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THIS ONE CAME AT 15.50 WHICH IS THE PEAK TIME AT THE START OF THE RISE PERIOD FOR FULL MOON IN FEB APPROX 90 MINUTES BEFORE THE RISE, IF THIS WERE THE END OF FEB THE PEAK WOULD BE NEARER TO THE RISE AT ABOUT 70MINS BEFORE.
THIS WAS A DEFINITE CASE OF FISH LOOSING IT, AT A PEAK TIME. L.O WAS ABOUT 12.35 THAT DAY AND AROUND THAT TIME MY MATE KEPT GETTING HIS BAITS MAULED BUT WITH NO REAL TAKES.

MY BAIT WAS IN THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUNKEN TREE WE WERE FISHING TO AND ALL I HAD ALL DAY WAS A COUPLE OF TENTATIVE PICK UPS, AT 15.50 THE BREEZE WENT FLAT AND THE FLOAT BURIED. RESULTING IN THE FISH. The crunch point for the start of moon rise mirrors that of the new moon. during a december full moon the point will be on or just after rise creeping back(earlier) than the rise with each month. Until june when the point will be several hours before the rise! Then it creeps nearer each month. So by october you arrive at this:
OCT 7TH 1922, FM+1 GW BALLANTINES RECORD SALMON AT 18.15 HRS, MOON RISE 19.15HRS. NOTHING TO DO WITH PHEROMONES JUST A PEAK MOON TIME ON A GOOD DAY! AND OF COURSE ANGLING SKILL

(picture lost)!
This point is the start of the set period for new moon in august. The furthest the point will be from the set is in June near the longest day. The point will be approx 20 mins nearer to the set with each nm until December, shortest day, when the point will be just after set! From December untill June it will creep back from the set each month. The same movement applies to the full moon as the periods "mirror one another.
New moon on august 11th 1999 (the eclipse) I predicted 18.30 as a peak time on Keith Arthurs fishermans blues radio show.I met an angler who was from cheshire at severn stoke at about 15.15 and spend a good time chatting with him about the moon stuff, he baited the swim at about 16.30 and put a bait in at 17.00. I told him that I had said 18.30 was a peak time. At 18.45 he wandered down to my mate and I and said "I cannot believe it I have just had a barbel of 9.9 one oz under my p.b, smack on 18.30! Will you take a pic"? my mate obliged

This pic also shows the use of "a critically balanced bobbing" the current has sped up and raised it a couple of feet I did not want to disturb things so let it be.
The bobbing has very little to do with bite detection, it is there so that when the barbel sucks the bait back, there is no resistance. I started using this in 1993, I had baited a swim under a streamer weed bed, and had put a piece of meat in with a 6ft hooklength the meat was hair rigged and spaghetti used as a stop. For 2 hours the barbel drifted in and out of the weed bed and fed on the hemp, the rod remained motionless. Positioning myself so as I could see the meat, I saw a barbel of about 8lb swim up to it, when it was about 5 inches from it it sucked back the meat which flew straight from the hair as the spag had gone soggy,and into its mouth, it then slowly turned downstream chomping on the meat. The decision was taken to use a bobbing and I have not looked back. It is surprising how light weight a bobbing you can get away with, if one is casting across a current pinning the line to the river bed with the use of a backlead, can in a lot of circumstances still permit one to use a light bobbing. It also helps to stop debris fouling the line. A heavy backlead is better than a light one, for two main reasons: So as the fish is not first dragging the weight of the backlead then the bobbing, and using a heavy lead will make the strike more direct.

HOW I LOVE THE TIMES AROUND FIRST QUARTER, GOING BY THE "TEXTBOOK" I SHOULD HAVE STRUGGLED, OVERNIGHT FROST, THE WYE LOW AND GIN CLEAR, AND BRIGHT SUNLIGHT. SHORTLY AFTER ARRIVING I WAS INTO FISH, AND HAD 6 THE HOUR EITHER SIDE OF "TRANSIT" THEY WENT 8.2. 8.12 9.3 9.6 9.3 AND THE ABOVE. I THINK BRIGHT DAYS WHEN SEASONAL CHANGE KICKS IN ARE TOPS. ESPECIALLY WITH THE MOON IN THE RIGHT PHASE AND POSITION, DUSK WAS COMPLETELY UNPRODUCTIVE.

HEREFORDSHIRES BEAUTIFUL RIVER LUGG

HERE I HAVE ADOPTED MY USUAL METHOD FOR BARBEL WHICH IS TO HAVE A BAIT AWAY FROM THE BAITED AREA, HERE THE BARBEL DWELL UNDER THE RIGHT HAND BANK BY THE NEAREST SWAN, THEY FEED ON SHALLOWS 30 YDS TO MY LEFT WHICH IS WHERE I HAVE PUT THE FEED, MY HOOKBAIT IS MEAT FISHED WITH A 6FT TAIL, IT IS ANCHORED IN THE RUN UNDER THE ROD TOP, WHICH THE BARBEL USE TO GET TO THE BAITED AREA, IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE I DO NOT THROW IN ANY FREEBIES AS I BELIEVE THIS WILL DESTROY THE NATURAL PECKING ORDER THAT BARBEL HAVE, AND THE SMALLEST NOT THE BIGGEST OF THE SHOAL WILL TAKE MY BAIT!

I had figured from my research that the set period wouldn't be that hot. The L.O period would be the possible start of good days. Often it is the case on the first peak day of LQ ones in october it does not happen until approaching L.O and or that point as the light goes. Arriving at the river at 15.30hrs conditons were good for October, nice and sunny not cold, water was running clear. The match which had just finished was won with 12ozs. I was right, the set period was rubbish! Started fishing 15.45hrs, at 16.50hrs I took the 10.4 (shame about the picture) my first double on maggots, at 17.20hrs I had the 10.5, my second on maggots and the first time i had taken two doubles in one day! As the sun died down so did the fishing, not another touch, packed up 20.00hrs. The next day LO 18.20hrs. the set period was again rubbish the match won with 10ozs! Again on the feeder at 17.45hrs, I dropped another double at the net and felt pretty sick, however at 18.00hrs I took my third maggot caught double of 10.6 Again the swim died as darkness fell, it was not as dark as pictures portray camera is now in the bin. Note how periods creep forward. The 10.6 was infact my fourth double on the trot, the last session before these was on sept 30th, when I took 3,8s. 3,9s finishing with a moonset 10.11 at 01.30hrs on the 1st oct. The write up is at the foot of the mist-dew-cold page

SALMONHUTCH, CREDITON, DEVON. THIS WAS A NEW VENUE RECORD AND REMAINED SO FOR OVER 3 YEARS, THROUGH THE MOON RISE PERIOD SEVERAL FISH WERE MILLING ABOUT ON THE SURFACE ON THIS POND AND THE NEXT. I SPOTTED THIS ONE CRUISING ABOUT WITHIN A COUPLE OF FEET OF THE BANK AND THOUGHT IT TIME FOR A BIT OF "DAPPING WITH BREAD" IT TOOK STRAIGHT AWAY AT 15.10, THE END OF THE PERIOD. AFTER THIS NO OTHER FISH WERE ABOUT ON THE SURFACE ON THIS OR THE OTHER LAKE. FUNNY BECAUSE BEFORE I ARRIVED AT THIS MOON STUFF I COULD NEVER FIND AN ANSWER AS TO WHY FISH WOULD SWITCH OFF AND ON AT THE SAME TIME. ALSO I USED TO THINK FRIDAY NIGHTS WERE GOOD BECAUSE OF THE INCREASE OF BAIT GOING IN, BACK CHECKING MY CATCHES SHOW THIS WAS NOT REALLY THE CASE, MORE WERE CAUGHT WHEN FRIDAYS WERE PRIME MOON DAYS!
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