I played the numbers game that is fishing for big silver bream in the Taunton to Bridgwater Canal again today. Once more, I failed to connect with anything decent despite netting somewhere in the region of 15lb of smaller samples by the early afternoon, on waggler and tares. I did, however, fluke out two very nice rudd indeed, both to the tare, weighing 1lb 7oz and 1lb 9oz.
I was fishing with dad, and when we decided that we'd had enough of the monotony of modest sized canal fish, we headed over to Browne's Pond, in Bridgwater, to try and net a few larger samples. The action was instant on sweetcorn; lots of skimmers, roach, rudd and some very fat silver bream. I didn't take any weights or pictures, but should hopefully head back there again soon to clock up some challenge points in the Stillwater category.
When dad left, I decided on one last change of plan, so made my way back to the Taunton to Bridgwater Canal, this time to a stretch some seven or eight miles away from our first port of call, where I had been baiting a swim with stewed wheat for a week. There wasn't much moving on the top other than very small rudd, but when I got to my swim, I peered into the water and could see a large shoal of rudd sat a foot under the surface.
When dad left, I decided on one last change of plan, so made my way back to the Taunton to Bridgwater Canal, this time to a stretch some seven or eight miles away from our first port of call, where I had been baiting a swim with stewed wheat for a week. There wasn't much moving on the top other than very small rudd, but when I got to my swim, I peered into the water and could see a large shoal of rudd sat a foot under the surface.
I didn't bother feeding any more than a few grains of sweetcorn to start with before flicking a light waggler rig out over the top. The float settled before sliding off and I was soon into the first of many rudd caught in this manner. Most were 2-6oz, but on the fifth or sixth cast I hooked what I initially thought was a bream, until a lovely thick-set rudd of 1lb 9½oz surfaced. That was the only big rudd I had from my new swim, although I also landed a pleasing number of good roach and a couple of half-pound silver bream, all on corn.
I then decided that it was time to try for a tench, even though I was a bit reluctant to chop up a load of expensive worm only for it to be scoffed by the hordes of rudd on the way down. I set up a pole for this, as there is a constant gentle flow on this canal which makes fishing for tench on the waggler a little tricky unless you pin a fair bit of weight to the bottom and use a buoyant float, which is counterproductive. The worms were chopped on the larger side and cupped in with a good amount of soil to help them reach the bottom.
I then decided that it was time to try for a tench, even though I was a bit reluctant to chop up a load of expensive worm only for it to be scoffed by the hordes of rudd on the way down. I set up a pole for this, as there is a constant gentle flow on this canal which makes fishing for tench on the waggler a little tricky unless you pin a fair bit of weight to the bottom and use a buoyant float, which is counterproductive. The worms were chopped on the larger side and cupped in with a good amount of soil to help them reach the bottom.
Just two put ins later and I was into a big fish. Alas, it was a pike which bit me off in a matter of seconds. Out again and this time it was no esox as a thunderous tench tore all over the swim before succumbing. 5lb 2½oz, and what a fatty. Next put in, I was bitten off again. Then, for the fourth time in four put ins, I hooked a big fish on the worm. Again it was a pike, but this time I had hooked it in the scissors and was able to extract it from the swim. It was a small jack of no more than two pounds, and signalled the end of the action on the worm, besides the usual rudd and silver bream.
