An odd session on the Stour

[MarkW]

I went to the Stour today with the intention of doing some videoing but a lot of building construction noise and a lack of swims for the type of fishing i intended - fishing a stick float - plus an awkward wind put paid to that. I ended up fishing a little waggler very shallow with tares and it was tough going for a long time. A shoal of big fish (chub?) was slightly upstream just under the surface. I started with some small roach and dace, fish of a couple of ounces and the wind which sometimes skimmed downriver made life tricky as did the weed. I set up an underwater camera and put it running in what should be the next swim down river although it's too weedy at present.

After a while I hooked a bigger fish and lost it, then hooked a big roach which broke me in the weed, all the while experimenting with different hooks and hooklinks (tried fluoro and copolymer), then finally got a decent roach of around 12oz, followed by this one of 1-2 (it flicked a lump of slime onto the lens hence the blur). Gradually some of the bigger fish took an interest in the loose-fed hemp and I caught a couple of the smaller ones, bream of 3-4 and 4-8 (the biggest one looked around 8lb) before it was time to pack up after three and a half hours. Note to self - make sure you've got a waggler rod as I fished my Allerton stick float rod. The video footage was filming in the jungle but some good roach and a glimpse of a big bream.

 

[Silverfisher]

Lovely fish that mark well done! Roughly where were you?

Also are hemp and tares effective on most stretches or the stour and how long are they effective for? I’ve not deliberately targeted roach on the stour before but hoping to maybe get back down there in September or October and I’m in full on roach addiction mode currently lol. I’m assuming they’d definitely work in September but would bread be better in October? Temperature dependant really I guess as that tends to dictate it up here.

 

[MarkW]

I fished Throop Fishery as I'm a RDAA (and CAC) member. I don't know about 'most' stretches as a surprisingly small proportion of the Stour is actually fished! Hemp and tares do work on all stretches from Longham Bridge to the tidal bits down in Tuckton/Christchurch and I've had some success on some stretches of the upper Stour. The bits nearest where I live aren't fished enough in summer so despite it having a good head of roach the incredible weed in summer makes it a winter venue.

Most years hemp and tares work until the first big flood when bread takes over. Last year that was the end of September but usually mid October, very rarely into very early November.

 

[Silverfisher]

Cool thanks for the info. If I do go I’ll definitely take some then. Sounds pretty similar on the timing front to here. September is the last month you can guarantee they’ll work but they can work very well in October if it’s still fairly warm and dry especially after a warm dry summer.