The Big Fish Column

With clear skies, hard frosts and dropping and clearing levels it has been an exceptionally tough week for river anglers.

The sudden change in conditions impacted upon stillwater results as well and even the commercials, where there had been signs of the start of the spring onslaught suffered badly.

As might be expected catch reports have been very thin on the ground but the ever-reliable chub provided some entertainment on the rivers and there were a couple of decent pike.

In cold, clear conditions chub are so often the saviours of a biteless day but even they seemed to be a little challenging last week with just one good fish to a local rod off St Patrick’s Stream and another from the Loddon.

On St Patrick’s it was the upstream beat which produced the
goods for Twyford angler Gerry Passmore who spent a day roaming on the fishery with a bucket of mashed bread to pull the fish.

Baiting several swims during the course of the day Gerry then presented a pinch of flake on a size 8 hook to 4lb hooklength with a 5lb main line in conjunction with a light Swan Shot link leger.

After losing a good fish which dived under the near bank and snagged him in a bed of old rushes Gerry finally got a fish of exactly 5lb in the net from a tight swim behind an overhanging bush.

On the Loddon it was the Reading and District beat at Whistley Mill which was the venue of a two-chub catch for local rod Andy Knight who presented a meat bait on a size 10 hook to 6lb line.

Andy fished his bait in conjunction with a few diced meat pieces and took a brace of fish scaling 3lb 12oz and 4lb 6oz in successive casts from beneath a tree.
Cold weather does seem to bring out the predator anglers and there were a few pike reported last week including a good Loddon fish of 16lb 8oz to Marlow’s Frank Pearce. 

Frank fished an area of slack water below a bend with a float legered smelt bait to take the fish which he believes is the same one he caught from the same swim weighing 8oz lighter during the Christmas break.
Frank presented his bait on size 8 treble hooks to 20lb wire and 12lb line.

Also on the pike trail was Woodley’s Dennis Carlton who fished a local pit with a mackerel tail on a size 6 semi-barbless snap tackle and 15lb line to connect with a morning fish of 14lb 4oz. 

*To report catches call 07780 755138 or email ian@bigfishtrail.com