The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

After last weeks near two pounder, several pound plus specimens have come my way on the canal. Last night however I caught a couple of beauties on a different venue, the upper Trent at Handsacre. This is BAA water and I visited it a few times last Winter after buying the Ticket, but found it rather dour even on a mild day with the river in good trim. I arrived around 4.30pm and walked up and down the stretch which starts off shallow and pacy, deepening and slowing over the few hundred yards of its length. I was really hoping for a Chub and chose a midway swim with current down the middle and a nice eddy inside with a willow below. I fed some mash and broken prawns just beyond the 'crease' and set up a straight leger with size 8 hook. An hour in with no signs I became restless and decided to rove around a bit. Two pitches down the current was a little steadier but still with a nice eddy close in. I had a float rod set up in the car so I decided to settle in here and do some trotting. It was around seven foot deep on the 'crease' and a Thames slider bulk shotted went through nicely . One cast, a little shorter, wandered into the eddy and stalled a while. Suddenly the float buried and a near pound Roach jagged about for a minute or so before coming to the net. All quiet for a while then as the light began to fade some nice fish began topping all over the river. Soon there came some really impressive rises, Chub I thought? I cast the leger tackle out in mid river with a big lump of flake then kept the float gear inside the eddy. A good move as it turned out as the float dived again to the pull of a bigger Roach, probably pound and a half.
Three or four casts in, the leger rod bounced then pulled over and I struck into a hefty resistance. Here's my Chub I thought. The resistance slackened too easily though and in came a six pound Bream. I put the float rod away and had a few more casts with the leger but no more bites despite more hefty rises occurring . I'll be back there soon with a view to trotting heavy float tackle down the middle, Wye style!

Nice work. Seems like a good year for Roach with all the overcast weather...

Sounds like a great session and nice way to catch the Roach. Maybe a 2 pounder this winter?

Coral Maestro wrote: ↑Thu Sep 02, 2021 3:40 pm Sounds like a great session and nice way to catch the Roach. Maybe a 2 pounder this winter?

Yes, a river two pounder would be very well received!

Catfish.017 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 02, 2021 4:21 pm

Coral Maestro wrote: ↑Thu Sep 02, 2021 3:40 pm Sounds like a great session and nice way to catch the Roach. Maybe a 2 pounder this winter?

Yes, a river two pounder would be very well received!

I will take a 2 pounder from anywhere.

Great catch, what an autumn you're going to have.

Dave Burr wrote: ↑Thu Sep 02, 2021 6:18 pm Great catch, what an autumn you're going to have.

Yes I hope so Dave. I'm a little rusty on the rivers, particularly on Roach but it's nice to have a new venue to work out with all its quirks and peculiarities.

A very nice session indeed well fished.
I have pretty much fished for roach on the Trent all season so far.
Trotting wheat or bread and taken some nice fish.
It was interesting the success from fishing the eddy.I normally try this when there is a little extra water or being honest I need a session where I sit instead of standing for 4/5 hours trotting.
Watching a float in an eddy is always full of promise and your results have triggered me to give it a go very soon.
I normally fish it laying on and moving the float every so often down the swim.......tight corking has it was referred to in the older books published where this subject is mentioned or similar?

I wish you more success for future outings.
All the best-Nige.

TrentFisher wrote: ↑Thu Sep 02, 2021 9:21 pm A very nice session indeed well fished.
I have pretty much fished for roach on the Trent all season so far.
Trotting wheat or bread and taken some nice fish.
It was interesting the success from fishing the eddy.I normally try this when there is a little extra water or being honest I need a session where I sit instead of standing for 4/5 hours trotting.
Watching a float in an eddy is always full of promise and your results have triggered me to give it a go very soon.
I normally fish it laying on and moving the float every so often down the swim.......tight corking has it was referred to in the older books published where this subject is mentioned or similar?

I wish you more success for future outings.
All the best-Nige.

Thanks Nige, and yes I was quite surprised when the first Roach came from the eddy, particularly when most of the fish that had 'topped' up to that point had been nearer the far bank than midstream. As you say it's more a floodwater tactic really , the water was quite clear last night (no appreciable rain for weeks) also the eddy wasn't a steady, consistent movement, varying from completely slack to quite a strong back tow on occasions.

Great sport and lovely fish. Here's to a few more.