Christmas Break Fishing

[Silverfisher]

Canal up towards Kidlington is ok.
I was going to have a look at Thames at Sandford to see what that is like,

I went to sandford on Sunday. 4 out of the 6 swims I fished there during this season were underwater so given we’ve had more rain since it’ll be properly flooded very soon. Lock cut will be alright but I don’t really like fishing there.

There’s some decent fish coming out of the canal at heyford but obviously that’ll be a different picture once the temperatures drop. Worth a go though as not much else to do is there lol

The Thames can fish very well when it's carrying a lot of extra water and colour, just have to choose a suitable swim.

Would be a challenge finding a suitable swim by the weekend the way it looked Sunday. Was emptying out of the sandford old channel with more power than it does out of Portsmouth harbour on a spring tide

 

[warrington63]

I went to sandford on Sunday. 4 out of the 6 swims I fished there during this season were underwater so given we’ve had more rain since it’ll be properly flooded very soon. Lock cut will be alright but I don’t really like fishing there.

There’s some decent fish coming out of the canal at heyford but obviously that’ll be a different picture once the temperatures drop. Worth a go though as not much else to do is there lol



Would be a challenge finding a suitable swim by the weekend the way it looked Sunday. Was emptying out of the sandford old channel with more power than it does out of Portsmouth harbour on a spring tide

I was thinking of the lock cut, when I went a few weeks ago the channel was still rushing through, Heard some good fish coming out opposite the hotel on the lock cut stretch,

 

[Silverfisher]

I was thinking of the lock cut, when I went a few weeks ago the channel was still rushing through, Heard some good fish coming out opposite the hotel on the lock cut stretch,

Yeah the lock cut will still fishable in any conditions really. In a normal year it’s alright as at some point there’s lots of fish up there but this year it seems apart from bream in front of the hotel occasionally next to nothing has been coming out. Very unsettled weather I guess both the levels and the temperatures have been up, down and all over the place. Need a sustained spell of mild temperatures and a reasonable level river!

 

[warrington63]

Yeah the lock cut will still fishable in any conditions really. In a normal year it’s alright as at some point there’s lots of fish up there but this year it seems apart from bream in front of the hotel occasionally next to nothing has been coming out. Very unsettled weather I guess both the levels and the temperatures have been up, down and all over the place. Need a sustained spell of mild temperatures and a reasonable level river!

Lots of small roach, some are like fins with eyes,

 

[alsur]

I went to sandford on Sunday. 4 out of the 6 swims I fished there during this season were underwater so given we’ve had more rain since it’ll be properly flooded very soon. Lock cut will be alright but I don’t really like fishing there.

There’s some decent fish coming out of the canal at heyford but obviously that’ll be a different picture once the temperatures drop. Worth a go though as not much else to do is there lol



Would be a challenge finding a suitable swim by the weekend the way it looked Sunday. Was emptying out of the sandford old channel with more power than it does out of Portsmouth harbour on a spring tide

I was also thinking of lock cuts, the area below a lock can be very good, the area below Teddington lock although not that big used to be full of bream when river was high mind you it was dodgy fishing there. Also there are normally some areas where the flow is slower its surprising how much flow Bream will sit in, there were normally fewer blanks in our winter league when river was up and coloured compared to low cold and clear conditions.

 

[Paul_T]

I envy you guys, especially being able to fish the Thames in Oxford. In Bucks we went from T2 last week to T3 at 00:01 Saturday, to T4 that afternoon; so my fishing plans are scuppered.

@Silverfisher have you considered fishing some of the bream areas on the Thames like Donnington by the Cherwell mouth, or Radley (grey gate) in flood? Ball it in (out in the flow) with all your old leftover groundbait and dead maggs, caster, chop worms, etc, and fish a feeder over the top with big baits - worm, 3 maggs etc. You can have some superb days in the worst of conditions. You will be surprised just how many fish are feeding out in the flow when we are led to believe they are in slacks and down the inside.

Another successful method on places like Donnington that are full of roach is the bread feeder. You can fish this line while your balled in line settles. Plop a feeder with liquidised bread a rod length out and a 2 rod lengths downstream, so you can point your rod straight out in front. Fish 4lb (0.14mm) hooklength, strong size 16 like a B611, use a flake punch for a decent sized bit of bread on the hook. On this method you can get a bite first bung so make sure you are holding the rod and are ready for it. The legendary Dave White put us onto this method and it won us many WL matches at Donnington while other teams blanked. It's very positive fishing and not for the feint-hearted! Good luck!

 

[Silverfisher]

I envy you guys, especially being able to fish the Thames in Oxford. In Bucks we went from T2 last week to T3 at 00:01 Saturday, to T4 that afternoon; so my fishing plans are scuppered.

@Silverfisher have you considered fishing some of the bream areas on the Thames like Donnington by the Cherwell mouth, or Radley (grey gate) in flood? Ball it in (out in the flow) with all your old leftover groundbait and dead maggs, caster, chop worms, etc, and fish a feeder over the top with big baits - worm, 3 maggs etc. You can have some superb days in the worst of conditions. You will be surprised just how many fish are feeding out in the flow when we are led to believe they are in slacks and down the inside.

Another successful method on places like Donnington that are full of roach is the bread feeder. You can fish this line while your balled in line settles. Plop a feeder with liquidised bread a rod length out and a 2 rod lengths downstream, so you can point your rod straight out in front. Fish 4lb (0.14mm) hooklength, strong size 16 like a B611, use a flake punch for a decent sized bit of bread on the hook. On this method you can get a bite first bung so make sure you are holding the rod and are ready for it. The legendary Dave White put us onto this method and it won us many WL matches at Donnington while other teams blanked. It's very positive fishing and not for the feint-hearted! Good luck!

Thanks for the tips mate. Was a match on Donnington on Sunday. Top 3 had about a dozen bream between them for about 30lb but the other 21 had less than the between them I believe so it’s even fishing hard there. Was fishing it’s nuts off for bream back in November though with some real big bags. If I do make it out it will be for bream or chub as Roach, dace, perch etc have been all but non existent everywhere since last week of November which is odd as usually you could rely on some coming out in the city centre at least even though they usually vanish for elsewhere. Especially odd seeing as it was a superb roach summer and autumn. Only place that’s apparently fishing ok for them is Clifton but that floods badly there so probably off the table.

At least you still have plenty of fishing in bucks, seems to me the Ouse is fishing reasonably well when it’s not too far up. Seen some nice roach bags and good chub, pike and perch.

 

[Silverfisher]

I was also thinking of lock cuts, the area below a lock can be very good, the area below Teddington lock although not that big used to be full of bream when river was high mind you it was dodgy fishing there. Also there are normally some areas where the flow is slower its surprising how much flow Bream will sit in, there were normally fewer blanks in our winter league when river was up and coloured compared to low cold and clear conditions.

The basin below the sandford lock was packed with anglers on Sunday think there’s was 6 or 7 of them. One bloke had 2 pike and a perch dead baiting but the others had 1 bream between them. Looked a bit perilous though as the tow path was flooded so people were kind of sat perched halfway up the sloping bank

 

[rudd]

that was for last week fella so tides have been and gone lol

Thank Davy Jones for that! I thought I was looking at last years tide table!
Definitely losing the plot at present- too much going on at work and have today to do it.
You would think Brexit is happening for real pretty soon!

 

[gingert76]

lol feel your pain, they are asking me to cancel my days off next week but ive got commitments and last xmas here in teh UK so cant really

 

[alsur]

The basin below the sandford lock was packed with anglers on Sunday think there’s was 6 or 7 of them. One bloke had 2 pike and a perch dead baiting but the others had 1 bream between them. Looked a bit perilous though as the tow path was flooded so people were kind of sat perched halfway up the sloping bank

That sounds dodgy and if river is actually over the banks you really shouldn't be fishing you need to take extra when river is carrying extra water, in 80s an angler drowned in a match on Thames think it was at Tadpole Bridge.

 

[Silverfisher]

That sounds dodgy and if river is actually over the banks you really shouldn't be fishing you need to take extra when river is carrying extra water, in 80s an angler drowned in a match on Thames think it was at Tadpole Bridge.

Yeah it’s too high for me at the moment that’s for sure. Might be half chance that by next weekend it could be alright but I think if I go before then it’ll be the canal. Typically it’s turned out quite a reasonable fishing weather day today after it being forecast rain all day! Can’t believe it won’t rain at some point but could have got a few hours in, never mind eh.

 

[alsur]

Yeah it’s too high for me at the moment that’s for sure. Might be half chance that by next weekend it could be alright but I think if I go before then it’ll be the canal. Typically it’s turned out quite a reasonable fishing weather day today after it being forecast rain all day! Can’t believe it won’t rain at some point but could have got a few hours in, never mind eh.

Just think yourself lucky that if conditions allow you have good venues available to you, I can't see myself fishing a river again this season local venues in tier 2 I'm in tear 4, other venues I could fish further away than I can reasonably drive in tier 4.

 

[Silverfisher]

Just think yourself lucky that if conditions allow you have good venues available to you, I can't see myself fishing a river again this season local venues in tier 2 I'm in tear 4, other venues I could fish further away than I can reasonably drive in tier 4.

Yep very fortunate that unless they start dividing the county up which is unlikely seeing as the infection rate is pretty similar county wide now the Thames should stay available.

 

[tincatim]

I’m working up to and including Christmas Eve, off for four days and then back in til New Year’s Day. That said, I am working from home and it will be very quiet. So I’ll pick a day when the wife’s at work and head out somewhere, probably a local lake, maybe Ferryboat Farm. All depends on what bait I can get, if I can get pellets and maggots then I’ll go. If I’ve only got what’s available in the supermarkets then I might opt for the river instead.

 

[Paul_T]

@Silverfisher you can try the bread feeder almost anywhere on the Thames in flood, doesn't have to be a bream bit. Give it a try. I think you'll be surprised what you can catch on it. People think liquidised is only effective on clear venues, but the roach love it on a chocolate river.

Unfortunately the Ouse is a bit of a trek for me. I'll have to stay in and sort my gear for when I can go out again. Good luck,

 

[alsur]

Yep very fortunate that unless they start dividing the county up which is unlikely seeing as the infection rate is pretty similar county wide now the Thames should stay available.

I suppose as looks likely they might put more areas if not whole country into tier 4 which would mean I could fish my local river which is only 5 miles away.

 

[Capt Birdseye]

Loved fishing their when stopping at caravan park down the road. Great memories

Its got its own small caravan park now tucker, its nice to chat with the tourists from all over the country ( in better times! )

 

[Silverfisher]

Lots of small roach, some are like fins with eyes,

Haha as addicted as I am to roach even I'm not that interested in them at bleak size. I'd probably take them at the moment though although from what the match boys are saying even that size in any numbers have vanished now!

@Silverfisher you can try the bread feeder almost anywhere on the Thames in flood, doesn't have to be a bream bit. Give it a try. I think you'll be surprised what you can catch on it. People think liquidised is only effective on clear venues, but the roach love it on a chocolate river.

Unfortunately the Ouse is a bit of a trek for me. I'll have to stay in and sort my gear for when I can go out again. Good luck,

Had a session with bread last week. Didn't work on the hook but in the feeder with bunches of maggot on the hook brought a few chub. Haven't seen a Thames roach caught this month yet and only heard of handful! Is crazy as was tons of them about until about a month ago

Where in bucks are you?

 

[gingert76]

now fishing 2 matches @ suffolk water park between xmas and new year as its still tier 2 the same as me and colemans matches cancelled as tier 4 and i will be popping up the pier at some point as well as have a 24hr ticket