Make the Most of our Bank High Rivers

Solicitor Martin Salisbury of Leyland Lancashire called me to say “I have two days holiday left can we go fishing”? I suggested we go south to Berkshire, stay over night, then travel down to the London Anglers Association water on the Hampshire Avon at Britford, and then fish the Kennet the following two days, and hopefully we can get a magazine feature. Martin was very emphatic when he said “Yes” then he said “We could leave about six on the Saturday evening”. Martin is a keen, no that is not the right word; he is an avid Preston North End supporter. No way would he miss a home game even for a days fishing.

The trip down south was without a problem, around ten o’clock we were in the cabin, me having a mug of tea and some toast, Martin a bottle of coke. He doesn’t drink tea, coffee, chocolate or any other hot drink. After we discussed the following days fishing on the Avon, the type of tackle and baits we would use, I made two boxes of sandwiches for the following day. It was time too turn in as we were getting up at six in the morning.

Sunday was a day of gale force wind with very heavy rain showers, the drive was slow going in the conditions, I suppose we arrived at the London Anglers Association car park at around eight o’clock, too find the river bank high and coloured. I decided Martin should fish the weir pool swim where I had fished with good success on the previous two occasions, while I planned a day of roving around the fishery, in search of some Avon perch. Lunchtime arrived with neither of us having a bite, as Stewart the river keeper said “It’s been tough fishing over the past three days” and we could certainly second that. We both fished hard until darkness with no sign of a bite, but we still enjoyed the day despite the atrocious weather. Its not often we can fish one of Britain’s major coarse fishing rivers.

On The Wasing Fishery

Monday we were on the delightful Wasing Fishery on the Kennet near Woolhampton delightful syndicate water which anyone can join; telephone John Butler 07867-971758. Further details on the Wasing Fishery are available from The Estate Office The Gardens, Wasing Park, Aldermaston Berks RG7 4NG. Providing you follow all the rules, you will have a great time. The bailiffs are often around checking members permits, sometimes I have had my permit checked three times in a session by different bailiffs which I welcome. I just wished more clubs checked their member’s permits, and then perhaps we wouldn’t get so many foreigners as well as locals illegally fishing our waters. The Wasing bailiffs are also anglers themselves who are quite knowledgeable on fishing the rivers Kennet and Enborn.

The car park was litter free, but sadly some slob had dumped a load of rubbish outside the gate. What I find hard to understand is that someone who likes to keep their garden tidy, had dumped their garden refuse and some carpet. I decided after getting Martin in a suitable swim I would come back and deal the mess before I too went off fishing. The river was bank high, in some places it was over the bank; with a water temperature of forty eight degrees F I reckon conditions couldn’t get much better. Martin having sorted out his tackle and bait, then climbed into his wet weather gear and was ready for the off. All the rain we have had this autumn and winter will certainly help us through the hot dry summer that is being forecast.

Walking down river with Martin I pointed out various swims where he could expect to find barbel, passing the bridge we turned right hand, a lot of willow trees were over hanging the river in which some thirty odd long tailed tits were feeding. Reaching the area where I was going to put Martin, I pointed out the swim where I suggested he fish. It had done a few double figure barbel during November and December. Positioned on the inside of the bend, was a big tree trunk which had been there for several years. Certainly home for chub and barbel, upstream were some bushes in the water creating another barbel holding area.

After pointing out the two areas to fish, I suggested he use paste baits, Pallatrax jungle stick and paste on one rod, with luncheon or sausage meat paste on the second rod. Having got Martin in a prime swim I went off and dealt with the rubbish at the gate. An hour later I am fishing my first choice swim in a big slack half way down river between two bridges, it didn’t take long before I was in action as barbel number one was netted, a nice fish about eight pounds caught on sausage meat paste. This was quickly followed by another barbel of about six pounds and a chub about three pounds.

Deciding it was time to see how Martin was doing I walked upstream to his swim, where he told me he had a couple bites, but no fish. As we chatted, I noticed he was banding a pellet on the hook. I said “That one pellet will be like a Needle in a Haystack” with that I went back to my swim. Within ten minutes I got a call could I go and photograph a fish for him. I said “What have you caught” he answered “A barbel”. I said “What bait” Martin in a flash said “Needle in a Haystack”. I certainly got that one wrong I said “Well done, I need a kick up the backside, I’m on my way with my camera” Having taken some shots of a good looking fish that weighed 8-12-0 we watched it swim off. See picture.

Even with a rising river making it very slippery underfoot, fishing couldn’t have been better on this first day for the number of bites and fish landed, unless I got lucky and caught a fifteen pound plus fish, now that would be a dream fish. My tackle was a twelve foot Avon action rod, J W Youngs centre pin reel with 10lb Gamma line which I have been field testing for an American company. It’s a line I have utmost confidence in. Hook was a size 4 Pallatrax barbless; the swims I chose to fish were easily fished with either a small Stonze weight, or three LG shot. The reason why I could fish with a light weight was because I fished the quieter water on the inside of bends, at the mouth of ditches behind fallen trees and in once case a small backwater. The river will often look quite fast on the surface, but on the river bed and close to the bank it will be a lot slower, also behind any obstruction the water is often fairly slow, often only needing a free lined chunk of paste. Over many years of river fishing I don’t think I have fished with four and six ounce weights on more than a few occasions, in fact I don’t get any pleasure from fishing with heavy weights. Still every angler to his own method. Yes, you will catch barbel, but then so do I and my friends. When fishing the rivers Loddon, Severn, Ribble, Wharfe, Teme and Wye, I can usually finds some quiet water where I can drop in a bait and catch a barbel. These fish are not the brightest on the planet. Yes, I do sometimes fish the faster water where I still catch, usually using a crust or paste bait with five or six LG shot. Just ask Steve Collett, Ian Chapman, Mick Holgate, Ewan Turner, Anthony Morris, Stephen Collins and others.

During the day I took time out for several fresh brews, also stopping for lunch and tea. I was able to help out a couple of new members; in fact I walked two of the beats with them showing these new members various swims, explaining when and how to fish the spots. After making John and Peter a brew I put them in a swim where I thought they had a good chance of catching. They did just that. John had five fish to 8-12-0; Peter caught four fish to 9-5-0. On this first day Martin and me fished until late in very warm weather conditions catching a total of 25 barbel, best at 10-6-0 three chub and a perch of 2-14-0 which I caught on three lobworms, fishing just upstream of the pipe swim. We both used a variety of baits crust, lobworms, pellets, crust, cheese paste, luncheon and sausage meat paste. As Martin and me said as we drove back to the cabin “What a wonderful days fishing”

Day Two on the Kennet

After a late night, we slept in until about nine in the morning, waking up to the news of the Australians thrashing our bowlers. After breakfast and cleaning up the cabin we went off to the river, on the way we dumped a load of rubbish in the litter bins placed in a lay bye on the old Bath road. Arriving in the riverside car park I found member John Seagure was already fishing. Martin decided to fish the swim he had fished the day before, while I was going roving, I also had three new swims I wanted to try. After putting most of my gear behind a big beech tree which offered shelter from the wind, it also made a nice base camp; I picked up my bait bucket and tackle then moved off to my first choice swim. I rolled and bumped a bit of meat down the run under an alder tree where the branches hung low over the water. On my third cast I hooked, and then soon netted a barbel about four pounds. I fished on for about half an hour without another touch. It was time to move on.

Two hundred yards downstream I found a likely looking spot where two big trees had fallen into the river creating an interesting looking slack. Baiting one rod with crust, the other with meat I cast them out, within minutes the meat bait was away and fish number two was netted. A barbel about five pounds. Ten minutes later I had a chub of about three pounds on crust. Fifteen minutes late I moved off down river meeting up with John who had also been among the barbel. As we chatted I told him some good fish had been caught off the platforms. Later in the day we met up again, I asked him if he was still catching His answer was “I fished the platforms as suggested where I had two doubles best at 11-12-0” I said “Well done” and moved on.

Ever since I was a youngster back in the late 1940’s I have always reckoned that if we get lots of rain, a bank high river with a high water temperature, today it was 49 degrees F. Providing you fished sensibly and moved around trying various baits then plenty of fish could be caught. I well remember in the 40’s 50’s and 60’s catching lots of big roach, bream, chub and the occasional barbel even an odd tench. After catching another five more barbel best at about 9lbs I went back to the car for lunch. Half an hour later I am on the move again dropping baits into all the likely looking spots catching chub and barbel. I called Martin and suggested he try the ‘Watering Can’ swim as I had just caught five barbel around the four to five pound mark. Martin did as I suggested and called to say he had caught a nice barbel nearly eight pounds.

Arriving in the ‘Swimming Pool’ swim, which looked more like a giant washing machine, I could see a quiet area of water under some willow branches, as I sat looking at the spot a barbel rolled as if to say “Chuck me a bait” I did in five casts I caught three barbel on Pallatrax Jungle paste, a chub about four pounds on crust. Half an hour later with no more signs of fish I moved on to the ‘Big Oak’ fishing bread flake on a three foot hook link I immediately caught a chub about four pounds followed by a barbel, then two more chub. In the fading light I moved off to the car park where I fished a tree lined swim. In an hour I had three more barbel. Knowing we had a long journey north I made a mug of tea then sat thinking about the two great days of fishing with some fine company. Out of the darkness loomed Martin with a grin on his face. I new then he had, had another good day. Our 250 mile journey home went without a problem, in fact it was quite good as we listened to BBC Radio five and Arsenal putting six goals past Liverpool, by ten thirty I am back home