Watching the skies for the black death’s arrival January 2018
It’s been a busy month. Work has been full on with holidays needing covering and I’ve also been busy in my role on the committee for my local fishing club. Throw in some bad weather and fishing has taken a back seat.
However, it has been great to be able to give something back to the sport I love. With the help of our local fisheries advisor from the Angling Trust, along with the club, I was able to secure a licence to shoot a number of the cormorants on one of the WDAC stretches of the river close to home this season. It’s been a long process, but well worth it, as these avian predators are devouring our precious fish stocks every winter and I’m glad that, with some encouragement from a good friend, I took this task on.
This cormorant would’ve continued to devour up to 1lb of fish a day from the local waters – January 2018
Finally, the weather, work and the river settled and I had a few sessions on the winter stretch with the float rod. Although the river looked the part, I only managed a dozen small dace before the boats drove me insane.
The fish did not read the script January 2018
With the river settled it was time to chase the chub again and with a few hours spare after work one Saturday evening I made my way to a stretch that had yet to yield a chub to my rod this season. I’d suffered quite a few blanks along this bank this winter, however on this trip the river looked good. I made my way along the stretch dropping in bait in the usual spots before settling into my first area. I sat biteless for an hour in the first spot before moving to a swim that has a good track record for producing a better stamp of chub. My cast was made so the rig swung round under the cover the near bank and a few more baits were dropped over the top. As the tip nodded in rythm with the current I noticed a temor before I had a savage pull on the tip. I missed it! Confident of a fish in the swim I recast slightly further down the run and within a few minuites of the light lead settling I had a more postive bite that connected. The fish swirled downstream as it tried to get under the cover of the nearbank. With the river still pushing through I was glad I’d opted for a slightly heavier tip and after a few tense seconds I drew the fish over landing net.
5lb 12oz February 2018
After photos and returning the chub I sat it out for another cast in the same spot until the light faded before dropping some more bait in for a return in the week.
Two days later I was back on the same stretch for a few hours at dusk after work. I sat biteless for 40 minuites before dropping into one of my other baited spots, with the river clearing fast they were cagey and I missed my first opportunity. I wasn’t fussed as I made my way to my next spot which had now been lightly baited three times in the last few days. It was dark as I made the cast and not long after I was playing a chub under the light of my head torch. No more action followed as the temperature plummeted.
Caught before the landing net froze February 2018
My next session was with a pike rod while I was shooting to scare the cormorants. Plenty of cormorants were kept off the water although the bobbin refused to move all morning dispite trying half a dozen swims with a deadbait.
That afternoon I headed to another stretch with a chub rod to rove. I decided to try the opposite bank to normal for a change of scenery. I returned to the middle of the beat to start, after I’d walked and baited the stretch. I had signs of interest from the off, although on every occassion I missed the all important bite while the fish played pass the boilie! Frustrated, I moved onto my next swim and within five minuites of casting out, I connected with much more postive bite. I stuck it out until dark after, but none of my other spots produced a touch.
Blank saver February 2018
The next morning I had a few hours at Throop, but by mid-morning neither the boilie nor the lobworms had been touched and with the fishery getting busy I decided to head upstream to another stretch in the hope of a few perch.
Arriving at lunchtime, I decided to try some of the less-noted pegs first with the lobs in the hope of finding some uncaught fish! Three hours later and biteless, I moved to the ‘in form’ area. It wasn’t comfortable fishing with a strong, cold northerly in my face, but the perch were there. I landed four, missed a few and got done over by two pike before the weather beat me. No monsters on this trip, but I will be returning before the end of the season!
Biggest of four February 2018
Three days later I back out fishing for chub after work, the river had risen due to some recent rain although it was still fishable. I went about my usual routine before making a cast in a more productive swim. It didn’t take long before a chub hooked itself; with plenty of light still left I was hoping for a brace. Unfortunately, it was just another one fish trip.
A blank saver February 2018
WDAC had its first river match since 2011 booked and I was in two minds about attending due to conditions leading up to the match. However, three dry days after the last rainfall was just enough time to give us near perfect conditions. Ten anglers turned up on the day to battle it out for top spot. I drew a peg that has done me well this season, so I was confident. If the fish were feeding I’d catch. It wasn’t easy, they had messed about with the sluices over the last 24 hours so it was pushing through quite a bit. I opted to fish maggot over groundbait and hemp. This caught me roach and dace throughout the match which was fished between 11am-4pm. Most of my fish came two rod lenghts out, although they were a lot smaller stamp than I was hoping to catch and strangely the last hour was as hard as the first. Everyone caught which was the main objective as in the last match in 2011 it was won with 10 ounces of minnows! The winning weight was 13lb 4oz, I weighed in 8lb 12oz which was enough to secure 2nd place. Hopefully, with all the hard work the Angling Trust and the club are doing, we will be able to save these roach and dace of the future from a cormorant’s beak.
I fished hard for this 8lb 12oz bag of silvers February 2018
Fish Tales From The Riverbank 