Now that the river season is open I wanted to go back to a spot I fish with the aim of breaking my recent duck and actually catching some fish! As it has been so hot I decided to go one evening once it had cooled a bit. It is only five minutes drive from me and I was soon walking along the footpath to the swim. It was rather overgrown but didn’t prepare me for the shock when I went under the bridge and was confronted with a jungle! There used to be several trees with very little plant growth under them but the trees were felled a couple of years ago and the plants have taken full advantage! I pushed my way though and found a space to fish from and put my gear down. I had brought my chair as I had always been able to sit and fish comfortably here but I had to push over some of the vegetation in order to set it up. In the event I didn’t use it as I had to stand up to cast and see the float.

I didn’t expect to see this! Somewhere there is a river and a swim!

The next task was to clear a small space on the bank so that I could see the river, throw in some groundbait and maggots, assemble my float rod and cast out. The water was clear and only a couple of feet deep so I could see the bait drifting in the current. A couple of casts and I was into my first fish, a small roach. I always take a photo of my first fish as it may also be my last so a quick snap and he was away. The next cast and the float dipped again, this time it was a minnow, the plague of that particular swim. Another cast and another roach, this time of a better size, then a minnow or two then another roach. This pattern continued along with the odd tangle with the undergrowth in the bank until I had caught about eight roach when they stopped biting. 

The best roach of the evening.

I decided that it was time that I moved on as well and thought that I would walk up the bank to find another swim, this proved harder than I thought as all the vegetation, which was cut down last year, had regrown and it was difficult to get to the bank and see the river. I did find a couple of swims where the river has been dredged but they were very shallow and I couldn’t see any fish. I decided that I had enough and made my way back to the car knowing that I had at least caught some fish. No dace or chub though, who usually can be found, but they must have moved somewhere else today.

My wife was surprised to see me home so early but at least it gave me time to put my gear away in the shed before it got dark. Having struggled to fish in this stretch during the summer because of all the plant growth I have decided that I have had enough and will look for easier places to fish this season and return to this river in the winter when access is easier.