So far this year (2020) the only deadbaits I have been using are mackeral strips (mostly) or sprats. They're cheap and easily accessible at the local supermarket and are effective on Edgelaw Reservoir.
Nice sunny day, temperature around 8C. Tried for a couple of hours with two rods out using a half sardine on a single 3/0 circle hook. Not a touch. One guy fishing near me had two runs but no hook up.
Fished for three hours today still with the three rods out using sardines on circle hooks. Weather was cold at only 3C with a bit of sleet thrown in. No runs today.
Only a two hour session today and sticking with the sardines. Two rods ledgered with pop ups and one on the float. No runs but the weather was fine at 8C. Still I managed to renew my membership for 2021/22 season from the bailiff so wasn’t all bad.
Another 3 hour early morning session. Two rods ledgered with sprats and one on the float. I had a bit of interest on the float, not a run but it was moving and bobbing a bit but nothing substantial. I’m guessing it was a perch but anyway no hook ups. The weather was fine and the sun came out so excuses on that front.
Parked at the shallow end and used my Deeper Pro fishfinder to see if I can locate some fish. I started at the river mouth and worked my way round the bay right across the other side without locating a single fish. Spoke to a member who was there from 9am (it’s 3pm now). He had three rods out and hadn’t touched a thing all day. I decided to head to the other end of the Reservoir and try my luck there-not quite as far as the dam. Picked up a few hits on my fishfinder in deeper water (16ft) and fished with two rods with sprats; one ledgered and one on the float. Not a touch. Spotted a Grebe diving for fish in the middle of the Reservoir but never saw it actually catching one….just one of those days. Still it was a beautiful day with temperatures up to 16C. The warmest day of the year so far so can’t complain.
08 April 2021 The new season started on 01 April so I've come up for a couple of hours in the evening to see if i can connect with anything, I have the usual three rods out, all deadbaiting with sprats. Two ledgered on one on the float. No runs in the first hour so I move to another bay. After half an hour or so I get my first run on the float. A nice 3lb jack pike comes to hand.
11 April 2021 A short two hour session this morning using mackerel strips. It was a glorious sunny morning, although very cold - it was minus 3 when I arrived around 07:30am but it wasn't too bad when the sun was on you. Fishing was poor with no runs and three rods out. Spend almost an hour watching a rather large Cormorant drying itself off from an old tree stump 20 yards out from the shore. It was probably 60 yards from where I was fishing. Impressive bird all the same. Watched it diving or fish when it eventually moved away, but it never caught anything either
20 April 2021 Back to the shallow end for another couple of hours session. Three rods out using sprats. No runs. Spoke to another fisherman who had been deadbaiting for over 2 hours with no runs either. Saw two young women with two dogs on the loose with another smaller pampered dog in a pram! I think they had walked right round the Reservoir 🤔. Unbelievable. Spied one small dead jackpike near the shore that’s why I always use just one single circle hook on my traces to prevent unnecessary fatalities to pike. Just a twist and a pull and the hook is out.
25 April 2021 The shallow end hasn't been very productive over the last three weeks so I decided to try the middle section faraway bank where the reservoir is much deeper. There were quite a few roach breaking the surface and taking flies so it looked promising. The weather was fine and sunny although when I arrived at 07:30 it was only 2C although it did warm up quite quickly as the morning progressed. The usual three rods out this time using a half sardine on each rod. No runs at all for the 2 and a half hours I fished. On packing up fishing, I tied on a fishfinder sonar on one rod to see what was out there. Half a dozen casts round the bay where I was fishing never recorded a single fish. Another blank day.