Wandering

Absolutely the best thing about this time of year is my favourite people come visiting but the one minor downside of this is it means I’m house bound when otherwise I might be sneaking out with rods. However I did manage to get back to the river one morning for a couple of hours but I failed to catch any Chub.  Then a week later, in the lull before the final beer storm I dragged myself out of a warm bed, loaded the car with Pike tackle and drove back to the same stretch again.  As usual I walked a long way downstream and this time set up above a bend where I’d caught a couple of fish a fortnight ago and was fishing by 0920.  I used the same set ups as always, inline float legers with a smelt on one and a sardine on another.  The river was low and clear and the day cool, still and bright.

The first spot didn’t produce anything this time but in my second swim a sardine dropped just above a raft of debris brought a take resulting in a lovely fish of twelve pounds, my best from the river so far this season.  I'm still trying to suss out self-takes on the phone but I'll never get anywhere unless i practice and this seemed a good opportunity.  I followed the normal procedure of moving every half hour or so, fishing my way through areas that look perfect without result.  On other days I’m sure I’ll find fish here.  

It was nice to enjoy some rare December sunshine, a Robin kept me company for a while and I saw Fieldfares for the first time this winter.  I wasn’t as impressed by the Swans chasing and fighting their way up and down though.  By 1330 I was in my sixth swim, actually one I’ve failed in before but on this occasion the sardine was taken after fifteen minutes.  I hooked another nice fish which didn’t want to come out of the river but in the end had no choice.  This was another double, a bit smaller than the first.  I had one more move back up to a bend near the car but half an hour here didn’t stir any fish.

The following day I was out on the river again, a shorter walk this time but through uncomfortable ground.  Once I’d picked a path along half a mile of featureless water I reached the perfect pool.  This spot has everything a classic river swim should have and more but so far it lacks the vital ingredient as two previous visits hadn’t brought a bite.  Today I used the methods that seem to work elsewhere on the river but a couple of hours on a clear cold day didn’t produce anything and I still haven’t caught anything from the perfect pool.

Once the New year is upon us the 'back end' of the fishing season seems to slip away quickly, those ten weeks will pass in no time. I enjoy the simple, wandering style of fishing whether its for Pike or Chub but it is only possible in winter conditions so I better appreciate it while I can.