Mon 2 July 4.30-5.45pm

Well having blanked a couple of times I decided to try something easy, but things didn't look too encouraging with light rain in the morning forecast to get progressively heavier during the day. Also the back was playing up a bit, so I wanted somewhere where I didn't have to walk too far carrying tackle, and could realistically fish for just an hour or so.

I went to 2 private weir pools I am priviledged to be allowed to fish. The first is on what is really a fork of the Lambourn, and it used to have a shoal of resident decent-sized chub who were always exceptionally understanding towards the angler who needed a bend in the rod! Actually the shoal often had one or two trout, a bream, even a jack, all of whom acted as if they were chub just like the rest. They were very visible in the clear water. Then, as a result of an otter and a digger the shoal disappeared, so I hadn't fished there for a while.

But I had a look today and there was one solitary (trout?) of about 3lb, which I thought would be a nice target. But I was amazed at how the pool looked. I have never seen it so clear. Much of the bottom is stones covered in weed, over which it is difficult to see if there are fish. But in the middle there is a pale yellow gravel area that had been scoured out by the current, and any fish swimming over it are instantly visible. You might think that float or free-line would be the best way of catching my target trout, but in the past I have found these methods spook the fish, but a ledgered worm gets a bite within a few minutes, so that is what I tried today.

But first I chucked in a handful of maggots thinking it would get Mr trout interested, but it had the opposite effect. Instantly the gravely area was invaded by smaller fish, darting about, and the trout disappeared. Perhaps the activity spoke of danger? It made me think. I've always assumed it's a good thing to bung in a few maggots at the start, but who knows if, at least in clear water, it might scare off a better fish?

I waited a while and recast to different bits, but there was no response, so decided to try a more sustained feeding with maggots to see what happened. There was a range of fish careering about - roach, trout, dace (I think), a small bream - but nothing over about three-quarters of a pound, and mostly much smaller, so I decided to try the other weirpool which is a Kennet mill-race, and quite churned up with no clarity to the water - so I had no idea what was there. I caught my best pike there a few seasons ago.

I decided to trot maggot, but as the float moved along quite slowly through the choppy water it seemed unlikely that a fish would find my tiny bait but, amazingly, at the end of the first trot, it was gobbled by a chub of about a pound. After that it was minnow and mini-dace time, so I went back for a brief go trotting on the clear pool.

This time I didn't feed any maggots, but out of no-where at the end of the first trot a nice chub of about one-and-a-half pounds grabbed the bait. After that I knew from experience the others would be spooked, and so the nice trout won the duel on this occasion.

Excuse a long write-up on an uneventful trip in terms of fish caught, but I was pleased to have broken my row of blanks, and it was a fascinating place to fish, particularly in the clear water of the first small weir pool.