My monthly fishing diary...
Week 1
A mate of mine has been catching some nice roach from the Trent in the Dunham area and it’s something I’ve fancied doing for a while. Most of my Trent roach fishing is carried out using float tactics with maggot, caster and seed baits. But I cannot ignore the fact that lately the majority of specimen roach from the river have fallen to big pellets on barbel gear. My mate has been catching his roach, to just shy of 2lbs, on scaled-down barbel tactics. I needed to have a go.
With the tide peaking just after midday I arrived around 10am to catch the lift and then the run-off. I like to be there as the river lifts because roach frequently give away their location by rolling on the surface. Today I didn’t see a single fish top, which is unusual.
I set up two feeder rods, one with a cage feeder, the other on a Method; one to feed hard pellets, the other softened ones, giving me two contrasting presentations. I would only use one at a time, except perhaps at the top of the tide when the flow would almost stop. Using the cage first to lay down some pellets, I then went in over the top with the Method feeder. On my first cast I caught a decent roach, but not quite of the size I was hoping for.
Bites on this set-up were brilliant – two raps on the tip then a dropback as the fish inevitably hooked itself against the weight of the feeder. A good start.
Ten minutes later another fish, this time slightly bigger. And then nothing. Zilch. Zero. No-one at home, until the rod tip suddenly yanked forward and kept on going as the drag began to complain loudly. Typical. I come for roach and hook a barbel! Just my luck then to be using a size 16 hook on a 4lb hooklink. All I could do was be patient and give line whenever the fish demanded, but it gradually tired and I slowly encouraged it towards me. Inch by inch it came and I started to think I might just land this one, and sure enough I did. It was no monster, but I was chuffed with it nevertheless.
Then my bites ceased altogether. Two hours passed before a third classic roach bite. I drew it in right under the rod tip only to watch a pike snatch it on the surface and bite me off. Sometimes it’s just not your day.
Week 2
Suddenly it was autumn. The sun disappeared to be replaced by loads of rain. Up came the rivers and as is ever the case with the first significant rains, all the dead grass and litter on the banks was picked up and began collecting on anglers’ lines. There was to be no relaxing, as all manner of rubbish came down on the extra flow to muck up everyone’s presentation.
October and November can be tricky months for the angler. It is so easy to chose
