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Diary of an average angler

Who favours traditional methods & baits

fisherman

This diary dates back to a holiday in 2003 when I think the urge to get back into fishing took off. From around 2007 the trips became more frequent with 2010/11 probably being the peak of activity.
Things again pick up in 2020 - a sort of rebirth!

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Venues & topics
Species
Archive

The Clay Pit (25)

Side pond

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Arrival time: 09.00
Weather: A bit milder than of late and overcast most of the day, with a light but chilly wind.
Tackle: Greys 12' Prodigy TX Float rod, Allcocks 4" centrepin, 4BB waggler, single shot, 6lb main line to 14 eyed hook.
Baits: Red maggots
Fish: 3 tench and one came off, with a few roach & rudd and a solitary small perch.

My previous trip to the Clay Pit was when the rivers were very low because of lack of rain. This latest trip was because the rivers were over their banks as a result of almost incessant rain. The weather certainly seems to have gone haywire, or should I say the climate? It was a gamble to try the small stock pond because my only other winter visit there had resulted in a blank. But I thought a few days of slightly milder weather might have encouraged the tench to feed. There were a couple of carp anglers on the main lake but it was otherwise pretty deserted.

Website & Book (2)

A reminder & a bit of a promotion

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With the weather doing all it can to stop me fishing, and the rivers once again over their banks, I thought that it might be an idea to remind people of a couple of other aspects of Bob Goes Fishing. I did a similar thing a couple of years back (video #116) but since then my subscriber numbers have increased, and I thought that many of the newer visitors to my channel might be unaware of these additional features, namely an associated website and a book that was published in 2021.

See book details

Earith (17)

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Arrival time: 10.00
Weather: Cold with a troublesome easterly breeze. A short sunny spell midday was welcomed.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano match rod, Rapidex II 2400 centrepin, 6lb line, 3.5lb pre-tied Drennan hook length to 16 fine wire hook.
Baits: Maggot & worms.
Fish: A good bag of mainly small roach, a couple of rudd & a bream, possibly hybrid.

With more rain having again caused rivers to rise and in places break their banks, I decided on another trip to a lake. I went to the small lake in Earith that I would normally fish in spring. I hadn't fished it in winter before but a call to the owner confirmed that silvers at least should be feeding. It turned out that I was the only angler on the lake. Exclusive or what!

River Great Ouse - Offord (50)

Car Park Pool

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Arrival time: 10.00.
Weather: Cold & bright with a light breeze.
Tackle: Korum 12ft 'Multi-feeder', Shimano ST2500FB baitrunner, maggot feeder/2x2SSG link, 6lb line to 14 eyed hook..
Baits: Maggots & worms.
Fish: Blank

With the river having returned to a normal winter level, albeit with very strong flows in the main channels, I decided to try the Car Park Pool which usually presents much calmer water. My theory was that fish could have moved into the pool to get out of the heavy main flows. I had caught a bream in the pool on two previous visits and hoped that this species would be present again.

Rookery Waters (6)

Magpie Lake

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Arrival time: 10.00
Weather: Bright & cold with a troublesome wind.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano match rod, Rapidex II 2400 centrepin, 6lb line, 2lb pre-tied Drennan hook length to 18 fine wire hook.
Baits: Maggots
Fish: 2 carp

With the rivers still suffering from an excess of rainfall I abandoned a planned trip to Offord and decided instead to visit a local commercial at Rookery Waters. I had fished there before on a few occasions but my only other winter visit ended with a blank. So I wasn't overly hopeful.

River Great Ouse - Houghton (20)

Trout Stream

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Arrival time: 10.00
Weather: Overcast & cold (6˚C) but with no discernible wind.
Tackle: Korum 12ft 'Multi-feeder', Shimano ST2500FB baitrunner, two SSG link, 6lb line to 8 eyed hook.
Baits: Cheese paste & king prawns
Fish: One chub 3¾lbs

After a seven week gap I finally was out on the bank again. Following a second episode of heavy rain the river reports showed that the Ouse at Houghton was marginally above the seasonal norm and on the strength of this I made my way to the Trout Stream. Sure enough the stream was looking good. It was carrying a bit more water and had a nice colour, so prospects were promising.

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