Despite conditions I’ve had Some Good Fishing

It’s been a busy time of late, September 19th through to 26th I had Brendan Ince as my guest on the River Kennet, though the fishing was hard, the low gin clear water sunshine and blue skies didn't help in my endeavour to help Brendan catch a double figure barbel. Among the fish he did catch, were a nice brace of barbel at 9-4-0 and 9-15-0. Brendan is certainly becoming and thinking and hard working angler deserving the fish he catches. on the last day I had a chub of 6-1-0 on crust, it just slightly tightened the line. It was an old fish and probably on its last legs. It seemed a shame to have caught it. This gave me a total of 4 five pounders and a six pounder for the month of September.


Anti Poaching Work

Through the nights of Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th of September a lot of my time was spent on the River Ribble keeping watch on salmon pools with other bailiffs and river keepers. On the Sunday night here of us noticed a person being dropped off close to the river, and then the car drove off. After watching our suspect scanning the bridge pool he moved off to walk the river bank via the public footpath.

We followed him for some 5 miles up river to the next bridge then down the opposite bank. At each likely holding area for salmon and sea trout he would stop and scan the area. All the time staying on the public footpath. As he walked alongside one pool, I said to my two colleagues “If he strays off the path into the wood we will have him”. Eventually he was back on the main road. We couldn't do a thing. It was an exasperating night. With the rivers low with little flow the poachers will be out and about.
Should you see any suspicious behaviour please call the EA on 0800-80-70-60 or the police. Should you call the police ask for a crime number. It’s nice to see some of the angling clubs with waters on the River Ribble organising night patrols, which are equipped with night vision equipment. I feel we need more clubs to take a positive approach to poachers who are using nets or rod and line. When caught they should be prosecuted for theft or attempted theft. Remember we cannot rely on the EA to be at the waterside 24 hours a day, we all need to play our part.

Good Roach Chub Salmon and Trout from the Ribble


September 30th the last day of brown and sea trout fishing in Lancashire was a perfect day for fly fishing, despite the low water levels. I arrived on the Ribble to find trout avidly rising and taking sedges off the top, and emergers in the surface film. The trout were responding with gusto and eating lots of flies as they hatched off, even the sea trout offered some goods sport for anglers during the previous evening session. From around 10 o'clock that morning I had many good trout all females, firm and plump no doubt full of eggs. Every fish was unhooked in the water, hopefully they will breed successfully.

Tackle was a Thomas and Thomas 4 weight Helix rod, with a floating line matched with a twelve foot leader to a three pound tippet which I greased up so just few inches of the tippet were below the surface. Just one pattern was used, a size 16 Pheasant tail nymph, which I fished upstream retrieving the nymph so it just floated downstream a few inches under the surface, and I had a hit every cast, not a single refusal. It was trout fishing at its best.

Salmon on a Seven Weight

On the way upstream I spotted a good fish turn at the tail of a pool, I wasn’t sure if it was a sea trout or grilse. Back in the car park I changed my 4 weight outfit, for a seven weight then made my way back downstream. At the head of the pool, I tied on a size 12 Silver stoat’s tail then made a long cast across the pool, but nothing was interested. Three casts later I had a hit, setting the hook a big boil appeared on the surface. This was no sea trout or grilse, it was a bit bigger. I was forced to give line then follow the fish down the pool.

Just before the rapids the fish stopped and sulked on the bottom giving me time to retrieve more line. Then the fish moved upstream towards me. Quickly I gained the loose line then it was a case of give and take for several minutes, but slowly I gained more line. Soon I was able to draw a nice salmon onto the gravel shallows. Dropping the rod I grabbed the fish. The tape measure said 29 inches about 10lbs I reckoned. Moving out to the faster waster I held the fish until it forced itself from my grip. It was with great satisfaction that I watched the coloured fish move off for the deep water of the pool.

Chub and Roach on Bread Flake

Over lunch I decided to leave the trout and move to another stretch and fish for the chub, also hopefully some good roach as conditions were near perfect. An hour later I pulled into the car park to find I had the beat to myself. I chose to fish with a 13 foot rod, centre pin reel with 4lb line, I chose a cork on quill float taking 7 AA shot bunch about 15 inches from a size 8 Pallatrax barbless hook. Then lightly pinched a BB shot six inches from the hook. I chucked a fresh loaf in my bag along with a bag of crumb bread for feeding. Then having got all my tackle sorted, I pulled on chest waders and boots.

Locking the car I picked up my gear then walked off upstream for about half a mile or more to some woodland of Alders, Willows, and Oaks and the odd Silver birch and Sycamore. It’s an area of wilderness for deer, badgers and song birds; also a roosting area for pigeons and herons, in fact there is a small heronry in the middle of the wood where three or four pairs of these delightful birds breed each year.

At the end of the wood I carried on upstream to where I was able to wade out to a gravel bar, this allowed me to fish down and across where I could work a float down a depression in the river bed with a depth of about five feet over pea size gravel stretching some fifteen twenty yards in length before it started to shallow up. The depression or channel not only offers relief from the strong current when the river is carrying extra water but food will also be swept into the area. The added depth also offer security to the fish and with the over hanging alder trees the fish also have some shade in the summer months, some fallen trees in the water also offer a sanctuary to fish from cormorants.

It’s a great swim for chub and roach when conditions are good as they are today. An another advantage is this swim can only fished successfully by using chest high waders, As it’s game fishing, no one is interested in the coarse fish. As luck had it, I had a large rock close by where I could put down my bag. Putting in three good balls of crumb I left the swim alone for twenty minutes, just flicking in hook size pieces of bread flake.

First Fish a Good Chub

As a bank of cloud covered the sun, I thought it was time to start fishing, baiting with a piece of bread flake I made a Wallis cast ending the float across the river and slightly downstream of where I was standing allowing the float and bait to enter the head of the swim with a slight splash, Making an upstream mend I allowed the flow to take line off the reel allowing the bait to proceed the float which is important.

Six to seven yards down the swim the float dipped then disappeared. I tightened into a good fish which hugged the bottom then bored off downstream I was forced to give line. Lifting the rod I changed the angle of pressure I was putting on the fish, which caused it to slow up then with lots of side strain I was able to pull the fish of course. Slowly I gained line and despite the head shaking I was winning. Soon I could see a nice chub, ‘No a good chub’ I thought. “It must go five pounds”. Soon I had the fish to hand. Wading back to where I had put my bag. I rested the fish in the net while I got the tape measure it went 24inches with a girth of 14 inches I reckon a good five pounder. That will do me I said to myself.

Having released the fish I threw in a ball of crumbed bread then flicked in half a dozen pieces of bread flake.

Rebaiting I dropped the tackle in at the head of the swim then eased it downstream, There’s isn’t nothing nicer than watching a float moving down the swim, all my senses were at a high pitch, Apart from a few slight bobs when I though the bait had caught the bottom nothing happened. Three casts later I again edged the float down the swim, reaching the end of swim where it starts to shallow up, I held the float back hard. As the bait lifted the float disappeared, not sure if it had dragged under or a fish had grabbed hold I gently tightened. It was a good fish. I was forced to give line as several yards were taken off the reel.

I soon realised I had something special it felt heavy as it bored away downstream over the broken rocks stones and through the water crowfoot. Downstream an alder that had crashed down last winter was hanging in the water. The chub if he got into the mass of branches would be gone. I put on as much pressure as my thirteen foot rod and 4lb line would allow. Moving down the swim I gained more line at the same time I felt the fish was slowing down. I cramped on more pressure swinging the rod over to my left I tried to pull the fish off course. It worked, I gained more line. Soon I was winning the contest.

I then spotted my quarry it looked huge in the deeper water I couldn’t clearly make out what I had hooked, was it a grilse I thought. Then as the sun appeared from behind the cloud I could it more clearly in the water. It was a big chub, in fact a very big chub. I eased off the pressure slightly, and then slowly guided the fish towards the waiting net. I could now see quite clearly the size 8 hook lightly nicked in the bottom lip of the fish. Soon it was mine. I heaved a great sigh of relief. It was a big chub. I reckon well over 6lbs the tape measure said 25 inches with a girth of just over 15 inches; it was a rock solid fish. I reckon it would probably push the scales to 6-8-0 perhaps even 6-12-0.The trouble when I go off game fish I don’t bother with scales, in future they will be in my bag. After resting the fish I watched it swim off strongly.

A Good Roach

During the next couple of hours I had eight more chub between 3 and 4lbs, on every cast I would add a small ball of crumb bread with a few pieces of bread flake. For nearly an hour I went through the casting fishing and retrieving of the tackle, with no sign of a fish. I rested the swim. As the light started to fade I decided to have another cast, as the float went down the swim it dipped then moved slowly across the current, I tightened and found myself attached to what I thought was a small chub, as I pulled the fish from the deep water into the shallow water I quickly realised I had hooked a good roach.

As the fish was pulled closer to hand I could see it was a big roach. Soon it was in my hand a magnificent roach that I reckon could go a pound and three quarters even perhaps 2lbs. In my book there isn’t a nicer fish to catch in rivers than a big roach, they are certainly my first choice fish followed by chub and perch. I fished on until I couldn’t see the float then called it a day. One that started off game fishing and ending up catching some great chub and a big roach.