The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Hi All
The small Castle River Roding match on the 12th was won with 1lb and 1oz and 12ozs was 2nd . I have brought some bait and have picked a poor day to go fishing.
With the cold weather and small fish stocks from the Otters. I am not expecting much however the Roding is fining down and the Cripsey Brook as well.
If I get up early Sunday, I should be on the bank.

Its being there that's important however meagre the expectations. Tight lines.

Hi All
Got there at 7am and it was still dark. I made a coffee and waited round for it to get light. At half light a massive Owl flew over my van . I started fishing about 8.30 with pole feeder and were getting tiny bites with pinkie and these were minnows and I caught four. I had enough of this so I put small pieces of drendas on the hook and was getting better bites and caught a small Roach and another that came off as I was bringing it in. Where the Cripsey Brook comes in there is a slack 14.4 mtrs away and I fished this with maggot and a float and had bites but didi not connect.
At 2pm to my right was a fallen tree and lots of debris and a Otter emerged from here . They follow the same pattern they swim away a short then stop get on the bank and stare at you. I reached for my phone to take a picture however he dived back in . I am not anti Otter and the Thames and Great Ouse can support otters butnot small lowland rivers. Otters do not hibernate and breed all year round. The Kingfishers , Moorhens, Coots and Ducks have all gone. I went to the Thames in June and saw kingfishers and lots of wildfowl.
We have a small match on the upper stretch in Dec

River riding is very high today at charlie browns,probably high every where.

Tanking it through yesterday, over Cripsey Brook bridge in Ongar... most of the fields hereabouts along the river are flooded... various things have kept me off the water the past couple of weeks... hope to get out next week if it fines down... probably on the Chelmer at Hoe Mill