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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
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Species
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Venues & topics
Species
Archive

River Great Ouse - Offord (23)

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: 10:30
Weather: Sunny and mild for September with a freshening breeze.
Tackle: 11ft 6" John Wilson Avon with 1.5oz quiver tip, Shimano 5000RE reel, 6lb line direct to 8 eyed hook with 2xSSG link leger.
Baits: Spam, bread flake & cheese paste.
Fish: Four chub and two dace.

It's a while since I had been to the Mill Stream and I found that things had changed a bit. Reed growth had made a favoured swim by the bridge very difficult to fish. And the clearance of a tree bough that had been restricting the flow had changed the character of a couple of swims.

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Species: Chub, Dace

River Great Ouse - Offord (22)

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: 08:15
Weather: Alternating bright and cloudy with a stiff breeze.
Tackle: 11ft 6" John Wilson Avon with 1.5oz quiver tip, Shimano 5000RE reel, 6lb line direct to 8 eyed hook with 2xSSG link leger.
Baits: Bread flake & cheese paste.
Fish: Two chub.

Back to the Mill Stream but this time to target the chub. I decided to start at the swim by the bridge that rewarded me with a chub of just under 5lb a couple of weeks previously. Chub are visible from the bridge so at least you know that there are chub in the swim.

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Species: Chub

River Great Ouse - Offord (21)

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: 07.30
Weather: Overcast & breezy - brightening later
Tackle: 10ft EFGear compact float rod, Speedia centrepin, Drennan stick float, 6lb line with Drennan 4lb pre-tied hook length and 14 'red' hook.
Baits: Maggot, bread flake.
Fish: Small dace & perch and a couple of gudgeon.

I returned to the Mill Stream having the previous week thought that the swim at the head of the stream would be ideal for trotting. In fact the cross-flow of the stream and a cross wind made trotting quite difficult.

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Species: Dace, Perch, Gudgeon

River Great Ouse - Offord (20)

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: 08.30
Weather: Overcast & breezy - brightening later
Tackle: 11ft 6" John Wilson Avon quiver, Shimano 5000RE baitrunner, 2/3xSSG link leger, 6lb line direct to 8 eyed hook (14 hook for a while)
Baits: Bread flake, cheese paste, worm.
Fish: Two chub including a PB for the stream + small dace & perch.

After visiting a couple of heavily weeded streams this season, today I went to the Mill Stream at Offord. Weedy, certainly, but nowhere near as bad as those other streams. It was a slow start, a usually reliable swim not offering up anything.

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Species: Chub, Dace, Perch

River Great Ouse - Offord (16)

R Ouse & 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: circa 11.00 at swim
Weather: Overcast, no wind and very cold (3⁰C)
Tackle: 11' 6' John Wilson Avon Quiver with 1.5oz quiver, feeder / simple SSG link, 6lb line, 8 hook.
Baits: Bread flake & cheese paste
Fish: Blank

I returned to the point of the Triangle at Offord where I lost a fish a couple of weeks ago. The intention was to make good on that loss, but the conditions were entirely different.

The main flow was almost non existent meaning that the crease between the main flow and the lock cutting had effectively disappeared.

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Species: Blank

River Great Ouse - Offord (13)

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: 11.00 in car park
Weather: Bright with a blustery wind.
Tackle: 12' Korum Multi-feeder, simple SSG link, 6lb line, 6 hook.
Baits: Cheese paste / bread flake.
Fish: 2 chub, 1 roach

I did well on my last trip to the Mill Stream, my first fishing outing after my hip operation. So today I was reasonably confident of getting a fish or two. But although conditions were good I struggled. There were plenty of indications on the rod top but most were no more than taps, and when there was a more positive pull it was short and extremely difficult to hit.

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Species: Chub, Roach

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