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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
Archive
Venues & topics
Species
Archive

The Chubb Stream (11)

Venue: Chubb 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 very mild for October with little wind.
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. Changed to 12 hook for dace.
Baits: Cheese paste & maggots.
Fish: One chub and two dace.

I didn't feel in the mood to travel too far so decided to go to the Chubb Stream that I last fished on 16th June. The EA water level report showed low but I thought I would take a chance. During a chat with a chap in the car park in St Ives he mentioned that there was too much weed in the stream.

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Species: Chub, Dace

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 Nene - Backwaters (4)

Wellington
Venue: River Nene |Nene backwaters

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

Arrival time: 13.45 at swim
Weather: Pleasantly warm with fresh NNE breeze.
Tackle: 11' 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 and spam.
Fish: One reasonable chub and two dace.

I returned to the backwater that I first fished a few weeks ago, this time with a better idea of what swims I would fish. I had hoped to concentrate on perhaps two or three spots, but the continual taps on the quiver tip from small fish caused me to rove the stretch in the hope of a better chub.

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Species: Chub, Dace

River Nene - Backwaters (3)

Alwalton
Venue: River Nene |Nene backwaters

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

Arrival time: 10.00 at swim
Weather: Warm & humid, becoming hotter with a freshening breeze.
Tackle: 11' 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 and spam.
Fish: One small chub and one dace.

Today I visited another backwater of the Nene. I had walked the stretch a couple of times but this was my first fishing trip. It's quite a popular water but I didn't see anybody else on the stretch, which allowed me to try a number of swims. With clear water and bright sun the conditions weren't great and, indeed, I struggled to catch.

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Species: Chub, Dace

River Great Ouse - Houghton (8)

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: 08.15
Weather: Bright, sunny and a light breeze, with increasing cloud cover.
Tackle: 9ft Shimano Aero X1 feeder rod with 1oz quiver, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel, 5lb line with simple link leger and a 14 eyed hook tied direct.
Baits: Maggot
Fish: Small dace & perch.

I had about half a pint of maggots left over from my trip to the Offord mill stream and decided to go to Houghton for a few hours to use them up. I went to a spot I had fished once before where one of the main channels feeds the head of the trout stream.

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Species: Dace, Perch

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

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