This was my first fishing trip to the Castor backwater that I had viewed before the beginning of the season. It's very popular, with a limited number of swims, so I had waited until the early season enthusiasm had died down. But there were a couple of other anglers on the stretch when I arrived.

Like the other backwaters the water level was low and clear, and there was significant weed growth. The banks were also largely overgrown with a number of 'prepared' spots where people had fished. Both banks are fishable but access to the opposite bank can involve scaling stile-type fence panels, something I'm not so keen to do after the hip operation.

I walked past the first couple of swims nearest the entrance and tried dropping a piece of flake between streamer and under tree branches in what was an inviting but difficult swim. A take would have resulted in quite a challenging battle but as nothing responded the problem didn't arise.

I moved on to the next 'fishable' spot but, once again, other than interest from what were obviously small fish, there was no sign of a decent chub. I then passed a chap fishing in a spot that I had noted when I walked the stretch. I later learned from another angler that this spot was the 'barbel swim', and that the chance of finding it free was minimal.

Next I was at a shallow run where I had seen chub when I walked the stretch. My first cast with bread flake produced a good pull that I missed. I doubt it was a large fish but will, of course, never know. I persevered in this spot for a while but nothing came of it.

I decided to walk up to the weir pool and met an angler coming from that direction. He had been roving the stretch like me, suggesting that I might not have been the first person to try the swims I had already visited. This wasn't good news. He said the weir pool was almost unfishable because of weed growth. We met alongside a swim that had been fashioned out among the bank-side growth. He had already tried it earlier but I decided to give it a go. As you might have guessed, without success.

When I arrived at the weir pool I immediately saw what he meant regarding it being unfishable. I surveyed a couple of possible spots and chose one that involved scaling a wooden bar fence, something I wasn't keen to do. But in the end I decided to give it a try as things were looking pretty bleak for catching elsewhere.

Standing on compressed reeds at the edge of the water, I was fishing through a reed bank, resting the rod on the reeds. Like elsewhere, there were knocks from smaller fish. Eventually I wound in a tiny roach that had somehow hooked itself on a no. 8 barbless. I subsequently caught a very small chub. It was a tricky swim and if I had hooked into something decent landing it would have been very difficult.

I decided to retrace my steps downstream stopping off in a couple of the spots that I had fished previously. The chap I had spoken to earlier was in one of them and he still hadn't had any success. And I was no more successful than before.

I finished at an attractive looking swim close to the bridge at the start of the stretch. I imagine it's fished a lot and I wasn't very hopeful. And, indeed, I did no better there than elsewhere.

So, a disappointing day despite the promise offered up by what is a very attractive stream. I am advised that these backwaters fish much better in autumn/winter, and even in summer they are a better prospect when there is more water in them. This summer's drought has certainly made things more difficult for summer fishing.