Mr Crabtrees' Winter Slack. Where is it?

[Fredline]

Mr Crabtrees' Winter Slack it sounds like a seasonal beer from a micro brewery "A pint of Crabbies Winter Slack please". Seriously, ever since I read this book in 19** this wonderful winter swim on page 4 has fascinated me. I have scoured the country to find it, but no.Does it exist? Do you know better?
Someone out there in TFF land must have found something similar. A picture would be great. Fredline

[Santiago]

I 've seen a place like that on the Kennet near Padworth mill, but the swirly pool is on the opposite bank. I was told it was good in winter for pike.

[Reedling]

When I was a kid fishing the Darent near Horton Kirby we had a swim like that. The fish used to be virtually shoulder to shoulder, we fished just under the rod tip in this tiny river and never failed to catch. Alas the river is nothing like I remember, and that particular swim silted up to a trickle years ago, rather sad to see really.

[Julian]

On a smaller river, would that not be what used to be known as a 'cattle drink' ?
- ie a safe , level spot for catlle to drink from.

[Santiago]

Well spotted. On some small rivers there's lots of them.

[Reedling]

The place I fished was just out of the main flow of the flooded river and was, and I say was, quite deep. It had an Alder tree at one side and another type at the other, I cannot remember what it was. It was not a cattle drink Julian, but there was one of those further up the river.. a great place to fish just down stream of. That area I used to fish sometimes got covered with a layer of dense red scum, which I realised at a later date was the seeds from the Alder. We often had Siskins and Redpolls feeding in the branches above us. Have a look at this link about the river Darent, one of my pictures later on in the thread...

viewtopic.php?f=158&t=1557&hilit=darent

[Beresford]

I've had similar swims where small streams joint he main flow. I seem to recall a text book example of that type of swim on the Bain.

[Dave Burr]

I think that unless BV fished a very special place somewhere, he actually did angling a disservice by recommending such swims. In my youth and beyond I spent many winter's day fishing eddies and caught a prodigious amount of eels but little else. I learned to look elsewhere and have read of many that did the same and who now walk past such spots as being all but a waste of time.

Of course nothing is set in stone in angling but an eddy full of swirling debris and hoards of hungry eels is not for me, the crease along the main current though......

[Tengisgol]

I agree, they don't like those places (unless they can clearly tuck in the edge facing a consistent current).

Dave will remember well my tale of two Christmases ago when the Wye had about ten feet on and whole trees were travelling the main current. Rob and I simply walked down the stretch and through the beats, past the rampage, until we found the first place with walking pace water on the nearside over a clear bottom. Hey presto, there were the fish. They just like to know (in the murk) which way the current is coming at them and not to be bashed about by debris.

[Stathamender]

It's an ideal and therefore exists only in the mind of its creator. There is, however one very like it on the Rother just below the weir near the footbridge at Orgreave. I'll post a picture later.