Snow covered river bank March 2018
I’d booked the final two weeks of the river season off with the hope of plenty of fishing. The weather had other ideas, with the country being battered by the ‘Beast in the East’. Then storm Emma hit the south coast bringing a good covering of snow followed by freezing rain, which was not a good combination for fishing!
I managed a few sessions that first week, and all bar one, were blanks. A couple of hours on the River Allen produced plenty of bites and fish, although most were out of season trout that fancied my bread flake or maggot hook baits. It was good fun and put a bend in the rod.
Bait-robbing trout takes the maggot March 2018
With less than a week to go the river was looking in good shape after the snowmelt had flushed through. Arriving at the river mid-afternoon, I decided to fish two adjoining stretches, dropping in swims as and when I fancied. Some were prebaited with some freshly made cheese paste, others were just fished on the off chance.
I settled into my first spot behind some fallen debris, made the short underarm cast toward the crease and sat the rod in the rest. Some pieces of paste were dropped over the spot. I was happy to sit it out a little longer than usual and after 30 minutes I had a slight tremor on the quiver before a more positive pull. I struck and soon a mid-3lber was in the net.
Perfection in miniature March 2018
Happy to get a fish under my belt, I had another cast in the same swim to no avail. Before a move was made. The next three swims were prebaited with some paste before fishing them in turn. The first didn’t produce a touch despite giving it twenty-five minutes, while I rested the other two. It was approaching prime time, so I headed to a swim that has thrown up some good fish in the past, although It had yet to even throw up a bite to my rod this season.
I cast out the baited size 6 with a decent lump of stinky stilton paste into a deep slack formed behind a tree and sat back. Fifteen minutes passed before the tip bounced. I struck into thin air! I rebaited and hit the spot again, this time I let the bite develop before I swept the rod back. After keeping the chub from reaching the sanctuary of the snags, I had the fish in the mesh of the net.
4lb 13oz March 2018
My final swim produced another chub this time around the 2lb mark. Happy with the return for a few hours fishing I headed back to the car with the intention of doing it again the following day.
I was back at dawn, although I only did an hour or so and packed up fishless. With more heavy rain forecast later that day, I was back out at dusk to try again. I went through the same routine with the paste, as the day before and while getting soaked I managed to nab another mid 3lber from a spot I’ve not fished before. I then missed a bite in my next swim and before calling it a day.
3lb 8oz chub March 2018
As the river rose again from the heavy rainfall, I did two very short sessions over the weekend: one at dawn and the other at dusk. Although I had signs of fish in the swim on the dawn outing I was short on time, so I couldn’t sit it out and wait for a more positive pull.
With three days left and another bout of rain coming down from upstream, I had a small window where it was still dropping on the winter stretch. I spent the afternoon trotting maggot A small net of roach and dace was reward before the river rose again.
The last net of roach and dace of the season March 2018
The following morning I was up early to check the river levels, the Dorset Stour was out of sorts and the Avon would more than likely be busy, so I turned my attention to a stretch of the Dorset Frome which was starting to drop. After a decent breakfast and sorting the gear, I loaded the car and set off to spend the afternoon after grayling. I arrived just after lunch to find the level still high, but the colour was starting to drop out. I was confident with the colour just about okay, if I could find a grayling or two they may feed. I made my way to the end of the stretch only to find two other anglers in the area I fancied. A quick chat revealed that a decent fish had been lost further up the stretch and there was also another angler at the top of the beat. With this information, I left them to carry on and I headed to the carrier, which I had baited a few spots on the way down the stretch.
The weather was kind with very little wind and when the sun occasionally made an appearance from behind the clouds it really did feel like spring. As I knew the river would be a little higher than I would normally fish, I had packed a maggot feeder rod along with the float rod. I tried the float for a while although it was pushing a little too much and after snagging on a sunken tree I decided to just try the maggot feeder.
Nothing was showing on the carrier apart from a greedy bullhead, which took a liking to my triple red maggot on a size 14!
By now it was mid-afternoon, I decided to head back to the main river to have a look at some of the other swims above the fancied area. The two anglers who were down the bottom end of the stretch were now well upstream and making their way back to the top of the stretch. With that I decided to head to the swims that had been vacated. On arrival, it was very clear that the spot was a lot higher than I’d seen before although very fishable with a feeder. Twenty yards below the swirls and boils there was a calmer area of deeper smooth water. I had a few casts with an empty feeder to see where it would hold bottom. Once happy, I filled the feeder and cast down to the spot letting out a bow of line to help take the pressure off the 2oz tip. I sat back with the rod in the rests when the tip sprang into life, I struck although I bumped the fish. Full of optimism, I refilled the feeder and hit the spot again. I watched the tip settle before it pulled a couple of times. This time the strike was met with the thumping of a fish. I played it up through the fast water and apart from the occasional head shake, I felt I was firmly in control as long as the hook didn’t pull. I drew the fish up past me and let the current do the rest as a ‘lady of the stream’ slid into the waiting net.
1lb 14oz March 2018
Happy that I’d upped my best from the stretch by 4oz. I rested the fish in the net before it swam off strongly.
I filled the feeder again and rebaited the size 14 with triple red and recast. I couldn’t believe it when within minutes of the feeder settling, I was again connected. This fish stayed deep and felt heavier, I played it up through the swirls and boils mindful of the reeds in front of me. It thrashed on the surface a couple of times before it was safely in the net.
Blue skies and a smile March 2018
I zeroed the wet sling before weighing my prize and was over the moon as it went over 2lb settling on 2lb 1oz. That was a goal achieved my first 2lb+ Frome grayling.
2lb 1oz Frome grayling March 2018
I stayed on for another couple of hours netting another two grayling: one for the future and another of 1lb 5oz. Before leaving an empty fishery for a possible return the following day.
On the final day of the season, I fished both the Stour and the Frome during the morning and packed up fishless, as another glorious blank was added to the final tally. I was glad it was all over. It’s time to set new goals and hit the lakes once the weather warms up!
Fish Tales From The Riverbank 