The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I decided today would be my final session of the river season.
I could squeeze anther one in on Sunday but it somehow felt right to me to give it a good go in the one session.
Luckily the river was in good condition.Previous end of season plans were a wash out.
The river was carrying some extra water but not excessive or chocolate brown and full of flood debris.
I arrived around 1pm and would fish close to last light.
Tactics -simple float fishing ,my rod would be a Shakespeare 13 ft Champion coupled with a Trudex.
I use a ducker type float around 5AA fixed top and bottom .Mine are made from the top of a goose quill with a balsa or elder pith body.
Fished this way they offer a very stable bait presentation and can be held back easily....I find it works for me!
Bait today ,one loaf of Warburtons medium slice.Two slices lightly soaked mashed as feed .12mm punched discs gently folded and hooked through the fold.This gives a good hook hold but the bait swells to a soft ball.This has proven to be successful in recent seasons to the abandonment of using maggots.Wheat being my next go to bait.
My chosen swim was around 9ft deep with a steady flow to help pull line off the pin which could be slowed ,held back,or simply allowed to run through down towards the jungle of hanging branches.
Time slipped by as I enjoyed each trot expecting the float to disappear on each journey it made.The orange tip easily seen especially when the sun decided to make an appearance.
The mash feed was trickled in at regular intervals and my hopes of a fish remained high.
Another cast made .
The float allowed to travel unhindered this time.
It disappears without warning and my strike is met with a solid resistance.
The thumping sensation signalled a bream.A good bream.
Following its initial surge ,it broke the surface and in true Trent bream style turned sideways on, using its broad flank against the current.
It then went deep again but I gained the upper-hand as the fish was safely in the net.
A great result and a happy angler.
The afternoon moved on with no further action until a roach made an appearance.Sadly no more followed.
With the last hour under way hope remained high.
The float disappeared again this time close to the end of the run and a further bream was netted.Smaller than the first but another spirited fight.
The light was fading and that would be my last fish of the season.
In a way very fitting as bream also featured in my opening sessions at the start of the season.

I will load some photo's ....tomorrow.

Enjoy your final outings.

-Nige.

Well done Nige, a good catch to end the season. Bream have figured prominently for me too since moving to canal country, and I have been surprised how lively some of them have been too. Only last week I had one of around two pounds which, if I had lost it I would have sworn it was something else like a hybrid?

Good skills catching river bream on a float Nige......much more satisfying than using the cruncher.

Also river bream do fight back and when in the net seem far less slimey than Stillwater versions.

Fatty likes river bream:





This one actually put up a decent fight with a match rod and suitable gear.

As ever,......

Moley

That's a beauty.

Very nice Moley.

Thank you for the kind words.

Bream once they get over five pounds or so can look impressive. This one was over eight pounds from a tiny river and suspect it may well have been dumped there by an angry carp angler from a nearby pit. Sadly this still goes on sometimes.

As ever,...

Moley

A good write up on a successful close to your river seadon Nige If you do get round to posting pictures I'd be interested to see your ducker floats if possible please? I'm determined to do some float making this year- I know I keep saying it - and will be keeping an eye out for elder pith and other suitable natural materials.

Just got round to adding photos...swim and bream.

Having issues phone so may not be great images!