A couple of leftover half-loaves were dunked, mashed, and slung into a swim on the Taunton - Bridgwater Canal last night, along with perhaps a pint of hemp, in the hopes of attracting some big rudd and bream, ready for an 8am start this morning. I wanted to do a bit more exploring of the Bridgwater end of the canal, so travelling light would be the order of the day.
I have yet to connect with the bream in this canal, but plenty of bubbles on arrival gave me confidence. I set up a 3BB Drennan Glow-tip Antenna and started with a piece of corn on the hook, laying on a few inches to mitigate against the tow dragging the bait out of place. First bite was a confident lift, and great fun watching the coloured bands of the bristle emerge from the water. A lovely six ounce silver bream made its way to the bank, and I then decided to try a good chunk of flake. The rudd must've been having an off day because the bait made it to the bottom where it stayed for a few minutes before another positive bite, a strike, and heavier resistance which turned out to be a 2lb common bream. I then had another similarly sized one on corn, before a lovely fish of 4lb 4oz.
To top things off, I had a quick cast for a pike and landed a fish of about 4lb. I then whittled my gear down further and decided to stretch my legs and search for some rudd, but the water was too coloured to do this really effectively. Despite a 12-14oz rudd on the first cast, all I could manage thereafter were sprats, so I cut my losses and decided on a bit of pond fishing, in Bridgwater itself.
Browne's Pond is an overwhelmingly prolific water offering free fishing to absolutely anyone. It is well matured but many of the surrounding trees have been cut down by the local authority to try and discourage overnight campers, due to (understandable) complaints from residents.
I managed to get through two tins of corn in just a couple of hours. The swim was about seven feet deep, and full of fish of all descriptions. Each cast would be followed by two big palms of sweetcorn (I fed nothing else), and invariably I had a bite within seconds. Bream from 4oz to two and a half pounds made up the bulk of my catch ("bulk" makes it sound like I used a keepnet, but I didn't), whilst I also included Rudd, silver bream and roach. I've also found Browne's Pond to be hybrid central; everything hybridises here!
Two carp then gate crashed the party, forcing my waggler rod into an alarming curve as they surged in and out of the lily pads which spread from the corner to my right, up the road bank to my right, and across the front of my swim some fourteen metres or so from where I was sat. Somehow my 3lb hook length held in both instances and I was able to land fish of between 4-7lb.
Believe it or not, all these catches were made with a size ten hook, with two or three pieces of corn thread up the shank, John Wilson style. I decided on one final move when I ran out of sweetcorn, although I think I'd like to return with some stouter tackle next time, and maybe float fish with a centre pin, which I haven't done for a long time. Carp are great; it's such a shame that mass-stocking has taken away all the mystique that once surrounded them, but Brownes is a very pretty water to spend time at in their pursuit.
There was still time to take a stroll along the canal again, heading in the Taunton direction, I came across another pond. This one was much clearer and more overgrown than Browne's and I think might be Taunton Road Pond? If anyone knows it, then I'd be interested to find out about the fishing there. I couldn't fish it on this occasion though, as it appears subject to the closed season until June 16th.
I then sheltered from the rain before casting a waggler for some silver bream, using my new number one silver bream bait; tares. It was fairly instant sport once again, the highlight of an hour's fishing being this canal specimen, which had a golden-yellow patch on its head. A golden silver bream? I spared it the faff of weighing, but I reckon it was around a pound and a quarter.
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There was still time to take a stroll along the canal again, heading in the Taunton direction, I came across another pond. This one was much clearer and more overgrown than Browne's and I think might be Taunton Road Pond? If anyone knows it, then I'd be interested to find out about the fishing there. I couldn't fish it on this occasion though, as it appears subject to the closed season until June 16th.
I then sheltered from the rain before casting a waggler for some silver bream, using my new number one silver bream bait; tares. It was fairly instant sport once again, the highlight of an hour's fishing being this canal specimen, which had a golden-yellow patch on its head. A golden silver bream? I spared it the faff of weighing, but I reckon it was around a pound and a quarter.
