Arrival time: 09.30.
Weather: Warm & windy with strong gusts.
Tackle: Korum 12ft 'Multi-feeder', Shimano ST2500FB baitrunner' simple 2SSG link/cage feeder, 6lb line to 8 eyed hook.
Baits: Bread flake, cheese paste & prawn.
Fish: A dace & a chub.

A return to Offord a week after the opening day and on this occasion I got the swim at the head of the Mill Stream. It had been occupied the previous week. It's probably the best looking swim on the stream and always looks promising, and I had seen numerous chub there a few days before the season opened. But I guess some early season fishing had taught them to be a bit wary as I was unable to tempt one.

I was getting bites on bread flake from the off but I soon concluded that they were probably dace. A change to cheese paste as a more selective bait provided my first fish - which was a dace, albeit quite a nice one. I had also tried prawn but other than a few taps from presumably curious dace, it didn't attract a chub. A pike, that I had seen on my pre-season visit, was still in attendance, a threat to anything I actually hooked.

After about an hour I decided that I was unlikely to tempt a chub and made a move to the bridge swim where I had caught a couple of chub the previous week. Of course, the chub by the bridge were also likely to have become more wary but I did spot a least one when I had crossed the bridge earlier. I again started on bread flake with no early success. Changing to cheese paste I missed a good pull, which was annoying but at the same time encouraging. Sticking with cheese paste I was getting taps on the rod top but nothing really positive. Following a few taps, that I suspected was a curious chub, I struck and felt nothing. But as I retrieved a fish pulled back. At first I thought it might have been a pike going for the moving bait but it turned out to be a chub.

My late realisation as to what was going on gave the fish the chance to get to the nearside bullrushes but fortunately I managed to extract it and bring it to the net. At 2lbs 7oz it was very welcome. I didn't expect to get another given that I had waited quite a while for the first one and although I fished on until about midday, nothing was tempted. I decided on another move.

Before setting off I had debated whether I should go to the Mill Stream or fish a spot on the main river. So after leaving the stream I made my way to that spot, which was on what they call Sismey Island. It was about 100 metres below the weir and there is a large eddy along the near bank, although with the low flow it was more of a slack on this occasion. I had caught a chub there a few years previously and was hoping either to repeat that, or perhaps tempt a bream or two.

I had put a feeder bead link on the line and replaced the 2SSG shot with a cage feeder to fish this swim. Using bread flake I filled the feeder with crumbed bread flavoured with garlic granules. I cast to where the stream met the slackness of the eddy. There was no quick response!

After a couple of casts and no joy, I was adjusting my hat strap when a large dragonfly stunned itself flying into my rod. As it dropped into the water a largish pike lunged at it, both disappearing beneath the surface. But the dragonfly then popped up. I retrieved it on my landing net and afterwards spent a bit of time helping it recover. My rod top remained undisturbed so the dragonfly wasn't interrupting anything.

A change to cheese paste and then prawn didn't provoke any interest either. But nature again provided a distraction as two tiny bank voles popped in and out off the bankside vegetation beneath my feet. One actually ran off with a small piece of bread I had placed near their 'home'.

And that was how the two hours passed on the main river. No bites but plenty of other interest from the wildlife. I packed up at 2.00 pm and the good news was that the dragonfly had gone, hopefully having recovered and flown away!