In search of Perch; Waxholm; 30th September 2017

Late autumn is a classic time to fish for large Perch, one of my favourite species. It was decided to fish at Vaxholm, as the area had produced in the past. We began from the shore at an old favourite spot, legering redworms on the bottom. After a few hours later and we had only small fish and it was apparent that the large Perch were not in the area. As a result, we were more than happy to board when Eddie Bowler arrived to pick us up in the boat to try fishing other areas with the jig rods. We made a few stops before moving to a favoured area for big Perch and all four of us casted towards the margins in the hope of a big specimen..
 The first strike proved not to be a Perch at all, but a small Pike for Ed. This began a rather remarkable five minutes for Ed, who had only just released his Pike when his yellow jig was hit again, this time the jagging motion was his rod tip suggested he was into a good Perch. We all peered over the side of the boat and sure enough, as the fish came to the top, the tell tale green tiger stripes of a really good Perch flashed in the water and we duly netted the fish. As Perch go, this was a stunner, easily a two pounder. We took a little video for posterity and quickly released it and fished on. Not for long. On his next cast, Eddie literally struck again, this time into a slightly longer, lean Pike. This fish fought harder on light gear before it was boated, unhooked and released.
After that, we fished on, having the odd contact, though the bites were tentative in the main. I missed a good bite however, as did Rafa, whilst Andy concentrated on bigger lures in the hope of a good Pike. Repeatedly casting to the edge of the reeds we were enjoying the fishing on a really nice evening, when I had a strike and my rod arched into a good fish. It felt like a good Perch straight away. I broke the surface before long and the sight of it left me in no doubt it was a personal best. It's always the same when you have a big fish on, it's nerve wracking stuff the fish is in the net and this was no exception. It was a brief tussle, thankfully, and soon Ed slid the net under the fish and I got a clear look at it. .It weighed in at 1.36kilo(3lb. on the nose) It was a new personal best and a stunning fish that everyone in the boat enjoyed seeing. It was duly released and we fished on...

 1.36 kilo, finally a 3lb. fish and a new personal best. I've been waiting a long time for this fish...

The light was fading rapidly at this point and we decided to head back towards the dock and fish a little on the way. We had a fun journey back as the sun dropped and we sped through the achipelago. We tried a few late cast without success, before packing daown and getting ourselves home after a wonderful day out. Special thanks to Eddie Bowler once again for a memorable day...

VIDEO FOOTAGE BELOW;

Tench at Malmasjön; July 2017

Malmasjön is a stunning venue to fish for one of our favourite species, Tench. We have visited before on a couple of occasions, this year Andy Shaw and I planned a two day session. We met up on a fine Friday evening, with the sun splitting the rocks and open blue skies. We headed southwest and before long we were at the venue and duly collected the keys for a rowing boat at the visitor centre. The lake is choked with weeed an thick lilly pads at one end, there is thich plant cover around the banksides and a boat is essential for fishing. We then set up camp besdide the boat berth. With everthing ready it was still a little early to get out on the lake, the sune was rather high, but we just couldn't resist getting out on the lake. It was decided to tackle the float rods up and we rowed out onto the lake and picked a swim on the west side of the lake that would see shade from the dropping sun first and began to fish. Even during the afternoon there were signs of Tench and bubbles began to appear in our swim almost as soon as the groundbait went in. We were usin a simple bran mix, with hemp, sweetcorn, marine halibut pellet and some chooped prawn mixed through. It certainly had the desired effect and before long we were glued to out floats as the sun began to drop. We were floatfishing over a prawn hookbait in order to deter numerous small Rudd. We waited....
 It wasn't long before we got into a few fish and we were reminded just how strong these fish are. Our rods hooped over every time we struck into a fish and they fought all the way to the net. The evening session was magical and we both had a few fish, It became apparent that the fish were spawning and we were initially worried that this might effct the fishing. In the end, there were plenty of fish feeding. There was little we could do except relax and enjoy the fishing, so that is what we did.
We fished into the darkness and called it a day at around midnight, deciding to get a little rest before the dawn.

 First fish of the trip for Andy went 4lb. 6oz.

 Superb fishing on the first evening...

A stunning sunset...


 Just a few hours later, we were back out on the lake and we went to a new swim were we had seen plenty of activity the evening before. As soon as the groundbait went in the water began to fizz with Tench bubbles and a wonderful morning session got underway. We were still getting used to the water and making a few adjustments to out float rigs. Rudd seemed less of a problem with the Tench in the swim, so Andy switch to redworm and corn hookbait, whilst I stayed on prawn. Again it wasn't lng before the fish were all around our floats and we experienced the excitemnet of summer Tnch fishing at it's best, watching on as the bubbles fizzed around our baits, willing our floats to slide away. Eventually, they did. We were treated to a wonderful morning session with some stunning Tench and memorable fish.
In the middle of the day, we decided to take a short rest in the tent before sorting out a bit of dinner over the campstove. We discussed where to fish and decided on a fairly large clearing in the lily beds. We rowed out and baited up and waited, The heat had been stifling earlier that afternoon and it was still very hot. Soon though, the sun began to drop and move around to the west and the fish came on the feed. Yet again it was a wonderful session and the fishing was superb. We had sevearl fish in succession before Andy stuck into another bite. Typically, the fish fought like a demon and as it came to the surface it was apparent it was a female and a better fish. Happily, it went into the landing net and was dult weighed. Andy was delighted to register a new personal best Tench of 5lb. 11oz. It was a particularily nice fissh, fin perfect and wonderfully coloured. We slid her back after a few photos and fished on into the evening. Periodically, the floats would dither and bobble, before sliding away. We had some incredible tussles with these fish, which hooped our 1.25lb test curve float rods over to the water surface and below and they made run after run. After each fish, there was generally a period of calm before the fish inevatably returned to the groundbait.

 This one went over 5lb, a good fish in Sweden...

 Strong sunlight and hot conditions didn't put this fish off the feed...

 An old warrior here, a big old male...

 A stunning personal for Andy best weighed in at 5lb. 11oz., this was one of the few female fish caught. The fish were spawning in earnest, next year we plan to visit earlier in the year for that elusive 6lb. plus specimen....

 Another big male Tench on a wonderful evening session...

A typical Tench from this venue, another male fish...


The final morning we were up at dawn, a little tired, but still keen to try our luck We decided we would fish until 9am and then have a rest and some food before driving back to Stockholm. The sun rose and the fish were feeding and we threw out the last of our groundbait and began to fish. Again, we had fish before long and the morning slipped past quickly. We enjoyed the few fish we had on tis final morning before rowing back and getting a little sleep. We woke, cooked homemade beefburgers and ate heartily before breaking camp and packing the car.  On last look at the lake and we were off, though we will be back....

A full video here, edited from the footage taken with the GoPro camera's over the two days....

Summer Pike; A Short evening session!

Another evening session with the light set up for prelaters. On this occasion I hiked to a remote location to fish a trult beautiful lake in the middle of nowhere, a stunning place...

Early Summer Rudd; June 2017

 Another short movie of a day out legering for Rudd at a typical archipelago spot for the species. Andy Shaw and I had a good afternoon and evening in the end, though a massive Rudd was lost early on, a fish well over the magical 2lb. mark. There's alway next time, though we still managed some very nice fish on the day...

Ultralight fishing at Lake Malaren

An evening outing here to a place on Lake Malaren in searce of predators with ultra light tackel. Have a watch and see what happened...

Pike Fishing in Dalarna; May 2017

This years annual trip to our usual location in Dalarna in May resulted in some great fishing, as well as a good laugh. The location was stunning as always and the fishing was good this year. We all had plenty of small Pike and a few bigger fish as well. The GoPro cameras were employed this year and the result is some decent video footage...

Pre Spawn Pike; 29th April 2017

 A very welcome first fish in the boat..

After a long, late and very cold spring, I finally met up with Eddie Bowler and got afloat after talking to him late the previous evening. It had been desperately slow fishing before today, but we were hopeful of a few fish nonetheless. We got afloat at around 08.15am and began to work the shallow near areas we knew fish were almost certainly lying in wait for spawning. I started with Headbanger lutes, whilst Ed prefered Jerkbait. The water was rather murky however and this prompted me to put on a large Wingman Curlytail, which was creamy yellow and a lot more visible. We had been fishing for around 45minutes over several spots when finally we saw a sign of fish, a boil being Ed's jerk bait as a fish almost took it near the surface. A couple of casts late and I had a wrenching take and the first Pike of the day was in the boat, there was relief all round....

 Second fish of the day....

The first fish was around the 4-5lb mark, we didn't bother to weigh it, deciding on a quick release. I got my lure back out and two casts later it was my rod slammed around to another agreesive take, this time the fish felt better and I could feel head shakes and more strength. It wasn't a monster, but it was very welcome indeed. A really manic period of bites, so typical of Pike. The fish was duly unhooked , photographed and slid back safely. A short while later I had a third, smaller Pike to complete a hat trick, before things went quiet.
 We tried a wide are, searching the water methodically and moving frequently. A favourite area of ours was to prove exciting as the water was very clear. Ed was retrieving his jerkbait along the bank next to deeper water when a good pike ghosted out of the depths and struck his lure. Somehow, it escaped being hooked and proceeded to shadow the jerkbait as we watched on. It then had a second half hearted lunge at the lure, but didn't take before disappearing. A great experience...
 Having had no joy further afield we returned to the area we had success at and began thrashing the water with our lures. After an hour we were talking of calling it a day when I had a take and a small fish which completely engulfed my large Wingman! Proof, if ever we needed it, that large lures are the way to go. It was a lillte tricky to unhook and I had just removed the hooks when Ed's jerkbait was attacked beside the boat on the surface. We were both gobsmacked to realize it was a nice Zander, a huge bonus fish! We duly netted it and took some photos. It was around 5lb. or so and was in amazing shape, a very deep bodied fish. This was a nice reward for Ed, who had a tough morning until that point. The Zander went back as well and we were well happy with ourselves. A further strike came to Ed on the jerkbait, but the fish got off. After that it was time to leave, we got the boat tied up and departed at 14,30. A super morning on the water...

 Above and below; A cracking Zander which snatched Ed's jerkbait off the surface in spectacular fashion. Not often caught on large jerkbaits, so this was unexpected. A wonderful fish in great condition...

Below; In addition, I had brought out a new toy today, a GoPro Hero 5 camera, which we used to film the mornings events. I took a liitle time to edit the footage and have started a channel on youtube for any future filming.

Perch!

A superb Perch of 1.30kilo that took a Jerkbait whilst Ed was Perch fishing...

A species which will be receiving a lot more attention from now on is Perch. Ed and I have acquired some specialist rods and reels for Perch, designed for fishing small plastic jigs and dropshot lures. Lidingo and the surrounding area has huge potential for Perch, with Ed already having taken some huge fish whilst lure fishing for Pike. 

 Perch are a real challenge in themselves and we have decided to spend more time in the future on the species, in order to try and catch some really big specimens...watch this space...

A fish of just over 2lbs on a small wobbler from a few weeks ago...

Pike at Lidingo; 2016

A reasonably tough fishing year to date, through Ed had a few cracking fish nonetheless. The year started well with Ed hitting some big post spawn fish, which resulted in a new PB for him when a 10.12kilo beauty hit his lures close to his boat berth. It was the first fish of the day as well!

 A decent spring followed, though it soon gave way to summer and high water temperatures. This season the summer was poor for Pike and we soon realized that conditions were simply to warm. Nevertheless we had a few great days out on the water, where, even if the fishing wasn't great, we had a great laugh. The season isn't over of course, and as we move towards October the water temperatures are falling and the big Pike are starting to feed in preparation for the winter. Let's hope some big girls will soon grace the boat...

Ed with a new PB from the spring, a cracking fish of 10.12kg, or just over 22lb.

A belter for Ed, a high double figure fish...

More recent fare for Ed, this one just last week...

Ed with another fish, one of many on a headbanger lure this season...

Rob with his best fish of the year, a beautifully marked fish too...

A long lean summer Pike...

A late evening fish for myself...

Rob with a small Pike....

Yours truly with a reasonable fish that was just into double figures...

Malmasjön; 31st July 2016

Malmasjön is an epic Tench venue, a bit of a trek, though worth the effort. Andy Shaw and his father spent the day here float fishing with prawn, hoping for some action. They had five fish in total to around 5lb on a very enjoyable trip. The lake is choked with weed in late summer, so we will have to try and get there earlier in the season next year. The lake record is over 9lb, which is huge by Swedish standards, so this lake certainly deserves more attention...

Muskan; 30th July 2016

Andy Shaw made the most of a weekend visit by his father and got some coarse fishing in, with Muskan the first stop. The lake fished well and Andy had two Tench on ledgered worm, whilst his father had two cracking Rudd over 1lb. 8oz. Nice to know this venue holds big Rudd, just how big do they get in here? 

Muskan; 10th April 2016; First Esox of the year for Andy Shaw

Andy popped out to Muskan for his first session of the year after a mild winter here. He legered a bunch of worms and had the usual Silver Bream here and there before a wrenching bite saw him into a powerful fish on a light feeder rod. Landing a 12lb Pike some time later, he was naturally delighted. There is some strange goings on at this venue, as Andy regularly lands Pike on worm here, this not even being his best weight on worm here. Still, all said and done, a nice way to start the spring...

Mälmasjön; The search for Tench; 12th July 2015

A long awaited trip the this famous Tench lake here in Sweden. The lake has a long history amongst anglers here for big, specimen Tench and the lake record stands over 9lb. Here in Sweden, given the harsh winters and relatively short summers, the species does not grow as large as it does in countries further south and a 6lb fish can be considered a specimen.

 Having never fished the venue before we were not sure how to approach the fishing and brought a lot of gear and bait to cover all eventualities. Andy Shaw and I set off at midnight with a fully loaded car, in good spirits and looking forward to the fishing. After a difficult commute due to thick fog and deer on the roads we eventually arrived at 2am and had a look around in the darkness. The lake was a typical eurtrophic lake, with dense marginal vegetation and extensive lily pads. Fishing from the bank would be difficult and we only found one area suitable, though we were heartened by bubbling Tench in the swim and returned to the car and awaited a little more light. We were soon on the lakeside and opted for legering method feeder, a method we have had good success with in the past. This was a mistake as the lake proved to be thickly weeded under the surface and we decided we had to float fish. The next few hours proved frustrating as we struggled in which weed, whilst fish bubbled away in the swim. We were casting over backside vegetation and waterlilies and it took us a while to realise we had to think more carefully about our shot arrangement on the line. By 8am I had caught one decent Perch and loads of small nuisance fish, Rudd and Roach. We decided to head back and collect the keys for the boat we had hired and returned.

Once in the boat the whole lake was open to us, though with a few fish still bubbling in our swim we decided to row around and left the boat in the lilies the lake side of the swim. We needed no anchor, the boat was still and we could now fish under the rod tip if we wanted. I putt a single AA shot 6 inches from my hook, I now knew whether the bait was an the bottom and if the bait was taken and the shot moved, it was registered by the float. Bait was a large prawn to deter small fish. After a short time I struck into a sinking bite and felt solid resistance. The fish dived straight into weed and after a short and subdued fight Andy netted my first Tench from the lake, a superb, deep fish. It was fin perfect and pristine and I knew it would be a Swedish PB before I weighed it. When I did. the scales went around to 5lb. 6oz. I was well happy.

 A Swedish PB for me, a superbly conditioned 5lb. 6oz. fish.

After this things got easier and we gained confidence in out fishing. I quickly had three more Tench, around 4.5lb, 4lb and a 3lb Male. These all fought like stink. Andy missed a couple of bites as the sun rose, before the bubbling stopped and small fish began to destroy our baits, even a large prawn eventually succumbed. We decided the give the searing heat a miss around 11am and went to rest for a few hours.

 Andy with a nice Perch of around a pound and a half...

We returned around 4pm and had four hours left to fish, as Andy had to leave at 8pm. We were both exhausted, though some food and refreshments had perked us up. We fished as we had earlier and it wasn't long before Andy struck into a bite and after a spirited fight netted another good Perch. A bonus fish, though still no Tench for him. The heavens now opened up and we watched out floats from under a large Korum brolly and hopped it would stop. Andy had a number of small fish before striking into another, only to find his rod arch over as a Tench dived for cover. The fish was very strong and after a short and brutal fight it made cover among some pilings and was lost. We both felt it was a big fish and it was tough on Andy. An hour later it did and we got into the boat and began to fish. Some time passed before andy float went under again and the strike connected with what he thought was another perch, though as the fight went on and I became convinced it was a Tench. It bored heavily under the boat, though eventually I netted the fish and its size was noticed, another 5lb fish. It was relief for Andy and I duly took a few photos before were both tried a few other areas with no joy. Typically, as we were packing up the fish began to appear, bubbling everywhere, the evening was coming and the fish were feeding. It was hard to leave seeing this, though we had no choice and decided we would have to come back for a full evening session. The venue had left a serious impression on us, a stunning location to fish in. We will certainly be back...

 Andy's reward for persisting was a stunning Tench, another immaculate dark fish of 5lb.

Lure fishing for Pike; Lidingö; 28th May 2015

A few spare hours in the evening saw Eddie Bowler and I afloat after our old friend Mr. Esox. It was a bright sunny evening, though we felt our chances were good nonetheless as the sun began to drop. The shallow spawning grounds proved uneventful and it was apparent the fish have moved away from these areas. With limited time we decided to try a few more areas with a couple of meters depth and right at the death I had a proper strike on a 22cm Westin Shad Teez, in the colour Official Roach. The fish fought well in water that was 15 degrees, and soon was safely unhooked, photographed and released unharmed, as all Pike should be. Time constraints had meant we struggled to find the fish, though in the end it was great to get one after a few half hearted hits from small fish. Didn't weigh this one, obviously a post spawn fish, though quite long...

Muskan; 14th May 2015

Anothe session for Andy Shaw at Muskan, this time Jones by Emily Shaw, who quickly got going and had several nice Perch and yet another Pike on redworm! Daddy had to get his act together quick sharp, though eventually managed a second jack Pike, again on redworm, a 1lb Rudd on the method feeder, some Perch and last gasp, a very nice Tench weighing exactly 4lb. The venue continues to throw up fish, efforts here will continue. Early days as yet, though there is huge potential here, especially regarding Pike, Perch and Zander. Watch this space...

Pike; 13lb on Redworm; Muskan; 12th May 2015

Sometimes things happen when fishing that you just don't expect, that's what happened to Andy Shaw this Tuesday, whilst feeder fishing at Muskan. We are new to the venue, this being just the third visit, a short feeder session. We know Pike sometimes take worms, even maggots. When it happens to be a thirteen pounder though, on a light feeder Rod, things get confusing. Andy had been catching Silver Bream and lost a nice Tench before striking into another bite only to hook up on something, not the bottom as initially thought, as line started to tear off his reel at a rate of knots. Thoughts of a huge Tench, wondering if it could be a Carp, we're all going through his mind as he played this fish for twenty minutes, before he finally got a look at the beast and realized what he had hooked. The small hook was in the scissors of the Pike, luckily the fish didn't bite through the line and it was duly netted and weighed at 13lb. A new PB for Andy, he was delighted, shocked and confused. Andy is a specialist at taking shite photos and he duly obliged with this clanger of a selfie, on of his best efforts to date, at least he got most of the silhouette in the frame. All joking aside, a good effort by the lad...

Muskan; 3rd May 2015

The biggest Tench of the day which had been badly mauled by a Pike and was not exactly a looker. Just under 4lb.

An immaculate Tench which weighed 3lb. 3oz. and fought like a demon. A really nice looking fish this one...


Our first session on the lake today and we decided to ground bait a swim at the northeast of the lake and lever over it. We used feeders and six 14 hooks, arriving at dawn. It wasn't long before the bites started to come and we were surprised by the species, Silver Bream. We were really bagging up before long and it seems the lake is teeming with these fish. The biggest fell to Andy Shaw at 14oz., surely there are a few specimens over a pound to be had. The real surprise came in the form of two Tench, we had figured it too early for the species, but we were wrong. It bodes well for the future and we may be on for some excellent Tench fishing here as the summer moves along. Next question is just how big do they get here? All in all, a really nice day with some good fish...


Below, Andy with a big Silver Bream of 14oz. These fish don't get very large and a 1lb. fish is a specimen, surely there are a few big one in this lake, which seems to be teeming with these fish..

My new PB Roach; Alan Dalton; Tyresö; 24th April 2015

A nice Roach weighing in at 1lb 3oz was my biggest Roach to date and a nice surprise. Caught on legered redworm/sweetcorn cocktail, fixed paternoster.

Making a run for it, cleanly caught in the end....

Around 15 Roach taken of good stamp, all between 12oz and 1lb 3oz. Most were fat with spawn, possibly larger female fish. Bites came mostly in the evening...