There are several decent clubs within an hour's drive of my house, all reasonably priced and offering excellent fishing on a real variety of waters. Taunton AA's 'Fast Stretch' of the River Tone is incomparable, both in terms of the venue and quality of fishing. Due to the pace of the water, it fishes in the winter even when the level is low and river running clear.
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I haven't done any river fishing for a long time, due mainly to the flooding, meaning the canals have been more reliable for consistent sport. I headed to a swim that had been good to me last winter but those floods have of course altered things somewhat. Last year I caught my fish standing twenty yards or so above the weir and running the float down to it. I had a few swingable chublets like that this time, feeding in front of me, over the top of a submerged snag consisting of a few branches and some orange traffic management barriers. I then had a better chub almost immediately downstream of the snag and another one after that, which I lost.
Bites were hard to come by thereafter, so I made the decision to move another twenty yards upstream and fish down to the snag, hoping to draw the fish out that way. Feeding lightly to start with, I had a trio of decent roach, a dace, and then eventually some chub. Dominic waded over from the other side of the river where he'd been trotting below the same weir, and took a few snaps. I was just explaining the reasons for my move and the inkling I had that I might get a better chub if my float would make it as far as the snag itself, when it buried just above it, resulting in the biggest fish of the session, around two and a half pounds. My total bag was probably in excess of 15lb in three hours, made up of this lot, plus another 2lb chub which made its escape during the transfer from keepnet to landing net.
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It was to be a split session, as we then headed down to the sluggish lower river for some piking, after first stopping off for a sightly pretentious all-day breakfast in a local pub (which came served on a breadboard!). My favourite wobbling tactics brought me two fish of around 3-4lbs each, but Dominic's fly approach selected the first and largest, at around 5lb plus. The lower river was holding a surprising amount of colour considering how low it was, and the banks were particularly treachorous after so many months of having been covered by floodwater. We packed up to avoid a hailstorm, which lashed the vast open levels mercilessly for around an hour, and then hopped over to the canal for some more sheltered fishing.
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Just to top things off, I had four decent (for a small canal) pike on float-fished dead roach, up to 10lb 5oz. A great day out, and it's surprising just how much water you can cover in a day, even in the darker months. Club books give you the opportunity to move from one water to another easily and offer great value for money, so it makes sense to have one or two in your wallet.
I haven't done any river fishing for a long time, due mainly to the flooding, meaning the canals have been more reliable for consistent sport. I headed to a swim that had been good to me last winter but those floods have of course altered things somewhat. Last year I caught my fish standing twenty yards or so above the weir and running the float down to it. I had a few swingable chublets like that this time, feeding in front of me, over the top of a submerged snag consisting of a few branches and some orange traffic management barriers. I then had a better chub almost immediately downstream of the snag and another one after that, which I lost.
Bites were hard to come by thereafter, so I made the decision to move another twenty yards upstream and fish down to the snag, hoping to draw the fish out that way. Feeding lightly to start with, I had a trio of decent roach, a dace, and then eventually some chub. Dominic waded over from the other side of the river where he'd been trotting below the same weir, and took a few snaps. I was just explaining the reasons for my move and the inkling I had that I might get a better chub if my float would make it as far as the snag itself, when it buried just above it, resulting in the biggest fish of the session, around two and a half pounds. My total bag was probably in excess of 15lb in three hours, made up of this lot, plus another 2lb chub which made its escape during the transfer from keepnet to landing net.
It was to be a split session, as we then headed down to the sluggish lower river for some piking, after first stopping off for a sightly pretentious all-day breakfast in a local pub (which came served on a breadboard!). My favourite wobbling tactics brought me two fish of around 3-4lbs each, but Dominic's fly approach selected the first and largest, at around 5lb plus. The lower river was holding a surprising amount of colour considering how low it was, and the banks were particularly treachorous after so many months of having been covered by floodwater. We packed up to avoid a hailstorm, which lashed the vast open levels mercilessly for around an hour, and then hopped over to the canal for some more sheltered fishing.
Just to top things off, I had four decent (for a small canal) pike on float-fished dead roach, up to 10lb 5oz. A great day out, and it's surprising just how much water you can cover in a day, even in the darker months. Club books give you the opportunity to move from one water to another easily and offer great value for money, so it makes sense to have one or two in your wallet.