Against our better judgement and mainly because my mate and rarely get to fish together we decided to venture out today. Freezing fog and minus seven. Things didn't get off to a great start when the front lights on my mates car failed. So while he went to the garage to get them repaired I attempted to set off to the river in my car. I eventually managed to defrost the locks and get in. Getting to the river I was surprised to see the edges frozen, in some places out to ten to twelve feet on the slower water behind trailing branches. This restricted the swims available. I did, however, find the glove I'd lost a couple of weeks ago.
I found a couple of fishable swims close together and set up the usual float rods both dropped at the bottom of the drop offs one of which I'd popped up in the hope that it may be more enticing waving about in the current. My mate arrived not long after I'd cast out, a faulty relay apparently. When he got to the other swim a cormorant popped up just as one dived. This gave him a bit of hope as he reasoned that there may be bait fish about. He set up float ledger like me, but with freshwater baits. A hand size skimmer and a small roach. For the next couple of hours the baits were moved about occasionally. Not only to find fish, but also to stop the braid freezing solid on the spools. As we were having lunch a couple of boats came past, braking the ice and washing it out onto the river.
We moved to a couple of swims that had produced previously, sadly they failed to produce as well. We were blessed with the sight of an otter that swam across the river between us and a swan also came across, probably in the hope of been fed. No more cormorants though. Because of the fog the light started to fade early so we decided to call it a day.
I thought I'd done rather well earlier in the month with three doubles from the river, so I can't really complain about the blanks.
Thursday morning awoke up to a rather cold morning, as expected. What wasn't expected was the half inch layer of crispy frozen snow. After a vigorous warm up removing it from the car window I was on my way to the river. I'd intended to fish three or four swims, but the river was, unexpectedly, higher than normal and the steep icy banks would have made landing a fish somewhat fraught. Instead I opted to remain in the one swim for the day. With a slack down stream of some dying weeds and a larger one between trailing branches on the far bank it seemed a reasonable proposition. Unfortunately the pike weren't been reasonable. Nothing bothered the baits at all. With the temperature hovering around zero all day there wasn't even any interesting wild life to watch either, apart from the obligatory robin.
Friday's weather was different again. For most of the day I didn't need my big coat, despite the wind. The biggest problem of the day was forgetting my clip-ons, as I was facing the sun which was also reflecting off the water. The banks were back to their greasy muddy best. This time I did fish several different swims as I was on a different length and the match anglers had dug out some easily accessible swims. This tactic was no better than stopping still though. I did have one run around lunch time where the float shot up stream for ten feet or so parallel to the bank before stopping. I wound down to feel nothing, so gave the bait a bit of twitch. I tried this three times hoping it may induce a take before winding in. The bait was intact, not a scale dislodge. Probably a liner, maybe.
I don't suppose we will ever know if stopping in one swim or moving about is the best option on any given day. There again it doesn't matter either way if the fish aren't feeding. Three Blanks in a row is not good though.
By the time I'd wandered down to the river my foolishness in leaving my gloves at home meant I couldn't feel my fingers. The breeze that was blowing really did drop the temperature a few degrees. After a bit of vigorous hand rubbing feeling was restored and both rods set up and in the water. Smelt next to over hanging branch and lamprey at the bottom of the shelf. The swim I'd chosen to start in was at least protecting me from the wind.
With a cup of tea part drunk the lamprey float shot away at a great rate of knots, before popping up again a few yards away. A strike contacted with nothing and I retrieved a slightly chew bait. This went back out to same spot. By ten, and with no more bites, I wound in and had a wander upstream to look at an alternative swim or two. Non of them looked particularly inviting, besides the sun was now out and my current swim was a bit of a sun trap and out of the wind.
It was after one when the next bite occurred, just as I was gnawing on a ham and cheese sandwich. Some thing very lively had taken the lamprey. Things got very lively as I got it over the shelf which was only six to eight inches deep. Netting large fish in shallow water is always fraught. I got it over the net, but before I could lift it the fish flipped and shot towards me, beaching it's self. This was all well and good, but the deep sticky mud prevented me from reaching it. I eventually managed to poke the landing net under it while it remained calm. A 95cm fish of 10lb 13oz.
It was another three hours before the next bite, this time to the smelt. A rather lethargic little fish that came in more like a sodden branch. As I gilled it it came to life. Jabbing the end of my thumb with the hook point and scrapping my fingers with it's gill rakers. A rather scared fish of 61cm. The blood in the picture is all mine, in fact half an hour later when I was packing in it still hadn't stopped. This is probably a good thing as it means any germs, or whatever, are washed out.
Should I have moved? Yes, No, Maybe. At least I was comfortable where I was, in the sun, and I believe you tend to catch more if you're warm and comfortable.
Today I headed south to the river, instead of north, for today's trip. Again there was no wind leaving the river looking like a mirror. Somehow I'd managed to leave one of the cool bags at home, the one containing the large smelt and lamprey. I hope it wasn't defrosting on top of the freezer as it was slightly warmer today. As it turned out, I hadn't even taken it out of the freezer. So it was either small smelt or sprat as bait, both of which I'm quite confidant about.
With a sprat float fished at the bottom of the shelf and a smelt nest to a pikey looking over-hanging branch I sat and waited. The boiling of a brew, whilst contemplating moving produced the first take of the day, a steady trundle upstream. This produced a feisty little jack of 67cm. I gave it another hour before moving to the next swim, where similar tactics, along with trotting a bait just off the bottom, were used to no avail. Same in the third swim. The fourth swim produced one of the bob, bob, bobbing bites like yesterday and resulted in a slightly chewed sprat.
Not the most interesting of days, but not a blank. Another week at work until the nest trip.
Down at the river at first light, fishing a bit further upstream then last time. With barely a ripple on the river it looked very peaceful, but the geese and Tucanos put paid to that.
I decided to fish both baits at the bottom of the shelf, a lamprey to the right and a smelt to the left. Just as I'd made a cuppa the right hand float moved away and I was into a nice dogged fish. Which at 10lb 9oz and 90cm was the sort of fish I'm after. A little while later the left hand float started bobbing about I wound down the nothing, so gave it a bit of a twitch in the hope something would be coaxed in to grabbing the smelt, but nothing did. Five minutes later it started bobbing about again. This time I connected with some which came adrift very quickly. It didn't feel to be of any size. The right hand float started to do the same thing not long after. This time I got a tiny little pike to the surface before it let go.
Just after ten the left hand float shot under very quickly and I hit something very fast moving which managed to take line against the drag. After a short but hectic fight I had another double on the bank, this time at 10lb 2oz and 88cm. I had a few more of the silly bobbing bites, managing to get a couple of little jacks to the surface, one on each rod before moving swims. It appears I'm not he only one having problems with the little jacks on the Ouse. Bobble TV appear to have had it as well.
I tried a couple more swims in the afternoon, but didn't get any more bites. Talking to a couple of lure anglers I found they'd not seen a thing in the morning, but had had several tiny jacks in the afternoon. This confirmed what a a lot of pike anglers have told me and we'd seen. If the fish are picking up deadbaits they don't generally chase lures and vice versa.
As I was descending in to one swim I dislodged a piece of wood and underneath was what looked like a nest. It was about three inches in diameter and two inches deep. Not sure what it was for though. Probably a field mouse?
A quick tip for winter anglers that like a cup of tea. I boil up a flask of water before I leave and use this in the kettle to boil on the bank it makes it a lot quicker and doesn't use as much gas, especially if its windy. By boiling more than you need the excess can be put back in the flask and kept at a reasonable temperature.
Final day of fishing before my first full week of work. Yesterday I noted a couple of nice looking swims that were three or four feet above the river. The problem was I only had a short handled landing net with me, which meant I'd be struggling to land the fish. I took a more sensible telescopic net with me today. The net is a 32" Korum banana net and the handle a storm pole, which is also useful for navigating slippery steep banks.
With the numerous traffic lights in my favour I arrived at the river in pitch blackness. By the time I'd got my gear out of the car and wandered down to where I thought the first swim was it was still rather dark. Maybe I'd set off a tad early as well. No longer wishing to risk life and limb I boiled up a cuppa on my shiny new stove and intended to read the news on my phone. No signal. By the time I'd finished my cuppa it was light enough to see I was sat above the wrong swim. I found the swim and got setup. For some reason I put a smallish bit of lamprey on the rod to be fished at the bottom of the shelf, a bait I've never done well with on the river. The rod for the top of the shelf was baited with a small smelt.
Quite why I'd rushed down I don't know, as the first run, to the lamprey, came at eight-thirty. and this time was landed. A rather lethargic fish, 84cm and 7lb 15oz. After a quick weigh and photo I dropped the bait back in the same spot. A few minutes later the float moved away and I was into what I though initially was a similar sized fish, but turned out to be nearly half the weight at 4lb 6oz and 64cm. Good little scrapper though. I gave it another hour in this swim before trying two others, neither of which produced .
After lunch I returned to the first swim. As I wandered back the phone burst into life, giving me a fright. I stuck with the same baits and dropped the baits in similar spots to earlier. A short while later the float at the bottom of the ledge appear to be moving, I wasn't sure if it was the slight ripple that was giving the effect or not. The float then started to bob about and I was into one of those small but very spirited little jacks. A 61cm fish of 3lb 4oz, the last of the day. Strangely I'd had no runs on the rod at the top of the shelf. So that's four pike in three days this year from the river.
The reason I mentioned the lack of phone signal was prompted by somebody I'd chatted to in the morning. He'd noted it as well and was saying how many people think they only need a phone to get them out of trouble. Given the slippy banks he asked me what I'd do if I ended up in the water. I showed him the whistle I keep in may waistcoat pocket. We surveyed the swim together and agreed it wouldn't be easy to get out if you ended up in the water. There was a three foot sheer drop to the river and two foot of water below that, to an unknown thickness of mud. It was also book ended by thickets of willow that stretched the full width of the shelf so wading round was out of the question even if the mud allowed. I believe I could have scrabbled up the bank using the willow, but in soggy winter clothing it would be very hard work. Failing that the whistle should attract one of the occasional dog walkers or maybe a fellow angler. Just something worth bearing in mind as whistle is such a small and reliable device.
Back on the Ouse again, today, after my first fish of the year. I plumbed up the first swim. Four foot on the shelf, fourteen feet two foot further out. You know it's deep when the stop knot ends up on the reel. Sprat on the top shelf up to the overhanging tree. Smelt at the bottom of the shelf. First cast to the overhanging tree ended up with it in the tree, not a good start. A little while later the float at the bottom of the shelf trundled upstream and I was in to what felt like a nice pike. Unfortunately it turned out to be one of the Teflon mouthed varieties and shed the hook as I hauled it over the shelf. To make up for it the float by the tree moved away and I was into a feisty little jack which made it to the net. Hurray!
I then bumped a fish in the next swim. It wasn't till I got to the fifth swim that I had another run. I had to hit it quick as it was heading straight towards the mass of flood debris wrapped round the trailing branches. A little jack which shed the hook as I slipped reaching for the landing net. Just to add to the day my stove developed a leak causing flames every where but where they should be.
When scrambling up and down steep muddy banks and slipping around in the mud at the bottom I can understand why some people aren't to fond of river fishing. While it can bother me at the time, It doesn't seem to put me off. What is annoying, though, is fish falling off the hook. I tend to use a single Drennan double when river fishing as I've lost a few fish in the past when the second hook snags on a sunken branch or other debris. I see no reason to change this set up as It's worked very well in the past.
The first session of the year didn't get off to the sort of flyer I'd hoped. I did however remember the teabags this time. I decided to fish the Ouse again, this time further downstream and on the opposite bank. This section had been good to me in the past, but not today. Apart from the lack of fish it also lacks sunshine, the high bank and low sun mean it doesn't see any for a few months. While it wasn't really cold today the lack of sun means the greasy alluvial mud, deposited by the last flood, doesn't dry and can be quite treacherous. As I discovered when I slipped and cut my head on the end of a branch.
After no action in the first swim I moved on. Not long after settling in a few roach scattered to my right followed by a large swirl near the bank. I moved the bait from under a tree further down to the vicinity oft he swirl, while the other remained under the tree to my left. Just after lunch a pike by the float on the left. I don't know whether it was attacking the float or what, but as there was a bait four foot under the float I left it there. Rather than move about on the treacherous mud I decided to stop put, especially as I'd seen active pike. Sadly that was the only pike activity I saw. Oh well, it can only better - can't it?
On the way back to the car, in the dark, I managed to lose the path. It wasn't until I realised the house lights were on my right and should have been on my left that I realised something had gone wrong. I turned off my head torch allowing my eyes to become accustomed to the dark and headed back the way I came, eventually finding the correct path. The problem with torches is that they restrict your view to whatever is lit up. Whereas leaving your eyes to get accustomed to the dark, especially in the countryside, allows you to see a lot more.
