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Variety is the Spice of Life


Rusty

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River Kennet, below Thatcham, Friday 18th June 2010

 

Another day and another venue, this time probably the most easterly stretch of the Kennet that TAA & NAA books allow me to fish.

 

A lot of work has gone into this venue during the close season, death trap styles have been replaced with something more capable of supporting a gear laden angler and the stretch has been extended by about a hundred and fifty yards, the extension provides another ten swims and some great wading opportunities. Hats off to those TAA members who put in all the hard work (I’m afraid I wasn’t one of them).

 

After the obligatory first trot in the first swim that I came to (can’t help it) I decided to walk to the furthest swim on the newly opened section. It’s not a hugely long stretch but I was wearing neoprene chesties with jeans underneath and the sun/cloud battle was erring in favour of the sun. Half way I met up with a guy who I’d met yesterday at another venue, he wasn’t wearing chesties and by the time we arrived at the last swim his conversation was much more coherent than mine.

 

This is what greeted us;

 

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A wonderful weirpool which you could either trot around or fish with a static bait. We both noted the predator potential and lamented the lack of lobs in our bait boxes. Didn’t stop him though, during the afternoon he bagged a 2lb Perch and a 4lb Pike on maggot.

 

I chose to fish downstream of the pool and got in the water. It was pretty shallow but there were some deeper glides and it was whilst trotting one of these that I came a cross a shoal of Chub, none breached a pound but it was great fun holding back and feeling the pluck bites. I’d land a couple and then wade further downsteam as they spooked, chasing them really. They outran me, I was up to my waist before I realised that my bait smock hangs lower than that, wet maggots and wet fags meant time to get out and return to dry land.

 

On walking back I spotted a shoal of about five Barbell held up under vegetation. They’d pop out for a look and then glide back in, none were monsters but it’s the first time I’d seen so many together. I tried baiting and then trotting past but the current would take the float too far out. The float was removed and the remaining two SSG dobbed in as close as I could get it with the line resting on some of the leaves.

 

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It was infuriating, I knew they were there but all I got was a couple of twitches and sucked maggots which were probably minnows.

 

I tried to stick it out but after waiting ages for the Pimpernel Barbell the thought of beer, curry & footie got the better of me. I wandered back to the car trotting as I went but nothing deemed my bait worth eating.

 

A wonderful three days fishing, I’ve blitzed it so far this season because I probably won’t be able to fish for the next couple of months. Autumn beckons.

 

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