26/10/2020 - Despite Rough Weather I Caught A Chub

4 lb 14 ounce chub on cheese paste

When I called my friends early this morning about fishing each one said “Not me today in this weather”, I decided I would fish, after calling in Sainsburys to order a new mobile phone as my current one wasn’t taking or sending texts, I was told it will be in at 1600 hrs, I was then on my way to the river around 0830 hrs, as I drove through a small wood I was privileged to see a barn owl out hunting, also two roe deer, also lots of pheasants. The forecast was for strong gusting south westerly wind, it made my car shudder a couple of times as I was driving across the open pastureland, the forecast also gave very heavy rain showers, the latter I was soon found out was an understatement. Often during the day the showers felt like I was sitting under a fire hose, the gusting the wind often had the rod shaking side to side. After a very long walk often through quite deep water I found a spot with a gap between a tree upstream of me and a stream flowing into the river ten to twelve yards below me, the stream is best described as a torrent of fast muddy water, sadly the tree didn’t really offer me any shelter from the wind, I just had to hunker down. When I parked up I put on two pair of water proof trousers knowing I would soon be sitting in a puddle which would form on my seat, I also wore two water proof coats both for warmth and to keep dry.

Simple Tackle Set Up

I chose not to fish with a cane rod today with the very bad weather conditions in case a branch from a tree should hit the rod, also I might slip up on my way down the river bank, Today I had an eleven foot Avon action rod with a fixed spool reel, 6lb bs line to which I attached 3 float stops then a size 4 hook with the faithful Palomar knot. Plasticine would as usual be used as a weight, its perfect for rivers like to Ribble with so many rocks. As the river was well coloured and knowing it will get more coloured during the day as the river rises, my bait today was cheese paste about the size of a small chicken egg, first I put in several balls of cheese paste, then made a few casts to check how much weight I would need , after a few casts I got it sorted by taking tiny pieces of Plasticine of the piece moulded around the float stops. I then baited with cheese and cast out a few feet but five yards downstream so the bait settled in the slightly slower water along my bank, I sat holding the rod with the line over my forefinger, its surprising how you can distinguish movement from leaves and small twigs. Within an hour I got a small pull pushing the rod downstream to allow some slack line I then felt a better pull. “That’s a take” I said to myself as I set the hook into what felt like a good fish, as it powered off downstream then out into the more powerful water, at it hit the fast flowing water gusting out of the stream, I got a real wrench on the rod, but the fish stayed on. For several minutes it was give and take eventually I got the fish coming towards the net, with the very coloured water I couldn’t get a glimpse of the fish until it was on the surface, safely in the net it was quickly weighed at 4 lb 14 ounces a quick picture taken before being released. I fished on for six hours without any more signs of a bite, then ended the session, I was still warm and dry despite what nature sent at me, as I was thinking of packing up I got a good look at a kingfisher that had come and joined me, by perching on a tree branch just a few feet away. What a great way to end the day.

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