Toughing It Out

Blimey, it was cold. Strong northerly wind and  temperatures around freezing, but the river looked it great nick.

There are three or four fantastic looking swims in the first couple of hundred yards, huge rafts, overhanging trees, the works. Weird thing is you rarely catch from them.

There's so many places the fish can be, I can never quite decide where to fish. Tried them all today and not a touch so I moved downstream to a lovely bend, with steady water on the inside and snags on the far bank. It's a real " banker" but not a touch here.

I walked five minutes further downstream into an extremely snaggy, deep slow swim. After quite a wait, maybe ten minutes, I struck in to a fish that headed straight under the near bank cover. It's a right pain here as you can't walk out too far on the reeds as it's a vertical drop into eight foot of water.

I bullied the fish out of the reeds into the net, the good old 6lb Maxima doing it's job and it turned out to be chunky one of 3lb 8oz. Very nice.

Next swim I had a bite seconds after casting out which turned out to be another nice one.

 

I then tried another "new" swim at the beginning if a thin stretch lined with far bank snags. First cast, the tip went round and fish on.

Well pleased with that. Three bites in consequetive swims, all hit and all decent sized churrrrb.

I continued into dark with no further action and whilst walking back with ice crunching underfoot, I went arse over head and ended flat on my back, humiliated but unharmed.

Another enjoyable session.