Buzzin' and Shakin'

Indulge me here, I've had a bit of a red letter day. The Suffolk Stour is a relatively lightly fished river with some decent fish present, but it isn't the Wye, Thames or Avon from a big fish point of view.

I'm doing a bit of work on the camper so I'm fishing close to home at the moment. When I say close I mean walking distance.

Yesterday on my morning run by the river I saw the slightest hint of colour, it was still clear but not crystal. Hmm, worth a go.

A couple of hours later I was back. There was very little flow. This section is not really classic chub territory, from a flow perspective anyway. On the other had there is plenty of cover and snags.

I started in one of my banker swims. Depth varies from two to nine foot, a huge snag downstream from a feeder dyke, you don't have to be a genius to realise they'll be fish here. It's good for pike too.

I was surprised I had to wait ten minutes but eventually the tip pulled very slowly round and the first chub was on. A nice fish 2.5-3lb.

I walked to the most upstream swim and two casts later a couple of average sized but immaculately conditioned fish were in the net. Blunt headed bruisers the pair of them.

I then tried a new swim where the river narrows, with plenty of cover on the far side, one of the few swims with plenty of flow today. A handful of mash followed by my flake and seconds later a cracking chub was on the bank. It's a tight swim so I put it in the net and re cast.

As soon as the bait hit the bottom the rod whacked viciously round in barbel style, and a very angry and rather large chub joined the other one in the landing net. Nice brace at 3.08 and exactly 4.00

By now it was well into dusk and I started the walk back, intending to have five minutes in a swim where the visitors feed the ducks. Also, there was a bloke fishing there earlier, so I was hoping it would have been pre baited for me.

No flow whatsever but plenty of cover. Bit of mash, cast out, BANG ! A heavy sluggish fish was hustled in. Blimey, 4lb 11 oz.

After all the commotion I thought any remaining fish would have been scared off, but I wanted to dry the net off so cast out anyway. Feck me a minute later I was in again. Believe it or not, another one of exactly 4lb.

Seven fish in a few hours with three over 4lb, brilliant.

It's the first time in ages that I've been really buzzing after a session. I've had loads of pleasant trips but nothing that got me on the phone to my mates before I even got home.

I even enjoyed the two mile walk home in the dark, waffling and jibbering about my success.