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Diary of an average angler

Who favours traditional methods & baits

fisherman

This diary dates back to a holiday in 2003 when I think the urge to get back into fishing took off. From around 2007 the trips became more frequent with 2010/11 probably being the peak of activity.
Things again pick up in 2020 - a sort of rebirth!

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Venues & topics
Species
Archive

River Great Ouse - Houghton (20)

Trout Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Houghton |Trout Stream

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 10.00
Weather: Overcast & cold (6˚C) but with no discernible wind.
Tackle: Korum 12ft 'Multi-feeder', Shimano ST2500FB baitrunner, two SSG link, 6lb line to 8 eyed hook.
Baits: Cheese paste & king prawns
Fish: One chub 3¾lbs

After a seven week gap I finally was out on the bank again. Following a second episode of heavy rain the river reports showed that the Ouse at Houghton was marginally above the seasonal norm and on the strength of this I made my way to the Trout Stream. Sure enough the stream was looking good. It was carrying a bit more water and had a nice colour, so prospects were promising.

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Species: Chub

River Great Ouse - Houghton (19)

Trout Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Houghton |Trout Stream

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 10.00
Weather: Bright day with a light breeze. Temperature rising to 17˚C by early afternoon.
Tackle: 11'6" John Wilson Avon with 1.5oz quiver, Shimano 5000 RE reel, 6lb line direct to 8 eyed hook.
Baits: Cheese paste & Spam
Fish: One small chub

My previous trip to the Trout Stream was a disaster. Weed growth and overgrown banks, along with very low water and negligible flow, presaged a challenging session. And so it turned out. I caught nothing.

The decision to try again was prompted by some long awaited rain in our region, my hope being that even if the weeds and bank side vegetation hadn't declined that much, at least there would be some flow and a bit more depth. And this is what I found, causing me to have at least a hope of a chub, or maybe a couple.

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Species: Chub

River Great Ouse - Houghton (18)

Trout Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Houghton |Trout Stream

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 10.00
Weather: Bright day with gusty breeze. Temperature rising to 25˚C by early afternoon.
Tackle: 11'6" John Wilson Avon with 1.5oz quiver, Shimano 5000 RE reel, 6lb line direct to 8 eyed hook.
Baits: Bread flake & Spam
Fish: Blanked due to terrible conditions.

Following a week indoors recovering from a virus and still coughing occasionally, I decided to try the Trout Stream as I thought recent rain would have brought the level up and created some flow. I was wrong on both counts as the level was as low as I've seen it and any flow was hardly discernible. I should have just given it a miss but having been in all week I wanted some time out in the fresh air. I knew it would be a minor miracle to tempt a chub in such conditions even assuming that I could find one. And so it proved.

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Species: Blank

River Great Ouse - Houghton (17)

Six Gate Weir
Venue: River Great Ouse |Houghton

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 9.15
Weather: Last chance before another very hot spell. Temperature increasing after early cloud cover. Hardly any wind.
Tackle: 9ft Shimano Aero X1 'Finesse Feeder' rod with 1oz quiver, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel, 5lb line direct to 14/12 hook .
Baits: Maggots & bread flake
Fish: A fair number of dace and a few small roach

I had fished the Six Gate Weir pool the previous week after giving up on the Trout Stream. On that occasion I had caught one very respectable roach but missed most of the bites since my Trout Stream chub tackle wasn't really suitable. So I decided to return with a lighter and more sensitive rod, which at 9ft was also better for fishing under the trees. The river level was up after some welcome rain and there was a good flow over the weir. I did indeed manage to hook more of the bites but the better roach eluded me. There were however a lot of very hungry dace!

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Species: Roach, Dace, Perch

River Great Ouse - Houghton (16)

Trout Stream & main river
Venue: River Great Ouse |Houghton |Trout Stream

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 8.30
Weather: Still warm after a few days of 30+ temperatures. Some cloud cover clearing late morning and a freshening breeze.
Tackle: Korum 12ft 'Multi-feeder', Shimano ST2500FB baitrunner, 2SSG link, 6lb line to 8/10 eyed hook.
Baits: Bread flake
Fish: One roach.

I had taken a look at the Trout Stream a week before the season opened when there were a few difficult but fishable spots. After the very hot spell I thought a flowing stream might be a good bet, but talking to the bailiff on the walk down to the river he said that there was very little flow. This was indeed the case and the weed growth had increased significantly since my walk-about a few weeks earlier. I did however find out from the bailiff how to access the stretch upstream of the bridge.

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Species: Roach

River Great Ouse - Houghton (15)

Trout Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Houghton |Trout Stream

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 10.15
Weather: Chilly again after a warm spell. Cold northerly wind, alternating between overcast & sunny.
Tackle: Korum 12ft 'Multi-feeder', Shimano ST2500FB baitrunner, two SSG link, 6lb line to 8 eyed hook.
Baits: Bread flake
Fish: One Pike & one chub.

My final trip of the river season so I decided on the Trout Stream as it had been the most consistent of my winter venues. The level was down considerably and the water clear, and with bright sun when I arrived it wasn't the best of conditions for chub fishing. Overcast periods followed but these didn't improve the fishing, which can be summarised as not having a bite! Fortunately, after trying numerous spots I did have a bit of luck to round off the river season.

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Species: Pike, Chub

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