The Roads Closed

 With the river up a foot or so I headed to an area I knew would have a few slacks. Unfortunately I'd forgotten the road was closed so I headed further downstream to an area that may have a few slacks. As it was there were very few as the river was just at that awkward height and it had coloured up far than I'd expected. I did find a few small ones that were close together so plonked myself in the middle of them so I could alternate between them.

First thing I did was drop some bits of oil soaked fish bits around the swims. I started with a small 4" rainbow trout on a paternoster rig close to the bank in the small slacks and a piece of eel injected with oil ledgered in the middle. I moved about between the swims for the best part of the day with out any sign of a fish. Before I moved I ran a lure through the swim a few times. A only had a couple of large shads with me that had been fitted with rattles.

Around three as I was making a cuppa the float bobbed about and shot away. The strike made contact with a twig. Had there been a fish or had the twig dragged the float away. It seemed a bit too fast for a twig to me. Out went another little trout. Half an hour later, just as I'd finished my cuppa, the float was away again. This time there was clearly a fish on the end. It made one half hearted run for some nearby tree roots then gave up. Once in the net it came back to life again, but settled down on the bank. A 90cm fish of 8lb 11oz with quite a few bits of damage to it. I was surprised at the weight as it really didn't look that heavy.

That was the lot for the day and given the state of the river I was quite pleased. Others out on the bank didn't seem to have fared well apart from one chap that had had a few roach and a decent perch trotting maggots.