Autumn River Campaign

[viney]

Bloody would, wouldn't they!

 

just so happens i have a half day tomorrow and tuesday off

[Anderoo]

With my jobs for the day done and a boring afternoon stretching ahead of me, I decided to ignore the weatherman and steal a few hours at my favourite tributary. There's no chance of a monster but it's a nice place to be.

 

This turned out to be an excellent decision! The weatherman was wrong, again, and there was no rain at all - not quite the 'heavy rain all day' that was forecast. The river was messy, a nasty brown colour and high, but the chub there are usually obliging if you can find them. It was definitely cheesepaste conditions, they might not be able to see a bait but I can make sure they can smell it

 

I went to the 'other bank' section I first explored during the snowy weather. It's a cracking bit of water, really overgrown with lots of trees hanging over the water and little eddies around the roots - very chubby. The first spot I tried was one of these snaggy eddies, and the bait hadn't even reached the bottom before the tip was jabbing round! What a great start! A lovely little chub of about 2lb, and very welcome indeed in such poor conditions. The weekend was saved!

 

The next spot also produced a quick bite, but the chub dived under a root and shredded the hooklength. Just down from that was a nice crease across the river next to an overhanging branch, and that too produced a quick bite, it really was all-action stuff! This chub was also about 2lbish.

 

As I wandered downstream I noticed a bit of water that I hadn't fished before, because it's normally far too fast. Today, however, there was a lovely big slack right under some trailing branches, and it looked perfect for a bite.

 

I got the bite within a minute, and had a very scary battle with a much bigger fish with barely any room to manouvre under the branches - it was all rather tense! Luckily I kept the chub from the snags and managed to bring him over the net. It was obviously the biggest chub I'd ever had from this river, and it was a beautiful golden fish in excellent condition. I weighed him - 4lb 5oz! Now that might not sound like much, but from this little river it's a giant, far bigger than anything else I've caught. It's the equivalent of a 6lber from another river. It is one of the real highlights of the season for me, I'm so chuffed! A big fish (for the river) from a new spot in difficult conditions - it doesn't get much better!

 

Moving down I then lost another chub from a mid-river crease because the hook point had turned over (grr!). On my way back to the car I tried all the spots I had bites from before (I'd rebaited them on leaving) and this resulted in a further two smaller chub 2-3lb and a couple of little tentative taps from nervous fish.

 

So in 3 hours on a day when I wasn't even planning on fishing I had 5 lovely chub, lost another two, really enjoyed being by the river (in the dry!) and was lucky enough to catch a really memorable fish. I've fished this little river an awful lot over the last few seasons, and this was a fitting reward for all that effort.

 

Now, I wonder if there's a 5 in there somewhere...?!

Edited February 28, 2010 by Anderoo

[Steve Walker]

Well done!

 

I wandered down to the local club pond with the tackle shop rumours of improbably large perch and spent a few hours with the fly rod chucking lures about to no great effect. Unusually, someone else was fishing - he'd also heard the rumours of big perch, and had been fishing for them. Today, he got his first decent fish from the water, and I photographed a 2-0 and a 2-6 for him, taken on lobs. I may need to knock off early in the week!

[Chris Plumb]

I can't stop catching perch!! Was tooled up for big dace today - and fishing a swim rumoured to hold them my 1st two fish to snaffle my single white maggot on a size 18 were perch! Gooduns too the first 2lb10oz the second 4oz heavier - below!

 

 

I did go on to get 12oz dace and a 1lb 2oz roach from same swim!

 

 

C.

[JV44]

Great result Chris you are on a roll ,How did Rusty fair??? I had planned to go after Barbel on the lower kennet and it looks spot on for them to feed but a trip to the local with friends last night and overindulgence of merlot upon returning home put paid to those ,Not doing that again in a hurry Steve.

[Rusty]

How did Rusty fair???

 

I did ok Steve, my blog is a little lighter on the stats but hopefully it conveys the sheer enjoyment of the day...once the rain had stopped.

[JV44]

I did ok Steve, my blog is a little lighter on the stats but hopefully it conveys the sheer enjoyment of the day...once the rain had stopped.

By the sound of the blog you had a cracking day well done indeed ,lets hope the weather stays dry for later in the week Steve.

[Steve Walker]

Well, not long now until summer - think of the bright half inch of blaze orange peacock quill shining out like a signal fire through the grey light, trembling and then sliding away, the powerful jag on the line as you set the hook into the first tench of 2010...

 

Except, something has gone a bit wrong. It wasn't the grey light of a summer dawn, it was a winter evening snatched after work. An hour targeting big perch on my local pond, a lobworm fished in the margins with a few red maggots flicked in around it as the sun sunk into the bare trees. Four times the float sunk, and four times I struck, and four times I landed a tench. Two 4 1/2 pounders and a two pounder and a pounder.

 

I love catching tench, they're probably my favourite fish, but perch fishing at the beginning of March is not the right time for them. This is old Izaak having a laugh, because I told Stooby he'd be lucky to catch any tench at this time of year.

[Anderoo]

Blimey, an early contender for the Tench Cup 2010! Nice one Steve!

 

I must admit my eye saw the words 'perch' and 4 1/2 pounds' in the same paragraph and I got a bit excited

[stooby]

Well, not long now until summer - think of the bright half inch of blaze orange peacock quill shining out like a signal fire through the grey light, trembling and then sliding away, the powerful jag on the line as you set the hook into the first tench of 2010...

 

Except, something has gone a bit wrong. It wasn't the grey light of a summer dawn, it was a winter evening snatched after work. An hour targeting big perch on my local pond, a lobworm fished in the margins with a few red maggots flicked in around it as the sun sunk into the bare trees. Four times the float sunk, and four times I struck, and four times I landed a tench. Two 4 1/2 pounders and a two pounder and a pounder.

 

I love catching tench, they're probably my favourite fish, but perch fishing at the beginning of March is not the right time for them. This is old Izaak having a laugh, because I told Stooby he'd be lucky to catch any tench at this time of year.

 

I remember you telling me that Steve now you have gone and proved yourself wrong and I've got all excited about getting some Tench action again... Right then, lobworms, few maggots around it, margins.... ok, thats written down, now I'm off for some Tench!!! Well, not until the 12th March when I'm out with Craig (scottca). Both got day off work, 06:00 fishing start... love it! Lets just hope it's dry and warmish!....

 

Also Steve, what depth were you fishing at? were you fishing the very bottom or a few inches from the bottom?

 

Cheers,

 

Stooby...

Edited March 2, 2010 by stooby