Arrival time: 10.15
Weather: Mainly overcast after a bright start. Gusty wind throughout session.
Tackle: 14ft Shimano match rod, Rapidex II 2400 centrepin, 6lb line, 4lb pre-tied Drennan hook length to 16 wire hook.
Baits: Maggots & worms.
Fish: 4 perch

I decided on another crack at the perch having only discovered a working method at the end of my session a couple of weeks earlier. I opted to float fish using my match rod in view of the depth of water, which was around 10ft. I thought that a float would be the best option, indication wise, but in the event I didn't get a touch and moved swims after a while. Another move followed, neither move proving fruitful, so I went back to where started and, just like on my previous visit, finally hit on a method that tempted a few perch.

The first swim having appeared devoid of fish - unlikely, but that was how it seemed to me - I moved over to the main river to fish a big eddy that was even deeper than the first swim; somewhere around 14ft. I used a maggot dropper and fished maggot on the hook but once again had no indication of fish, the maggots returning untouched, as they had done in the first spot.

I then tried fishing the margin, again hoping for a perch, but once more I didn't get a touch.

It should be mentioned that the main river had literally no flow, leaves on the surface remaining unmoved by any hint of water movement.

So I moved again, this time to the swim below a small weir where I had fished a couple of weeks earlier, catching a perch and a gudgeon. I was soon getting fidgety bites and after a while hooked something small that came off. This happened a couple of more times so I assumed that I was dealing with very small fish. I persevered for quite a while in this spot but in the end I decided to return to the first swim and have one last attempt at attracting some perch.

Back where I started I took off the float and left one shot on the line, repeating an approach I had used previously, which was basically free-lining a worm. After a fairly short wait a pull on the line resulted in my first perch. I was at this point annoyed with myself for not trying this technique earlier. It had worked before but I thought the float would have offered better indication.

I continued with this approach but replaced the SG shot with a BB to make the rig a bit more sensitive. And sure enough another perch was on fairly quickly. The bites were not, however, as frequent as they had been on my previous visit, but I wasn't complaining having basically blanked up to this point.

I went on to catch a couple of more perch, one being a decent fish that gave a good fight before being brought to the net. Over the last half hour, however, I didn't get another bite. So it was almost a repeat performance of my previous visit and I was happy to pack up having avoided the blank and caught a few of my target species.