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Diary of an average angler

Who favours traditional methods & baits

fisherman

This diary dates back to a holiday in 2003 when I think the urge to get back into fishing took off. From around 2007 the trips became more frequent with 2010/11 probably being the peak of activity.
Things again pick up in 2020 - a sort of rebirth!

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Venues & topics
Species
Archive

Fields End (123)

Venue: Fields End

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 09.30
Weather: Mild with hardly a breath of wind. Sunny all day.
Tackle: Greys 12' Prodigy TX Float rod, Allcocks 4" centrepin, 4BB waggler , 6lb line direct to 14 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots, worms, Spam and bread flake.
Fish: Rudd, roach & perch. One lost carp.

With the latest river report from Offord not being very promising I decided to take a short trip to my local commercial at Fields End. I had also had some minor procedures at the hospital the previous day and had been advised to take it easy, another reason for avoiding carting tackle along a river or stream. Arriving at the lake I found it quiet but with an extremely low water level. I don't like fishing from platforms at the best of times but it now involved sitting uncomfortably high above the water.

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Species: Rudd, Roach, Perch

River Great Ouse - Hemingford (1)

Hemingford Abbots
Venue: River Great Ouse |Hemingford

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 09.45
Weather: Cooler than of late with a drizzly start. Brightening with strengthening wind later.
Tackle: 11'6" John Wilson Avon with 1.5oz quiver, Shimano 5000 RE reel, 6lb line with 3.8lb Supplex hook length to 14 eyed hook.
Changed to 6lb line direct and single 2SSG shot after losing maggot feeder on first cast.
Baits: Maggots and worms
Fish: 2 small perch

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.

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Species: Perch

River Great Ouse - Offord (46)

Mill Stream & Lock Cutting
Venue: River Great Ouse |Offord

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 09.15.
Weather: Bright start with increasing cloud cover. Remained mild with little wind.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano match rod, Rapidex II 2400 centrepin, Drennan 4-swan loafer float, 6lb line to 12 eyed hook (stream).
Pre-loaded waggler with a 3lb pre-tied Drennan hook length and 16 wire hook (lock cutting)
Baits: Maggots and worms.
Fish: Mainly perch with just one small roach

Another trip to Offord this time to try trotting the Mill Stream. I had my eye on the glide that runs down to the road bridge and was pleased to see it was free when I arrived. I was using a 4-swan Drennan loafer float that I thought would handle the flow but recent rain had livened things up a bit. A combination of some turbulence and a faster flow made controlling the float extremely difficult. After a fairly short while I decided to make a move, setting up in the much calmer water of the lock cutting.

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Species: Perch, Roach

River Great Ouse - Offord (45)

Top Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Offord

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 10.00.
Weather: Bright start with freshening wind and increasing cloud cover.
Tackle: 10ft TFG Compact Float rod, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel, 5lb line direct to 16 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots and worms.
Fish: Roach, rudd and perch

When I was leaving Offord the previous week I chatted to a chap fishing a spot on the Top Stream where I had in the past caught perch, including my PB of 1lb 14oz. On other occasions when I've fished there the perch haven't obliged. But as he was having some success I decided to return to Offord and give the spot a try. Unusually for me I went on a Saturday so I wasn't sure if the spot would be free, but I needn't have worried as there was hardly an angler to be seen anywhere.

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Species: Roach, Rudd, Perch

River Great Ouse - Houghton (17)

Six Gate Weir
Venue: River Great Ouse |Houghton

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 9.15
Weather: Last chance before another very hot spell. Temperature increasing after early cloud cover. Hardly any wind.
Tackle: 9ft Shimano Aero X1 'Finesse Feeder' rod with 1oz quiver, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel, 5lb line direct to 14/12 hook .
Baits: Maggots & bread flake
Fish: A fair number of dace and a few small roach

I had fished the Six Gate Weir pool the previous week after giving up on the Trout Stream. On that occasion I had caught one very respectable roach but missed most of the bites since my Trout Stream chub tackle wasn't really suitable. So I decided to return with a lighter and more sensitive rod, which at 9ft was also better for fishing under the trees. The river level was up after some welcome rain and there was a good flow over the weir. I did indeed manage to hook more of the bites but the better roach eluded me. There were however a lot of very hungry dace!

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Species: Roach, Dace, Perch

Fields End (121)

Early spring session
Venue: Fields End

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 09.30
Weather: High pressure conditions. Clear blue sky with negligible wind.
Tackle: Greys 12' Prodigy TX Float rod, Allcocks 4" centrepin, 4BB waggler with lift-method single shot, 6lb main line to 14 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots, luncheon meat & bread flake.
Fish: Lots of Rudd and 3 perch.

With the forecast for little wind I decided to go to Fields End Water, my local pit. It's an exposed lake and I was keen to grab a windless day fishing on the waggler. As it was early in the year I took maggots as a smaller bait option but I also had luncheon meat and bread flake. There's a good head of rudd in the lake although I hoped that I might tempt a crucian or two, and perhaps a bigger carp patrolling the margins.

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Species: Rudd, Perch

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