Low water

[Anderoo]

I went for a wander last night, checking out a couple of local gravel pits I swore I'd never fish again as long as I lived (Richard is helping me stay strong and fight these irrational urges) and a couple of stretches of a Thames tributary.

 

Maybe it was because of the football, but the pits were deserted, beautiful, and rather inviting. Deep, clear and weedy. And SO close to my house. Oh dear.

 

Anyway, the main point is the little river. It is already incredibly low. I looked at a few spots I caught chub from on quivertipped cheesepaste during the winter, and they are 4ft+ down on winter levels. In some places the 'river' barely trickles over the gravel. It's a job getting to the water in most places because of the undergrowth, but I found one little pool that was about 2-3ft deep, and spent ages watching a chub of about 3lb as it mooched about it's claustrophobic home. All the fish are cooped up in these little pools.

 

The Thames is brown and has stopped flowing.

 

I heard on the radio this morning that unless we get some proper rain soon, hosepipe bans will be enforced (Cumbria is particularly bad apparently).

 

What's it like where you are? As much as I'm enjoying the warm summer, we really need some rain here in Oxfordshire.

[Chris Plumb]

Kennet's looking OK - pretty much normal summer levels - nothing too low. Wet winter will have topped up the aquifers nicely...

 

C.

[richjones]

my local river dee is as low as i've ever seen it, yet suprisingly the fishing isn't too bad at the moment.

[Leon Roskilly]

The Kentish Stour at Sarre looked in near perfect condition when I fished it earlier this week, good depth, flow and ideal colour.

 

(Although the hot bright sunshine didn't help. Still, I had skimmers, chub, roach and perch on the stick-float, but nothing on the feeder).

[Worms]

The Teme, Lugg and Arrow are all at normal levels. Some recent Welsh rain coloured the Arrow up and consequently the Lugg below the confluence but all are looking good with nice pools and lovely riffles! The Wye looked normal as well on Tuesday morning as we drove over it.

[Steve Walker]

Still haven't got a coarse fishing session in on a river yet this season. I've cycled over the River Ray on the edge of Swindon, and that doesn't look too bad - a bit low, but not terrible. Last time I fly fished, the little Bristol Avon tributary I fish for trout didn't look too low. On the other hand, I spoke to another angler earlier in the week who said he's not fished a river this season yet either because everywhere he fishes is too low.

 

I was more shocked by the gravel pit I fished for tench - it was at least a foot down on where I expected!

 

Turns out the club has been pumping water out of it and into the carp puddle

[watatoad]

My local Suffolk Stour is way down in some area's.

[Alan Roe]

Ribble , Hodder , Aire and Wharfe are all in a right mess I have decided to stop fishing on the grounds that the last thing that our fish need at the moment is the pressure from anglers.

I will restart once we have some water in the rivers and the whole thing becomes a sporting option again

[weirwulf]

The upper Medway is looking fine at the moment and fishing perfectly well for me so far. There is an extraordinary amount of colour in the water which obviously helps with catching especially in the bright weather we have had recently. The majority of fish seemed to have spawned also

[lutra]

Ribble , Hodder , Aire and Wharfe are all in a right mess I have decided to stop fishing on the grounds that the last thing that our fish need at the moment is the pressure from anglers.

I will restart once we have some water in the rivers and the whole thing becomes a sporting option again

I think your spot on to do that Alan and I'm going to do the same.

 

Think i might take the kids carp fishing tomorrow today.