Yet another trip to the Welland. I really like the tranquility of the place, and the chub aren’t bad either.

There was a bit of flow today, which I find always helps. The first fish came after only fifteen minutes (11.45). A small pull on the rod tip was followed by a positive bend; no trouble hooking this one. As usual it tried for the various reeds and buried itself in the bottom weed nearer the bank, but the weed is soft and I extracted it without incident. A nice 4lb fish on cheese.

Click any image to launch large format slide show.

Half hour later the rod was snatched as a fish hit the bait very hard. Unfortunately too quickly for my reactions, so this one was missed. At 13.45, following a number of line slackening events, I tightened when the line dropped and was into another fish. Thinking about it, I was casting slightly upstream so I should have realised that drop-backs were a possibility. This one was 3lb and battled so hard I thought it might actually be bigger than the first. Again the bait was cheese.

The chap I had spoken to last week came along and again stopped for a while. He was hoping to see a fish but at first I didn’t think I could oblige him. However, just as he was thinking of moving on a classic chub bite rewarded me with the smallest fish of the day, at 2¼lb, again on cheese.

A blank period followed. I cut up the luncheon meat that was left in the tin and catapulted it out into the flow near the far bank. I also tried it on the hook. But for the next few hours, other than what were perhaps a couple of drop-back half-bites, there was nothing doing.

I know things can improve into evening so I plodded on, although I wanted to pack up by 19.00. I missed one cracking bite and cursed my luck as I thought that was probably my last fish missed. However, at 18.25 a firm pull allowed me to hook into another fish. I was fishing very close to the far bank and this fish burrowed into the margin reeds over there. I got it out and then it tried for the reeds upstream, eventually snagging itself around the stem of a very robust bullrush. I really thought I had lost it at this stage as with a barbless hook the risk of giving it slack was high. I walked down the bank to change the angle and fortunately it came away from the bullrush, only to dive into the bottom weed. Again I had to force it out. Eventually another nice 4lb chub was on the bank.

Perfect timing really. I did have one more cast but realised that after all that commotion another fish was unlikely in the remaining ten minutes or so.

So, another very good day, made better by the fact that the kingfisher was also very active. Flashing past up and down the river on numerous occasions.