My monthly fishing diary
Week 1
Just when you think the Trent is finally returning to something like normal levels, what happens? That’s right, we get hit by another deluge even worse than the last one.
With the fields already saturated the outcome was inevitable and, like rivers right across the UK, the Trent began rising rapidly. I did manage one trip before throwing in the towel, a successful one at that, but I craved change. I want to catch chub in the snow or try for a big Trent roach. None of which I can do at the moment.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy flood fishing, but only up to a point. As successful as it can be the fishing itself is mind-numbingly boring. What a lot of folk don’t seem to realise is that while barbel do feed well in the early stages of a flood, particularly when the water is rising and not too cold, the longer the river stays high your returns will diminish because the fish have eaten their fill. They’ve feasted for a few days, maybe a week or more, and now they need to rest up and digest what they’ve eaten. Aflooded river then becomes no different to a normal river, except you get snagged up a lot more often and lose lots of tackle!
It is difficult to write up a session on the Trent in flood as it’s practically identical to the previous trip and the one before that. Find a steady bit of water, chuck out a big chunk of garlic spam on a big lead so that it doesn’t move, point the rod at the lead with the line over your index finger and wait.
There’s not much more I can say. It is as simple as that. You settle for whatever picks up your bait, big or small. That is beyond your control, so here you go, as nice a looking barbel as you will see but please, please, please can we have a break from rain?
I want low and clear conditions, and I want to target other species. Surely that’s not too much to ask for? Or do I have to wait until next Christmas and ask Santa?
Week 2
I decided to take up an invitation to try an exclusive swim on an offshoot of the South Yorkshire Navigation within a mile of Doncaster’s city centre. Actually it is the staff members’ private peg behind the car park of the Independent Fishing Tackle and Bait shop, right opposite Strawberry Island Marina. At five feet deep the canal here is about half the average depth of the main canal, which you might think is shallow for winter fishing but, like all marinas, it is a fish haven.
Unfortunately, the South Yorkshire Navigation and the River Don share the same water and when the latter is flooded the canal turns the same chocolate colour as the main river. It can also suffer a sudden drop in temperature, making the
