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Diary of an average angler

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
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Species
Archive
Venues & topics
Species
Archive

River Great Ouse - Offord (38)

Top Stream & Car Park Pool
Venue: River Great Ouse |Offord

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 10.00
Weather: Cold & damp with a chilly north-westerly wind. Mainly overcast with occasional sunny intervals.
Tackle: 9ft Shimano Aero X1 feeder rod with 1oz quiver, Shimano Exage 1000RC reel, 5lb line direct to 10 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots and worms.
Fish: One decent bream, a very small roach and a minuscule dace.

The EA website and the OBAS club Facebook page suggested that the river level at Offord had returned to normal so I decided to take a gamble and give it a try. I headed for the Top Stream as I thought it would probably be the least affected by the extra water, but I was to be proved wrong. It had a strongish flow and was very coloured. What's more the bank was slippery and quite dangerous. I had hoped for perch, thus the choice of maggots and worms as bait but I soon doubted my chances.

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Species: Bream, Roach, Dace

River Great Ouse - Offord (34)

Mill Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Offord |Mill Stream

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 09.00
Weather: Cloudy start with sun breaking through and becoming very warm
Tackle: Korum 10ft 'All Rounder' 1.1lb TC, Shimano ST2500FB baitrunner, single SSG link, 6lb line to 6/8/12 eyed hooks.
Baits: Bread flake & cheese paste.
Fish: Dace and a couple of roach

The plan was to pop over to the Mill Stream and try to fish by the bridge, where I had seen another angler wade in and catch a number of chub on my last visit. When I got there the nettles had grown to such an extent that I chose not to try to get to that spot. As it turned out the water level was up slightly and I doubt my wellingtons would have been high enough to wade. Instead I chose to fish the spot I fished last time, casting down towards the bridge.

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Species: Dace, Roach

River Great Ouse - Offord (30)

Mill Stream
Venue: River Great Ouse |Mill Stream |Offord

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 09.50
Weather: Bright but cloudy with sunshine between clouds. Windy and certainly not overly hot.
Tackle: Ryan Burns 'Arrow' 10' split cane rod, Mitchell 300 reel, 2xSSG link leger, 7lb main / 5lb flouro-carbon hook length to 6 eyed hook.
Baits: Cheese paste, spam, flake.
Fish: One chub, an unwanted eel and a foul-hooked dace.

With my left hip playing up I hadn't been out fishing for over three weeks, but it had calmed down and I decided to go to the Offord Mill Stream as it would involve less walking than the other river venues that I normally fish. With no cars in the car park when I arrived it wasn't surprising to find nobody on the Mill Stream. I set up at the head of the stream and proposed to then work my way downstream, dropping in the few swims that exist.

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Species: Chub, Eel, Dace

River Great Ouse - Offord (29)

Mill Stream, Top Stream & Triangle
Venue: River Great Ouse |Mill Stream |Offord |Top Stream

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 08.30
Weather: Warm start becoming very hot. Little wind throughout the session.
Tackle: Korum 'All Rounder' 10ft quiver with 1oz tip, Shimano ST2500FB baitrunner, 2xSSG (Mill Stream) / small bomb leger (elsewhere), 6lb line to 8/10 hooks
Baits: Bread flake & worm.
Fish: One chub, a roach & a dace all from the Mill Stream.

The plan for the session was to start at the Mill Stream in the hope of taking a chub or two, then to move to the Top Stream after perch. The first part was challenging, only one chub coming to the net. The second part proved to be even more challenging, with not a bite at the Top Stream, nor in the pool below it. A move to the Triangle on the main river was equally disappointing.

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Species: Chub, Roach, Dace

Fields End (116)

On the waggler
Venue: Fields End

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 09.30
Weather: Overcast start with light NE breeze becoming very warm later in the sunshine.
Tackle: Greys 12' Prodigy TX Float rod, Allcocks 4" centrepin, 4BB waggler (with 1.2g olivette), 6lb line direct to 12 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots and sweetcorn with hemp loose feed.
Fish: A lot of roach, 2 rudd and one dace.

The day didn't start well. I had set out for the Clay Pit but after a long road diversion I arrived to find it closed because fish were spawning. I decided to go instead to Fields End, the nearest alternative. On settling into my pitch I thought I had lost my car keys only to find them in the grass where I had unpacked my gear, but only after returning to the car park on the far side of the lake. I then discovered I had left my bread bait at home, limiting me to maggots and sweetcorn. But on the plus side the lake was very quiet with only three other anglers when I arrived.

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Species: Roach, Rudd, Dace

Earith (7)

On the waggler!
Venue: Earith

You can view the video on this page or open YouTube by clicking the YouTube icon above.

Arrival time: 09.00
Weather: Chilly start with drizzle. Remained overcast with light wind.
Tackle: Greys 12' Prodigy TX Float rod, Allcocks 4" centrepin, 4BB waggler (with 1.2g olivette), 6lb line direct to 12 eyed hook.
Baits: Maggots and bread with hemp loose feed.
Fish: 5 tench, 5 bream + small roach/rudd/dace and tiny perch.

After the frustration of missing so many knocks on the bobbin the previous week, I returned to the same swim at Earith to try fishing it with a waggler. I took maggots for hook bait and hemp seed loose feed. I also had four slices of seedy brown bread as a fallback, which turned out to be a wise decision.

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Species: Tench, Bream, Roach, Rudd, Dace

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