frustrating session..

[Chris Plumb]

Well done, must have been fun, a proper bit of jungle fishing!!

Yeah - I'm liking the look of it too - how big do the chub go in winter - Steve?

 

C.

[Steve Walker]

In my experience, anything 4lb+ is a good fish for the upper river, but that's based more on fishing slightly upstream where the river is smaller again. My access to this stretch was previously limited, because my old club had the opposite bank which is largely unfishable. Based on yesterday, I would say that the average size for this area is noticeably better than the upstream section, and I glimpsed a few larger fish that were a bit more reluctant to show themselves. I think that 4-6 would have been 5+ in winter, so I should think 6lb is possible. You don't have to go more than ten miles downstream to have a definite chance of fish substantially over 6lb (sadly I've only seen photographs), though, so who knows? It's all very lightly fished.

[Steve Walker]

The largest fish came from the swim which got me most viciously nettled, by the way!

[Steve Walker]

To return to Viney's original point - all my fish were on lobworms, which I like for this kind of fishing because they will take anything there is. But I think to seriously hunt the barbel, I'm going to have to fish meat or pellets/paste, which didn't get me a bite at all yesterday. Chub will of course take those, but they seem less attracted to them than they are to worms, and I think it should help fend the trout off.

[Vagabond]

To return to Viney's original point - all my fish were on lobworms,

That was my trouble on Friday, went after big perch again. No perch, but down among the roots hooked an eight-pound carp. The fight clobbered the swim for the morning. Would have gladly swopped it for a perch a quarter that size

[ayjay]

I once devoted four days to catching an early season Barbel (on the float) at King's Weir, I knew the swim well as I'd fished it many times before and caught plenty of Barbel from it, after three days and a couple of gallons of maggots I was an absolute ace at hitting Dace bites, the slightest deviation of the float was easily spotted from my position in the water: it was quite a rare event for the float to reach the end of the swim, I can't remember what I did on the fourth day but it definitely wasn't trotting, the Barbel were back in situ later in the season.

[viney]

Cheers for all your advice guys going to have to keep plugging away at it I think, a change of bait is first port of call going to try chunks of meat next time and feed a lot of hemp in the hope the trout will find that less appealing, I'm 99% certain I'm fishing the right swims but I think the trout are just getting to the bait first

[The Flying Tench]

23 trout is amazing! Was this the Kennet?

Set out to catch barbel on the float, it was my intention last season but I never properly got round to it. Fished Tuesday evening and had around 30 chub/trout/dace but no barbel, early start this morning fishing a stretch I've only fished once before and had 23 trout in 6 or so hours biggest around 3lb. Not a bad return but frustrating Nonetheless as I just couldn't seem to avoid them! Part of me is saying I'm on the right tracks as I'm catching regularly but I still feel I'm missing something!

[viney]

23 trout is amazing! Was this the Kennet?

 

Yeah it was from the kennet on fiddlers water (the bit below widmead)

[Kappa]

I have identified your issue here Viney. You went barbel fishing. I recommend that you go chubbing....

 

I am going for some Thames chub tonight ... with 10lb line....