Do Fish still live in the Abandoned Marina?

When nature takes over, the smallest of waters become the greatest of challenges. Welcome back to the Abandoned Marina, the mooring that time forgot - Join me as I fish for one of it's illusive inhabitants, and struggle along the way.
Watch my first Abandoned Marina adventure: • What Lives in The Aban...
Follow my Instagram: / tomwilshawuk
Music supplied by: The Music Bed.
© Tom Wilshaw 2023, All Rights Reserved.

[@SnaggedOnFish]

Crazy how you can make such a crap fishing session into such an engaging story... a true skill. P.s catch more fish plz

[@tomwilshaw]

😂 this will forever be my favourite comment, thanks man. We need to get out soon, so I can steal some of your luck to actually catch!!!!

[@luurankoiset9120]

Making a great fishing video with lots of big fish = easy mode, something for beginners. Making a great fishing video with one tiny perch = true master of his craft.

[@tomwilshaw]

😂😂😂 my favourite comment, thank you haha!

[@johnathonandrew8952]

Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes. Been looking forward to this

[@tomwilshaw]

Hope you enjoyed it mate 😁

[@johnathonandrew8952]

@@tomwilshaw I did. Just gutted for you

[@aquaticcolledgefishing]

Stunning filmography as ever Tom. Totally inspiring! Nice little perch too, that weed thickness was insane!

[@tomwilshaw]

Mad right… Thanks man!

[@dylandestpern3783]

I love watching your videos. Just a treat for the eyes and soul. Your color grading so warm and inviting and your commentary is relaxing to listen to. Another fantastic video, Tom! Keep it up! All the best to you and your wife

[@tomwilshaw]

Thanks Dylan 😌 my greatest hope with my videos is it that they give a little taste of what it’s like to be outside, something to relax to, but I got waaaaay too into the fishing at the end of this one, desperate to be honest!

[@cracklepych]

For that heavy cover duckweed spot, you'll need a weedless hollow bodied frog... Topwater lures sometimes get smashed by a huge pike

[@tomwilshaw]

That in the summer sounds like a winner!

[@stevebrown6206]

We’ve all had these days!! “Right it’s all going on eBay” but keep going 👍🏻

[@tomwilshaw]

That’s fishing after all :)

[@matthewmiller8048]

Great vid, feel your frustration.. I fish a similar canal up north, weedy looks lifeless. Had many a blank, not giving up though. i enjoy just being out. Best of luck with your fishing, ill look forward to these vids from now on.

[@tomwilshaw]

Cheers Matthew :)

[@jasonrenshaw9010]

Been looking forward to the return the “marina”. You caught one tiny perch but how you got there was so enjoyable, the whole story including the lost rod top etc. Keep them coming, tight lines

[@tomwilshaw]

Cheers Jason 😌 appreciate the kind words, though I hope to have something a little more impressive next time!

[@LG_Fishing]

lovely little spot, glad you caught.

[@tomwilshaw]

Haha, thank you!!

[@paulwhiteman3625]

Me too, I’ve been looking forward to this for ages. You’ve gotta get down there with a swim drag. Clear some swims and put in some bait. Then repeat..

[@tomwilshaw]

It’s going to be hard as I don’t live locally anymore, but maybe I can try and make it happen!

[@paulwhiteman3625]

@@tomwilshaw it doesn’t matter how big the carp or tench are in this special spot, but the fact that they have never been caught before will make what ever is in there very special indeed. Deffo try and winkle one out, Tom!

[@bickleysanglingadventures5866]

On places like that you cant beat using a weedless frog, loot at the spro king daddy frog, amazing things and will make a big presence

[@tomwilshaw]

I'll try to give it a go! Thanks :)

[@WakeandBaitFishing]

Yes Tom! The microwave meal trick works a treat ;) I'm sure a big croc is around the corner!

[@tomwilshaw]

I sure hope so 🤞 and haha it really is the one when you need a quick eat!

[@tommos16]

Yeah this is different level. Really good. I always thought you pierced a weedless lure then tucked the hook in but I’ve learnt something which is good!

[@tomwilshaw]

Thank you so much 😁 ha, I’m not 100% I’ve done it right as it didn’t catch that’s for sure 😂

[@themacmagician]

Oh MY. What an absolute treat to end a week with!!! Good times man!!!

[@tomwilshaw]

Cheers mate, hope you enjoyed 😁

[@mcwharam]

Really enjoyed the video - thanks.

[@tomwilshaw]

Super glad 😁 you’re welcome!

[@nathanmaynard131]

As an American I find the European based lure fishing videos so interesting. Everything from the waterways themselves to the plant species, fish species, techniques, etc. I also love and in a way admire your collective respect for carp. For the past few years I’ve lived in the mountains of West Virginia mostly wading these small streams for wild brown trout, native Brook trout, native smallmouth bass/largemouth bass, or the occasional creek mouth/dam for native walleye. I will say people seem to enjoy carp fishing a bit more here in the mountain state as there is some fantastic mirror carp fishing to be had here. Great video and Cheers 👍🏻

[@tomwilshaw]

On the flip side, as a European I fully find American fishing videos interesting haha! I'd love to travel and catch a small/largemouth bass one day, and catch a carp there!

[@nathanmaynard131]

@@tomwilshaw You’d love it, wading for big smallies in a creek is pretty dang hard to beat 🙏

[@josephquinn7356]

New Subscriber! What a sincere & realistic video👍 I live in the USA and oftentimes have days just like this one! I love the fact you decided to keep and show this video rather than trashing it - it reflects your true passion for fishing as well as your connection to the “why” behind what we do as anglers - you're a thinking man’s angler👍 I'm super Excited to see you grow your own channel!!! - Joe

[@tomwilshaw]

Such kind words Joseph :) I want to showcase fishing in it’s entirety, not just the best bits!

[@theflyingyetti_666]

That was the best video ever of catching a tiny perch 😊

[@tomwilshaw]

Haha, why thank you very much 😁

[@charlieangles]

man these videos are incredible… you deserve so much more attention and subs than you have. Keep up the amazing work Tom :)

[@tomwilshaw]

So kind, thank you ☺️ I'll keep them coming!

[@FishingwithFin]

Great video! ❤️🎣

[@tomwilshaw]

Cheers Fin!!! Appreciate it :)

[@barryingram31]

Nice video. I'd be tempted to go back but in the winter and with a rake to clear some spots. And being a canal I'd bet there's some carp that live in that weedy marine.

[@tomwilshaw]

Imagine! That would be amazing

[@BackwoodsFishingDiary]

great video, such nice quality. The boneyard really has a mythical touch to it. I'd recommend trying a weedless topwater frog lure ;D

[@tomwilshaw]

I think that would certainly be a shout!!!

[@jasonwalmsley8039]

You need to take a rake head on a rope and clear the weed out of the marina and then fish that area on float a couple of weeks later. I cleared a cracking pond near me and weeks later we were pulling out the beautiful little cruscian carp. It took three visits to pull out about a ton of weed. Worth it though. 🎣🎣🎣

[@tomwilshaw]

That’s some graft! Maybe next year I’ll make the effort, that would be the winner

[@ashleychandler4024]

Great vid. You're like the fisherman's Ray Mears😂😂

[@tomwilshaw]

Ha! I can live with that!! Love it 😂

[@dobbyrauzer]

Still a good video... Great editing and nice scenery. Keep it up!

[@tomwilshaw]

Thank you, I certainly will! :)

[@fidelesparzaiii4715]

Just found this channel. For what it’s worth , I would have fished a frog style popping top water in that marina. I think it would have killed. Great work.

[@tomwilshaw]

In hindsight I totally agree!!!!

[@alexv.3673]

I love your videos so much❤

[@tomwilshaw]

Haha thanks Alex! Appreciate it a lot :)

[@andrewmacdonald5889]

Great to see part 2🦴😁

[@tomwilshaw]

Cheers Andrew 😁

[@andrewmacdonald5889]

Pleased you got the history lesson in👍

[@robreilly1708]

glad i stumbled across your channel ;) i have the same hat, fish with carl

[@tomwilshaw]

Thanks Rob 😁 and how warm are they!!!! Great bit of kit haha

[@hugosanchez2369]

That stretch of canal is very hit and miss...some days it is superb, many not, even when it looks great.

[@tomwilshaw]

Couldn't agree more!

[@hugosanchez2369]

@@tomwilshaw you should try what I call "the snake lake". At the beginning of the road you drove to get to the bridge by the bone yard there is a pub. Opposite the pub is a pub car park and to the left of it free parking for canal users. Go down on to the canal Opposite the pub... walk down the gravel track for about ¼ of a mile and you will come to some locks...cross the locks and in front of you is a gate... follow the path all the way around if you want somewhere like the boneyard with less weed. Gin clear water there full of jacks...I attempted to hook them on the pole with a small rudd livebait but some of them are truly tiny. Nice Perch, Rudd, Roach, Bream, Tench so I am told..there are also a few chub and probably some big Eels. It is free fishing unlike the canal down that side. Ps... I should've said it is fed by and runs back into the canal and fish are able to migrate to a point.

[@jakewilliamson]

you make a great video tom 😉

[@tomwilshaw]

Thanks Jake! 😁

[@joshharpin9567]

Good video Tom unlucky with the marina but at least you got that little guy 😅

[@tomwilshaw]

Haha, cheers Josh!

[@josephscott4997]

Wooot so hyped

[@ianmaddams9577]

Committed to the cause mate … shame the Boneyard was so heavily weeded. Definitely worth another go at sometime 👍🏻

[@tomwilshaw]

This video was my goodbye to the place, but knowing me I might be tempted next spring haha, we’ll see.. 😁

[@Randomstuff-ri8mk]

Always a good day when you post a video.

[@tomwilshaw]

That’s so ridiculously kind, thank you 😁

[@AodhanCallaghan-iv9jr]

Great video Tom what was the weedless lure u were using thanks

[@tomwilshaw]

Thank you :) It was a Westin roach lure with an offset hook

[@blackline66]

Boooooooom new video! Great!!!!!!😊

[@tomwilshaw]

😁😁

[@jacobw.3132]

Try a topwater frog... booyah toadrunner. Pike love em over here in the states

[@tomwilshaw]

Could be a shout.. Is there any time of year/particular weather those things need to be effective?

[@jacobw.3132]

​@tomwilshaw warmer the better. Summer and early fall

[@felgate11]

You can buy proper weedless hooks, they have like a springy wire loop , hinged over the bend which masks the hook point until the fish grabs the Lure. I think what you are using in the vid will tend to "Cushion" the hook & not always engage?? See the Link in above post to just get the Idea.

[@KayakFishingCorkIreland]

We all have those days.

[@tomwilshaw]

That’s fishing!

[@matthiasvalk]

Hey Tom, looks to me like you are trying to find your own style of videomaking, it is very inspiring to me. I don't know if it helps at all, but I feel like you're balancing somewhere between what you make with Carl, the 'kokkaffee diaries' fly fishing, hiking, outdoors videos by rolf nylinder, and the stealth camping done by Steve Wallis. Both also on youtube. So I don't agree with the common sentiment here that you need to catch more, I feel you need to explore what story you want to tell even more, because i think you are making/can make something quite unique! Thanks for taking us along, cheers.

[@tomwilshaw]

Cheers Matthias :) I’m definitely trying to find a balance between the engaging/fun/vibrant style of most successful KZbinrs, like Carl, whilst staying true to my desires as a cinematic filmmaker haha - lots to learn, lots to experiment with, but so long as I’m documenting my adventures one way or another, I’m happy and I hope you enjoy!

[@user-bf3pj2mv5m]

Fished this canal a lot, its not you tom its the canal 😂 theres a basin a few miles down from the boneyard thats definitely worth a go! Great video 👍

[@tomwilshaw]

It’s so strange isn’t it! Vastly different from two years ago

[@Danny-outside]

Need some grass carp, too.

[@MuscleFishingOfficial]

As a content creator myself I can't even begin to imagine how much time and effort all those B roll shots took to film. All the walking back , replacing camera angles etc. But what it shows is that even catching only 1 fish a truly great video can be made with the fantastic shots, scenes and natural world. What Canon are you running if you don't mind me asking. cheers

[@tomwilshaw]

Easily half of my day was spent running around trying to get certain shots 🥲 I’m currently using my trusty EOS R, the first mirrorless they made, but I’m hoping to upgrade to an R6 at some point in the future for some better low light!

[@MuscleFishingOfficial]

@@tomwilshawthanks for that! I was looking at the RS but wandered if it was actually worth it! Keep up the good films, I know they take forever but they are great memories to look back on!

[@eclipse3338]

Still a great vid even if you only caught one tiny perch....Not bad at all for a "Ridiculous video" 19:16 XD...but I'm sure there will be many good things to come

[@tomwilshaw]

Thank you 😁 it was such a weird session, but not one I’ll easily forget haha

[@billmckenna2101]

Who built that was it somebody for the purpose of fishing!? from the above angle 4:45 it looks amazing

[@tomwilshaw]

It's gorgeous isn't it? I believe it was built for agriculture, boats would use it for the transport of bonemeal - it's got some really interesting history!

[@ragnorremix8426]

Great story tom and dont beat yourself up about being banned, at least once in everyones life there will be an odd occasion where your face just doesn't fit, this was yours and remember its not personal as they dont know you and jealousy over the monster you landed probably played a part in it too. Look what happened to carl on that resevoir and the false allegations, now you're thriving and we can all see your a good bloke, youve got a new sub.

[@tomwilshaw]

So true, I think anyone full of passion is eventually going to hit a wall, that was mine! Onto bigger and better things :) Thanks for subscribing!

[@jackcarpenter2471]

Theres some decent canal carp in certain sections of that canal...

[@tomwilshaw]

I’ve seen a few of them in years gone by! My intention was always to pre-bait in the spring and fish for them, but never got around to it :)

[@minimalist.tacklebox]

I've never enjoyed a video of nothing as much as I enjoyed this one haha! In North America, we use punch rigs to get at fish under heavy weed mats. I dunno if anyone punches for pike, but if you have a heavy enough rod, you might try that at the boneyard sometime and maybe be the first one to do it. :)

[@tomwilshaw]

Hahaha, I’m glad it entertained 😂 I promise not all of my videos will be like this! I’ll do some research into punch rigs, sounds interesting!

[@Catonkey1]

@@tomwilshaw its basically just a very heavy texas rig with a bobber stop to stop the weight moving up the line, like 30g tungsten bullet weight usually with a creature bait as a lure on an offset hook. You might be able to go lighter though..Basically you cast out let it hit the bottom then twitch your rod a bit then reel straight back and repeat, or thats what I've gathered from these bass pros. You might be able to get at some pike like this but perch are probably too small, unless you can downsize. I've had to fish some very weedy venues in the UK this summer and read up on this a lot lol.

[@BigBoaby-sg1yo]

Any keen gardeners should harvest the weeds and algae,with 2 goals . (1) perfect compost for free . (2) opening up the pond for fishermen .

[@davemanton5774]

Never watched your vids before. My sympathies, but hey, there's always tomorrow . Thanks for the honest video , we have all been there.

[@tomwilshaw]

Cheers Dave :) that’s fishing alright, always tomorrow!

[@DDGXMUSIC]

Tom, will it help to target this place at just the right time in the spring before the plants and weed have grown back into full force but the fish are active?

[@tomwilshaw]

That would definitely be the sweet spot in the year, I originally had no plans to go back, but we’ll see :-) maybe as a small part of a future video when I’m back up north!

[@peterbrooks2968]

Had plenty of days like that mate. Looks like the rake idea is the only way you're going to fish The Boneyard and now we all want to know what's in it. Can't you get Carl down there for some sort of challenge? :)

[@tomwilshaw]

Raking and hoping winter kills of the majority of the weed I think! I had originally intended for this to be my last video there, but maybe I’ll revisit it late spring :) haha, there’s an idea!

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

I have a love hate relationship with weedless setups. On one hand they are great because you are a little less likely to get caught up in snags and weeds (no hook point exposed) But on the other hand you need to give it a solid yank when striking so that the hook point gets exposed and sets the hook and sometimes it can be difficult knowing how much energy to put in to the strike because you dont know the size of the fish. Too little and you wont set the hook. Too much and your lure will go into the surrounding bushes and trees if the pike only decided to nip at the tail and let go.

[@tomwilshaw]

It really is an unknown quantity, I wonder if the bite I had at the beginning of the video could have been landed had I struck just a little harder!

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

@@tomwilshaw Personally. I would run with a hook with a longer shank for weedless so the pike doesnt need to almost swallow the lure to get the hook point to expose itself. Some pike will hit lures but only the tails and if your hook is too far forward then thats another potential fish lost. I hook lures like you do and also occasionally side hook them so they flop around and look like dying/injured fish more when bounced/jigged along the bottom in the winter. Either method always has great success

[@larsvegas1505]

I usually dont bother.. just fish those spots when the pants go down a bit.. rather then missing 9 out of 10 fish... Uk fishing seems depressing to me though, drive in miles for a dinky spot like this.. i can walk 1 mile and find 10 bigger venues in NL.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

@@larsvegas1505 Different country, Different culture, different attitudes towards fishing. Plus a lot of the waterways that existed in the 50s and 70s now dont as the land they are on has been sold to property developers that have redeveloped it or the local establishment who fill them in and built big housing estates and apartments over the top of them Due to the problem regarding immigration in the UK. Housing/living accommodations are in huge demand and the wont care about the hardships of the angling/fishing community. The sport has seen much better days but thats just the way it is in this current era.

[@larsvegas1505]

@@Rose.Of.Hizaki Even with all that the uk is mosty above sea level.. makes drainage easy to do.. in holland we need a lot more draining for the fields cause everything is flat and below sea level.. thus we have a lot more water bodies/drainage/canals/rivers/lakes/vens/gravel pits and the likes.. I also have like 8-10 gravel pits in a 5 mile radius from my house where noone puts a boat on ever.. those are like 80 feet deep and decent sized very clear water. there is so much water here that a lot gets overlooked and most of it contains fish.. Thats wat makes me feel for uk anglers. But u make do with wat u have i guess. Like this autum i caught about 30 zander over 85cm, some pike over a meter, one was 122cm.. u just need to find a spot where they are that is unspoiled like that, can make a whole season.

[@jamesworrall8858]

Why don’t you try a topwater frog?

[@tomwilshaw]

I definitely should have! Last time I fished it the pike was constantly blowing out of the water, nothing like that on this occasion however, so strange!

[@spatial7388]

if you want to do more like this visit Doctor Dam, Norden, Rochdale, greater Manchester.England

[@tomwilshaw]

Saved into the notes app! What kind of fish live in there may I ask?

[@Danny-outside]

You should do so work on it. Tom, get rid of some that weed and bring a small battery-powered Heage cutter and clear a path out .

[@tomwilshaw]

My 50-year plan is to save my pennies and buy it, clear it, stock it and sell extortionate day tickets 😉

[@Danny-outside]

@tomwilshaw love it. I want to buy my little wild pond. i cleaned it up and stocked it anyway no really know about my pond anyway. I just want the fishing rights to it so I can do some real work on it rather than in secret.

[@i.m1981]

Great fushing video of how to not catch fish lol.

[@tomwilshaw]

It’s quickly becoming my speciality 😜

[@deanward3846]

i enjoyed it. after all is its called fishing not catching

[@Owen_Fox_Fishing]

could you rake out a spot and put a dead bait out?

[@tomwilshaw]

I think so! Could be the way :)

[@shetrix194]

Dude you should do KZbin full-time. It's just too good of a quality vid, to not go for it.

[@tomwilshaw]

Haha, thank you! One day, perhaps :)

[@TrancetasticWilza]

It's oxygenating weed that it's sitting on

[@rojka_3497]

wow your videos are beter then fishing with carl

[@tomwilshaw]

😂 I help make his videos, so I’m unsure of what to do with this information haha! (Thank you 😁)

[@dukytown9]

But still a good video,,,,its called fishing not catching 🙌🏻

[@tomwilshaw]

Amen to that 😌 thank you!

[@finesseddad3969]

Where is this mate looks like lincon

[@tomwilshaw]

I don’t want to give up the location, but I can say it’s not Lincoln haha 😁

[@finesseddad3969]

@@tomwilshaw nice of you fella and yeah i understand will get trashed just never seen a bone yard on my bucket list now know any others

[@ec7239]

Try at First with a sonar....

[@markmcmanus3656]

Oh I'm just getting out of bed......but you must have got up to set the cameras first....

[@tomwilshaw]

Shhhh it’s movie magic! 😂

[@DavidSmith-jm3xr]

Go back in winter when weed dies off

[@tomwilshaw]

I think that’s probably a very good plan :-)

[@RGRIMOWEN]

I know the marina...it was cleared a few years ago. Unfortunately most, if not all of the felled trees were disposed of in the marina. Winter die back helps with the weed. Expensive and frustrating place to fish...

[@Vladimir-yj1zf]

You're a bad fisherman. You choose such unsuitable baits for fish, The rod is oak and not sensitive. For such small rivers, ultralight is perfect for perch, especially for the little one you caught at the end of the video. I don't understand British fishing

[@tomwilshaw]

😂 I never claimed to be a good one! I did use an ultralight for the perch, I used two different rods in this video :)

[@Vladimir-yj1zf]

@@tomwilshaw I don’t care how you fish, you can even fish with a Chinese crocodile. I wanted to see how they fish in Britain, I saw a guy throwing a huge wobbler in a small river.

[@tomwilshaw]

Okiedokie :)