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Flooded river?

Anderoo

By Anderoo
in Coarse Fishing

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Anderoo Member

Anderoo

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I had a really fun adventure yesterday, fishing with Goosequill. We were planning to do some roach and chub fishing on a back stream of a small local river, which looked fishable (unlike all the other rivers around here). It was worse than I thought though - the colour was good but it was really piling through with no slacks to shelter the fish. The main river (which is no bigger than the back stream, but deeper) was much worse, as high as I've ever seen it. After some ruminating GQ mentioned a ditch that he'd seen earlier, which runs into the back stream, so we decided to drive round and check it out. It's a good job it was only around the corner - driving in moonboots is tricky to say the least...!

 

We parked at the end of a track and found the ditch - looking over the footbridge you could see it was about a foot deep and had a main 'deep' channel of about 3ft, but it had a nice gentle flow and plenty of marginal cover. I bet it's not even there in the summer! Following it down it got visibly deeper nearer where it joined the back stream and looked like a nice haven for fish tired of the heavy flow. Feeling a bit silly (especially as it's on a public footpath!) I sat near to where it flowed into the stream and set up a light stick float and started feeding maggots. GQ was further 'upstream' fishing flake under a float...and within 5 minutes he was in my 'swim' grinning with a cracking chub in the net! What a brilliant start! As he was walking back I had a positive bite and struck into a nice solid fish which thumped around hard in the tiny ditch, and which turned out to be a really fat perch (the ditch was clearly quite a larder), beautifully marked. A few more trots down and another fat perch (they really fought hard) came to the net - and GQ temped another lovely chub from his swim. I tried a little further down, right where the ditch joined the stream and on my second trot I hooked something much more substantial which thumped around and then bore upstream with real power...and then the line snapped at the reel (probably weakened by my unimpressive 'pin skills/tangles). Grrrr! Most likely a good chub, but I have a feeling it was a big perch...

 

Suddenly darkness fell and the floats turned as dark as the water; the adventure didn't end there however, as someone had locked the iron gate at the end of the lane :headhurt: Secured by a thick iron chain and about 4 padlocks it was looking like disaster - until QG noticed that one of the links was cut and we could get out! Woo!

 

What a great adventure! :D

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Steve Burke Member

Steve Burke

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Good thinking! It's amazing how tiny streams can produce the goods - and not always in flood conditions. They can be especially productive in poor light when the fish feel safer in the shallow water. But if there's cover it's amazing what they'll throw up even in low, clear water.

 

Here's hoping you get a chance for a re-match soon!

Wingham Specimen Coarse & Carp Syndicates www.winghamfisheries.co.uk Beautiful, peaceful, little fished gravel pit syndicates in Kent with very big fish. 2017 Forum Fish-In Sat May 6 to Mon May 8. Articles http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/steveburke.htm Index of all my articles on Angler's Net

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Jigotai Member

Jigotai

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Nice one Anderoo, that’s got me thinking about a couple of spots near me.

 

Had to have a laugh about the gate being locked as the same happened to me last year. I was lucky on that occasion too as the bailiff was having a pint in the pub across the road. He wasn't pleased but he couldn't argue as he'd locked the gate an hour early.

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RUDD Member

RUDD

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A few years back one summer I sat feeding custard cream biscuits to a shoal of roach (some big ones of over a pound amoungst them) in a tiny stream on Dettling airfield in Kent.

The stream connects to the Medway and in the winter fish can move in and out with ease.

In the summer if they have not gotten out they inhabit the deeper pools.

RUDD

 

Different floats for different folks!

 

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Anderoo Member

Anderoo

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I don't think this ditch will have any water in in the summer, except a little right where it connects to the stream. At it's deepest it's about 2.5ft and 3ft wide, with another 2ft either side of that which used to be land, and the stream is up about that much. If conditions were better (a little colour in the water, a light south-westerly) I reckon there's a good chance of some really big fish, including roach. I will be going back! I'm also going to see if I can find similar ditches connecting to other local rivers. Looking back a better way to fish it would have been a worm on a very light bomb rod, but I really wanted to fish a float. I'll take some startlights and fish into night next time. Now I'm actually hoping the rivers stay flooded for another week :rolleyes:

 

The gate was a nightmare - I really thought we were going to have to leave the cars and call a cab! Despite there being no signs etc. it's obviously a private road. Whoops!

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Steve Burke Member

Steve Burke

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I don't think this ditch will have any water in in the summer, except a little right where it connects to the stream. At it's deepest it's about 2.5ft and 3ft wide, with another 2ft either side of that which used to be land, and the stream is up about that much.

 

Wow, now that is tiny! I've only ever had trout from such ditches, never the more usual chub, perch and roach that live in slightly wider streams that you have to stretch to get across.

Wingham Specimen Coarse & Carp Syndicates www.winghamfisheries.co.uk Beautiful, peaceful, little fished gravel pit syndicates in Kent with very big fish. 2017 Forum Fish-In Sat May 6 to Mon May 8. Articles http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/steveburke.htm Index of all my articles on Angler's Net

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Anderoo Member

Anderoo

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Wow, now that is tiny! I've only ever had trout from such ditches, never the more usual chub, perch and roach that live in slightly wider streams that you have to stretch to get across.

 

It really is - until we started catching I felt like a right wally! I got some very funny looks from the people out for a walk! I wish I'd taken some photos now.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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Guest Brumagem Phil

Guest Brumagem Phil

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just a minor point.........if I'm not mistaken (and I have been known to be wrong (instances can be found written on parchment somewhere)) but driving in wellies is illegal and moonboots might be a grey area.

 

long trotter might clarify that one though.

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Anderoo Member

Anderoo

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just a minor point.........if I'm not mistaken (and I have been known to be wrong (instances can be found written on parchment somewhere)) but driving in wellies is illegal and moonboots might be a grey area.

 

long trotter might clarify that one though.

 

Really? Makes sense I suppose. Blimey, driving in moonboots, parking down private roads - what has become of me!

 

Does anyone know if this really is illegal? It would be good to know.

And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music

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