Tough going ...but enjoyable

[TrentFisher]

Finally got on the river today .

I had checked the levels in recent days ahead of a possible sessions and on each occasion it looked grim!

My pre Christmas plan was to target chub or perch,arriving today the perch were put on the very unlikely list.
Bait was simple,worms ,bread mash and flake.
The chub in recent seasons have responded quite well to bread and there is always a chance of a roach or a bream.

I settled in to my chosen swim.
The flow was slowed by the tree branches upstream and a slight bend in bank.
This I was pleased with as I wanted to float fish .
The rod was my Shakespeare Champion 13ft rod and Rapidex centrepin.
Float was a swan quill carrying around 4AA.This was shotted with the bulk of the shot 18-24 inches from the hook and two droppers completed the set up.
Depth plumbed found a steady 10ft just over a rod length out .
I had some quiet water at the head of the swim and I introduced some mashed bread followed by the float.
The flow took two courses one fairly straight off the rod end the other pushed the float slightly further out and I would hold back the float to bring it back on course.
Interestingly at the end of the swim where there were some overhanging branches the flow changed again and a lot of the time pushed in towards the near bank ...a good food collection point I thought.
I was really enjoying myself trotting the float,controlling its speed and passage along the swim.
I can not tell you how long it was before the first bite came.This was from the area at the end of the swim.
I upped the rod and felt a solid resistance.
The tip took on a nice curve and the resulting surge screamed a good good chub.
My joy was short lived as the hook pulled soon after and the chance was now a memory.
I took stock and continued not phased but hopeful of another chance.
Sometime later the tip of the float disappeared in the hotspot and again the strike was met with resistance.
This was no chub,it was the distinctive thump thump of a Trent bream as it turned sideways in the current .It felt a good fish,as I gradually eased my prize up the swim towards the net.To my delight it was safely in the net a fish of around 5lb .
Happy with that for the first fish of 2022.
The rest of the session quickly passed with no further action and like so many outings on the Trent at this time of year fish are hard to come by.....but there is always a chance.

All the best
Nige.

[Catfish.017]

Well done Nige, nice result.I've often found the better Bream like a bit of extra water. I too was out with bread and worms on the canal. Six good skimmers and a nice Roach casting to a permanently moored boat.

[Ouse Wanderer]

Always nice to hear of someone actually enjoying catching a bream. I think bream, in rivers, are a much maligned and underrated quarry, well done on your 5lb'er.