Dan O’Neill of South East Casting reports from the Barrow navigation…
Getting close to the Trout season on my home river I am beginning to wind down a little from winter predator fishing. I have the same feeling as I get at the end of the trout season and end up rushing around to spots I promised myself I’d fish this winter with Anthony. In saying that there still is some time before the 17th of March. As a Cadence ambassador I got to fish with some of their coarse rods recently. When choosing I decided to get something for small silvers so I opted for the 10ft pellet waggler. I then needed something with a little bit of backbone so went with the 12ft specimen twin tip in 1 pound test curve which comes with 2 interchangeable tips (2oz,3oz) which I think will be perfect for hybrids later in the season. Of course, my fishing partner Anthony went for one of the Barbell rods for his pike adventures on the Barrow.
Today we were going to aim for pike and perch at the canal mouth. Looking around we located some baitfish that were moving about so were confident the pike / perch would not be too far away. Setting up nearby we had our perch mix that we had been carefully preparing the night before.
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- 2 cups of layers pellets
- 1.5 cups of crumbled soil
- Half a cup of chopped worms
- 1 stick of finely chopped pepperami
Discreetly putting the ground bait in we assembled the rods and made a “strat” as Anthony calls it. There was a slight flow which I prefer when fishing canals. It took about 20 minutess before our first inquiry which Anthony lifted into, and it was of course perch number one.
We wanted however to try for a slightly larger perch so went up a couple of hook sizes and increased our bait size. It was quite clear that there were a lot of small perch in the area as the float bounced, bobbed and shot off to one side quite a bit as they played around with it. Feeling that maybe the larger ones were nearer the tail end of the smaller shoal of perch or perhaps hugging nearby we began a little search. Some overhanging trees created nice shelter and a likely looking spot for a predator, a couple of casts still didn’t show up anything bigger.
We kept looking and eventually we came across a spot that seemed a bit deeper, so we plumbed the spot, it was about 7ft. Rebaiting the hooks we both cast in and awaited to see if this spot held a fish for us. After about 2 cups of tea and half a packet of chocolate digestives the float shook and then made its journey to the depths. Anthony struck into what we knew was a better fish. The fish swam around a bit and gave a couple of headshakes before coming to the net. It was larger and had a couple of battle scars. The fish measured 36cm which wasn’t huge but a little better.
As we returned to the original spot we cast in our rods as we prepped lunch. Anthony managed to hit another perch of 37cm this time. Bit of a steward’s inquiry as to who’s rod it was caught on but who cares we landed the fish and returned it safely back.
After lunch we set up the pike rods and I was really hoping to catch one to see how the rod performed. There were a couple of likely looking places along the opposite side of the canal that I wanted to place a bait in. Luckily we had two pike rods today so placed them both in places we liked the look of along the canal. It started off quiet with the odd Kelt throwing itself in the air keeping us entertained.
Watching the floats, one began to make some strange movements. Anthony of course was on the rod straight away and we watched as it slowly moved away from its position and dipped slowly under. Anthony reeled down and struck into our first pike of the day. It was a nice pike, and we were happy to have got to try the rod out. The pike was showing some battle scars but had a big belly which was full of silverfish, I’m sure. We didn’t waste time and got a quick picture and released the pike back to its home.
About 30 minutes later we had another run. This time it was a jack pike and a very welcome fish. Again, the fish had a belly full of something and showed a couple of battle scars also. As the evening went on, we had one more jack pike and a dropped run.
Delighted to get down to the Barrow today and looking forward to a trip again soon.
Go Fishing…
For any information on the Cadence course rod range or fly rod range feel free to contact me.
I am also running fly fishing workshops on the R.Nore from the 17th of March. Each workshop has a maximum of 3 spaces as this way everyone gets the most from the workshop. Contact me for available dates by call, email or messenger.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 0857652751
Facebook : Facebook
Notes
Guided Angling
Fly caught perch from the Barrow
Dan has been guiding on the River Nore from the age of 14,he holds a wealth of knowledge in many different techniques. Dan provides guiding for Trout, Salmon and coarse fish.
All levels from beginner to experienced are welcome.
Available for guided trout and salmon fishing in the South East
Fly Casting Instruction
Dan in APGAI Ireland qualified single handed fly casting instructor. All levels from beginner to experienced are welcome.
Dan also holds regular fly fishing classes on the River Nore for groups and individuals.
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