Arrival time: circa 11.00 at swim.
Weather: Clear blue sky, no wind but cold (5⁰C).
Tackle: 11' 6' John Wilson Avon Quiver with 1.5oz quiver, feeder / simple SSG link, 6lb line, 8 hook.
Baits: Bread flake & cheese paste.
Fish: Blank - one fish came off

The Environment Agency site again showed the river levels normal although the Ouse was still carrying extra volume. But I was more hopeful than on my last outing.

I returned to a swim where I had tried trotting a few weeks ago, on that occasion without success. This time I decided to try the feeder. But after an hour or so I hadn't had a touch despite trying different parts of the swim.

My intention had been to stay in one spot but I started to feel quite negative about the swim so I decided to move. I made my way to the point of the so-called triangle, a wedge of land between the main flow and the lock cutting/mill stream outlet. I didn't expect it to be free as I had seen anglers walking that way earlier; but it was.

There's a choice to fish the main flow, the slacker lock cutting or, as I did, the crease between the two flows off the point of the triangle.

My first cast with the feeder was short. I decided to replace the feeder with 3-ssg link leger as this allowed easier casting and more accuracy.

No sooner had the link leger settled, with bread flake on the hook, than the top pulled round and I was into what felt like a good fish. But after a very short time it came off. I thought that I had probably missed my only chance of the day but I did get a few more bites, one almost certainly a chub while the others were more tentative. They could have been small chub, more cautious chub or perhaps other species, but I failed to connect with any of them.

I was using a 1.5oz quiver and perhaps I need to try the 1oz quiver on my recently acquired Shimano Aero X1 feeder rod for more sensitivity and less resistance to the fish. However, the Aero is only 9ft and might not be ideal for fishing the main river. I bought it primarily for stream fishing.

So, it was a blank but I nearly succeeded. What's more it was a glorious winter's day and a pleasure to be out.