Chub and Bream from the H.Avon and a stalker.

Having stopped over in the car overnight in Ringwood I was up and around early in the morning. It’s something I’m not to proud to admit however I do know the toilets around the area and what time they open. So enough said time to move on.

I was up and walking around a new stretch of river one I had not fished before. Some swims looked really good and these were stored away for future reference.

So I was late arriving on another stretch and Graham and Terry were already fishing the swims I wanted to fish. They are great chaps and come from the Newbury area. I had a good chat to both and they said they had met me before on Throop.

I chose a swim I had not fished for a while. The wind was from the N/W which made trotting difficult. However I had a short window of opportunity before the wind increased. It wasn’t long before I hooked and was playing an angry big chub. It took line and then I gained then it took line again. What a fight in the fast flow. Eventually I slipped the net under a good chub.

What a fish at 5lbs 11oz not the largest but what a fight.

The wind increased so much that I couldn’t pult the maggots across the river. So I had to move. Graham had moved upstream and had two fish quickly. Poor Terry was struggling with the wind. I tried to cheer him up with the old saying form is temporary but class is permanent.

I moved down to another swim which I knew held some big bream not my favorite fish. I had in the past had a 6lbs 9oz chub and 6lbs 10oz chub in one evening. So !

So I was trotting a float through a difficult swim which had some boiling water and some steady flow. It’s the steady flow where the fish held station.

So I was firing out maggots with the pult every trot down.

First fish was a 6lbs 6oz bream.

I was really taken by the fight from the fish.

Then Terry came down for a chat and I hooked another bream which came off in the strong flow, well size 20 hooks you will get a few hook pulls.

Then I hooked anothe bream of 6lbs plus that was covered in warts etc, so no photo’s for this fish. Very ugly fish indeed.

Time was moving on and the wind died down and the sun shone through what a warm spring day.

Then I hooked and landed a nice chub of 5lbs 3oz.

Time was moving on and I had one more bream of 7lbs 6oz. A chap passed me by and said you will never land that fish, however coaxing it into slacker water is the key with these bream. Everything held and in the net she went.

I was getting tired and I thought about moving swims. Before I did this I hooked and lost a chub at the very end of the trot and it got into the reeds before long. I didn’t deserve to land it as I didn’t see the bite.

I walked up to see Terry who had just caught a 6lbs 14oz chub, and 3 more 5lbers. CLASS IS PERMANENT.

He was well pleased after the slow start in the morning.

I now moved swims once more for the last couple of hours……………………….no bites and a few minnows was the result.

Still a couple of 5lbers and those bream made for a great day.