Float Feeder Trotting

Date fished 13/9/2026

8am until 1.30pm

Autumn days on the river bank really are magic. The leaves were falling around me but it was still a pleasant, if not a tad warm 18-20 degrees. 

It's been a while since I fished the Tees, and more to the point trotted a float. I combined the two.

An eventful Aldi trip yesterday resulted in helping a 90 year old lady who had fallen to get home and then call her an ambulance. I was also without wheels, so had no way to get maggots. Fortunately, I was able to source some from a friend in Hexham, so it was operation go!! 

This club stretch, I have fished once before. The track down is steep and I am not sure it gets fished often. It's overgrown but looks great, I am sure a low presured section, at least from our bank is welcomed by the fish. 

I started float fishing with my new 11ft rod and the closed face reel. The rod was too short and I didn't need the closed faced reel as I was fishing in about 10ft of water with barely any flow!

Fish topped all over and two otter swam around the pool looking at me. One even swam right under my rods, I saw the air bubbles as it shot along the edge. It didn't worry the fish and I was son catching 'bits'.

A sleeper rod with meat was cast to likely spots. This was hoping for a big chub. This was not a Tees barbel mission. I repeat, not a Tees barbel mission!! 

Soon, I realised the float fishing was no good. I needed to be on the bottom. I turned the (only) rod I had into a ledger rod with a closed face reel!! 

It worked though as four perch in four casts, all expertly pulling the tip round. I even got the net wet for one! 

The clicker showed 13, and I decided to take a stroll. It's very overgrown and I hoped a big piece of meat under or near bushes on our side would tempt a chub. 

It didn't.

As I walked along and realised there was no swims up this way and I would have to hack through the jungle to even get to the river, I took the easy option and headed back North. 

I would like to say it was great to be back on flowing water, but it had very little flow. I enjoyed the few hours though, as the Tees has this affect on me that everytime I go, I feel I never know what I will catch. 

In the end, it was a few hours well spent on a quiet River Tees, proving that even a cobbled-together rig and a slow current are more than enough to keep the magic of the unknown alive.