I hadn't attempted to fish the Trout Stream during summer as previous experience of extensive vegetation both in the water and on the banks had dissuaded me. But, having had a stroll along the stream a few days earlier, it was looking promising with a number of fishable spots. I set off hoping for at least one fish but in the event the session turned into something quite memorable.

On this occasion I walked a fair way down the stream on arrival rather than dropping into the first spot. This involved quite a long walk but it got me to a swim that had proved reliable in the past. And so it was to be again. A bite soon after casting produced a finely conditioned chub of 2lb 9oz. It was a tricky swim and I had to keep the fish out of nearside reeds but that was nothing compared to what came later.

I next tried a more open swim but with no takers, so I moved on to what was a very chubby looking spot. The only drawback was an extensive raft of dying reeds extending from the near bank. The channel on the offside of these reeds was, however, just screaming chub, with trees overhanging the water. I had a missed bite soon after casting and got another take almost immediately after a recast. And then things went a bit mad. A good fish put an impressive arc in the rod but it wasn't long before it sought refuge under the dying reeds. What followed was the most challenging time I think I've ever experienced. What was obviously a good chub repeatedly went into the reeds despite my attempts to get it into more open water. The reeds extended too far from the bank to allow me to pull the fish away, although I was thankful for the 12' rod as anything shorter would have been a disaster. In the end it took just over ten anxious minutes to get the fish in the net and even then it involved me stretching to the limit to reach the fish that was still on the outside edge of the reeds.

It was worth it. At 4lbs 5oz it was my personal best from this stream.

After all the excitement and difficulties I decided that while the swim might hold more chub, it was just not worth going through something like that again. It exhausted me and wasn't good for the fish.

So I moved on to another more open swim and while I didn't get any interest it was good to just sit for a while and calm down!

I was now as far as I wanted to go downstream, the one other fishable spot being a tad too dangerous because of the need to negotiate a slippery slope. I decided, therefore, to make my way back upstream, stopping off where I caught the first fish.

Now my feelings are that two fish out of the same swim on such a small stream is unlikely. But the spot had been rested for over an hour so I gave it a go. The first cast didn't produce anything but when I cast again, putting the bait closer to the bank under overhanging branches, the bite was almost immediate. And I was soon netting another chub, this time weighing 2lbs 12oz. The session was turning into something very special.

I carried on walking upstream, looking into a couple of spots I had seen earlier in the week, but I decided against them as the undergrowth was too thick to negotiate with a rod. Too many branches to get snagged on. So I ended up at a spot near the start of the stretch where I had caught before, albeit a couple of years before.

Quite amazingly the bread flake had hardly settled before the rod top flexed and another chub was on. The swim wasn't too challenging although dying reeds near the bank presented a refuge that the chub willingly sought. But after a couple of failed attempts it was in the net. A fine fish of 3lbs 6oz to end the session.

So ended probably my best chub chub session since back in the 2010s when I regularly fished the Welland at Stamford, when on one occasion I took 11 chub. But that was a real red-letter day!