First Day Of The River Season 2024

The weather for the start of the river season didn't look great. Heavy rain and strong winds sweeping though, making a nuisance of it's self. The height of the the rivers would be effected and as I'd rather start the season trotting for what ever this  isn't great. However a video by River Foss Fishing, who'd been out at midnight, showed my intended destination looking reasonable. When I got there mid-afternoon the level had dropped an inch or two but the water was coloured. It was suitable for a spot of stick n' pin.

After the showers on the way there the sun came and the gusty wind got stronger. Thankfully the high banks and trees protected me form the worst of the gusts until they dropped. Tactics were simple. I'd be trotting maggots over hemp for what ever. There were three distinct currents though the swim. A nice slower glide at 5' 6" deep on the inside. A fast 6' deep section a third they way across. After that it was a lot quicker and around 7' deep. Hemp was tossed into all three. The first fish of the season was a bit of a fluke. I'd dropped the baited rig into the edge while I adjusted the seat. When I lifted it out a little roach had hooked itself.

I tied dropping the bait back in the edge for a while but nothing else grabbed hold. I started to feed the three swims while alternating between them. It was quite while before my next fish, a small dace, turned up from the middle of the three swims. This was quickly followed by a small chublet. It then went rather quiet.

As the sun moved behind the trees the bites started to increase. Not that I could hit a lot of them. As the bites where coming from the middle swim I concentrated on that one. I did still keep feeding the other two swims but not as much and not as often. A bit of twiddling of the shot and depth produced a couple of stamp roach. Then a few bleak before going quiet again. As it was now tea time I increased the depth and put the rod on the rest fishing the inside line.

My hope of adding a gudgeon to the species tally while I had something to eat had failed. I fished the three different swims but only the middle one was producing the odd small roach, bleak and dace. By now the temperature had dropped. Like a twit I'd left my fleece in the car. The bites stated to tail off. As did my enthusiasm until a decent dace was taken right at the bottom of the swim. Due to the trees on my side I couldn't fish further than this as I could no longer see the float despite leaning precariously out over the water. This was to be the last fish of the day.

I ended the session with two dozen fish for around 3½lb. One fish every ten minutes.  pleasant enough start given how coloured the rivers was. Ledgering for barbel may have been a better idea but I like to start the season float fishing and that's what I did. The weather for the rest of the week is best described as variable and no doubt the rivers will be a bit all over the place but I shall persist.