A Natural Progression ? - Peter Webster

My earliest angling recollections as a youngster are from when I was around seven or eight years of age, I would take my late Dad his flask of tea to him where he had been night fishing for Tench on a local railway pond, owned by the mining company Cementation, this involved a walk of around a mile or so, through the local estate (housing not country), in those days children were safer than in today’s world, or were we?, I grew up quickly and was probably a lot more street wise than today’s eight year olds so any dodgy looking bloke offering sweets, or the chance to see some puppies, would have probably got the V’s, even at that age.

What I do remember was the first time I saw the Tench my Dad had caught during the previous night; they were as black as coal, probably due to the clinker lined pond situated right at the side of the Doncaster to Leeds railway line. These Tench were not large by today’s standards, probably around the 5lb mark, but to an impressionable eight year old they were mightily impressive and even today, just months from my 50th birthday I can still see them in my mind’s eye, looking back I now realise these, and a near 20lb Pike caught from the same pond by my father’s friend,” Uncle Barry to me” who was bailiff on the Cemmo , were the first seeds sown that years later would drag me into the world of the Specimen Angler.

My Dad was a typical hard drinking miner, consequently mine and my siblings early childhood were not easy, not to mention my poor Mam who had to scrape what she could together to provide for four hungry kids, it was a hard life and I can well remember hiding under the table with my mother and sisters when the Rent was due and someone was knocking on the door.

Despite my father’s failings it is definitely where I get my love of Nature and the countryside from, on the odd occasion he would take me bird nesting from a very early age, a common practice in those days and one that I carried on in to my teens amassing a nice collection and I make no apologies for enjoying this pastime, even if at a later age I could see the other side of the argument. I would be bursting with excitement when a frosty Sunday morning came around hoping for a very rare offer of a morning’s Ferreting to look forward to, rare because most of Dad’s ferreting was what could loosely be described as poaching, and a small child is a bit of a hindrance in such situations.

I can never remember going fishing with my dad other than a couple of hours on the “Cemmo” pond after I had delivered his flask, due to this I recall a couple of friends and I would sneak on there and after scrounging around for some old discarded line and a hook we would dig up some worms and dangle them under the landing stages trying to catch the Perch that hung out in the shadows of the boards, this form of fishing was termed “Pimping”, an unfortunate phrase but what did we know at our age.

On one particular Sunday evening I remember begging my Mam if I could go out for half an hour, even though I had just had my Sunday night bath, which I always had to have, whether I needed it or not, of course she relented and I and a friend snuck of to the Cemmo for a spot of Pimping, we were so engrossed, lying down on the boards peering into the water, straining our eyes in the search of a stripy, that we didn’t notice the bloke sneaking up on us until it was too late, “Peter is that you” came a booming voice from behind, my heart sank as I recognised the voice of uncle Barry, and I turned around almost in tears as I realised I would be in big trouble now, we had managed to drop the line in the water so we explained we were just looking for Perch, and we would never “Pimp” on the Cemmo, after a bit of a rollicking and a promise he would tell my dad I was there we trudged off home, me full of dread fearing a smacked a**e the next time I saw dad, fair play to Uncle Barry, he never did tell dad but I did get a clip round the ear from my Mam for leaving the street so late in the evening. Unfortunately my Dad died when I was Ten years old so that was the end of my fishing experience until my early teenage years.
A couple of years after my Dad died my Mam found love again and the family moved 15 or so miles to another suburb of Doncaster, My stepfather did not share my love of all things nature but he did help build my aviary where I housed my Canaries and Quail, and didn’t even complain when I brought home a varied selection of wild bird chicks such as Magpies, Crows, Kestrel, and Owls.

I soon found my way back into fishing through the local youth club, and a keen teacher who knew the value of keeping young lads busy when they could be up to mischief. Most of the fishing with the youth club was in the guise of small matches between ourselves, but we also had a couple of seasons fishing in the Boys Club where I did become runner up in the all England Boys Club Championships on the River Ancholme.

During my Teens and early 20’s I organised an Angling Club at my place of work, we had monthly matches on venues such as the Trent, Witham and local waters such as the Warping Drain, I also pleasure fished on local waters when time permitted as I had a young family during this period of my life, I then went through a period of very little Angling activity for a number of years as I got seriously into working Terriers, another Field Sport that I think stems from my Fathers influence, I owned, bred, and worked mostly Border Terriers and I still own one to this day, I just wouldn’t be me without a Terrier by my side.
I was probably 40 years old when I seriously started to target Specimens, I had already amassed a decent PB list through my pleasure angling exploits, I was introduced to the Angling Star which ran a competition called the Climax Challenge, an angling competition that allocated points to specimen fish over a certain size, the winner being the one with the most points at the end of the year. This competition gave me a great deal of motivation as it gave me an idea what size of fish I should be aiming to catch, it created a table which was updated monthly and I must admit I used to really look forward to seeing how well I was doing, or maybe even wasn’t doing as well as I thought, the fact you have to travel soon struck home and the costs required far outweighed any rewards gained through the competitions prizes, never the less after a couple of years of plodding along I decided to give it my all and gave myself two years to win the competition.

I did win the Climax Cup the next year, actually winning it on the last day of the competition after a taking big catch of Perch which included a new PB of 4lb6oz, and I must admit I really enjoyed the dashing about, planning which specimen to target that particular week, the venue chosen, then the plan executed to fruition, with a specimen caught, or even a PB fish in the net, something that we big fish anglers strive for. Most northern anglers I would guess are realistic enough to know that you aren’t going to break many National records if you fish North of Leicester, which was the Southern boundary for the Climax Challenge, but to get a Venue record or a PB is their main aim, that was my aim and motivation in any case.

I bowed out of the competition half way through the next year after some silly new rules were introduced which made the competition go off in a different direction, this may have been the final nail in the coffin as it were, as not long after the Magazine sadly folded?.
My Angling at the moment concerns only a couple of Species, spring sees me targeting big Perch on a couple of large Canals local to me, the summertime finds me chasing Carp, Catfish and Rudd on my Syndicate water which is run by Neville Fickling.
The winter is reserved for one species only, and that’s the Pike, earlier in this story I alluded to a near 20lb Pike my Uncle Barry caught from the Cemmo, I only saw a grainy photograph of the fish but I was amazed a fish as big as she was could be found in a water so small and close to home, I told myself there and then I would catch my very own 20lb Pike one day, that desire ebbed and flowed over the years due to circumstances I found myself in, but every time I caught a Pike I remembered Uncle Barry’s Cemmo fish. 
I caught my first 20 from a local drain quite a few years ago now, she weighed spot on the money at 20lb, I had made my way back to the car park by last knockings and I was wobbling a Roach around the two static dead bait rods when I felt a slight grab on the bait, the adrenalin started to pump as I recast the Roach to the same spot, time and time again I recast, all to no avail as she did not provide another chance, not to be out done and as a last resort I repositioned one of the static rods on the spot, the Smelt can’t have hit the bottom as before I could clip up the drop off she was away. 
The fight wasn’t memorable as is often the case with Pike caught in midwinter on a relatively shallow venue and she was soon in the net resting while I got the gear ready for unhooking and a quick photo, much to my annoyance I did not make a very good job of the latter, in my haste and excitement I forgot to place something on the mat such as my rod or the scales to provide some scale to the photo, and to be honest the resulting picture could have been of a fish of any size what so ever, in today’s age of remote control camera’s and a lot more experience on my part I am glad to say this occurrence is a thing of the past, but I must confess it was a lesson I would rather not have gone through with my first ever 20, and you can imagine the leg pulling, good humoured I have to stress, that I had to endure from my fishing mates of the time.

I am not a glory hunter by any stretch of the imagination, that being someone who will fish anywhere and step on any one to catch a known fish, but!! If it is in my area and I do get the right info I may give it the attention it requires, if you know what I mean. Speaking of glory hunters, the world of the Pike angler is said to be full of ruthless cutthroats who will stab you in the back to gain a shred of information pertaining to a 30, but in all honesty, all the lads I have met and fished with have been a pleasure to know, and that includes some of the top Pikers in the country, there is only one rule to follow “you don’t have to tell them owt just to impress them”, if they are good at what they do they probably already know anyway.

If I am honest I like to catch big Pike, that being a fish over 20lb’s, on my doorstep so to speak, one such venue a heavily fished northern canal is five minutes from my front door, and even though it is well past the glory days of old there are still the odd Canal Queens to be had to the Pike Angler who can give the venue the time it requires, and it has been kind to me over the last few years.

There are a couple of small rivers locally that have miles of untapped, or at least seldom fished stretches and it will be here I will be turning my attention to, once the dreaded ice descends and covers the still waters or drains that I fish, it would be nice to think that maybe I could catch a 20 that has never been hooked before, are there still such fish out there in my neck of the woods? Who knows the fun is in the effort for me.

The high point of my Angling adventure to date is the capture of my one and only 30lb+ Pike, and would you believe it she came from the same venue as my very first 20 many years ago, she is a fish I doubt I will ever better, even if I catch a bigger Pike I just don’t believe it will carry the same emotion or, in my own mind Kudos, due to the venue and the fact that I went my own way to catch her when everyone else went in a different direction, literally.



Well I am fast approaching my 50th year on this ever changing island of ours, some of the changes are for the better and some for the worst, for most of that time the Pike has been persecuted mercilessly, during my childhood smaller fish were regularly taken by my father, and no doubt thousands of others, for the pot, then it was the match Angler’s and club’s turn to be the villain, tossing any, and every Pike caught, up the bank, but with the advent of the PAC most clubs and some individuals can be shown the error of their ways through education, even up to last year the problem was still occurring on one of my local waters, the Pike though is still here, and thriving, hopefully they can withstand the current onslaught that is affecting some of our waters at the moment. I don’t just mean the immigrant population either, today there are a damn sight more Pike anglers around, and the one thing some big Pike can’t handle is angling pressure.

Let’s hope Pike anglers out there remember what they are handling if they do manage to catch their dream fish, that fish has possibly been through the hands of many anglers during its life and its only there for you to catch because they have treated it with care and respect, please treat it the same way and return her safely to possibly make another angler’s dreams come true.

Just remember it’s all about the fish, yes, we do have to stick hooks in their mouths before we can enjoy their company, but after that they deserve the utmost care we can give them.

My one true regret In angling is the fact my Lad Daniel has no interest in angling what so ever, and at 22 years of age I stopped trying to cajole him into accompanying me years ago, obviously I blame his mother.

Tight Lines
Pete Webster

Is it always like this on ere mate?. 

A couple of years ago on the old forum a PM arrived in my IN box from a fairly well known northern specimen angler who was a friend of friend but was not in my close circle of angling mates, it went something like this, “All right Pete, Pete Foster here heard you have had a few decent Perch of late any chance of a bit of a heads up mate”.

Well being newish to the forum and knowing Pete might reciprocate with a day after the Pike on one of his waters I offered my services on my local water.

The date was sorted and a week later we met for the first time before dawn broke at the rendezvous point, We had a couple of things in common apart from the urge to catch predatory fish namely stomach size, greying face fuzz and a Border Terrier attached to each others heel, although his is crackers and it includes diving to the bottom of water ways to retrieve bricks as one of its pass times, any way I digress back to the session.

We trekked the ¼ mile to the pegs and got set up as the sun raised his head above the Eastern hedge row, both Pete and I were fishing more or less identical rigs in link ledgered lobworms on one rod and the same bait float fished on the other.

On the first cast on my ledger rod I had an immediate bite, the light bobbin rattled to the rod and I must admit it took me by surprise and I wasn’t even close enough to the rod to strike, embarrassed was not the word but knowing that Perch were in the swim I played a trump card that can work a treat in the clear water conditions we were fishing in that day, i tweaked the bobbin back down to the floor in erratic jerky tugs and stood back waiting and sure enough not ten seconds later the Delkim began to sing, this time I was ready and I struck into what was obviously a good sized Perch.

The Avon hooped over and the fish took line impressively from the reel punctuated by that bang bang bang on the rod tip which is the trademark of a big Perch when caught on the right gear, Pete appeared on my right shoulder and pretty soon we could see the fish twisting and turning in the crystal clear water, and it looked a good un to boot, “pass us the net Pete” I asked, but as I looked round to grab it I noticed my float on the other rod disappear, “grab that float rod Pete there’s one on there as well” at which Pete struck and began playing another heavy Perch, Pretty soon the first fish slid over the drawstring and Pete passed me the float rod and I continued to play the second fish to the net now being held at the ready by Pete and still containing the first fish which was pretty soon joined by its school mate.

Now because this had all happened within the first five minutes of starting fishing and the fact I had two fish on at the same time it wasn’t until I lifted the net and placed it on the mat that I realised what it contained, there laid out before me was surely the fish I had been after for the last three years.

Pete’s target had been a three pound Perch and it was this question he was now asking, “is it a three Pete”, “Well that one is matey” says I pointing to the smallest of the two “but that fucker aint”, a great big stupid grin spreading over my clock.
Out came the scales and the smallest was weighed first just to get my bearings as when you get the first couple of big Perch of the season Twos look like threes and threes like fours such is the impressive stature of the Perch, the needle on the Reuben’s swung round to 3lb4oz confirming my first impression, “if that’s 3lb4 the other will piss 4lb” I said aloud, and I must admit it was with shaking hands I lifted the shrouded leviathan clear of the ground, the dial facing Pete I waited with baited breath, “4lb6oz” warbled Pete (well it sounded like music to my ears) .

“Get in there you fecker” I uttered as Pete offered a hand shake, and it was at this point Pete asked
 “is it always like this on ere mate”,
 “oh yes mate, I Fecking wish"I replied.

Within five minutes of the session starting I had a landing net containing only two Perch with a combined weight of 7lb10oz one of them being my dream fish which just goes to show how simple it all is really, Place bait in front of hungry fish, catch fish end of, “if only it were that simple”.

We carried on the session and the day continued to provide great sport for both Pete and myself, my diary confirms this, and the entry records five more Perch over 2lb to me and if my memory serves me right Pete just missed out on a three with a fish of 2lb14oz  amongst a bag of five twos,on the very next trip he achieved his target with a cracking PB Perch of 3lb6.

Unfortunately the day ended in some discomfort for me as I fecked my knee up when I bent down to lift the keep net to sort the photo’s and I ended up in casualty. “That’s why I look miserable in the pic” (that’s my side of the argument and I am sticking to it lol.

I am sad to say I still fish with Pete and he still hasn’t put me on a decent fish yet lol.

Pete

Pussy,Drugs and PB,s - Pete Webster

As some may know Tony (Pieater) Balfour and myself had planned another excursion to the Mecca of Catfish fishing that is Mequinenza in Spain and after a request via Pm it was arranged for Cockney duo Kev (Beefster) O’keeffe and Bill (Legend) Palmer to join us on our travels in April this year.

Our flights had an arrival difference of four hours so Tony myself and guide Ed, who had met us at Reus airport made the short journey to the resort town of Salou for some refreshments in the form of Lager (what else) and some very nice spare ribs, the journey between the resort and airport only takes twenty minutes so any one with a few hours to kill waiting for a flight can take advantage of the resort if they so wished.

Soon enough we had collected Kev and Bill and were on our way to Mequinenza and after the hour and half journey we arrived at our very nice apartment right on the banks of the mighty Rio Ebro.
We got the cases unpacked and Bill started laying out little money bags full of pills on the table, “Feck me Bill are you a dealer or what” Tony chirped up, after this comment Bill explained that they were his daily intake of pills to keep him alive after his heart bypass and other life threatening ailments but he was worried as he was missing one particular bag of pills, these he went on to tell poker faced were to stop the increase in female hormones brought on by his cocktail of other tablets Tony and I promised to find a chemist in the town in the morning.

(but made sure we shut our bedroom door that night in case his female side took over him and he fancied a bit of northern rough lol),of course it was all bollocks and the old git and Kev had been winding us gullible kind hearted northerners up.

The next morning after a hearty breakfast we made our way down to the peg that the guides had selected for us where we met up with Gareth Edwards the main guide who runs the company http://www.catfishtours.com/Gaz had been on the Peg (pump house) with other clients overnight and after catching a couple of fish decided to stay put, he then told us the news we did not want to here that the cats were starting to spawn and the fishing was very hard at the moment, having fished with Gaz before and at a time when all others were struggling he found fish for Tony and I to catch so I was confident he would help put a few fish on the bank for us and after all fishing is fishing no matter where you are, and these are wild fish in a massive river environment we are after, not fish in a carp puddle, so we settled in to the routine and got the rods baited up and boated out to the island we were fishing against and the waiting game began.

We also set up various other rods to pass the time whilst waiting for the cats to arrive, we had a feeder rod out for the Roach which go to well over three pounds on this river, Lure rods for jigging for the Zander and even a float rod to catch the Bleak which we used as Zander bait, most of this extra tackle was supplied by Kev (the walking tackle shop) O’keeffe who had more gear than Nevs tackle shop in his case.
We were soon settled in catching the baits and Bill being Bill found a bamboo cane and decided he was going to use it to catch Bleak, so line float and hook were attached and the now famous (in our world) BPBBW MK1 (Bill Palmer Bamboo Bleak Whip)was created.

This should come with a health warning though, as it does not reach far the user is tempted to reach that little bit further out by standing on wet slippery rocks and we know what happens if you try that don’t we Bill ? LOL, Yep you guessed it he went in, wallet, passport, phone the lot and he got a nasty bruise as a memento.

The bleak fishing became quite competitive and the sight of three very experienced anglers reeling away in disgust all cursing the one on the rod who had a missed a bite on the BPBBW MK1 with the words “YOU WANKA” said in the best Cockney twang we could muster, this became the norm when ever any one cocked up throughout the week and any one who came within earshot were probably lucky they did not speak the language.For some reason my stomach was bubbling like a cauldron and the guys were suffering the after effects and each eruption from my lowest orifice was also met with curses and the obligatory “Webbo you smelly Wanka”
Sorry guys lol.
Later that evening the weather turned decidedly nasty with rain lashing down on our new found home, this weather to be honest caught out the guides and there were not enough Ovals to go round as they were unsure whether we were going to night fish or not, as Bill was still feeling the effects of his fall I decided to return to the apartment with him for the night leaving Tony and Kev to fish the first night session under the guidance of Gaz, with that we said our good nights and wished the diehards good luck.
The next morning we returned to the great news that Tony and Kev had indeed had some luck with Kev being the main recipient catching a magnificent PB Common Carp of 41lb, plus three Cats up to a very credible 123lb, to say he was happy was an understatement.

Tony chipped in with a Common Carp of 23lb and two cats in the 30 to 40lb range, small by Ebro standards but welcome on the first night none the less. 

Throughout the day we all caught a steady run of Zander on bleak deads fished on ET sneaker rods supplied by Kev and Bill, all the fish being in the 1lb to 2lb bracket but again good fun all the same.The cats did make an appearance that day with Tony and Kev landing fish to 50lb and Bill having one at 75lb topped with one fish to me at 112lb so we were all up and running on the cat front which made everyone much more comfortable.

That day we saw something that we agreed we had never seen before, a Swift that must have been skimming the water for flies crash landed in the water, we watched for a few seconds willing the flapping creature struggling in the water to get airborne before some sinister creature from the deeps devoured it, Gaz being the good guy that he is decided he wasn’t going to watch that happen and took to the boat and rescued the poor bird who spent the next couple of hours perched on one of the ovals drying out in the now warm sunshine, once dried out and after a short photo session she was launched in the air and to every ones relief she flew off strongly.

Good deed done for the day and extra ovals, bed chairs and sleeping bags brought out from the tackle store we all settled in for the night, my bag being one of those German ex Army ones with the arms in and no wonder they lost the bleeding war cos you cant get in or out of the feckers very quickly at all and I felt like bleeding Harry Houdini.

Here's Tony trying it out.

And what a night it turned out to be with six hours of solid rain accompanied by thunder and lightning hammering down on our ovals, and with the wind changing direction throughout the night we were all soaking wet by the morning, I remember laying there holding on to the oval wishing one of the rods to go off just so I could watch Kev who’s turn it was on the rods and Gaz try and land a big cat in the storm lol, but in the end mercifully, I suppose, no runs were forthcoming.
By mid morning the site looked like a Chinese Laundry with sleeping bags clothes and the like hanging or draped over every available object and the mood was a bit down to be honest, though this changed after a good cuppa and some food which the guide delivered from the local café, at this stage we were worrying about Bill as he is 72 years old and has had a heart bypass, “bleeding hell at this rate the Pike Pool article will be Bills Obituary” I mentioned out aloud which was met with equal amounts of laughter from the lads and Bill.

During this second day the water was rising and colouring rapidly due to the recent downpours and we looked on in fearful trepidation deep down fearing the worst but we continued to catch the odd fish so spirits were still quite high and thankfully the sun was now high in the cloudless sky.
This day provided me with a memory I wont forget in a hurry in the shape of a new PB Catfish of 185lb Upping my PB by 23lb,even on the right gear such as 7lb TC rods and big multis these fish take some landing but they breed em tough “oop North” so no but pad for me “eh Kev” lol.

This fish was landed by Tony “cheers Tony” as Gaz had nipped to the shop for more supplies, funnily enough this happened with my previous PB fish which I caught a couple of years earlier under the guidance of Gaz.

Bill chipped in with a small cat in the 40lb bracket and a magnificent Zander of 11lb4oz, you can see why he has caught so many big predators they seem to be drawn to him while all around are catching schoolies Bill gets the quality fish.

After landing my PB I decided to have a night back in the apartment also partly due to the fact I hadn’t had any sleep the first night due to a certain Pie eating Lancastrian snoring like a Pot Bellied Pig and none the night of the storm, so after a nice meal in the Bela Vista restaurant which I can highly recommend I retired to the digs and left the others to it.I tried to work a bit of the bill off by ironing the curtains in the foyer but all to no avail.

The next morning Gaz collected me with bad news, the river was not fishable due to debris in the form of large rafts of weed and trees coming down stream, indeed a tree had wiped out the rods at half one in the morning forcing Gaz into the boat to cut the braid on two rods before the were spooled off. So it was decided we had to move, and we had the mammoth task of clearing the swim of all the tackle and bait required along with 3 boats, this took most of the morning and we relocated to the other side of the river a mile or so downstream where the flow was easier and we could place our baits out of the main line the debris was taking.

The move looked like it was a good one as Tony had a 50+ fish in the first hour but alas no more cats were forthcoming and unfortunately this proved to be the last cat of the trip.

While in this peg and knowing we would struggle for the cats we decided to set our sights on the Zander again and due to the nature of the peg we were going to fish from one of the boats, one of these had been damaged during the move and one being needed to get baits out this only left the Bic, now any one who has used one of these will know how unstable they are so you will know what happened next lol.
Gaz and I had gone off to have a look at another river (the Cinca) and before I went I gave Bill my phone and wallet to look after as I only had shorts on and just as we retuned there was Bill up to his neck in the water again and the Bic with Kev in it perfectly upright with all the bait and tackle still where it had been placed, even the bucket Bill had been sat on was still there, of course once I knew he was alright my thoughts turned to my phone and wallet“feck me Bill don’t tell me they are in your pocket” I asked

“sorry mate” he replied tapping his pocket, my heart sank a little only to be raised almost immediately when I caught sight of the smile spreading over his face, what a bleeding wind up merchant he is up to his bollocks in water and still sharp as a tack at 72 years old.

Later on we could hear Bill on the phone to his Sheila (because he is deaf as a post he has his phone on speaker and at full blast we could here the conversation plainly) “Here Sheila these bladdy norveners are trying to bladdy kill me” and she replied “you are insured aren’t you” we were all pissing ourselves at this stage with Tony and I reminding him it was the other southerner who tipped him out of the bleeding boat.
We never caught any thing of substance after that but we were amazed by the strength of an amazing weight lifting Crayfish who managed to lift an incredible 20oz lol (no Crayfish were hurt in the making of this photo)

We binned it at 10.30pm and headed to the boozer to drown our sorrows.

Due to the state of the river the next day Kev and I along with Gaz hired a boat and headed above the dam in search of Perch or Black Bass on the lure rods, the water up here is gin clear but in most places very deep so we headed in to the many shallow arms that snake out of the main lake and its here that we began catching the Black Bass on small rubber lures cast to fish we could see in amongst the vegetation, any one who has seen the Bass fishing on Sky TV will know what it was like and even though the fish were small (Gaz had the best at 4lb1)

It was absorbing fishing and made all the better set amongst the amazing scenery that greets you at every turn. The Carp we saw in these bays had to be seen to be believed and they are completely unfished for we reckon we saw fish up to 50lb swimming in the shallow clear water and Gaz reckons the potential is unlimited on this area of the Ebro.
Unfortunately Tony and Bill blanked on the river after cats so the day after being the last full days fishing we decided to go for the Carp on the Top Lake at Chiprana, and we were going to fish hard with a 5am start so it was after only a couple of pints we retired to the apartment for a well earned kip, this time with Tony and his mattress banished to the living area and bog roll applied to my ear holes.

At 5am the next morning Gaz and Ed pulled up outside the apartment, both vehicles loaded to the gunnel's with tackle and bait ready for the onslaught we were about to unleash on the Top Lake Carp.
We arrived in the dark and unfortunately our first choice pegs were taken but Gaz had a back up plan and we were soon setting up in a new spot with a target of 20 Carp set by Gaz.

Soon enough we started getting runs and Tony was the first on the rods unfortunately he lost the first two fish to a chorus of the now oft used “You Wanka” and had to drop to the back of the Q because of the two strikes and your out rule.
There was no need to worry though as the Carp came thick and fast and we easily passed the 20 fish mark even with Tony (rubber hooks) Balfour losing six fish, we actually ended up with 27 carp with five over 30lb the best at 36lb6 to Bill, at one point we had 3 carp on the bank at the same time and this could have been 4 but we had just put one back a minute earlier.

At 9.30pm with Gareth’s swim choice vindicated and the sky getting blacker we wrapped up, we were all feeling a lot better with a few fish under our belts and we made the 40 kilometre trip back to Mequinenza for a well earned beer,knackered filthy and a little bit sad it was almost all over.

Here's a little present us norveners left Kev on his camera when he wasn't looking lol.

The last morning had arrived and Tony and I had a walk in to town for a breakfast where we met the others, as our flight was 5 hours earlier than the other guys they decided to spend the morning back in the first swim after Zander and of course Bill had another couple at 5lb and 8lb among several others he and Kev caught, the swim was by now in perfect nick and I wish we had a couple more days to fish it as it has a real big fish pedigree.

After breakfast Tony and I had a stroll down the front in the town and were amazed at how many snakes we spotted warming up in the sun,Adders we thought,"but i now think they were harmless Corn snakes" we tried to catch one or two by the tail but it was like trying to pull a giant lobby out of there holes in the bricks so not wanting to damage any we left them be.

All in all we had some great laughs even though the fishing was hard and we ended up with

11 Cats to 185lb

29 Carp to 41lb

30+ Zander to 11lb4oz.

The company was great Tony never got amongst the big fish but never moaned even after all the stick and banter he had to endure.

Kev had cats to 123lb and obliterated his Carp PB with a fish of 41lb and I am sure went home a happy bunny.

Bill is Brill in my eyes, you know when you admire someone from afar who has done the business and you finally get to meet them and they are not what you thought well that’s not Bill he is everything I hoped he would be, he still has the passion and drive to keep going after all his health problems and the sense of humour to go with it as well, he is a fecking legend in my eyes and I know Tony and Kev feel the same.

I had two cats but both were 100+ fish with my new pb at 185lb so I was over the moon as you can imagine, I can only apologise to the other guys for spending the whole seven days farting like a Water Buffalo and dragging Bill out the bathroom in mid shave while on the point of no return.

A last word is reserved to praise Gaz for once again putting us on fish when all around are struggling(one group with one of the big tour companies were on a 5 day blank) this guy will help you catch the fish of a lifetime I can assure you and I would not consider going with any other tour guide so if you are having your first trip or returning for another try him out at http://www.catfishtours.com/ you wont be disappointed

Pete Webster.

Targeting Big Perch

Pete Webster

I would bet that before the advent of commercial fisheries one of the first fish most anglers ever caught on rod and line was the humble Perch, these accommodating fish were always so willing to take our baits thus making a small child’s day on the bank a memorable one. There are not many fish that look better than a big Perch and when caught from a clear water rather than a muddy puddle they are beautiful to behold.


The good news is that putting a Perch of specimen proportions on the bank is to a certain extent just as easy especially if they are not being targeted by other like minded anglers.

When Perch are in the mood to feed they can be caught very easily and even 3lb+ fish still have there suicidal moments as I am sure many a Pike angler would testify after catching them on absurdly large lures or live baits when targeting the larger of our fresh water predators.

There are times however when like any other fish of specimen proportions they can be very hard to catch and it is then that a balanced and well thought out approach can pay dividends.

The hard part of finding large Perch is much easier in this day and age with all kinds of waters readily throwing up Perch over 3lb in weight which in my eyes qualifies as a “Specimen”, Rivers, Gravel Pits, Canals, and even the dreaded Commercials are venues that regularly feature in the weeklies reporting large Perch captures and you can take your pick as to which one will produce the next record Perch, which I might add “will probably fall in the next year“ .

Once you have found your big Perch there are a few ways to target them and the easiest, “especially on uncaught fish” is in my experience “Fishing the Lobby”, you just cant beat the humble Lobworm in these situations although they can become very hard to tempt on them as has happened on one of my waters which has received a great deal of pressure over the last couple of years.

Lobworms can be fished down the edge on a float or on the feeder or bomb incorporating alarms, (in my case Delkims) fished with light bobbins on a long drop, the latter is my preferred method if the area is close enough to feed by hand or catapult, if the fish are further out then a small maggot or ground bait feeder is the way to go.

Lobworms can be picked of the lawn or any short grass field at night especially after rainfall, all that is required is a head torch a bait tub a bit of stealth and a steady touch when extracting the worm from its hole although even if I break them they still go in the tub as I collect and use them when needed and don’t store them for any length of time, if you are planning on saving them for a longer period make sure you only keep the whole worms as any dead ones will soon spoil and kill the good ones.

In times of dry weather or frosts when collecting them becomes a problem I buy in my Lobworms but they are expensive at around £15 per hundred worms, there are a few companies providing a mail order service just google Lobworms and all will be revealed. Even though they are expensive the worms wont do you any good if they are still in the tub at the end of the session so don’t be afraid to cut some up and get them in the swim the smell and juices will attract Perch from afar.

One option that should be considered is Pole Fishing, any one who has seen Catching The Impossible will have seen the monster Perch caught by Martin Bowler proving the versatility of the pole. When the going gets tough and the bait needs to be kept in a tight area you cant beat the presentation a pole gives you especially when combined with a bait dropper, a change to a Dendrobaena worm and Caster and smaller hooks fished with a pole can mean all the difference when conditions are harsh and the Lobby is not working. Any of the Carp type poles are suitable for specimen fishing of this type when coupled with a suitable strength elastic.

Another benefit arises from using Lobworms and that is in the form of BONUS fish which can be caught on this fantastic bait, I have caught specimen Chub, Carp, Bream and Roach like this one at 2lb4oz from a local canal on the Lobby, incidentally caught while using the pole, the only other bite resulting in a Perch at 2lb15oz, fish I am sure I would not have caught using normal ledger gear.

As I said earlier my preferred method is the Bomb and I use the flat disc leads in as small a size as I can get away with, I know large leads are said to provide a more sensitive set up but I have caught quite a few large Perch on this rig and my motto is “if it aint broke don’t fix it” so I will continue to use it with confidence.



The lead is fished on a short six inch sliding paternoster and to keep every thing light the other end is attached to a small plastic bead with a large hole where it slides on the 6lb main line. The hook length is either 4lb or 5lb flouro carbon and about 18 inches to 24 inches long with a size 6 Drennan super specialist hook at one end and one of the Korum quick change beads at the other, again being plastic they keep the weight down nicely and are great for changing hook lengths if the need arises.

Another reason I like using small leads is because I like to periodically twitch the worm along the bottom in the hope the movement will provoke the Perch to attack the escaping worm, this I do by winding my bobbin up to the rod and then pulling it back down thereby dragging the bait toward the rod, this little tip will certainly put more fish on the bank.
I usually use two or three rods and my preferred tools are my John Wilson Avon quivers at 1.25 tc they are ideal for close to middle distance fishing and allow the Perch to put up a terrific fight, matched with 5000 size Shimano reels loaded with 6lb sensor they provide a nicely balanced set up. Two of the rods are fished over the top of a bed of red maggots and halved lobworms and the other rod I will fish to one side or the other of the baited spot as I have found some fish will hang back unwilling to come right to on the bait, this rod quite often throws up fish even when the rods on the bait remain redundant. The reason I only half my free offering is that I don’t want small fish to be taking them, they can eat the maggots and hopefully attract the big Perch which will still have something to occupy them and feed them in the swim.

Perch are shoal fish and hang around in groups containing fish of a similar size so if you catch one get your rod back in as soon as possible as there will probably be more in the swim willing to feed, I also employ a keep net when fishing for large Perch as I believe that to return one in to the swim will certainly curtail any further action for a while.

Bites on this set up are generally confident with the bobbin rising steadily to the rod and short staccato bites are usually caused by smaller Perch or Eels etc in my opinion. Bobbins/Hangers need to be light as Perch can be very sensitive to resistance, with this in mind I made my own from a clip and fox pop up ball normally used for popping up dead baits but light hangers can be purchased from most well supplied tackle shops although I would change the cord for a longer length to enable them to be fished on a longer drop.

If the Perch go off the Lobworms my back up method is to fish with live baits and I will use any type of fish with my favourites being Gudgeon, Rudd or Roach in that order. I like to use baits in the two to three ounce stamp (any size Gudgeon will suffice) as any smaller and you may end up catching small Perch all day and that’s not the idea.

If I am fishing close to a feature I will use a float paternoster rig with a single size 8 treble nicked in the baits back with a bait saver over the hook point to keep the bait on the hook, to the eye of the treble I tie a length of weaker line and to the other end I tie on a small bomb just heavy enough to pin the bait next to the feature being tried, this method negates the use of an up trace as the fish cant swim upwards (only applicable if Pike are present )the float which is usually a chubber fished top and bottom with float rubbers can be fished sub surface or on the top which ever you prefer.

If there are Pike in the water you are fishing always use a light wire trace to prevent bite offs, if no Pike are present I like to use a flouro carbon hook length of about 12 inches as the stiffness of this line can prevent tangles if the bait is a lively one.

The other method I employ when live baiting is the “free rover” this is fished using a small chubber or bung type float depending on the size of bait I am using and the distance I am fishing at, I have taken quite a few nice fish on a free roving bait from swims where a tethered bait on a paternoster has remained unmolested for hours so it is always worth trying different methods in the same swim, with my paternoster rig all you need to do to convert it to a free roving rig is remove the bomb link tied to the eye of the treble and maybe add a couple of AA shot to the trace, although this is not always necessary as Perch will take lives off the top with a slurp akin to a Carp taking floaters off the top.

I use the same rod and reel set up for live baiting as I do for fishing the Lobworms but I use 8lb main line so if I do hook a Pike I can put a bit more pressure on to land it quicker. The only other difference from the paternoster rig is the use of a single hook instead of a treble and the bait is lip hooked.

If it’s a barbless hook water I keep the bait on the hook by employing a red rubber maggot as a bait saver. One vital point I should make is the need to strike as soon as possible when fishing lives as Big Perch can inhale a bait in the blink of an eye, (and contrary to popular opinion this could just as easily be tail rather than head first ) and a deep hooked Perch is usually a dead one pretty soon after in my opinion.

Another tip when live baiting is to use a bigger landing net just in case you hook a decent Pike, you can land a big Perch in a big net but you cant land a Pike in a small one, I found this out the hard day after losing a Pike I estimated at 25lb+ after a long fight and to say I was gutted is putting it lightly.

Perch like cover so most Perch swims are obvious to a half decent angler with a bit of water craft “BUT” and it’s a big but do not ignore apparently barren featureless swims as these can be the best of all as I found out when I landed my PB fish of 4lb 6oz from just such a swim on a local canal, that said the usual features on canals such as locks, bridges and structures will always hold a few fish.

Another tip when after Perch is don’t be afraid to fish real close in, “and I mean close” just feet from the bank is where I have had some nice fish including a 3lb13oz fish that took a Rudd live bait that had dragged the float right up to a reed bed, the float being no more than 12 inches from the bank when it buried. 

So there you have it its not rocket science and all I can say is if big Perch are in your target water they might not be that hard to catch “give it a go why don’t you”

Pussy Galore Pete Webster

Travelling abroad as an angler has never been easier with a multitude of options available from long haul flights to Canada, fishing for the giant sturgeon, to the old style Ireland trips that seem to be making a comeback at the moment. It was a mid range European trip that I and a friend Tony Balfour (Pie Eater) embarked upon in early May of last year. The destination was to be Spain and its mighty Rio Ebro system. An assault on the catfish and carp stocks was our plan of action with a week long fully guided trip to look forward to.

A short flight later from the excellent local Robin Hood airport and I met Tony outside terminal 2 at Barcelona at 10pm. Tony, a Wigan lad, had the hire car all sorted having landed half an hour earlier flying in from Liverpool. Without further ado the sat nav was set for Mequinenza and away we went.

The journey down was easy and a couple of hours later only 15 euros lighter from the various road tolls we met Gareth Edwards, our guide for the week. Gareth showed us to our digs a cracking little apartment as close to the Rio Ebro as you could wish to get. After a quick cuppa it was lights out and off to bed for an early start in the morning.

Bright and early next morning we were enjoying a brew when Gareth turned up and after a bit of light hearted banter regarding rugby union and him having put a bit of weight on since his playing days we were away. We followed his 4WD, and trailer full of tackle, for about half a mile crossing the river and settling in to a peg on the Rio Segre about five hundred yards below where the mighty Rio Ebro and Rio Segre meet. A distinct change in water colour marking the spot as the Ebro is clear and the Segre a mucky sandy colour.

This proved to be a washout, with massive clumps of floating weed constantly wiping out the rods. The poor conditions had been caused by a couple of days of rain, and it was still falling. The wet stuff had raised the water levels too high so after only an hour we were on the move to the Ebro on what is referred to as the Top Lake, a wider slower stretch about 40km upstream. It was here where the plan all came together.

We were soon helping Gareth unload the boat and a mass of tackle from the trailer, and within half an hour he was ready to boat the baits out the 2oo yards to a drop off that he had found using a depth finder. The process went like this: Gareth rowed out to the mark towing the baited rigs from two of the rods with 1lb leads and running rigs baited with squid or a string of 22mm halibut pellets These were dropped on the mark and spaced a few yards apart, and over the top of them a few kilos of loose feed pellets were scattered.

This was repeated with the other rods. A single carp rod was cast conventionally and baited again with pellet. More loose offerings were scattered around the hook-bait with a throwing stick. Now the traps were set all we needed was for a few fish to feed. Gareth tossed a coin to see who would hit the first run and I was the lucky one on this occasion, not that it would matter ultimately, as there proved to be more than enough fish for the two of us anyhow.

Soon enough a bite was indicated on one of the rods and I can only describe it as being like a barbel bite on the Trent although you can multiply the ferocity and speed of the take by ten! The 6lb tc rod took on an alarming bend. I tightened up the clutch, smacked it one and found myself playing my first ever catfish. Almost immediately the line went slack,

“Lost it!”

I hissed to Gareth.

“Reel like mad!“

he replied.

“She is swimming towards you.“

I soon caught up with the fish which then proceeded to pull like a train for the next ten minutes or so. When she was wallowing close in Gareth slipped on his pit glove (the older readers will remember these, bright yellow with a rubber coating) and wading out grabbed the cat by the bottom lip and steered her on to the unhooking mat where she was weighed. At 58lb she was twice the size of my previous biggest ever fish. To say I was buzzing would be an understatement and there Is a big smile on my face in the photographs taken to mark the occasion.

Tony was next up and it wasn’t long before he was battling his first fish. At 54lb it matched his biggest fish ever, that being a tope caught off Blackpool from his own boat the year before. By the end of that first day we had added another cat each of similar sizes.

We decided to bivvy up for the night to make sure we could keep the peg as Gareth was receiving texts and calls from fellow guides saying the fishing had been rock hard elsewhere. So despite the rain, which was still falling, we settled under cover. And after a delicious chinese takeaway we reeled in the rods and retired for the night.

The second day was the best for the numbers of fish caught and they were getting bigger, with 14 cats caught between 30lb and 114lb The 114lb fish was one of two over the ton for me and yet another new pb. Added to this the carp rod was throwing up fish too, although they were mostly low doubles with only one going past 20 at 24lb, a lovely mint conditioned common.

After another night spent under the stars the third day dawned with a lovely clear blue sky and as the weather improved so did the size of the fish. Tony had a massive fish of 150lb which I kid you not almost dragged him in! It almost stripped the remaining braid from the spool on the first run, leaving only a couple of turns on the reel. Gareth was ready in the boat in case Tony had to chase the fish to get the line back however with constant heavy pressure applied she turned and he was able to play her in. After a lengthy battle she was duly landed, weighed and photographed. Gareth produced a bottle of champagne and the first 150lb fish was christened by the three of us, all laughing like children who had just opened their Christmas present and realised they had got just what they wanted from Santa!

I had another nice fish at 104lb but the best was to come in the shape of a magnificent fish which was actually landed by my mate (Thanks Tony.) because Gareth was at the shop purchasing more supplies for the catfish base camp that our peg had become. The fight from this fish was truly awesome with it taking line at will from my Penn multiplier, despite the clutch being set very tightly. Seeing the fish on the top thirty yards out, attempting every trick in the book to rid itself of my hook, was a thrilling sight. Due mainly to the balanced tackle that Gareth supplies, and a lot of hard work, she was gradually worn down ready for Tony with the pit glove, and he made no mistake. Taking a firm grip on her lower jaw he heaved her huge bulk onto the mat. We did the necessaries and she was slid into the sling and heaved up, the dial whizzing round to an amazing 162lb. Another pb for me and one I may well never manage to beat in my angling career.

The rest of the week was slow for the cats but with a total of 27 under our belts a decision was made to fish an extra rod for the carp and this resulted in some excellent fish to us both. In one day we had two at 28lb+ a 29+ a 33lb fish and a magnificent 41lb common carp, along with plenty of double figure fish which certainly kept the fires burning after a hard weeks fishing. Incidentally anybody seriously targeting the carp could have some massive catches out there with numerous fish in the 50lb bracket coming out every year.

As well as the excellent fishing on the river Ebro the wildlife and scenery are breathtaking! Giant Griffon Vultures soar on the thermals overhead. Black Kites also were an every day sight, and we even saw a beautiful Golden Oriel a real splash of colour in the almost desert coloured environment we were fishing in.

We did spend one evening at an excellent restaurant, where we bumped into none other than the great John Wilson who was on his own holiday at the time. So if you want some home comforts they are there for the taking you don’t have to rough it as we did.

All too soon it was Sunday and time to say our goodbyes to Gareth and set off on the journey home and with the news that the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano was still causing problems with Spanish air travel we set of with some trepidation. On arrival at the airport our fears were proven not to be unfounded. Lots of flights were indeed cancelled. However after six hours I managed to get my flight back to Robin Hood airport in Doncaster. Unfortunately poor Tony was not so lucky and spent the next thirty hours dossing down in the airport lounge until he could get his flight back to blighty (lol) Even this though has not put him off a return to the mecca of fishing, the mighty Rio Ebro.

This article would not be worth its salt if I failed to give a big mention to our guide Gareth Edwards who was absolutely tremendous the whole week we were with him. We had decided to really throw ourselves into the fishing from the off and spent the first four nights under the canvas even though we had an apartment at our disposal and Gareth minded not a jot, keeping us fed and watered with regular trips to the local shops and takeaways, and also keeping the fish coming when all around us were struggling. I know for a fact that out of twelve anglers fishing with one of the bigger guiding services they had managed only seven fish between them all week.

Gareth works for himself now after guiding for both the big British catfish companies on the Ebro and can be contacted via his website at http://www.catfishtours.com/ . He offers a range of services, from tackle only unguided trips, to fully guided catfish or carp fishing trips and weekend only short stays. Or you can stay out there for as long as you wish. Gareth is a top guy who I shall be seeing again, hopefully for a repeat performance. That is as soon as I can find where the wife has hidden my credit card.

Pete Webster