09/12/2024 - A Nice Days Angling

The water behind the bush was one spot where I caught

It’s been over two weeks since I’ve been able to cast a line, I had come down to Hove in Sussex so I could take part in the Pitmire day on the Suffolk Ouse, but sadly with a bad weather forecast, I couldn’t justify Paul driving from Hertfordshire to collect me, then return me home to Hove a couple of days later, as it was the weather and fishing turned out to be a no go. At least I’d made the effort. I’ve also had various tests relating to my MS, also an Xray on my lungs. Over the previous 2 days I have been watching the river levels closely, on the on the 26th and 27th we had lots of rain, The Ouse had flooded over the fields, some roads were closed. Around 0600hrs the next day I again checked the river level, finding it was between the banks, the river had certainly dropped a lot overnight. I called my friend Martin to announce “The river is fishable shall we go”? He answered pick you up at 0900 hrs. Having put a ball of 4year old cheese paste from the fridge, plus some prawns and luncheon meat into the tackle bag, I was ready to go.

It was around 1000hrs when we pulled into the car park, the previous night had been a cold, the fields being frost covered, by the time we got to the river the sun was shining bright, the frost had disappeared. Looking over the bridge I was greeted by a fast flowing river the colour of pea soup, so reminiscent of rivers flowing through clay such as the Medway, Beult and Teme etc. I was more than happy with conditions. I do like flooded rivers, as its often easy to see where the fish are likely to be. When we arrived a bunch of anglers were just leaving, one commented “waste of time” I just ignored the comment, then some bright 30 plus year old said “Look the old man’s going fishing” as they all laughed. I learnt later from my friend they thought it was a big joke. He told them from what I have seen over the years, he would catch a fish from a puddle.

Putting My Gear Together

With rod, tackle bag, seat and landing net, I walked about a mile or more downstream, some twenty yards away I spotted a large fox slowly making its way across the field, after wading through a couple of pools left in the field, from the flood the day before, making it was quite slippery, further on the foot path had disappeared, where the landowner had ploughed it up. By now walking was becoming hard, also treacherous, especially when pushing though bramble etc. In the end I gave up, deciding it was too dangerous to proceed, I was now close to the edge of the river bank, with an eight foot drop below the bank, one false move, I’d be gone.

I then chose to fish the three spots upstream. Arriving at my first spot I found much of the bank was slippery as an ice rink, with a covering of slimy liquid mud. I was lucky to find a small area where there was some grass underfoot, after arranging my seat in a safe place. I set about putting together my soft Avon action rod, matched with a small fixed spool reel, loaded with 12lb bs braid. After threading the line through the guides I tied on a size 4 barbless hook. Today I used 6 LG shot spaced two inches apart, my thinking is when a fish picks up the bait, it will hardly feel any weight from the first shot, which will slowly increase as the other shot are moved, but often when the first shot is moved, I detect that by feel from the line over my finger, also my eyesight, then strike. It doesn’t always work but more often than not it does. I then lowered my thermometer into the water after a few minutes I got a reading of 44 degrees F

Two Pictures Will Give You An Idea Where I Fished

If you take a look at the first picture you will see a bush in the water where the water is flowing fast from left to right, very close to and under the bush is some quieter water, where I reckon a fish could be, in the third picture you will see further downstream, you will notice behind the bush, to the left is a slower stretch of water, extending some twenty feet again an area where I would expect chub, barbel, perch and bream all these species are in this stretch of river. Please note you will also see the river flows fast along the far right bank creating a good slack along the left hand bank.

Cheese Paste Was My First Choice Bait

Having thrown in three lumps of cheese paste tight to the bush in the water, I moulded a lump of cheese paste the size of a bantams then with a slight underhand cast I dropped the baited hook close as I dare to the edge of the bush the watched the line peel of the reel, then it settled under the bush, all I could do now was sit and wait for some action. As I was doing so, I could see the blue sky through the trees, there was the sound of gun shots from a near bye shoot, to my left I had a robin making itself known, as did a wren in the ivy clad tree to my right, several long tailed tits were working up and down a willow tree, a group of blue tits were searching for tiny flies etc in an old oak tree, I was surprised to see an odd blue winged olive so late in the year. It was wonderful to be in the English countryside on such a lovely winters day.

Half an hour later perhaps longer, I got a steady pull on the line, as the rod tip was pulled from right to left, the instant strike told me I’d got fish, which made the mistake of coming out from under the bush into the open water, where it was soon netted a washed out chub, if lucky it might have gone just over a pound, but at least it was a fish.

Rebaiting with a similar size ball of cheese paste I cast further downstream allowing the bait to trundle so it went to the left about fifteen feet downstream from the bush. Once again I sat waiting hopefully for some more action, but from a bigger fish hopefully 4lbs plus. Ten minutes later I got a savage pull, striking I set the hook into a powerful fish that stripped some line off the reel, it then rolled on the surface a barbel estimated around 8lbs, “That will do I thought” then it dived taking a bit more line, five minutes later it found the base of a tree in the water and was gone. I wasn’t happy with the result. Bringing in the tackle I could see I’d lost two shot along with the hook.

Before putting on a new hook, I had a mug of cocoa, with part of a cheese sandwich, the rest I fed to my robin, along with some minced luncheon meat. Short brake over, I sorted out the tackle then cast another cheese baited hook in the area where I’d hooked the barbel, then sat back hoping for some action. I reckon half an hour had gone bye when I though I should try another spot upstream, suddenly I felt a light tap then a determined pull setting the hook in a fish, a similar chub to the first, which was quickly netted then released, time to catch another I thought before I move. But first I went upstream to check out how safe the swims were, the first one was not fishable through the steep slippery bank, the next swim was similar, so I went back to my current spot deciding I would stay.

Rebaiting this time with a prawn in the hope of a perch or another chub, having cast out, I gave it fifteen minutes no sign of action I cast further down the swim, a few minutes later a good pull striking I felt some resistance, again another small chub. I then changed to a big cube of meat, casting as far downstream as possible, then sat back watching the various birds at the same time waiting to feel the line detect a bite. For a long period, there was nothing wanting the bait. It was now time to change back to cheese paste, in the next half an hour I had three bites, one missed, two hook ups both chub no bigger than the previous ones, but they pulled the string. So ended my delightful day in the English countryside.

My friendly Robin

the water to my left was where most fish were caught, the faster water is flowing along the right hand bank

Back to the News List