Out for a stretch yesterday morning

[Bangersanmash 2,849]

Now bird seasons comes too an end most in moult now. Thought I'd go for a morning mooch with dogs. Yesterday was a warm morning cracking flags here at 6.30 / 7.00. Ended stopping on local quarry watchin carp play about on the surface. Some decent carp in here hard water to fish though. Know lads that fish this alot. Because of the water being rich in natural food I'm guessing that's why. 

 

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Bangersanmash

[Bangersanmash 2,849]

[paulus 26]

1 minute ago, Bangersanmash said:

Now bird seasons comes too an end most in moult now. Thought I'd go for a morning mooch with dogs. Yesterday was a warm morning cracking flags here at 6.30 / 7.00. Ended stopping on local quarry watchin carp play about on the surface. Some decent carp in here hard water to fish though. Know lads that fish this alot. Because of the water being rich in natural food I'm guessing that's why. 

 

 

I know a couple of places very similar to there, One is full of Tench but rarely any are caught, The place is crawling in natural food. 

[Bangersanmash 2,849]

10 hours ago, paulus said:

I know a couple of places very similar to there, One is full of Tench but rarely any are caught, The place is crawling in natural food. 

Few cats got added in here stupid mistake. At the time the cats were put in for a reason. Because somebody thought it would be a good idea to put some crays in / Ano stupid. Many of the lads were getting fed up of the Krays knacking the bait. So thought will add some cats. Read up about the cats will eat the Krays when there dropping there the old shells when soft and variable. But they don't just eat krays they eat anything that's smaller than there mouth lol , An when bigger so does the meals and appetite  . I've been told there's a few sturgeon in there too that somebody's put in. But I don't believe they've been put in. I think when we had the floods few years back they came through the drainage system that comes under the road from some smaller ponds a stone throw away. When them ponds first opened the guy who owned it put loads of young sturgeon in and barbel. So my guess is they've come from there. Few months ago one of the sturgeon was caught weighing in at over 45lb big lump. They've been caught many of times and If your there just for carp like many it's guna be a bad session lol. And this place is full of tench too. There's a gravel bar at the far end that goes all the way across about 7ft deep about 13ft out. Some decent tench been caught. But there again the carp Lads aren't happy on catching tench. Me I'm one if your catching your catching 

[paulus 26]

10 hours ago, Bangersanmash said:

Few cats got added in here stupid mistake. At the time the cats were put in for a reason. Because somebody thought it would be a good idea to put some crays in / Ano stupid. Many of the lads were getting fed up of the Krays knacking the bait. So thought will add some cats. Read up about the cats will eat the Krays when there dropping there the old shells when soft and variable. But they don't just eat krays they eat anything that's smaller than there mouth lol , An when bigger so does the meals and appetite  . I've been told there's a few sturgeon in there too that somebody's put in. But I don't believe they've been put in. I think when we had the floods few years back they came through the drainage system that comes under the road from some smaller ponds a stone throw away. When them ponds first opened the guy who owned it put loads of young sturgeon in and barbel. So my guess is they've come from there. Few months ago one of the sturgeon was caught weighing in at over 45lb big lump. They've been caught many of times and If your there just for carp like many it's guna be a bad session lol. And this place is full of tench too. There's a gravel bar at the far end that goes all the way across about 7ft deep about 13ft out. Some decent tench been caught. But there again the carp Lads aren't happy on catching tench. Me I'm one if your catching your catching 

A few years back a mate of mine was fishing a match on the local canal. He won it with a single 8lb sturgeon and it was returned. The problem with lots of signal crays in a water is that eventually otters will arrive as they are now there main food source followed by fish. Big zander and pike will take crays as well,  Otters being nomadic will hammer an area before moving on. Catfish to me are nothing more than a big aquatic slug Lol

[Rickshaw swami 4,122]

3 hours ago, paulus said:

A few years back a mate of mine was fishing a match on the local canal. He won it with a single 8lb sturgeon and it was returned. The problem with lots of signal crays in a water is that eventually otters will arrive as they are now there main food source followed by fish. Big zander and pike will take crays as well,  Otters being nomadic will hammer an area before moving on. Catfish to me are nothing more than a big aquatic slug Lol

I agree about catfish.Ive watched a catfish crawl out of a dead cows ass on the river bank lol.

Are signal crays always yalls otters main food source or is it just this time of year?

[paulus 26]

12 hours ago, Rickshaw swami said:

I agree about catfish.Ive watched a catfish crawl out of a dead cows ass on the river bank lol.

Are signal crays always yalls otters main food source or is it just this time of year?

They are very opportunistic when it comes to food, I suppose it fits in with a nomadic life style, Around here they use the canal and river systems like we do roads.  These canals are full of signal crays so are the easiest food source for otters but not necessarily there only food source, A small pond on a local farm had a couple of dozen Grass Carp in it, They had been in there since before i was a kid,  It is quite close to the canal, Otters found it the other year and took every single fish in there over a two week period, Now this pond was small and only about 3ft at its deepest. The otters would have found it very easy to catch these big fish. 

[Rickshaw swami 4,122]

Thanks for the info.Otters work similar here.

[Bangersanmash 2,849]

7 hours ago, Rickshaw swami said:

Thanks for the info.Otters work similar here.

River wharf on the Boston spar stretch has a few. A was once playing a barbel. Got the fish to the bank. " Just as the fish came to the top after a decent fight the otter grabbed the fish. All I seen was its head holding onto the fish. But luckily it seen me and let go. The barbel just had teeth mark above the tail and on the tail. So Was lucky to be fair , further up the body on the fish am thinking the fish would of been done most probably broke its spine. But just shows you how cheeky they are. Don't know weather it's a wifes tail. But i was told that you can't eat barbel not that a would like lol. But was told the Europeans leave them over here in Britain because the fish is poisonous ? So maybe that's why otters don't take them. Am thinking it just had ago at the barbel due to disturbance on the surface when playin it ? Anyone else any knowledge on the barbel being a poisonous fish 

[Daniel cain 45,249]

Otters aint fussy...they eat barbel,ive found them with just the stomach eaten out... mostly female fish for their eggs i assume...

[Bangersanmash 2,849]

On 16/08/2023 at 12:02, Daniel cain said:

Otters aint fussy...they eat barbel,ive found them with just the stomach eaten out... mostly female fish for their eggs i assume...

Just been reading an article on river trust about them hammering a few waters some still water lakes too. Showed you a few images and like you say stomachs eaten out b*****ds. Mink are same fuckers for just eating so much or even just killing for sake of it. Mink have just killed old fellas hens near me. Killed 10 so he put rest in shed came back round 20 mins later. b*****d must of been watching him leave them climbed up door and got through the gap at top killed rest another 15. Then week after another chap had all his racers killed 40 odd birds some he'd bred down off decent birds over 20 years of breeding gone.