29/12/2024 - Angling Over Christmas

My Christmas day prize

After my I’ve recent few fishing days fishing, which was really tough going for me, including three blank sessions, thankfully things started to get better, on the day before Christmas. The rain was heavy and incessant when I arrived on the river, for over an hour or more I walked two miles of the river bank, as I did so, I was feeling more confident today that I would catch. I had an upstream wind around fifteen MPH, the water temperature had gone up 4 degrees F giving me a reading of 46 degrees F, though the river was flowing fast and fairly clear, it had a tinge of colour, not the muddy colour it had been for some days, which included lots of rubbish, including sewage at times. Today I could see the gravel bottom in a foot and half of water, with some long flowing clumps of bright greet water crowfoot, so nice to see. Some of the big rocks protruding above the water were sadly covered in a black scum.

Today I was going to float fish with sweetcorn, using a 12 foot rod matched to a Richard Carter centre pin, which after many years of use is still running perfectly loaded with 4lb bs line, the float I used was a cork on quill float taking 2SSG shot half way between float and hook, a foot further down the line I had an AAA shot another foot down another AAA shot with an AAA shot six inches from a size 14 barbless hook to 3lb bs line, some will it’s a too small a hook, not true, it’s all about balanced tackle, also a hook that fits the bait in use, which today was a small grain of corn, the hook should be of a suitable size to blend in with the bait. I feel confidence in my tackle that I could handle any fish I hooked, if I didn’t make a mistake. The swim I chose was in a copse, where I might get some shelter from the rain, but it didn’t offer me any shelter. I fished for about two hours, apart from several trout, I did managed one nice chub estimated around 3lbs mark, feeling damp and cold, I packed up then headed off to my cabin, for a toasted cheese sandwich with a bowl of soup.

Back on the river I chose a swim well upstream, getting some slight shelter from a big oak tree, I could see the roots going down deep in the water. I fished as before trotting the stream, feeding and baiting with corn. Again the trout were proving a nuisance, but the bigger fish of two pound plus did often take line off the reel. In between catching trout, I did get two more chub estimated around 3lbs, these really did make my day, despite the incessant rain which didn’t let up. Towards the end of the session. I got a bite some fifteen twenty yards downstream, as the float disappeared, I made a strike, connecting with what felt like a big chub, unlike the trout which twisted and often swirl around on the surface, this fish hugged the bottom, as it slowly pushed its way through the fast water, towards the far bank where a large tree had crashed in the river last winter, by the feel of its weight and the occasional savage head shaking, I was forced to give line. I thought “This is another big chub”. A minute or two later it was off, winding in the tackle I could see I’d had a bite off. Another good one lost, “Then don't we all think the one that get away, is a big one” I then had just twenty minutes before my taxi arrived. I made it with a couple of minutes to spare. Apart from the fishing, I had three sightings of a Kingfisher, a group of 6 Roe Deer, a couple of days previously I’d seen a sheep swim across the river to the far bank. On my way to the cabin I passed one of my bird feeding stations in the hedgerow, to see about a dozen Long tailed tits feeding on the fat balls and sun flower hearts.

Fishing On Christmas Day

Christmas morning the taxi driver arrived around 0900 hrs to take me to the river, which had come up fast overnight peaking at 1.670 meters, as we drove over the river, I could see it had a good three feet plus on, I didn’t mind as I had two swims, where I might find some slower water. As the taxi driver was dropping me off, Ian arrived, he was going to fish about two miles downstream, I said “I doubt if you will find a suitable swim, if you don’t, then come and join me on this beat”. Half an hour later just as I was starting to walk across the meadow, what can only be described as muddy, rain soaked quagmire, a bit like a salt marsh. Ian showed up, saying “You were right I had no chance” Ian and I struggled across the soft muddy field to the river, then we realised how high the river was, Ian chose to go right upstream to fish a bay where the waters was a lot quieter, with a lot of overhanging trees, I always found this area was full of snags, not a choice I would have made.

I went downstream where I found some quiet water on the inside of a bend. “That will do me for starters” I thought. I put together a 12 foot rod, with a Richard Carter centre pin loaded with 4lb bs line, I used a similar cork on quill float to the one I used yesterday, except this one carried more shot taking 4SSG shot half way between float and hook, a foot further down the line I had two AAA shot then another foot down, I added another AAA shot with an AAA shot six inches from a size 14 barbless hook to 3lb bs line. I find it most important to boss the stream, just because you use a float with a lot of shot doesn’t mean it isn’t sensitive.

My first job was to plumb the depth to see if there was a drop off, I found it three rod lengths out where the water depth went from three feet to about four and a half feet what felt like gravel. That will do me, I then checked the water temperature getting a reading of 50 degrees F, I was even more pleased with that reading. Before I’d started fishing, Ian called me to say “My first choice spot is full of snags lost two sets of tackle” I suggested he move down stream and fish the area some forty feet above me where the flow was more gentle.

With my tackle set up complete, I made up some ground bait, loaded with corn, it was a heavy mix that would go straight to the bottom. With a bait dropper I put in five droppers of corn, then rested the swim for about fifteen minutes. During this time I made a mug of OXO with a dash of pepper.

Baiting with a grain of corn I made a cast dropping the float just into the flow so I could control the float down the outside of the seam, where I would expect the fish to be in or close to the outside seam area looking for food being pushed into this area. On the first trot through the float had gone about ten yards, then dipped sharply, directly I set the hook I realised it was a trout by the way it twisted then splashed on the surface, a good fish around 2lbs which gave a good fight, being triploid they don’t lose weight or fitness as they don’t spawn, though I don’t agree with stocking these fish rather than diploids. A few minutes later it was in the net, the hook in the top lip which was easily taken out, then the fish was released. In the next hour I suppose I had a dozen trout, but no sign of chub which of course were my quarry.

In the next hour I had several more trout, then I hooked a chub, you can virtually tell straight away the difference between chub and trout. This fish stayed close to the bottom giving some dangerous head shakes as it tried to gain its freedom, eventually I got it close in to the bank and the quiet water, I could now see its lips and big open mouth. Eventually it was mine a good condition chub estimated at around 3lbs, after unhooking my first chub of the day I walked some fifty yards downstream to the next pool then released it.

Rebaiting with another grain of corn, the float had gone some five yards when it was pulled savagely under the water, I thought another trout, but no another chub, this time around 2lbs, again it was transferred downstream. I my next five casts I had two trout and two chub, both chub were about 2lbs pounds but most welcome. My Christmas day fishing was most enjoyable. Trout then started being a nuisance again, I had six fish in six casts, try catching these on a fly, many days you would struggle, no doubt thinking there were no trout in the water.

Hooked Up To Something Big

For some reason I had a fishless half an hour, I just couldn’t get a bite whatever I tried corn, gentles bread flake, nothing worked. I then started feeding in a dozen grains of corn every few minutes to see if I could get a bit, but nothing. I then decided to fish two feet further out from the seam where the water was flowing faster. I also made my casts further upstream to give more time for the bait to get near the bottom. After a dozen or more casts without any interest, I moved the float up the line about six inches so the bait would drag along the bait, I would now need to hold back the float hard so the hook bait would move well in front of the line, also if it looked like catching up I would need to slightly lift the rod tip allowing the bait to move over any slight obstruction.

On my third cast the float had gone about twenty yards, suddenly it disappeared, lifting the rod, I set the hook, no doubt it was a chub by the way it was shaking its head which made my shudder with fear at the thought of it busting me off. As the fish moved again the flow trying to get rid of the hook. I then realised I need to move quickly downstream so I didn’t have to try and bring the fish upstream against the fast water. Grabbing the landing net, I moved as quickly downstream as possible making sure that I was in full control of the fish and not letting any slack where the hook could come out.

Looking back it was a hard tussle, all the time I worried about the tiny hook hold, especially when it made a savage head shake. Once I was below the fish, where I didn’t have to try and bring it upstream against the strong flow. I was more confident now I had a good stretch of slow water on my side of the river. Eventually, I had the fish coming into the quiet water, the head shaking wasn’t so savage, the power of the fish was less, I started to think I could get this fish in the net, two or three minutes later I got my first glimpse of my quarry as I could see it’s big mouth.

A minute or so later I had it in fairly close where I had a good look at the chub. “Thats a big fish I thought, just what I wanted for Christmas” Then it was in the net. Taking out the tiny hook, I walked up to Ian, so he could witness the fish and take a photograph for me. Once this was done I walked quickly downstream to release the fish stopping on a couple of occasions to rest the fish, in the next pool downstream I lowered the net in the shallow water then just waited until the fish wanted its freedom. After a couple of minutes it just flipped it tail then glided out of the net swimming off strongly. It was a happy angler.

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