Please rotate your device

This page is best viewed in Landscape orientation
(or tap anywhere to view in Portrait orientation)

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!

QR code

YouTube channel

Venues
& topics
Species
Archive
Venues & topics
Species
Archive

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.

Read full report

Species: Chub

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.

Read full report

Species: Chub, Dace, Perch

River Great Ouse - Houghton (7)

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: circa 10.30 at first swim.
Weather: Bright & warm.
Tackle: 12' Korum Multi-feeder, simple SSG link, 6lb line, 8 hook.
Baits: Bread flake, cheese paste & worm.
Fish: one chub

I seem that I forgot to make a diary entry for this trip at the time, so this is based on memory and the video that I posted on YouTube.

Having had a reasonable successful session at the Chubb Stream the previous week I had hoped to repeat this at the Trout Stream. I had assumed that it wouldn't have been as overgrown as the Chubb Stream but I was wrong. It was in fact more challenging because of the beds of 'cabbages' covering the bottom in many places.

Read full report

Species: Chub

The Chubb Stream (10)

Venue: Chubb Stream

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

Arrival time: 07.30
Weather: Bright sun, becoming very hot.
Tackle: 10ft TFG compact float rod, Speedia centrepin, 2xSSG link leger, 6lb line direct to 8 eyed hook
Baits: Bread flake, cheese paste.
Fish: Three chub including a PB for the stream.

First day of the river season and I decided to go to the Chubb Stream. I had walked it the previous week and knew it would be challenging but the extremely hot weather didn't help.

Read full report

Species: Chub

River Great Ouse - Offord (18)

The Triangle
Venue: River Great Ouse |Offord

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

Arrival time: circa 11.15 at swim
Weather: Overcast with a cold NE wind.
Tackle: John Wilson Avon Quiver with 1.5oz quiver, cage feeder and later a small cube leger weight, 6lb line direct to 8 hook.
Baits: Bread flake
Fish: One chub

I returned to the point of the Triangle at Offord Cluny having blanked twice previously at this spot. But I had lost a fish on the first occasion and this was another attempt to tempt a chub.

Read full report

Species: Chub

River Great Ouse - Houghton (5)

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: circa 10.50 at swim.
Weather: Bright start then clouded over. Mild but very windy.
Tackle: 9' Shimano Aero X1 with 1oz quiver, simple SSG link, 5lb line, 8 hook.
Changed to 3lb flourocarbon hook length and 12 hook at one point.
Baits: Bread flake.
Fish: 2 chub

I had a plan today but like on many previous occasions nature and the fish conspired to render the plan useless. But, as things turned out, good fortune rescued the day.

Read full report

Species: Chub

< Previous Page Page 7 / 16 Next Page >

© 2025 Robert Bassett

Report bugs to webmaster

Built in RapidWeaver
with Shaking The Habitual's
Source micro framework

Your privacy
Cookies are only used for the correct functioning of this site and to prevent you seeing this message every time you visit.

Read more about third party cookies ☞

Note that links to third party sites can result in cookies being loaded. For example, there are links to YouTube to display the embedded videos from my channel.