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On the Thames around Windsor to Oxford we used it as the main method. It works in slow and fast water. In slower water a softer tip is better, if after roach, or bream. Balance the feeder by letting out more, or less line on light, or heavy feeders. In faster flows, try a longer tail, as the freed will wash down a few feet from the feeder. It works well on the Thames, where there is a smoothe gravel bottom. On the Trent (Stoke Bardolf to the weir) rocks caused problems for this method, but below on the wides I was in the section money with a disbelieving crowd watching. It worked well on the Ouse at York too.

I picked up a lot of money from a series of Thames matches once, fishing a single caster on a size 20 hook, all cub of 2 lb+. I had people sit with me, who didn't see the bites. They were mostly tremors. I couldn't believe it myself. The casters were being shelled and hadn't seen a bite, until I noticed the tiny plucks and struck to find a chub on the end. Missed a few though. That's why we are still fishing after many years, there is always something to learn.

How long a tail did you have Rusty? Keep shortening the tail until you hit them. They may have been pecking at the feeder and bread around it. The more flow, the longer the tail and visa versa. Sounds obvious, but it's surprising how you can become preoccupied by trying to hit the bites. Also with liquidised bread, if you are striking a lot of bites, you can over feed, so cast back with an empty feeder a few times. Flake often sorts out a big roach first cast. A 6 mm pellet of punched bread, squeezed on the hook will often work better than a pinch of flake.

Back in my match fishing days on the Thames, we used to fish with the rod pointing down stream, with a bow in the line used to balance the weight of the feeder. Any movement of the bait from a fish would lift the feeder and show on the tip as a drop back. I would strike at ANY movement. I've had the slightest tremble result in big chub. A chub's teeth are at the back of it's throat, to crush a caster, it has to take the bait right in. Give it a try. It still works, forget the beach caster, tip in the air method. Good luck.

For mid Thames, Windsor to Oxford, for winter you can't beat liquidised bread in a feeder with a big piece of flake on the hook. I've had some clonking roach, often on the first cast with this method, plus of course bream and chub. Hotspots tend to be the tail end of lock cuts.

Hi Gozzer, Like you I have suffered a few health problems, thumping heart, dodgy eyesight and now shakes in one hand. It was hard giving up match fishing, but did, knowing that I was giving so much away to the young'ns, not wanting to enter a match without being in with a chance, having been collecting off of also rans for 30 years. There is plenty of good tackle at car boot sales, going for very little, or the Bay at a bit more. All my gear is pretty old, although good stuff in the day. Tackle shops have to cater for the Carp man, or die. In my area of Berks, most have gone out of business. My answer was to go out and fish with traditional baits, bread punch, sweet corn and good old worms from the compost heap. I was fishing yesterday at a nice little lake with a mixed head of fish. I heard today that the committee have decided to net out the "small fish" to stock with carp. Progress! This was my blog of a pleasant afternoon there. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/braybrooke-community-fishing-lake-rewards-a-visit/

I fished two Thames tributaries back to back last week, the first an urban, free fishery, where I lost count of the number of trout hooked in a two hour session between 3 and 5 pm, while fishing a copper wound black buzzer, just below the surface on a greased leader. Many of the trout were sight fished, often seeing the jaws open and shut on the nymph before the strike. This was the best wild brown trout of the afternoon measured at 13 inches before being returned. My blog http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/urban-brown-trout-fly-fishing-bonus/ The day after, same time and conditions as a comparison, with the same rig, I fished my once prolific syndicate water. The fact that I was the only angler on the water said it all, the number of wild trout caught this year having collapsed, even stocked fish migrated quickly to the lower reaches and out of the fishery. Although flies were lifting off, no rises were visible and I fished a known hotspot, bouncing a small dace and landing a small chub. Two hours later, having covered half a mile of river, my only other take of the day resulted in my first wild brownie of the season from the river. This eleven inch wild fish was returned immediately. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/brown-trout-hard-won/ Crayfish and mink have proved a big problem on the river in recent years, netting and trapping reducing the numbers, while pike are also present, but the loss of the very juvenile trout is puzzling. This is a catch and release water, where the extensive head of wild trout seems to have virtually disappeared. Any ideas from Forum members?

Mayfly made a difference on my local syndicate river this week, although, even with the air being full of mayfiy from a massive hatch, only a few large trout were rising to them. Despite being in locations that were difficult to cast to, I manged to get two on the bank, breaking my duck of eight unsuccessful outings this season. Usually small wild browns are rising all over the river during a hatch, but were absent on what seemed a perfect, warm evening. This 19 inch brown had heron damage to it's tail, but fought well and was returned when recovered. This was my blog http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/big-trout-mayfly-bonus/

At last some trout on the bank. With my so far unproductive syndicate water flooded and coloured, I endured an hour of rush hour traffic to fish another Thames tributary, where the river runs along the roadside, with excellent trout fishing available to those in the know. The nearby Thames was rushing through, but this chalk stream was clear and my first trout of the season fell to a small Goldhead GRHE within minutes of fishing. This wild brown trout and the others taken that evening were lean fish, being very plump by mid May in other seasons. Later a Mayfly hatch brought the river to life and managed to bank another two browns. Rags to riches. This was my blog. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/urban-brown-trout-save-the-day/

The rivers appear in perfect condition, but nothing is moving in my neck of the woods. Maybe it's another effect of the very mild winter. Hot weather forecast for the weekend might bring a change with a few hawthorn flies on the water.

When I began this post in April 2013, I was concerned that the wild trout I was catching were very thin, possibly due to the prolonged winter floods of that year. Now in May 2016, it would be nice to see a wild trout on the bank. So far six visits to the upper reaches of three Thames tributaries have resulted in a total of three lost trout from half hearted takes. A rising trout and fly hatches have been a rare sight. Other disillusioned souls, that I have met on the bank, have the same down cast look, with talk of missing the only take of the day. My wife says that I am losing my touch. Maybe I am? They are catching trout north of the Border, what's gone wrong in the balmy south?

Thanks for the post Rusty. I was fortunate to fish Aldermaston Mill back in the late 60's. I was an apprentice instrument maker and one of the skilled men used to book it for the 16 th of June each year, paying for me. In those days two old ladies ran it, coming out and ringing a bell for lunch. All fishing would stop, then we would all file in for good old English fare, cottage pie, boiled beef and carrots, etc. Lunch was included in the price. With a maximum of about a dozen anglers, there was plenty of room to roam around. I always took a fly rod, managing a couple of decent chub from the small weir pool. Notable memories are a pound plus roach and my first stick float barbel trotting from the lawn along the high bank. My friend Ray used to bring his girlfriend and I would be invited to join them for an afternoon picnic,which included glasses of wine with cheese and biscuits. All very exotic in those austere days. Only owning a motor bike, he would pick me up door to door in his 3.8 Jag. I always caught much more than him, but he still kept inviting me.

Thanks for your reply Chris. My last email from Paul was in late August with promises of info on Speen Moors and other Newbury AA hot spots. He detailed his upcoming treatment, which did not sound too hopeful, taking all his energy. When I heard no more, I guessed that fishing had become a low priority. I regularly scanned these blogs in the hope of good news, but now you have confirmed my fears. Regarding the Embrook, I went on a scouting mission in October, armed with a 9ft telescopic rod, sickfloat and crumb with bread punch, and caught a couple of 1lb chub, plus smaller and a few 4 oz roach. It was hard work. I intended returning with a camera for a blog write up, but never made it. Next year. Paul read my blog and felt he would have been pleased with the result.

I was very saddened to read of Paul Goulbourn's passing and had checked these posts for news of the inevitable. I never met Paul in the flesh, although we had been in email contact regarding our local water the Blackwater and his little gem the Emmbrook, while he was influential in getting me an associate membership of the Newbury AA. I had looked forward to being able to fish together at some time, but his cancer was spreading and advancing at a rapid state and this proved impossible. Paul's family was his main concern and hope that he was able to make the most of the last few months.

Immaculate chub, pleasant blog.

This is an interesting topic. This week I spent a few hours on a small river nearby, where a new housing estate is being built. Some of the houses are near completion, but most are still at foundation level. The new roads are being watered down at regular intervals, the sand and clay draining into the river. When I arrived the river was orange, but clear once I started fishing. On the bread punch with a stick float, the first fish was a pound plus chub, then good roach began to take. More coloured water came through and the roach went off, but then it was a gudgeon a chuck, as it cleared again, small, then better roach came on. This was repeated each time the colour changed. Could the roach not see the bread, or did they not like the contamination, while the gudgeon switched on, or maybe had a better chance at the bread with the roach put off. As I said interesting. ">http:// This was the net of fish after three hours in the cold. This was my blog. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/bread-punch-chub-and-roach-beat-the-cold/

I was asked by a younger club member at our Xmas Do, why I don't go match fishing any more, as I can still catch plenty of fish in my blogs. My answer was that, if the matches were only 3 hours, fished next to my car, while my younger competitors had electrodes in their hands to make them shake and they all wore welding goggles to reduce their eyesight, I might consider a comeback. Just keep taking the pills chaps.

The upstream method of legering was a deadly method for matchmen in the A4 and Marlow Teams of the 70's and 80's. The rod being faced down stream, the bow in the line allowing less weight to be used, due to the feeder being pulled down into the river bed, rather than lifted off. Bites were usually drop backs. It works well on the Thames with it's gravel bottom, but caused us a few problems on the Trent due to the rocks. Same principle as uptide seafishing from a boat.

The storms of late don't make it too easy to plan a day's fishing. I'm fortunate to have a small river on my doorstep, to fit in a few hours here and there. The net of roach, one of small chub the following week and this nice perch last week, all came from the same half mile of river. Carrying only the basics on this session, I'd left my scales behind, any ideas of the weight of this 13 inch perch? This was my blog. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/big-perch-rewards-persistance/

The weather has been bad, but the fish are still there. This was a net of roach, all taken from a free small Thames tributary on Friday. Bait was bread punch, fished on the stick float, total bait cost 30 pence. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/bread-punch-roach-line-up-for-the-stick/

This has to be one of the most inaccessible NAA stretches on the ticket. From the car park end, I could hear the weir, but couldn't get through the undergrowth. Due a working party I think. Lower down it looks good for coarse fishing. I was flyfishing, taking several big dace and a pound wild brown trout. Was expecting a few grayling, from the Lambourn confluence, but might have been too early, being June.

Sickening. I caught and returned a 7lb pike, that had seized one of my roach, while stick float fishing. On my way back to the road, I passed an East European gent, who was spinning for pike. I asked if he had caught, but his English was very bad. I showed him a picture of the pike on my camera and he nodded approval, suggesting I had it in my bag. I signed that I had put it back. His response? "No.No. Eat" Nuff said.

No mention of liquidised bread here, so here's my bit of info. When I was a matchfisherman a few decades ago, there was an old guy named Harry Naylor, who only fished the bread, constantly picking up money in the opens with bream, while we young bucks were on maggot and caster, only catching chub, if we were lucky. My mate and I sat with him and watched what he did. A big open ended feeder, filled with liquidised bread, cast to the same spot several times on the whistle, switching to a smaller feeder, then flake on the hook. If they were there, the bream took from the off, also big roach. It worked well for us at Medley, Oxford, and Marlow. We took the method to the Kingston opens at Canbury Gardens and over three matches, were never out of the frame with bream, against the Dorking boys on the maggot with dace. 90 minutes into the match we would add a few casters to the mix, with them on the hook, sometimes a small red worm. Two loaves were enough for a 5 hour match, again good roach would boost our weights. The bream there were in the 8 oz to 2lb range, just right for matchmen, but I've had several up to 4lb on this method. It still works today.

With the trout season over on my river, I was ready to put my fly rod away, until one of my blog subscribers put me onto a bit of free grayling fishing tucked away in an urban setting. Tree lined banks, meant that a 7 ft rod and waders were needed, but the fishing was rewarding. Six grayling of this size and several others down to six inches, gave unbelievable sport, first on a Flashback Hares Ear goldhead, until lost in a tree, then on a red nymph of my own tying, bloodworm, or red maggot? My Blog http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/grayling-see-red-in-urban-river/

Due to abstraction in it's upper reaches, the river has suffered low water levels all summer, despite regular rainfall, so I was pleased to see springtime levels on my most recent visit, plus a bit of colour. Dace seem to have been taking the place of trout this season, although many are of a good size and well worth catching. I walked down to a pool I'd not fished since June and after an initial burst of dace takes, hooked and landed my best wild brown from the river this year. This hard fighting wildie took an upstream Hares Ear flash back gold head nymph on a size 14 hook, leaping clear of the water, when hooked. After a few minutes being held upstream against the flow, it swam back to the pool.