The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Hi All,

Been out to the Loddon at Standford end for the second time this week. It is a fantastic looking stretch.

Spotted a big chub and three barbel on Wednesday and today watched maybe 3 or 4 chub feeding right under my feet for about an hour. Was interesting to see how they enter and leave the swim by the same route each time. All but one of the chub and barbel were appearing from the same deep pool just below a shallow run with reeds and streamer weed. Just the kind of area I have read about in the books and stuff on the internet about locating the fish.

I could have stayed there all day it was fascinating to watch

Anyone else go out spotting fish during the close season.

Are the areas I am seeing them now going to be reliable spots come the start of the season or are they likely to move on. Any thoughts or opinions welcome

Thanks

Dan

Sounds like a lovely spot, Sir. I'll always have a stop on the way to work and have a look out for fish. Sometimes i'll leave a little earlier to spend a bit more time especially now it's a bit warmer. Haven't seen that much though! Hope you get to return when the season opens.

Hannay wrote:Sounds like a lovely spot, Sir. I'll always have a stop on the way to work and have a look out for fish. Sometimes i'll leave a little earlier to spend a bit more time especially now it's a bit warmer. Haven't seen that much though! Hope you get to return when the season opens.

Hannay,

That's the plan. I am trying to identify suitable spots for the opening weekend and do lots of visits to the river to try and understand better where the fish are hiding.

Cheers

Dan

Excellent! A fantastic way to spend the time. Good luck.

One of my favourite rivers, the Loddon. Fished the area from St Pat's to Twyford for many years.

JerryC wrote:One of my favourite rivers, the Loddon. Fished the area from St Pat's to Twyford for many years.

I was so close to joining the Twyford & District Fishing Club this year but I joined FAS in the end as I wanted to try the lakes at Yateley before the river season starts again.

I will give Stanford End a good go this year and probably try TDFC next year. The venue they have which covers the Loddon, Thames and St. Pat's looks really good. Do you fish there at all or is it another club.

Cheers

Dan

Dzpotter wrote:

JerryC wrote:One of my favourite rivers, the Loddon. Fished the area from St Pat's to Twyford for many years.

I was so close to joining the Twyford & District Fishing Club this year but I joined FAS in the end as I wanted to try the lakes at Yateley before the river season starts again.

I will give Stanford End a good go this year and probably try TDFC next year. The venue they have which covers the Loddon, Thames and St. Pat's looks really good. Do you fish there at all or is it another club.

Cheers

Dan

Another club (pm me if you want to know). My favourite stretch was always the Twyford bit that used to be controlled by RMC/CEMEX together with St Pat's (was a member since the Leisure Sports days (late 60's) until shortly before it all went pear shaped under CEMEX. Also very familiar with the Yately complex you mention having fished that for many years. The Twyford stretch that I mention above is now controlled by Wokingham council (the Dinton Pastures lot) who have the audacity to charge around £200 for a syndicate ticket (together with the adjacent lake) - during all the years we fished the venue we never saw more than a couple of other anglers and that was when CEMEX were also doing a separate venue ticket for just over £30??? Certainly not paying that for 600 yds of river and a weirpool with all the other options available to me.

Dan, a lovely stretch of river that. I joined FAS last season, and have ashamedly only had 4-5 sessions on the Loddon at Carter's Hill & Sindlesham Mill. I have fished the Sindlesham Mill stretch a few times but blanked; a gorgeous stretch however, the smell of wild garlic has your mouth watering. I too have walked the Stanford End in the close season and spooked 2 pike and even saw some spawning carp... I plan on having a good go on the Loddon but first I have unfinished business on another FAS water. The FAS ticket really is worth it for just the rivers!

The money requested by Wokingham is probably for the 40lb+ carp that live/lived in the Pit!

Olly wrote:The money requested by Wokingham is probably for the 40lb+ carp that live/lived in the Pit!

Hi Olly, it's a joint syndicate (they won't separate the river from the pit which was rarely fished in all the years we were RMC/CEMEX members). As much of the pit is a nature reserve, and as we used to say 30 acres with 30 carp all over 30 lbs and you used to rarely get anyone fishing there because you usually had to put some work in for the fish. Maybe they have better luck selling it as a single as, as you know, RMC members had lots of better pits on the ticket so probably rarely bothered with it - I know I preferred Burghfield lake, Blue Pool, Frimley, Yateley, etc. Best memory was a flooded over common taken to the side of the Wagon weir pool about twelve years ago on barbel gear at 31.02.