Bottom feeders

Date fished 31/8/2026

6.30am until 11am

There are items of tackle that I like, I use because I always have and there are items that I love but have rarely, if ever used.

For example 

I LOVE the bait dropper, but I think it's only met the water once. It makes so much sense, put your bait on the bottom where the big tench and bream are feeding. Ignore the little silvers in the water column. That was the plan. 

I put three droppers of liquidised bread, corn and small pellets in the desired spot. As I got the float rod ready, I noted the fizzing. It was bubbles all morning! 

The float was maybe not the method though. I love to just sit and watch the float, but some days you have to do what you need to.

Time stamp 7.18am

No need to cast. I was fishing a rod length out and I just lowered it carefully in. 

Time stamp 7.22am

A nice 3lb tench.

The bailiff came around and I told him I had caught a tench, he asked how big and I said 3lb. I had not weighed it. 

I caught another one later, it looked the same size, so I gave it a weigh. 2lb 15oz. Phew, 1 oz out!! 

Two 6mm Robin Red durable hookers squished together on the hair doing the business for both the larger tench.

A smaller one on the float fished corn and some roach and rudd kept me entertained. The morning slipped away and I decided to do the same.

Not quite sure what the banks need the holiday for, but my morning on the bank was worth it. 

Tees Barbel Ten

Date fished 29/8/2026

5pm until 8pm

It was strange sitting at home during the day when I was going to be fishing later. It's normally an early morning thing for me. Today, I tried to join the night crew! 

Arriving, I went to the swim I wanted to fish. Someone was in it but he said he was not staying long, so I could fish it too. It's big enough for two, so was spot on. However, then the rain started. Light at first then torrential. It didn't stop for the next three hours. 

I tried to fish on, but the rain was annoying. I had a brolly but just a hand held golf one, I stayed mostly dry but couldn't really fish. 

Loads of bites and knocks but no captures. The Tees barbel eludes me further. 

In truth, I wanted to fish later than I did. The fear of fishing in to dark on my own was too great though. I packed up and walked to the car in the slight dark and slipped onto my knee to prove that I did the right thing. 

I lived on to blank another day! 

Southern Fried chicken wrap for my tea!! 

Tees Barbel (8)

Date fished 25/07/2026

6:45am until 2:45pm

persistence

/pəˈsɪst(ə)n(t)s/

Persistence is the quality of continuing to do something even when it is hard, and it means keeping going, lasting a long time, or saving computer data.

Not sure about the "saving computer data" stuff, but I am certainly saving a few blogs! 

I arrived and walked to the area I wanted to fish. There was another angler in a nearby peg so I asked him if it was OK if I fished upstream of him. He said yes, so I started. 

Link ledger meat for an hour produced nothing. Not wanting to roll meat out of my swim and disrupt the other angler, I moved off down stream. 

I played around in a few new areas, not really settling and only got snagged lots and got a wet foot! I had the waders but was carrying them by now. 

A warm wind soon turned into dark skies and water started falling, I think its called rain. Its been a while!

Still feeling discombobulated   I went back to where I started. The angler was just leaving and he offered me the swim. I said thanks and we chatted as he packed up. 

Not wanting to wade anymore  I decided to sit on the bank and ledger paste wrapped pellet in the flow on the far side. It's where the barbel live!!

I ended with six of these, I think dace.

The second one was big and I would of weighed it had it not jumped off my hand when I unhooked it. They would be amazing to catch on the float trotting, but on the barbel rod they were just reeled in. 

I was glad of the blank savers and the kindness of the other angler. I enjoyed my day, but the quest goes on!! 

Tees barbel (7)

Date fished 12/7/2026

4.40am until 8am

Yes, I watched the football. Yes, all of it. 

2.5 hours sleep and a 3.15am alarm. I must love my fishing!? 

It was always going to be an early start. In this heat, I wanted my discomfort to be more than that of the fish.  

After some minutes sleeping, not that much more than the match itself, I dragged my arse out of bed and headed towards the river Tees. No beers for the match helped, but it wasn't until I put the Argentina V Switzerland game on 5 Live and started to drink my cup of tea, that I felt ready. 

I picked a fast flowing swim and rolled some meat. People make it look easier than it is. A few runs through and I was not convinced. 

I cast the same weight to the slack water and put the rod down. Instantly it pulled round. Not the barbel I craved but a nice chub of about two and a half pounds. Released without even leaving the water! 

I decided to change to paste wrapped pellet next, it served me well on the Nidd. Constant taps, pulls. The lot. I just couldn't connect. I assumed crayfish, however when I finally connected, it was dace. I managed two.

I had seen a kingfisher, heron, eel and otter and it was not even breakfast time for many. 

After a few more biteless rolls, I walked around an island and saw a big chub lethargically heading towards a tree for shade. It's back out the water, I could of just netted him. 

I took this as a sign that I should go find my own shade, it is likely going to be snory and sofa induced. 

Does anyone know if mobile speed cameras always get you??

Asking for a friend. Ffs 🤬

Nidd nutter!

Date fished 27/06/2026

6am until 1pm

With the current hot weather, Ellis and I decided to fish early morning. I had caught barbel from two rivers from the Leeds book in two trips, could I make it a hatrick!?

Minimal kit as we were walking a little bit, plus it was a short session. Oozing meat my main bait, but I did grab some 6mm marine halibut pellets and matching paste as I left (at 4am). Either to be suspended under a twin 2SSG shot on a link ledger. 

We arrived at the Nidd, wow, it looked great. Swims cut in, loads of water in a small area due to river bends. It is my new fave stretch to fish!!

My rod

I won't bore you with the photography, I took loads  but this was my best picture. The fishing was quiet!! 

The river is small, like a stream in places. Deep holes, shallow glides and full of streamer weed. Perfect fish habitat but on a warm day, I just wanted to find shade. Eventually I did and a well placed cast was met with knocks. In hindsight it was probably crayfish but at the time I got interested. 

Ellis tried with worms too, in the hope a big stripey would be hungry. Plenty of fish were topping, assume perch chasing too but not our baits. 

My swim

We leapfrogged swims towards where we thought we had parked. We were wrong, the loop and river flow swapping but bank side staying the same had confused me! Am even confused now, not sure I am correct but I know what I mean. Anyway, I sat with pellets and waited. The rod pulled and I missed the bite. Gutted!!

What's funny though was Ellis was doing the same as me. Photography!!

Ellis's rod

I moved further downstream and came to peg 48. I cast in the middle of a narrow stretch, not near cover but just in a bit I thought I could leave it while I sat. The least fishy part of river in the least fishy swim I had been in all morning.

My rod twitched, I picked it up and it slammed around. I was in. The fish, assumed chub swam downstream, then swam upstream towards and under a bush. I manged to get it out and had it in the open water. I saw my chub, it had whiskers! It made for the snag again, but this time I steered it around and quickly in the net. 

My barbel from a third river in three trips. I called Ellis. We rested the fish well and took it out for a quick pic. No weighing, estimated 5lb. After another long rest, it swam powerfully away under the bush upstream. 

Ellis cast in the hot zone!! There were fish topping, splashing about but no more were caught. 

Gathering our bearings, we realised we had walked away from the cars, but we wanted to fish some more, so we crossed the field and we fished some great looking swims. In truth, all the swims look great on this stretch. I am going to struggle to fish anywhere else!!

Our remaining drinking water was back at the car, so we headed that way. 

We left as it heated up, atmospherically not metaphorically, but we had decided to fish today whilst being mindful of fishcare. Nobody told them Nidd nutters though!!

No, not really

Date fished 22/6/2026

9.30am until tooth hurty pm

GCSE's completed and one more day of holiday for me was a perfect mix for me to take Rupe to the Swale to see if he could catch his first barbel.

We headed to Topcliffe as we could not leave at the  crack of dawn and he had a dentist appointment (brace tighten) at 4.45pm which could be on our way back North. 

First swim

Second swim

The weir swim looked good, sounded noisy and ate two swim feeders in two casts! We moved downstream 100m.

This swim seemed better, we cast our ledgerd pellets just in the flow and waited. 

I like fishing with pellets, they are:

Easy

Cheap

Last ages

Stay on the hook

Different sizes, flavours

Child friendly

I don't like some boilies that I have. I won them years ago and have never really used them. I take them with me on many trips and they come home again. They smell like vomit to me. I decided they were going in the river or in the bin!! 

Suddenly, Rupe's rod wiggled and I let him know, just incase he didn't see it through his fringe. He was in. A cute little chub his prize.

I cast too close to the far bank and lost more tackle. 

Today's mission was to hopefully get Rupe his first barbel, so I changed my rig to a vomit boilie on a hybrid feeder, no respectful barbel would get caught on that! 

A missed bite on that, it must work. I kept with it. 

My second of the week (ish). Big smiles all round! On the vomit too!!

Another angler came to fish this swim as I was releasing the barbel, he warned us of some snags. We had none in this swim so far. 

We reeled in. Snag! 

Another lost feeder. Am going through feeders quicker than............ (fill your own answer in here)

The sun burst through the clouds and although we liked the warmth, the fishing died. We watched birds, river critters and a little mouse having his lunch.

It was lovely to spend time with the boy. 

Oh, the title. I nearly forgot. Speaking of things that annoy me. Ask my son any question and his reply is usually "No, not really".

It doesn't even make sense!! 

Love him though!! 

What is this hair!?

Two barbel, five bream, six perch!!

Date fished 18/6/2026

7am until 3pm

Ellis and I went to the Ouse today. We had a great, great session. 

Two rods ledgered mid river or towards the tree lined far bank proving to be the tactic! 

I will let you into a secret, the bait today that worked was worms! Many other pellets laid unmolested, but not the worms!!

I actually can't remember the sequence of what we caught when. But I know, I did catch a couple of bream then a barbel and Ellis caught his barbel whilst I had my third bream in the net!! 

3lb 12oz

4lb 12oz

We have never both caught a barbel in the same session,  plenty of chub but never barbel. We wondered if we could top the day off with a chub each from the Nidd. This proved a touch too far for our luck, so we headed back to Ellis's house for a celebratory beer!!

Earl of Northumberland

Date fished 16th of course!! 

7.10am until 2.10pm

Forgetting a few hours after work for the elusive Tees barbel on a September evening, I had not fished with Ellis since 17th June 2025!!

Putting that right this week, we started on the Swale. I have joined Leeds, a large and great club. Today we tried their Topcliffe flavour.

Coming from Northumberland, this is why I felt at home

Ellis arrived early and secured a double swim. Today was another social with rods. In hindsight, I could of left the rods at home as they didn't catch today. However  I thoroughly enjoyed the day on a great new stretch! 

I walked it just before we left, and that definitely had me thinking about another trip, soon! 

We ledgered every bait we had, varied everything but to no avail. We even swapped for a worm in the margins as something was constantly harassing something. Ellis caught the culprit, a nice perch. 

I will need to review the boundaries as some other swim parameters seemed 'muddled'.

Some barbel were caught on the stretch today, it was full of anglers. Great to see on opening day! 

Let's not leave it until nearly a year until the next trip please Ellis!!

Blank

Date fished 28/02/2026

7am until 11.30am 

Broken scar, Tees today's venue. 0.99m on the guage, fishable but only just in the slacks, and would be tough.

Ledgered worms,  pellets or chesepaste for the hook. 

Accompanied with a feeder stuffed full of dead maggots, bread crumb and pellets.

Not a touch in three swims. A few snags, and even managed to flash a passing dog walker! He still chatted to me after and pointed me in the direction of a good swim. 

Knowing what I know now, would I still of gone?? 

Too bloody right!!

Tees barbel (5)

Date fished 24/9/2025

3pm until 7.30pm

I wondered if an evening session would increase my chances. Ellis said "it would, 500%"

Unsure of his maths, we gave it a go. 

A different swim fished. I collected a bag full of rubbish from the previous users.

It looked perfect. The river was dropping and had a good pace going into over hanging willows. One rod with pellets and feeder was cast there and a sleeper rod in the nearside slack with meat for any cruising chub. Ellis joined me after work and had a ledger rod near mine on the far bank. 

After one of his casts, I asked where he was. He said 5 yards from the tree. I declared, OK, I will cast this three yards from it. I promptly deposited my rig exactly where his was!! We didn't get tangled and didn't catch any barbel. 

It was great to catch up, we hadn't fished together since June. He has been doing lots of fishing around the country and had barbel to over 8lb! 

His luck didn't rub off on me, and he was left cursing the blank saver when he wound in the last cast and there was actually a small fish on the end. It had registered a bite a while before but didnt do anything else. He didnt see it properly before it dropped off, but I hope it wasnt a small barbel. If it was, we would of carried on for something bigger!! 

We even managed to avoid the massive dog poo as we walked back to the cars in the dark. The quest continues....