Festive Fishing Exploits

Fishing and Shopping:
Well I don't know about you but I have been fortunate enough to get some fishing in over the festive period. It started on the Wednesday before Xmas with the wife suggesting that I have a mornings fishing before we went and done the final present shopping, I didn't need telling twice and jumped at the chance as I had blanked in the previous Sundays Match.
Anyway I made amends and caught a few fish on what was a bloody cold morning and included some decent Roach on Caster trotting some 20 yards down the swim.
Later that day we went over to Springfields shopping centre in Spalding and just as we were walking back to the car I walked past a shop full of fishing tackle. I thought that's strange as it wasn't there the last time I had visited and on looking up I saw the sign Dragon Carp, now having seen their adverts many times in magazines but never actually visiting any of their shops I just had to go in and have a look. I am not normally really interested in budget tackle but I was intrigued to see what kind of quality the gear was as it was very cheap. I had a quick look around and decided most of it was probably worth the price if you were on a tight budget but not really what I would buy. Just as I was about to leave the shop I noticed the centre pins and just had to see how bad they were for £30 and £40 respectively and so I asked if I could have a closer look at them. Now to say they would not appeal to the purist float anglers would be an understatement but at the price they were definitely functional pieces of kit that I thought worth taking a punt on as a second reel. I paid my £40 and off I went, when I got home I decided to have a closer look at it and compare it to the Okuma I already own. The first thing that I noticed was that the reel would spin for as least as long as the Okuma although it was not silent  with some noise coming from the bearings and a little play in the spool. Next I removed the spool and had a look at the pathetic ratchet mechanism and decided that it would probably fail very early on so I decided to remove it along with the line guide. Well at least I wasn't going to be pissed when something broke or fell off as there isn't a lot left to go wrong, I loaded it with some 2lb line and put it with my tackle ready to field test the next time out.

River Nene - Wansford - Monday 12th December 2011

Today I visited the River Nene at Wansford as I had a day off of work and was hoping for a few fish after blanking on the canal on Sunday. I arrived at the river at 9am and the temperature gauge in the car was reading 2 degrees and with a cold breeze blowing from a westerly direction it was less than inviting.
I decided to fish peg 16 for no other reason than I had never fished it before and the angler below me on the same peg in the last match had only weighed about 2 1/2 lb and I wondered what I could manage.
Anyway I levelled my seat box and sat looking at the peg for a few minutes looking for any signs of fish movement as the water was very cold and clear, I could see the bottom about 5 meters out in 8ft of water.
I set up the pole first and had a plumb around the peg and found 9ft of water at 11.5m which would have to do as fishing any further out would have made presentation difficult with the wind blowing downstream. I also set up an elasticated whip at 5.5m with a 2gr rig for fishing Maggot and Caster over Groundbait.


 Line 1 breadpunch at 11.5m and line 2 Casters at 5.5m to-hand



River Nene Match 4th December

Having just returned from a week in sunny Fuerteventura with the wife I was keen to get back on the river and the timing couldn't really have been better. Deeping St James AC had a sweepstake arranged on the Nene at Wansford on the Sunday and so I made the call and booked myself in. On arrival  at the draw I noticed that there were a few anglers less than the last match I had attended before I went on holiday but never the less there were 14 of us which was good as it would allow some of the lesser pegs to be dropped from the match.
Into the draw bag and out comes peg 15 which was about mid point on the stretch and was a park and fish peg not that any of the pegs have much of a walk which is great for match fishing.
The river was very clear and had little flow but there were plenty of fish topping although I suspect most of them were Bleak.


The view from peg 15

My Return To Match Fishing

Sunday saw my return to match fishing with this to be my first match in 10 years and I must admit that I had mixed feelings about the whole thing. I had been contemplating taking in a few matches for some time now and had been looking at the local clubs and their match fixtures trying to find one that I thought might suite me. After a lot of thought I decided that the Deeping St James Angling Club would probably be the one for me as they have what is probably one of my favourite stretches of the Nene along with some other sections of river that they hold club regular matches on throughout the winter months. I made the phone call to the match secretary and after a brief chat I was booked into the match which was also to be round 1 of their Individual league, so my timing was spot on and I entered myself for that as well.
I had looked at the reports from the previous 2 matches to get an idea of how the venue was fishing and who the form anglers were and I even had a few hours fishing it in the week prior to the match.

River Nene Wansford - Mon 14th Nov

After reading a couple of match reports from Deeping St James AC club matches on their water at Wansford and another really tuff session on the Grand Union Canal I decided that it was time to venture onto my local river Nene. I had taken the day off work at short notice and was really excited at the prospect of fishing some running water but must admit to being a little concerned when I saw the river as it was quite clear and was flowing slowly and only averaging 7ft or 8ft things looked dodgy.
I was aware that both of the club matches had been won from peg 4 and so decided to fish at the other end of the stretch on peg 21. I had a narrow boat moored across for me and the shadow it cast on the water was great to see your float against, I decided that I would fish the pole and after plumbing settled on 11.5 metres which was just past the middle.



The view from peg 21

GUC Theddingworth

This Sunday saw us at Theddingworth on the canal, We decided to try a new area that was over 1km from the nearest access. After a brisk walk we arrived at the area we had picked from the map and found that it was well sheltered from the worst of the wind which was a little cool as it was from the North. We both settled for pegs with a far bank feature in the shape of overhanging tree's and went about setting up the gear. I set up 2 top kits with a view to finding 3ft of water and a further line another section over. I found the first line at about 9m but on adding another section I could only find 14 inches of water across and I was not really comfortable with this and so didn't plan to use this line.
I started off with a small ball of liquidised bread at 9m and went in with bread punch on the hook, It must have been about 10 minutes before my first bite which resulted in a Roach of around 1oz. In the next half an hour I caught another 6 similar sized fish in a steady fashion and Graham had  caught a little better and had about 12 fish. Anyway just as we are starting to get things going the wind gets up and manages to blow every leaf that was floating on the surface of the canal into my peg making it all but impossible to get my rig into the water without hooking one of the bloody things. Anyway I decided to up sticks as this was ridiculous and I wasn't keen on my far line either. 

Commercials And The Canal Are The Only Option

The last couple of week or so has seen the sport on the rivers drop off with a couple of light frosts any faint hint of colour has well and truly gone. This was quite evident on Sunday 23rd when we went over to Ten Mile Bank on The Ouse, the river was like tap water and 2 of us didn't have a singe bite and that was from two different locations. The previous weekend had seen the Skimmers go on a feeding frenzy but this time the same pegs were all but dead.
We could really do with a few days of heavy rain to put some colour and flow into the rivers but I guess that we have more chance of winning the national lottery but until then I will have to find other ways to keep myself fishing.

Skimmers Go On The Feed

I must admit to getting it wrong this week because with the weather cooling down considerably and the skimmer sport dropping away over the last few weeks we had planned to have a go at the Great Ouse Roach. As usual we stopped at various points along the Kings Lynn AA stretch of the Great Ouse to see if there were any signs of fish moving about. We had seen quite a few  Roach topping at three locations between Denver and Danby Drove but could make our minds up which area to try and so we drove the whole length again to decide. There were plenty of locals between the chapel and Modney bridge that made us think that they probably knew something that we didn't but it was getting busy along there so we thought we would give it a miss. We carried on and as we got near to the piggeries we bumped into Les the bailiff and had a chat with him to see how the river had been fishing in the week and it was a chance comment from him that made up our minds where to fish. With that we bid him farewell and set off to the area we had seen Roach topping when we were looking there earlier.




Map of Kings Lynn AA stretch of the Great Ouse



Ten Mile Bank, the Piggeries

This weekend was pretty much the same as the last with a trip to the Great Ouse but we had decided to fish a section that we had never fished before. A recent mach on the Ouse had seen most of the better weights come from this section which is at the bottom end towards Denver Sluice. It rained for most of the journey there but had just about stopped by the time we arrived at the river, as usual we had a quick drive along to see if there were any signs of fish.
We spotted fish topping at the Piggeries and at Danby Drove but very little in between and so elected to fish the piggeries section for a change.
Today I was accompanied by my friend Graham and my son Callum who is an occasional angler and so my first task was to get him sorted out and fishing. We all decided to fish the feeder with Graham fishing 3/4 across and me and Callum fishing down the middle.


With the venue being so deep the boats do not trouble you at all.

Great Ouse Sunday 2nd October

After my disappointment of blanking on the Ouse last Sunday I thought it would be a good idea to get back down there and make amends this week. I didn't bother writing about it last week as I couldn't really summon the enthusiasm to tell about not getting a bite all day.
Anyway we arrived at the river just after 08.00 and after looking at a couple of area's decided to head for the area around Danby Drove, we stood on the bank for a few minutes and watched countless Roach topping which was enough to make up our minds.
It was decided that a couple of hour on the feeder might be a good way to start as this would give us time to feed up a pole line for later in the day.




The Great Ouse, wide and very deep



Great Ouse on Sunday, Grand Union Canal on Monday

I had two really contrasting sessions this weekend with the river Ouse being a big deep sluggish river and the Grand Union Canal being quite narrow and shallow.
Great Ouse:
Sunday saw me back on the Ouse on the same peg as I had feeder fished the week before but as I had caught Roach on the drop on the feeder I fancied a go on the float this week.
On arriving at the peg I was pleased to see plenty of Roach topping so I fancied my chances with them coming up in the water and hurriedly set up a 15ft float rod and a bodied waggler at about 13ft as a starting point. I know the river in this area is a good 18ft deep but thought that I would be ok without fishing at full depth, I had chosen to fish 1/3 of the way across as this was the area most of the fish were topping in.

The Great Ouse towards Danby Drove

Mixed fortunes on Ten Mile Bank

Well having spent the last few weeks fishing the river Welland I fancied getting back on the Great Ouse at Ten Mile Bank and fishing for Roach on the pole. We arrived at the river and decided to fish the stretch by the chapel as it was a lot more sheltered than most other sections of the river as there was a strong wind blowing. I put on a 3gr rig on my top 5 and had  plumb around the swim, I settled on a line at 11.5m as if I had gone out any further I would have been off the top kit because it was 16 ft deep and still sloping away. I had a plan to start of with a couple of balls of groundbait and then to loose feed casters and hemp over the top and get the Roach up in the water and then switch to a lighter rig.

River Thurne - Norfolk

I have just returned from a few days break near Great Yarmouth and I managed to get a couple of short session in on the River Thurne. I had spoken to an angling friend who has fished this river many times and got as much information as I could about the venue and soon found out it was about 8 - 9 feet deep and tidal. I also discovered that there are many miles of bank that are quite inaccessible without very long walks and so the info on access points was invaluable as I wouldn't have time for any long hikes as time was limited.

I planned to fish at a place called Cold Harbour which is a couple of miles below Potter Heigham as there is good parking at the bottom of a track right by the river with pegs both up and down stream of this point. My first session was early on Wednesday morning and after a half hour drive I arrived at the river at 6.30am and was set up and ready to fish by 07.00am.



Sunrise over the River Thurne



River Welland Sunday 28th August

The river Welland was in a strange mood today with the better fish conspicuous by their absence on what seemed like a perfect day. The only reason I could think of for this was the extra water that was in the river from the recent heavy rain we have had but everything else was spot on. The water had a good tinge of colour and there was a decent ripple on it and most of the day was overcast.
I was torn between the waggler 1/3 across or the feeder 3/4 across but when Graham said he was going to fish the feeder so I decided to fish the waggler as we would get a better feel for what was going on fishing 2 different methods. On plumbing up I found about 9 feet of water a 1/3 of the way across and this is the range I saw most of the proper bream topping last week.



 Insert Waggler ideal for Skimmers

The River Welland Shows its Hand - Sunday 14th August

We had decided to give the Welland another try this week because a mid week trip had shown that most of the river had a tinge of colour in it and we had also been told of a few fish being caught.
Now although I wasn't overly confident of a good catch I was quite looking forward to having another go and to be honest I didn't fancy the 2 hours travelling over to Norfolk and back to the Middle level or river Ouse. A look at the weather suggested that we would have a favourable wind to fish the float which would make a welcome change from the feeder.
When we joined the river at Crowland Bridge we could see that there were already quite a few anglers on the river on some of the better Bream pegs and so we went downstream a little way below Four Mile Bar footbridge. When we arrived at the pegs there was a reasonable colour to the water and a moderate breeze coming over our left shoulder and causing a nice ripple on the surface.



The River Welland between Spalding and Crowland 



Shimano Beastmaster BX 12ft Feeder Rod review

Having purchased this rod a few weeks ago I have now used it a number of times and feel its time to give a full review of it. The general appearance of the rod is quite understated with a satin finish on the blank and gloss finish on the whippings and joints, a quick inspection soon reveals the quality of finish which is up there with the best. The handle is part cork part hypalon and it has a screw reel seat, now I must admit that Brown is not one of my  favourite colours but I am coming to terms with it.

Shimano Beastmaster BX 12ft Feeder Rod

The Middle Level at Magdalen High Road

This Sunday almost turned into a complete waste of time for me but I managed to save the day with a last ditch effort on the feeder.
It was my week to drive and after a very poor nights sleep I dragged myself out of bed at 6.30 as I had arranged to pick Graham up at 7.30, when we pulled away from his house we still didn't have a firm plan of where we were going. Earlier in the week we had discussed going down the Welland as it had been fishing reasonably well but the weather wasn't the best for the venue and I had struggled when I had a short session on Thursday night and so we headed out to Ten Mile Bank. On arrival it didn't look very inviting and on speaking with a few anglers  it was apparent that it was going to be a difficult day and so we decided to head for the Northern End of the Middle Level at Magdalen.

Map showing the Northern end of the Middle Level

Preston Innovations Hardcase Luggage

Having spent a long time pondering over replacement luggage I decided to invest in the Preston Hardcase small holdall and the Hardbase Carryall, I have now owned them for a few months and feel its time I gave you my opinion of them.



The small Holdall and Hardbase carryall



A Week Of Mixed Fortunes

Although the title of this weeks blog is quite an accurate description of my week on the whole it was a good week. This was a short week at work as I had booked Thursday and Friday off with a view to getting a little extra time on the bank but fist things first I wanted to buy myself a new medium feeder rod. I didn't want to spend a fortune but had allowed myself  up to £120 as a budget and with this I set off to Sheltons of Peterborough to see what they had in stock.


Sheltons, the largest tackle retailer in the Peterborough Area



Week Ending 17th July

North Bank Of the River Nene
Well its been an interesting week on the fishing front as it saw me on the North bank of the river Nene for the first time in many years. I had been reading some very good reports in the local press and decided to have a look and see what all the fuss was about. So on Tuesday lunchtime I nipped out of work to see if anybody was fishing and I must admit to being surprised to see 6 anglers on the stretch. I stopped to have a chat with a couple of them and see how they were doing, the first had only had small Skimmers but was getting regular bite and he told me his mate on the next peg had caught some Bream. He had 3 Bream and some decent Skimmers from what was the old peg 350 and I watched him catch a Skimmer of about 1lb before heading off back to work.


An Angler nets a decent Skimmer

Another Session on Ten Mile Bank

I was in two minds where to fish this weekend as I really fancied a go on the Middle Level but something told me I should have another session on the Ouse. Well after another Saturday night out this was an even later start than last week and we didn't get out there until about 9.30am but this is not really a problem at this time of year with all this daylight available. As normal we had a drive along the length and look at a couple of section before deciding on a stretch known as the Owl Box which is a little way below Danby Drove, this area can often be hard to locate in the summer as the leaves on the trees hide the Owl Box that lends its name to the section. As with a lot of sections on Ten Mile Bank there are only a few swims cut out ready to go otherwise you can clear your own if you wish, generally the bank is flat at the bottom providing good sit-downs.

Great Ouse, Danby Drove

Well this Sunday we decided to have a trip over to the Great Ouse, it was a bit of a late start as I had been out to a party the night before and so we didn't set off until 08.15 for the hour or so drive over into Norfolk. We arrived at Denver Sluice and had a look a few areas before deciding where to fish, we spoke to a few anglers and most had odd fish but nothing of any note.
We nearly fished the chapel section as Graham had had a good catch there on the Thursday but finally decided on Danby Drove as it was an area we had not fished before although we had spoken about it many times before.

Peterborough Pole Repairs

In this post I would like to tell you about my new business Peterborough Pole Repairs, the idea came from the realisation that we needed a professional pole repair service in the Peterborough area. Now I know there are already a number of first class repair services around the country but after speaking to a number of local anglers it became apparent that they would value a local service. As an angler of over 40 years I have always performed all of my own tackle repairs and so this was a natural progression for me.

Two Sessions on the Welland

Friday 24th June
This weekend I decided that I would have another look at the river Welland and this time I would concentrate my effort around Four Mile Bar. I had arranged to have an evening session on Friday night and set off from home at 5pm after work, I arrived at the river at 5.30 and had a quick look off of the footbridge. I was pleased to see the water had some colour in it and while I stood there for a few minutes I saw a couple of Bream roll, well that was enough for me and I hurriedly got the gear from the car and positioned myself near to where I had seen the fish roll.



A view from the East bank below the footbridge at Four Mile Bar



The Season Starts Here But only Just

The River Welland

I must admit that my first outing of the season was a complete let down, having elected to start on the river Welland.
I looked at various points along the river and eventually found a tinge of colour at Four Mile Bar footbridge. This tinge of colour then continued all the way to Spalding which gave me a few miles of river to go at and I decided to sit just around the bend upstream of the bypass bridge (not sure of the peg number). Starting off on the feeder I had ten quick casts to get some bait out and then settled down to recasting every 5 minutes or so until the fish found the dinner table.


The river Welland

  

My Season Preview

Well its nearly that time again and although June 16th doesn't hold quite the same attraction for me as it did years ago I still look forward to returning to the rivers after the lay off. This closed season has been a little different for me in the fact that I have actually been out fishing when normally I don't bother. The main reason is that I bought a new pole and I couldn't go all of that time without trying it out now could I?

I am planning on fishing the river Welland in the first couple of weeks of the season as there is

Maver Match This 5 Pole Review

Well after a lot of thought I came to a decision and parted with my hard earned cash and became the proud owner of one of Mavers 2011 competition poles the Match This 5. This model is a 16m pole and comes with a very impressive spares package consisting of 4 x MT3s, 1 x MT4, 4 x PKs, 1/2 Butt and a cupping kit and cups, I also added another No 4 and 5 section as I often fish deep river venues. The feel and balance of the pole at 13m is absolutely spot on and I can easily hold it with one hand across my leg which allows me to use the catapult without having to put the pole down. The pole is also well balanced at 14.5m and 16m and although most of my fishing is done at 7 to 13m I fully intend to fish it at these lengths when conditions allow on the rivers Welland and Great Ouse this season.

New Pole Dilemma: Part 2

Following on from my first article on choosing a new pole in December I now bring you part 2 and the conclusion to my search, in part 1 I was looking at the following poles.

• Shimano Super Ultegra
• Sensas Power Match 56XL
• Daiwa  SR5
• MAP 525
• Maver Competition 181

After trying as many of these poles as I could and reading every review I could find I was more confused than ever, so to make matters worse I added a few more prospective models to my list  including the following.

• Daiwa G20
• Preston GXR3001
• Maver Match This 4
• Maver Match This 5

I will start with the Daiwa, I tried the G20 against the cheaper SR5 and I could notice a little better balance and rigidity over the SR5 but both of the poles did seem strong enough in the hand. I did feel that the balance wasn't quite right though with both the Diawa poles being a little nose heavy compared to some I had tried.The spares package although not bad did not really meet my requirements and would need some extra match kits and 4th and 5th section to meet my requirements. Although this pole didn't really suite me I would recommend anyone to add it to their list and give it a look over as it is a good bench mark in the £1000 to £1500 price range.

Next up was the Preston GXR3001, as soon as I picked this one up I knew this was what I wanted my new pole to feel like, the weight and balance being very impressive in this price range. It also has all of the features of the Mavers as it comes out of the same Reglas factory in Italy with Suncore Finish, Fusion and Magic Steps top kits etc. The main drawback for me on this one was the package of 5 power top 2s and 2 match top 3s which for me missed the spot by miles because at £1500 this was at the top end of my budget. If you are ok with the spares package and looking at this price you would be mad not to look at this one.

I must admit that after holding the Preston Pole I was expecting similar things from the 2 Maver poles and providing they could match up they would be in the running with their great spares packages.
I elected to try the series 4 first and on picking it up I was quite impressed with the overall balance although not quite as good as the GXR although the little bit of extra weight was hardly noticeable.
I now assessed the series 5 directly against the series 4 to see what  the lighter and more expensive model would give me. Overall the difference was quite small and it was only just noticeable that it was a little lighter and better balanced but I could see that it was a little more rigid and responsive. This pole is definitely on par with the GXR3001 in terms of balance and rigidity and definitely leaves it for dead with it spares package. It comes supplied with 1 match top 3 in the pole, 3 more spare top 3s, 1 match top 4, 4 power top 2s and a cupping kit. It also comes with a half extension a set of clean caps a DVD and a holdall, all I would need extra was  No 4 and No 5 sections and so the decision was made it was to be the Maver Match This 5.

Maver Match This 5, 16m pole, 795g @13m

A big thanks to Benwick Sports for their great service and even better prices, they offer the best price in the country on Maver poles and are very competitively priced on most other brands. I have posted a few useful links below to help you select and buy your next new pole.

http://www.benwick-sports.co.uk/

http://www.polecompare.com/index.php?categoryid=1



http://www.maggotdrowning.com/forum/default.asp

http://www.polefishingmagazine.com/Home/



My End To The River Season 2010/11

Sunday 13th March

Well that's it for another season on the rivers and this year I was fortunate enough to be able to fish on both Sunday and Monday. On Sunday I decided to have a go on the Nene at Fotheringhay but when I arrived I found a couple of anglers in the pegs that I had wanted to fish so I walked downstream and around the bend. The river was ideal for the waggler so I set up a 4 AAA insert waggler so I could cast 3/4 across the river with plenty in reserve in case the wind changed or got tricky.

Downstream at Fotheringhay

River Nene at Stibbington - Sunday 6th March

I was really quite excited to be going to the river after having spent the last few weekends fishing the canal, I had chosen to fish near the boat yard at Stibbington on the river Nene.
We arrived at Sutton village at 08.30 and after lifting the tackle over a fence started the walk to the river which is about 5 minutes across a couple of meadows, the weather was cool but it was quite a nice day. The section opposite the boat yard was well sheltered from the light easterly wind and what wind there was came from behind us so would no hamper our presentation. I decided to sit adjacent to the downstream end of the boatyard as the peg was a little flatter and more comfortable because I had left the footplate off of my box to save weight and didn't fancy holding a pole with my feet all to cock as it would end in back ache.


A great peg with a number of options

River Nene Up And Running But The Bites Keep On Coming

It was half term week and I had promised my son that I would take him fishing as he hadn't been since September, it had rained a little so I thought we could have a look at the Nene at Stibbington. When we arrived I was a little surprised to see the river was up and running quite hard, this presented me with a couple of problems. The first problem was because I wasn't expecting this I didn't really have suitable tackle with me to deal with the flow, no big Floats or even feeders or feeder rod capable of fishing this. Second problem is my son would have struggled as he has never faced conditions like this even though given the correct tackle I am sure he would have coped, anyway there was a plan B. There is a cut that comes off the river here and looked like the best option for him to catch a few fish so he dropped on the end nearest the mouth and I elected not to bother fishing and to concentrate on coaching him.

With the main river clanking through cut saved the day

Benwick Sports Angling Centre, Soham near Ely

I just thought  that I would take a few minutes to talk about Benwick Sports Tackle shop, although I have looked at their website on a number of occasions I have never visited the store until Monday this week. Having booked the week off work I thought I would pop over and have a look and see what they had to offer, they are located in Soham near Ely and about an hours drive from my home in Peterborough.
They are easy to find based on a small Industrial estate just off the main road and have ample parking available. When I entered the store I was immediately taken with the very well stocked shelves and display racks and everything was very well presented and organised so after suffering poorly stocked Tackle shops back home this was a veritable Aladdin's cave.
I have recently had real issues getting basic items like light grade pole elastic and hooks locally so this was my opportunity to have a bit of a stock up. The thing that really caught my eye though was the range of big wagglers and sliders they had on display and I will be definitely be going back to get my hands on some of them before the summers attack on the Middle Level and Great Ouse Ten Mile Bank as I often fish a slider on these deep venues.
Anyway I ended up spending a few quid but thoroughly enjoyed my visit and would wholeheartedly recommend them to anybody, great stock level, great prices, great service so what are you waiting for have a look for yourself.

http://www.benwick-sports.co.uk/

The Grand Union Canal at Theddingworth - Sunday 13th Feb



Following last weeks visit to the canal and the lack of rain to bring any kind of life to the rivers we decided that the canal was the best option for a few fish. Now I have to admit to being a real fan of the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire having spent quite a bit of time on it over the last 6 winters. Most times this has been due to the rivers being flooded but this year it is the opposite with low flows and a lack of colour and little in the way of rain. The trouble is that when we do get extra water in the rivers the window of opportunity to fish them is so small because the E.A run them off in 2 or 3 days.

Grand Union Canal Sunday 6th February

With the high winds this weekend and the Nene starting to loose its colour I thought I would head out into Leicestershire for my first visit to the Grand Union Canal this winter. I had a section of canal in mind that would offer us some protection from the very high SW winds, the ground rises up behind you pushing the wind right over the top of the canal so much so that you hardly get a ripple on the water.

Flat calm and the wind was over 25mph

Friday 28th and Sunday 30th - The River Glen

Friday 28th January

I read with great interest the results of the Bourne winter league match on the River Glen as there had been a number of double figure weights from the section near the Ship Inn. I decided to book Friday off work as I wanted to get in on some of the action I had read about. After the half hour drive from my home I arrived at the venue and it looked in real good trim with both colour and flow.



The River Glen at Pinchbeck



I decided to sit 2 pegs from the road bridge as it was a feature peg with a tree growing out into the water from the far bank. As the match winner had caught over 17lb of Roach on the punch that was going to be my opening gambit and with 7ft of water at 7 and 9 metres I cupped in a ball of liquidised bread with some hemp and a few Casters in it. After half an hour I was concerned at not getting any bites and after an hour and 20 minutes I gave up.On the way home I thought I would have a quick look at the tiny French Drove drain at Thorney, there was an angler sitting below the old pump and he had just had a small Roach so I decided to have a go for an hour to try and save the day. I sat just above the old pump house as it was sheltered from the biting North wind and as is normal in the winter the level of the drain is dropped some 18 inches, after plumbing up I had 2ft of water. I set up a 4x10 Drennan Pinkie float and cupped in a small loosely squeezed ball of bread and within a couple of minute I was into my first micro Roach. I was getting a bite most put ins and even managed a bonus Roach of about an ounce but after 1 hour called it a day as there were Pike crashing through the shoals of small fish every couple of minutes. Anyway I was glad to have had some bites and caught a few fish even though they were so small.

Home made tackle items

Well I don't know about you but I just love making items of tackle and I get a great deal of satisfaction catching fish on something I made myself. I started out making simple peacock wagglers and still have some in my tackle box that I made over 20 years ago. I also still have some open ended swim feeders that I made 15 years ago made out of sections cut out of Lemonade bottles and I even caught some fish on one of them recently.
This week I have made some pole feeders and elastic connectors, the connector is so that the fish do not feel resistance from the the heavy elastic in the pole when they take the bait.

An Example of the style of pole feeder and connectors I have made this week

Old Course of the River Nene 16-01-11

With the main river carrying a little too much extra water I decided to have a look at the old course of the river Nene at Stanground, Peterborough. This section averages about 10 - 11 metres wide, about 4ft deep in the main channel and never usually suffers when the main river is up and running. In these conditions it normally colours up nicely but only ever maintains a gentle pull from left to right and because of today's high winds we dropped in on the section adjacent to Turnstone Way as it is well sheltered from the SW winds. The bank along this section is generally nice and flat and provides a comfortable sit down, I elected to sit about 20 metres below my fishing partner Graham with another angler 40 metres below me.

River Nene Fails To Produce

I never thought that today would be so poor and although the water is still quite cold it did have extra colour and flow. We gave it 3 hours for 1 solitary 1 oz Dace and this was the only bite I had with my angling friend Graham biteless. The bailiff said that other anglers he had seen this morning had caught nothing so I suppose I should be thankful for the 1 fish.

Going down the drain - Sunday 2 January

  

Well with all of the ice melted around Peterborough I thought I would have a quick look along the Glassmore Bank section of Bevills Leam. This is a venue I used to fish a lot a few years back but as with many of my local venues have neglected for far too long. This is due mainly to me spending most of my summers on the Middle Level main drain and 10 Mile Bank and my winters split between the river Nene above Peterborough and the Grand Union Canal.