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Diary of an average angler

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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The Chubb Stream (11)

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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.

The stream is naturally weedy but that chap had a point, the amount of subsurface weed and vegetation growing mid stream was greater than I had experienced previously. The level was also quite low and the water was gin clear. Not the best of conditions for chub.

I started at my favourite spot that rarely disappoints and sure enough a chub obliged almost immediately. It wasn't a big fish but in view of the amount of weed and rushes in the swim I might have had difficulty getting a bigger fish in. I returned it upstream a bit in the hope of perhaps another take, but I knew that this was wishful thinking, and sure enough there wasn't another bite.

chubb stream

The furthest downstream swim fished
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chubb stream

The swim by the bypass

chubb stream

The pipe swim

chub

The only chub - small but very welcome

I moved downstream to a spot where I took a chub in June but whereas then I had the cover of tall nettles, these had been flattened and it was difficult to approach the swim unseen. I didn't get a bite. I then moved a bit further downstream to a spot I hadn't fished previously, in this case the flattening of the nettles making the swim accessible. But again, no takers.

I dipped in the first spot again while walking back upstream, again unsuccessfully. I then tried a couple of spots where there were small rafts that I thought might harbour a chub. But, once again, no joy. A chap (not fishing) had joined me at this stage interested in learning about catching chub from the stream.

My next stop was an open swim by the town bypass, noisy but usually productive. But not today. Starting with cheese paste and then on to maggots didn't produce a touch, which surprised me.

I then decided to return to the first spot and try maggots. This didn't tempt another chub but I did have a couple of dace, the first one being quite a reasonable fish.

My final spot was to be where a pipe crosses the stream, a swim where I had taken a chub in the past. But it proved to be extremely weedy and only offered up a couple of tentative bites on maggots. I think I knew at this stage I wasn't going to catch another chub.

I finished off by walking along the short stretch leading to the entrance to the meadow, dipping in a couple of spots, but again encountering a lot of weed and no fish.

So, a bit of a strange day really. A chub with my first cast and then a struggle to tempt anything else. But it was a glorious day weather wise, the forecast 14⁰C actually turning out to be nearer 20⁰C. It was simply a pleasure to be out enjoying the peace and tranquility.

© 2023 Robert Bassett

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