With the Chief of Staff away in Barca I found myself with the car on a weekday, so booked a day’s holiday and sandwiched a trip to the Lower Stour and the council tip in amongst some DIY drudgery. I picked a spot further down the river this time, the West Bank just up from Tuckton Bridge, which can be accessed from the footpath of off Iford Lane. On the face of it this is a fairly featureless stretch but considerably deeper than up by the railway bridge. The tide was just running out from a high of 1.7 metres, down to 1.4 metres and then back up 1.5 and it was a surprisingly warm day for October, almost beach weather. The first hour or so was so quiet I too may have been better off on a beach, but then I missed a decent bite whilst chatting to a dog walker. This turned out to be a useful chat as he fishes this stretch four times a week, albeit on the members’ only east bank. Apparently this far down the Stour salinity level is higher, especially on up tides and in the lower depths. He suggested the Pony Fields stretch would have been better for my target of roach. With the low flows experienced this year the salinity was even higher than normal and he thought I was most likely to catch bass from this stretch, with roach, chub and migrating dace all possibilities, but by no means bankers. He said that gudgeon, minnows and pike are all completely absent. I was swimfeedering, which I always think is a bit naff, but he said given the depths here and tidal flow he favoured this approach over trotting, unless dace were present.

Shortly afterwards I hooked something of about a pound and a half but I misjudged how high the bank was and hadn’t really sorted out how I was to net fish successfully from my chosen swim. The answer turned out to be by sitting on the edge of the bank with my legs over the side but in the process of thinking that out, I let the line go slack and the fish threw the hook. I kind of thought that was it for the day, until a midget perch at least saved me from a blank day, but then on the up tide the predicted bass did put in an appearance, causing the landing net to be successfully called into action on two occasions. Then plagued by a run of midget perch I called it a day headed back to my paintbrush.

For bait I was alternating between double red and double white maggots with red proving more successful (all things are relative). I did try flake, and got bites on it, but I had opted for a size 14 hook, which suits double maggots (sorry I canno longer be bothered to faff around with anything smaller) but always seems one size too small for flake to me.

Gary