So here's a little about me before I start waffling on about water levels & stick floats.
I starting fishing around age 11 or 12, down the local bit of river mole, (across the road in fact) float fishing with my dad, catching dace, small chub & the ever present perch, (you can find them in just about every single lake, river or pond deep enough to cover that spiny dorsal fin).
Over many summer holidays I spent many hours, days & months honing my skills (I say that tongue in cheek) on the mole, moving on to biggish chub, pike & eels.
Anyway I digress, it's a cool November day but the sun is out & warming my face as I drive around trying to figure out the closest place to park, I don't fancy a 4 mile trek.
I love these kinda days where you never even visited this part of the river & I really have no idea what the next few hours might hold.
As many of you reading this well know, many things sound great on paper but In reality it's nothing of the sort.
Having researched this small stretch of the river via google, I had a rough idea stick float was the way to go, being that the river in question is a lovely if very shallow streamy river.
Of course the stick float mans best friend, the maggot, I've infact got a couple of pints on the wriggly little blighters on this occasion.
I found a parking spot down a narrow cul-de-sac (I've never understood the reasoning behind that strange collection of French words used in England) anyway I parked up & it looked like there's a footpath at the end of the road, close enough to the river on my phone, Google maps.
So I quickly grab my landing net, rod & rucksack (traveling light really is my key to this style of wandering river fishing that I really love)
The path leads me to a large green wasteland where there's some extensive building work going on but over the sound of heavy machinery I hear that lovely sound of trickling water that every angler knows so well. I found the river, all be it very low, a surprise as we've had a huge amount of rain lately, my local bit of the Thames is chocolate brown & hammering through as I passed by it earlier that morning.
So sunny & low clear water, the challenge is on to catch anything today.
The first thing that caught my attention was a small fish topping just down stream, I've made a school boy error....
Polaroids quickly found & put on & the small fish in question has scarpered to the overhanging bushes on the far side no doubt.
As I slowly walk upstream with my eyes peeled for another sign of a fish, I can't believe how small the river is here, maximum 12ft across & barely 2ft deep, I carried on further down river & I've seen nothing, not even a flash of a turning fish or any surface movement, except for a heron on the far side, ok mr heron wouldn't be here if there were no fish at all so where are they all ??
Next thought, I've gotta find a deeper part of the river with this bright sunlight today, I'm sure all the decent fish will be under cover or deep water.
After a mile or so of river still no fishy signs at all, not good. As a cross a lovely wooden bridge & walk in to a park of sorts, water is still too low to run a float through & I'm starting to lose hope of any bend in my rod today
Then I find another bridge & a good swim.....
But there's a problem
The bridge is being resurfaced by the council & thus closed, shizer !
I spoke to a bloke in a high visibility vest near by & he said "u'll have to walk into town & round to the left"
Not all is lost, I traipsed through the city centre feeling very out of place & getting strange looks from many people, probably because I had a stinky & slimy landing net In my hand ha ha, did I care ? Of course not... I had chub, dace & maybe a wild browny on my mind.
I finally arrived at my chosen swim & I'm very disappointed, very shallow to the point of almost unfishable, shizer again.
Maybe I could fish a light link ledger over the far side, by some reeds but I could see every stone on the river bed, it's just to shallow & I decide to have a walk up to the end of the park & beyond, surely I would find a patch of deep water somewhere.
I crossed a road bridge & looked down in to river. I smiled from ear to ear, a lovely deep run with a big tree to the right. Lots of potential.
I threw out a couple of small handfuls of mags & watched them fall down through the water layers, no flashes of silver, no swirls, not a sausage, for a 3rd and final time (I hope) shizer !
But as we all know, the proof is in the pudding & until a had run my stick float through this beautiful run as least a dozen times, who knows what beast might lie beneath the dark water.
I set up my drennen 13ft float rod with 5lb line through to a korum S3 size 16 hook below a wire stemmed stick float holding 4BB's
I'm using a fixed spool reel, purely because when in fishing somewhere I've never been before there maybe a chance you need to cast further then normal, difficult with a centerpin.
Although I love the simplicity & great control my pin gives me in most stick float situations.
Right.... first run through with a small amount of grub freebees, as the float came to the end off the run it buries in a second... That caught me by surprise & the rod bent in 2 action & clutch lets a foot or so of line (thank god I set it earlier)
I'm in 2 a very good fish & my bet was a good chub but I soon changed my mind when the fish jumped well clear of the surface, a lovely wild brownie & quite a size, my estimate would b around 5lb+
A bit of lump 4 such a tiny river.
After a couple of long runs up & down the swim, I have the fish close to my net & disaster strikes, with one swift shake of the head, he threw the hook.
Gutted ain't the word, that WOULD have been a pb 4 a wildy
Onwards & upwards anyway, 3 fat maggots impaled on my korum hook & my second run through is underway.....
Again a storming bite & unbelievably I'm in again, a much smaller stamp than the first but my confidence is back ;)
But I spoke to soon, this 1lb-ish trout flung my hook as all trout like to do, by jumping like a mini tarpon.
This is NOT funny....
I checked my hook & just as I feared it's not as sharp is it should b !
New & very sharp hook retied & I'm on my 3rd cast very quickly.
I've got a nagging feeling I've missed my chance, spooked the swim & buggered it all up !!!
20 odd casts later & all I have for my efforts is a dozen minnows & a tiny little salmon par/brown trout, hard to tell when there're so wee. dam dam dam
Thinking about giving up for today & the float buries just like the first cast & I'm in...
This is hairy stuff as the fish makes a burst for the tree roots, I turned him just in time.
After a short & powerful fight in the fast flow I've got a good sized trout in the net, get in there you beaut
Weighing & photos taken place & I slip my prize back into the gin clear water & my smile is back, 2lb 7oz & prob a pb wild trout.
I will always rue the one that got away but that's fishing I guess & I can't be too greedy.
After a couple more casts the swim is dead. I make myself a promise will be back 4 Mr 5lber sooner rather than later.
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