting with a recent session had on The Docklands, Marshwall in London.

Often get messages from readers asking for advice, or tips, always willing to help where can. Sometimes even get to arrange a day out, as did with Gary.

Be totally honest, not everyone get to meet is, pleasant or fun to be around. Not always happy meeting some people never met before, which only got enhanced back in 2024 when visited Southampton, where although met so many wonderful people, also met some awful undesirable characters. As such no longer advertise live where fishing at any particular time.
Asked ChatGPT to do a funny comical poster. At no point did I include any words. Bloody cheeky, hopefully don't look that miserable. Do have an excuse lost yet another tooth days before, and as such didn't want to smile. Ha Ha Ha 😂 can assure not one beer was sank on the day, apart from coffee kindly delivered by Gary's better half.
So let's get on with it, after a few messages, back and forth, we hooked up for a short session on a familiar venue, having fished loads of times over the years.
Just a small number of old pictures at night
Got many hundreds of pictures taken over the years. You can find many on my Facebook page.
Bit of a later start than would have liked, arriving in the early afternoon. Travelling light, on pushbike.

Literally just a Browning Silverlight Bolo rod...
Classic DAM Closed Face Reel, perfect for the Bolo, light, nice balance.
Nicknamed The Coffee Grinder back in the day 😆 
Landing net, stool, unhooking mat, a few bits and bobs. 
Bait wise just casters, lot's of them that needed using up ASAP.
Started setting up, shortly after Gary turned up, would say we instantly clicked. Always a good thing when fishing, getting on well with someone on the bank...
Had some excellent sessions here in the past. 
However in recent months, not caught anything decent.
Are the rumours on the grapevine true ? Has it been electrofished, resulting in fish being stunned, netted and sold onto other venues ? Can't really say, however does seem that way, certainly a lack of anything decent.
Could it be the 3 P's Pollution, Predation and Poaching.
No doubt the later Poaching, can certainly vouch for, having witnessed many times, fish caught put in plastic bags, taken home for the plate. Do believe far to little to late, damage already done. 
More of an effort including patrols from Environment Agency, Angling Trust, Canal and River Trust would help.
Even signs put up would believe benefit, may help...
Definitely witnessed far more Poaching since the old Millwall Angling Club gave up fishing rights and folded. Big Perch taken, a few by each Angler, regardless how much water, don't take long to empty a venue of stock.
So much so the problem, even got reported to The Angling Trust, due to anti social behaviour upsetting residents and taking fish. Many areas since closed, fishing no longer allowed.
Angling Trust Enforcement team responding to reports in London. 

Regional Enforcement Support Manager for the South-East Dave Wilkins, and Building Bridges Project Officer Janusz Kansik, met with the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Unit, Canal & River Trust, and the Environment Agency at Canary Wharf to discuss angling issues in the area. With reports of fish theft as well as conflict between anglers and local business owners and residents, it is important that we tackle these problems head on. Work will be progressing to provide safe fishing locations. Angling will be available on the Canal and River Trust Waterway Wanderers ticket, and of course an Environment Agency rod licence. 

These partnerships work extremely well and we are glad that our Enforcement work can provide more angling opportunities whilst helping to prevent poaching and fish theft. Our Enforcement work is funded by fishing licence income in partnership with the Environment Agency.

#anglingtrust #protectourwaters #fishinginlondon

Also The Canal River Trust got involved and Angler's now needing to purchase a Waterway Wanderers Permit. 
Not that the place ever gets patrolled, very much doubt most people turning up even have an Environment Agency Fishing License.
Anyway guess nothing lasts for ever, and can only look back and remember the good times, when fishing here was incredible, some of my most memorable fishing experiences.
A Major factor in the reduction of fish stocks, has been the dominance of Cormorants increased numbers in recent decades.
Hopefully the fish been catching will eventually grow and this once great water returns to it's former glory.

Tactics wise although had some great sessions in the past using a Bolo on the docks, was hard work in the wind. The Browning Silverlight never actually totally 100% been comfortable using. Far to floppy in the wind, and the tip to sensitive, hate to imagine a big fish hooked on one. Must get my old stiffer Browning Black Magic Bolo tip repaired.
Plenty of bites, lot's of small fish caught throughout the day. Unfortunately when the sun came out had to fish in a different spot due to bright sunshine bouncing off the buildings, making it impossible to see the float.
All in all a nice day out, Gary caught plenty of fish, and said it was his best day on a dock or river ever, he was very happy. If anyone comes and joins me on the bank, has a good day fishing, happy, also very happy 😊

Plenty of little fish, Bream, Roach, Perch, Bleak, Rudd Congratulations to Gary his best day out, and his new PB Perch
All in all a great day, only let down by the Greenwich Foot tunnel lift broken again at Island Gardens, still better than both broken. Been a constant problem for years now.
Mind you could be worse forgetting the last time Woolwich Foot tunnel lifts worked.

Moving on great to meet you Gary. Look forward to meeting you again Bud 👍🎣