Plan A, B, C to Z

Date fished 3/7/2021

5.15am until 1.15pm

The alarm went off at 3.40am and I jumped out of bed. The car was all packed so by 4am I had left and was heading towards the Swale. I was due to meet Tom on the A1 somewhere and Ellis on the bank somewhere else! 

Tom pulled alongside just as we approached junction 51, and we were soon parking. Tom had some lures after seeing the Pike last trip, and the chub may oblige on lures or meat too. I had pellets, a ledger rod and a keep net. I was planning on staying in one swim and hopefully putting a net of chub together. Ellis was going to rove for a bit, do some fly fishing and then fill my net too but using prawns or meat! Well that was all our plan A's.

I left Tom lure fishing and headed to my chosen swim. When I arrived I noticed how much extra weed there was from two weeks ago. The bottom was covered. I could still see the bottom and what I didn't see were fish! 

I tackled up and cast towards a fallen tree. I was sure a Chub would be waiting here. In short Plan A did not work. The swim was alot different from previously and I was gonna struggle. I went for a walk and cast towards another fallen tree. I then saw a poacher approaching from the loop in the river. I later found out that the poacher thought I was a scarecrow! As the poacher got closer, I recognised the style and soon I was welcoming Ellis to the swim with no fish! I needed a plan B. I decided to move further downstream and have an explore. 

I came to a corner that Ellis and I always have a try in but we have never caught from. I cast in the pellet and waited. I had been fishing for over 3 hours up to this point so another couple of minutes didn't matter. That's all it took, two mins after casting the rod hooped round and I was playing the Chub to the net. A lovely fish of exactly 4lb.

Finally the poacher, I mean Ellis had crossed the river and I went over for a chat. We both agreed the river had changed since a few weeks ago. The weed was more prolific and there was little signs of fish. We decided we didn't know why but was fished on. Ellis casting his prawn into the swim I had started in and concluded was fishless.  

20 minutes later Ellis was down near me and we were again whinging about the lack of fish! Then boom, his rod bent over and he was in. He declared this was no Chub, and indeed he was right. A pristine 3lb Brown Trout his prize. 

He had just taken his sunglasses off for the picture, which caused the squint. He had not just woken up! 

Then it started. A few drops, then heavy rain. We sat in it for a while but with no further bites, we walked on. The rain never really left us from then. Maybe for a few minutes but then some much heavier downpours. We walked upstream and met Tom coming downstream. On his second trip, he had received an awakening! River fishing can be tough. He fished and cast well, but got snagged alot and lost gear. He ended up just lure fishing and a pestering follow from a small jack that refused to take his lure the only action he had. 

Ellis and I walked on to an area rarely fished and had the rain eased off, we would of fished on. But with the rain getting heavier and seemingly in for the day, we decided to call it a day. 

As my gear is drying Ellis just messaged me some blog titles "prawn cracker" being the best one I can repeat publically, but they will have to wait. Tom then messaged me with lessons learnt...

1. Have lots of back up gear for when I get snagged. 2. Always take a loafer float and preferably worms. 3. Don’t take quite as many lures during a trip!

All I can say mate is, make sure you have a plan A, B, C and all the way to Z.