15/11/2012 - Eliburn Reservoir

Having seen the potential, H was keen to get back to Eliburn to get some more species ticked off. He arrived before me and set up opposite where we'd been situated on our previous visit. Being a complete addict, in the time since the last session he'd been reading up on method feeding tactics and couldn't resist getting a new waggler rod. His report is here.

Still recovering from the previous nights excesses I received a text saying he'd caught a Tench with his first cast on the method. Another new species for him. Then on the road another text said he thought he had an Ide as well which he'd keep in the net til I arrived. Top stuff.

On arrival one of the permit guys had been unable to identify the 'Ide'. At first I suspected it was a small Bream, but on reflection it is most likely one of the Hybrid's (Roach/Bream) I've seen caught there. Not content with one, he managed to snaffle another one not too long after. Still no Ide somehow.

So I set myself up as usual with maggots under a float at varying depths til I found some fish and another rod on the bottom. I'll usually use cubes of luncheon meat but today used sweetcorn squeezed into a ball of H's groundbait. As the latter rod is then put in a rest whilst the float rod demands more attention, I contrived to miss a few rattles on the sweetcorn rod (new bell indicator in action). However the maggot rod was proving slow and I was having to alter my depth a lot in a bid to find fish. Surprisingly, as it was a bit chilly, I had most success up in the water although these were proving to be what I call 'phantoms'. The float disappears, you strike and there's nothing, no resistance whatsoever. The fish has taken and spat the bait before you can strike. It never ceases to amaze me how quick they are able to do this. Sometimes after a missed strike, if you don't reel in, another 'phantom' bites, you strike and miss and this can repeat 3 or 4 times in the same cast. It gets to the point I occasionally do pre-emptive strikes hoping a fish has taken the bait but not yet pulled the float under. A tactic which hasn't yet worked.

Unfortunately the rest of this report is missing. After starting it, too much time elapsed before I recorded anything else and my memories have faded. Plenty more good info on Eliburn in my other reports if required.

08/03/2012 - Humbie Quarry

Rods looking towards west bank

Time - 1530 - 1700
Water - Cold, dark
Method - Sweetcorn, maggots, lure
Where - South bank
Weather - Windy elsewhere, but nicely sheltered on the bankside
Total - 0

Looking to try somewhere new, we settled on Humbie Quarry between Kirkliston and Winchburgh. Various online snippets were encouraging. Species apparently include pike, tench, roach, perch and maybe one or two others. As is usually the case, a realistic attitude on approach due to time of year and ignorance of the venue treated this as much as a learning experience rather than having any real prospect of catching a fish.

View of north bank from south

We arrived on the west side. This is elevated considerably above the water level and there appeared to only be a couple of spots to access the bank. The water appeared to be pretty deep too. We worked round to the south bank and found a couple of much more likely spots and set up at the biggest one. As is too often the case, the bank was littered with all sorts of rubbish, but who cares eh, its only the countryside.

I chucked out a pile of sweetcorn not too far in front in water that appeared to be about 6-9 ft in depth. An online tip stated that a frequenter of Humbie Quarry 'always set up first with sweetcorn for Tench'. Can't do much more than follow the best advice available, however there was absolutely zero interest on that rod.

North westerly view from south

I also chucked out some maggots, starting quite high in the water, progressively going deeper, but again, absolutely nothing. Finally I tried my big pike lure but still with no joy.



Definitely worth another try and a good place to go on a windy day as its super sheltered and appears to have serious potential.

23/12/2011 - Eliburn

Bit of a beast

 Time - 12.40 - 16.20
Water - Cloudy, cold
Where - Middle Peg & Bridge Peg
Weather - Cold, calm, odd very light shower, 6.5 degrees on arrival
Methods - Meat cubes on the bottom, multi maggots on float
Total - 14
Species - Ide (4), Perch (9), Roach (1)
Size - 4.5 inch - 17.5 inch

Five anglers in total, two of them with poles were trying their luck. The water had been frozen until Tuesday before thawing and was certainly still chilly when I dipped my hand in.

I was delighted to find my fave middle peg unoccupied and settled in. Rather than specimen hunt with both rods, due to the time of year I decided to try one with meat cubes on the bottom with one rod and vary the depths under a float with maggots or pellets on the other. A tactic that proved very productive by the end of proceedings.

I'd sat for a while with nothing doing at all. The pole fishers were on the last two pegs on the east bank at the dam end. The Dam boy got a gudgeon and the other guy landed two I think, one I defo saw was a roach of about 8ish inch. Not sure of his bait, but he was sending the pole out, tipping his bait in, retrieving the pole, adding his bait/float, then dropping it right on top of his bait again. The fourth gent arrived and took the bottom corner peg chatting a bit on the way past. His intention was to fish the bottom.

Tip top condition

After exploring depths & areas with the mag rod, I was even unsuccessful right in at the bank hoping for a guj or wee Perch. Eventually, only marginally further out I had a wee tickle and extracted a Perch that, if I had had the temerity to measure it, may have broken the 4.5 inch barrier. And it had wolfed the hook right down. About 20-30 mins later, another little bit of action on the float was met with my eagle-like reactions. Fully expecting a guj or 4 inch perch, I was delighted to feel something a bit more substantial. It turned out to be a 10.5 inch Roach in nice nick. Not quite a mad half hour, but thats sort of how it felt at the time.

There hadn't been any fish visible just under the surface, but occasionally what were probably decent carp, would break the surface, mostly near the middle of the water so with a couple banked and some sort of activity about, I was happy enough. Nothing whatsoever on the meat rod though and no nibbles at all when I retrieved the bait for inspection. As the time edged closer to darkness, I had to decide whether to stay put, maybe get another fish or two and maybe a nice one on the meat, or head towards the bridge where I would always go if I had to catch a fish if my life depended on it at Eliburn. So I upped sticks and moved.

Half way to my destination, I noticed another dude fishing where I was headed. However he was packing up. So I politely made enquiries and sure enough it would be all mine soon enough. The vacating gent said he'd taken 4 small perch on the maggot.

One of the greedy 15 inchers

First cast my float disappeared and I took my second tiny, hook swallowing roach of the day. Result. Another 3 followed, maybe reaching as much as 6 inch in length. I'd edged about as north as I could go, where the inflow drops off and struck into another perchy type bite and realised immediately I was into something a lot more substantial. A couple of minutes later I had a 15" Ide on the bank. Where did that come from? I was baiting up a bit more now and the Idey type swirls would appear now and again so I knew I was in with a chance of some more. Bang, another 15 incher soon followed which was blind in one eye, then almost immediately another that gave me a good tussle requiring a fair bit of cajoling to keep it out of the weeds beds. It tipped the measuring tape at 17.5 inches. A few more wee perch then followed before a final 15 inch Ide obliged. All fish on the maggot and all using tactics that wouldnt be out of place at most other times of the year at Eliburn, although generally deeper than usual, but not necessarily on the bottom.