After some challenging sessions on the rivers I decided to try a different stretch of the Houghton Wyton & Hemingford waters. Accessed from the pretty village of Hemingford Abbots it's a backwater of the Great Ouse although almost as wide as the main river. With a bit of flow and reasonable depth in places I was hopeful of more success than at the Trout Stream the previous week.

The stretch is pegged for club matches, which increased my optimism, and I settled at peg 11. It was fished from a platform, which I don't really like. There were other spots without platforms but the sloping bank made it difficult to position my chair. It wasn't possible to use a rod rest and I struggled a bit throughout the session placing my landing net on the vegetation in front of me as a rest for the rod.

I had tackled up with a maggot feeder, which I don't use very often, and first cast it became solidly snagged and I lost everything. Not a very auspicious start! I retackled but this time with just a single shot on a line-loop link, a minimalist approach in view of the snags. Interestingly this setup didn't get snagged until much later in the session when I straightened the hook pulling out.

In addition to losing tackle it started raining. It was only a light drizzle but this added to the negativity of the start.

I had a few taps on the quiver that I couldn't hook. Maggots were being picked of the hook so I guessed it was small fish. Changing to worm produced slightly stronger pulls but I still couldn't make contact. After a while a fish was on as I retrieved, not having seen a bite. It was a small perch that could have taken the worm as I started to wind in. It was hooked just in the edge of the mouth.

I continued to get knocks that I couldn't hit. I had seen another angler further along the bank when I arrived so decided to go and have a chat and perhaps pick up some tips. To my surprise he had gone. I hadn't been there long so assume that he either had left because he wasn't doing any good or had arrived very early for a short early morning session.

I continued to be frustrated by missed bites until finally I managed to hit one, which turned out to be another small perch. The rain had stopped by this point and conditions were quite pleasant but the fishing wasn't going very well. I then snagged again and managed to pull out but with a straightened hook and a lost shot. I retackled and changed up to a size 12 hook as I thought it would be better with worm bait.

The taps continued but I didn't manage to hit another fish. I was already on the point of considering whether to pack up when a cormorant emerged from the water just in front of me, no more than about ten feet out from the bank. I had never seen one that close but it convinced me that it was time to call it a day.

So, not a great session. The planned maggot feeder approach failed on the first cast and despite persevering I was unable to attract a better sized fish. In fact I didn't attract much at all. Lots of knocks but hardly any positive bites.

On reflection it might have been better to float fish. Perhaps something to try on another occasion.