01/01/2025 - My Angling Year Ended On A High Note

My best chub

Early this morning I was checking the weather forecast for the next few days, 31st December it was forecast of 40 mph plus winds with heavy rain from early morning through the day and night into January the 1st where it forecast rain through the day, but with light breeze. With the thought of the river being bank high, I booked my taxi for New Years Day. Today 30th December was my last chance to get out, I thought I might fish from the opposite bank, then thought it too risky with all my gear, I would have a very steep bank that was tree and bush covered to get down to the river, yes I have the help of a rope that I’d put in place some two years ago, going down would be possible, but not sure if I could have got back up on my own, so thought better of it.

I arrived on the river around 0900 hrs, my first job was clear a mound of rubbish that had been dumped, which needed two large bin liners, I then stored it in my tool cabin, until the council tip opens in the New Year. After walking the bottom beat, I made my way to look at another stretch. Back in the car park, I loaded up with seat, tackle bag, another bag with mashed bread, sweet corn, cheese paste and Garlic sausage chunks. It was tough going in places, I had to push my way through an over grown area of the river bank, then muddy fields until I come to the wood where I had to take off all my gear, then drop it over the fence, before I could roll under the wire. I then loaded myself up with all my gear for a walk through the wood, being careful I didn’t trip over the many branches on the ground, once through the wood, I then had to a walk across a water logged field, eventually arriving at my chosen swim. Conditions looked good, just a light upstream wind, with some colour in the water. Checking the water temperature I got a reading of 50 degrees F I was more than happy with that, knowing the temperature was on the rise.

I put together my Andrew Davies Kennet Perfection, matched with a Mitchell 300, though my mates often say “It sounds like a coffee grinder”, that might be so, as it’s got a roller in the bale arm, that the late Len Arbery put in for me, it was loaded with 6lb bs line, then added two float stops before tying on a size 4 barbless hook, then moulded some plasticine around the float stops, after making a few casts I found I was able to remove some of the plasticine.

Mashed Bread With Flake And Crust As Bait

My choice today was feed with heavy bread mash, it was too far to throw by hand, so I used a catapult with a large pouch to get the feed across the river, I left the swim to go quiet for about twenty minutes, during this time I made up more balls of mash ready to keep the swim topped up, but the extra bread balls, would only be used if bites were forthcoming. Just after 1115 am I baited the hook with a big bit of crust, then made my first cast. I sat holding the rod, line hooked over my index finger, occasionally there was a light pluck on the line, caused no doubt by bits of rubbish, I suppose half an hour had gone bye, when I felt a determined pull, as the rod tip pulled round I made a strike, “Fish on” I said to myself, then it was gone. Not a good start, even more so as I’d pricked the fish. Winding in I rebaited with another big bit of crust, this time I made a cast upstream, thinking the pricked fish would have gone downstream perhaps spooking any fish in the area.

First Fish

Fifteen minutes later the rod tip dropped back, at the same time I made a long powerful strike downstream to take up the slack, it worked, I felt a good fish moving downstream with a couple of head shakes then moved into the middle of the stream no doubt to take advantage of the fast water, I pulled hard to my right in a bid to drag the fish from the fast water, into the quite water on my side of the river. It worked. I could feel the odd head shake but I was gaining line and soon I glimpsed a sight of the chub, then I got its head above the water, but it quickly dived, I just let the rod take the pressure, soon I was gliding the fish towards the waiting net, a nice chub perhaps 4lbs hooked in the top lip, easing out the hook I lowered the fish partially in the water, then grabbed the weight bag I then got the weight bag which is just a plastic carrier bag, zeroed scales which were then laid on the bank.

It easy to transfer the fish from net into the bag, at the same time making sure I had the chub pointing towards me, and not the water, so less chance of it sliding back in, if it struggled as I was getting it in the bag, its these small things that can make a difference. I got a reading of 4lb 2 ounces, I then walked quite a way downstream to release the fish.

I moved ten yards upstream to take advantage of a small pool where a small stream flowed in from the opposite side of the river, at the same time resting my first swim, before moving up I fired half a dozen bits of mashed bread across to the swim. All I had was a bit of sponge to sit on, plus rod and landing net with some bread. Baiting with a piece of crust, I made a cast dropping the bait into the centre of the pool, within two minutes the rod tip was pulled round savagely , striking I felt the weight of a good fish, for a few minutes it was a bit of give and take, eventually I had the fish away from the pool across the fast water into the quite water on my bank, soon another fish estimated at 4lbs plus, unhooking the fish I quickly made my way downstream, soon the fish was weighed at 4lb 5 ounces. Two fish from three bites I was more than happy.

In the next two hours I had three more fish, at 4lb 6 ounces, 4lb 2 ounces, then what I thought might be a five pound fish, it wasn’t weighing 4lb 12 ounces, certainly the best of the session so far, grabbing the camera I got a quick pic, looking back I must apologise for the poor quality, I didn’t realise I’d shot the pic with the flash on, until later when I went to show the picture to a friend who had turned up.

After a brew with Brian, I went back to fishing, I’d got a least an hour before I had to pack up, during that time I had two more chub, one on flake, the other on crust both estimated at 3lbs. Thankfully I didn’t have the long trek back to where I was going to be picked up. It was a walk about thirty minutes, on the way home I was discussing my next trip saying “I’d got a taxi collecting me from home on New Years Day at 0900hrs”, I am expecting the river to be bank high, I had the ideal swim with a walk about fifteen twenty minutes. I would be float fishing with sweetcorn. Have a Happy Healthy New Year with lots of fun.

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