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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
Venues & topics
Species
Archive

Local drain - Chatteris (1)

Fillenham's Drain
Venue: Local drain

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

Arrival time: 13.30
Weather: Overcast with some light drizzle. Still mild for time of year.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano match rod, Rapidex II 2400 centrepin, porcupine quill, 6lb line direct to 16 wire hook.
Baits: Maggots.
Fish: Rudd, roach & perch

While waiting to get the auxiliary battery changed on my car I didn't want to use it any more than necessary. So I decided to check out a small drain that runs along the edge of town. I had spoken to a couple of young lads a while back whom I saw in town carrying fishing rods, asking them where they fished. They said 'The Stink', a local name for the drain. I've never witnessed a 'stink', but that's what they call it. During a previous walk I had seen a spot where there were signs that people had fished, so that's where I headed.

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Species: Rudd, Roach, Perch

River Great Ouse - Offord (49)

Top Stream & other swims
Venue: River Great Ouse |Offord |Mill Stream

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

Arrival time: 10.15
Weather: Mainly overcast after a bright start. Gusty wind throughout session.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano match rod, Rapidex II 2400 centrepin, 6lb line, 4lb pre-tied Drennan hook length to 16 wire hook.
Baits: Maggots & worms.
Fish: 4 perch

I decided on another crack at the perch having only discovered a working method at the end of my session a couple of weeks earlier. I opted to float fish using my match rod in view of the depth of water, which was around 10ft. I thought that a float would be the best option, indication wise, but in the event I didn't get a touch and moved swims after a while. Another move followed, neither move proving fruitful, so I went back to where started and, just like on my previous visit, finally hit on a method that tempted a few perch.

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Species: Perch

River Great Ouse - Offord (48)

Mill Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Offord |Mill Stream

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

Arrival time: 10.00
Weather: Mix of cloud & sunny spells. Chilly breeze freshening during the day.
Tackle: 11'6" John Wilson Avon with 1.5oz quiver, Shimano 5000 RE reel, 6lb line direct to 8 hook.
Baits: Bread flake, cheese paste & worms.
Fish: Two small chub

After a reasonable amount of rain over the preceding weekend I decided to try the Mill Stream for chub. The club had reported the level up about an inch over the summer level. Not a great improvement but at least some water was moving through. The car park was empty when I arrived and there wasn't anybody on the stream. So I had the pick of swims. I made my way about half way along where trees that had made fishing virtually impossible earlier in the season had been cut back, making the swim much more accessible.

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Species: Chub

River Great Ouse - Offord (47)

Top Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Offord |Top Stream

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

Arrival time: 09.30
Weather: Light cloud cover for most of the day. Not too cold and hardly any wind.
Tackle: 9ft Shimano Aero X1 'Finesse Feeder' rod with 1oz quiver, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel, 5lb line direct to 14 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots and worms.
Fish: All perch with just one gudgeon

With autumn beginning to make itself felt through cooler weather and drizzly days, it seemed a good time to target perch. My best perch session was a few years ago on the top stream and that's where I decided to go, hoping for a repeat performance. But I have had such hopes before and they weren't realised. So would it be different this time? Well, for a long time it certainly didn't seem like it.

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Species: Perch, Gudgeon

The Clay Pit (24)

Side pond
Venue: The Clay Pit

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

Arrival time: 09.30
Weather: Overcast most of the day and colder than recently with little wind.
Tackle: Greys 12' Prodigy TX Float rod, Allcocks 4" centrepin, 4BB waggler, single shot, 6lb main line to 14 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots & bread flake with crumbed bread ground bait.
Fish: 4 tench and one lost at net.

My second consecutive trip to a stillwater with the rivers still being in a poor state because of lack of rain. I last visited the side ponds in July when I mentioned the low water level and now in October it was far worse. An indictment of the parlous lack of rain this area has received over the summer. I estimate that the level was down between 3 and 4 feet. This was very concerning and I feared it would spell trouble for fishing but in fact as it turned out I did very well.

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Species: Tench

Fields End (123)

Venue: Fields End

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

Arrival time: 09.30
Weather: Mild with hardly a breath of wind. Sunny all day.
Tackle: Greys 12' Prodigy TX Float rod, Allcocks 4" centrepin, 4BB waggler , 6lb line direct to 14 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots, worms, Spam and bread flake.
Fish: Rudd, roach & perch. One lost carp.

With the latest river report from Offord not being very promising I decided to take a short trip to my local commercial at Fields End. I had also had some minor procedures at the hospital the previous day and had been advised to take it easy, another reason for avoiding carting tackle along a river or stream. Arriving at the lake I found it quiet but with an extremely low water level. I don't like fishing from platforms at the best of times but it now involved sitting uncomfortably high above the water.

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Species: Rudd, Roach, Perch

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