100-up on World Rivers Day
- Bigoll
- Silver Bream
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:54 pm
- 11
100-up on World Rivers Day
I meant to post this a week ago but found myself busy getting married I'm sure the new Mrs Bigoll appreciated the delay too.
Sunday 28th September was World Rivers Day: http://worldriversday.com/about/ and, having chalked up 93 catches on the Roding so far this season, the perfect day to make it into triple figures. It was unusually humid for the end of September and we've not had any proper rain for weeks so I knew the river would be low, clear and sluggish; not ideal, but a few perch could probably be tempted. The session was my ninth of the season - one of which was a blank owing to a sudden cold front and thunderstorm - and a reflection of my resolution to get out on the river more in 2014/15. What follows is a small selection of photos and notes of this season so far which will hopefully illustrate the affection I hold for my local river. Like most of its inhabitants, the Roding is small but perfectly formed, colourful and challenging.
The Roding has multiple personalities, from open and placid:
To hidden and mysterious:
And picture perfect:
All within a single mile stretch. As you'd expect, the changing character of the river offers up an array of different swims, each with their own challenges and inhabitants, both of which can change from week to week. Some scream chub:
Others beg you to give them a try:
While others invite you to take a seat and watch the watery world go by:
This season I've favoured 9 swims and christened them according to their features, such as fence-post, waterfall and mink tree. I visit them in order along my walk, stopping for a few minutes at each one to gauge conditions and see who might be swimming around, as well as to soak up the peaceful beauty of my surroundings. When it's time to start fishing, I break out my 8 foot telescopic, pre-tackled with shot and float, and bait up with a bunch of red maggots. This season the fish have followed thick and fast, though the gudgeon have been notable by their absence and minnow numbers are way down on previous years; I suspect this might have something to do with the constant flooding over the winter, rather than any water quality issue, given the presence of so many young chub and perch. I regularly see the handful of really big fish which call my stretch home but, aside from one occasion when I hooked a giant of a chub only to have it snap my 8lb line, my catches have been in the smaller category. Here are a sprinkling of my 100 to date, all of which were an absolute joy to land:
Roding chub are hard-fighting, even in their early years:
While the perch are beautifully coloured:
This season I even caught my first ever Roding roach, which was a real surprise as I'd never even seen one in the river before:
World Rivers Day ended with me landing 12 fish, comfortably taking me over the century mark. Here's my Roding season so far: 57 chub, 40 perch, 7 minnow and 1 roach. I'm hoping to catch a few more before the weather turns and the sparkling little river turns into a boiling chocolate torrent once again. Who knows - perhaps one of those wise old chub will see fit to allow me a catch as a late wedding present.....
Sunday 28th September was World Rivers Day: http://worldriversday.com/about/ and, having chalked up 93 catches on the Roding so far this season, the perfect day to make it into triple figures. It was unusually humid for the end of September and we've not had any proper rain for weeks so I knew the river would be low, clear and sluggish; not ideal, but a few perch could probably be tempted. The session was my ninth of the season - one of which was a blank owing to a sudden cold front and thunderstorm - and a reflection of my resolution to get out on the river more in 2014/15. What follows is a small selection of photos and notes of this season so far which will hopefully illustrate the affection I hold for my local river. Like most of its inhabitants, the Roding is small but perfectly formed, colourful and challenging.
The Roding has multiple personalities, from open and placid:
To hidden and mysterious:
And picture perfect:
All within a single mile stretch. As you'd expect, the changing character of the river offers up an array of different swims, each with their own challenges and inhabitants, both of which can change from week to week. Some scream chub:
Others beg you to give them a try:
While others invite you to take a seat and watch the watery world go by:
This season I've favoured 9 swims and christened them according to their features, such as fence-post, waterfall and mink tree. I visit them in order along my walk, stopping for a few minutes at each one to gauge conditions and see who might be swimming around, as well as to soak up the peaceful beauty of my surroundings. When it's time to start fishing, I break out my 8 foot telescopic, pre-tackled with shot and float, and bait up with a bunch of red maggots. This season the fish have followed thick and fast, though the gudgeon have been notable by their absence and minnow numbers are way down on previous years; I suspect this might have something to do with the constant flooding over the winter, rather than any water quality issue, given the presence of so many young chub and perch. I regularly see the handful of really big fish which call my stretch home but, aside from one occasion when I hooked a giant of a chub only to have it snap my 8lb line, my catches have been in the smaller category. Here are a sprinkling of my 100 to date, all of which were an absolute joy to land:
Roding chub are hard-fighting, even in their early years:
While the perch are beautifully coloured:
This season I even caught my first ever Roding roach, which was a real surprise as I'd never even seen one in the river before:
World Rivers Day ended with me landing 12 fish, comfortably taking me over the century mark. Here's my Roding season so far: 57 chub, 40 perch, 7 minnow and 1 roach. I'm hoping to catch a few more before the weather turns and the sparkling little river turns into a boiling chocolate torrent once again. Who knows - perhaps one of those wise old chub will see fit to allow me a catch as a late wedding present.....
- Luga00
- Brown Trout
- Posts: 1318
- Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:26 pm
- 10
Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
Stunningly beautifully conditioned fish and a real 'piece of heaven' you have there.
That giant chub has got to hurt - the one that snapped me still hurts to this day
That giant chub has got to hurt - the one that snapped me still hurts to this day
- LuckyLuca
- Barbel
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- Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:20 am
- 11
- Location: Oxfordshire
Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
A lovely account Sir!
Many congratulations on the wedding by the way!
Many congratulations on the wedding by the way!
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.
- Olly
- Wild Carp
- Posts: 9125
- Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 12:58 pm
- 11
- Location: Hants/Surrey/Berks borders.
Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
A good variety of fish but such a shame that it is so low as seen by the bankside vegetation - I wonder what it potentially could hold with a good flow?
Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
Lovely pictures and some stunning quality and unmarked colourful fish.
In the past I have fished the Chelmer either side of great dunmow.
A lot of fisherman wouldn't even look at these little streams, I love them.
The river Roding rises in my neck of the woods and is barely trickle. Your stretch looks a long way down stream from me.
In the past I have fished the Chelmer either side of great dunmow.
A lot of fisherman wouldn't even look at these little streams, I love them.
The river Roding rises in my neck of the woods and is barely trickle. Your stretch looks a long way down stream from me.
- Julian
- Salmon
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- Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 3:42 pm
- 12
- Location: North Buckinghamshire
Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
Superb looking small river and a great report
There is no peace on earth like the peace of fishing in the early mornings
- Kingfisher
- Catfish
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- Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:14 am
- 12
- Location: Llandrindod Wells (Mid Wales)
Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
Excellent photos Bigoll, Lets hope the roach have spawned well and left plenty of fry to fatten those perch and chub up.
Congratulations on the wedding.
Congratulations on the wedding.
God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling.
Izaak Walton
Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
NIce Bigoll,
I was trawling through some old diaries the other week and i caught quite a few Roach from the Wanstead section of the Roding back in the 90's some nice Dace and a few Eels too.
I've seen Carp, Bream (only one) and Pike in that stretch and once saw someone land a Brownie that went over 3lbs. I think the River has suffered a lot in the last 15 years or so and the last few times i've fished up at the Debden section I've blanked.
I was trawling through some old diaries the other week and i caught quite a few Roach from the Wanstead section of the Roding back in the 90's some nice Dace and a few Eels too.
I've seen Carp, Bream (only one) and Pike in that stretch and once saw someone land a Brownie that went over 3lbs. I think the River has suffered a lot in the last 15 years or so and the last few times i've fished up at the Debden section I've blanked.
- Northern Eel
- Chub
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- 10
- Location: Wigan, Lancashire
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Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
Well done,
Your river reminds me of 'Folly Brook' from BB's "Little Grey Men"
Your river reminds me of 'Folly Brook' from BB's "Little Grey Men"
"Chasing frothy bubbles while the world is full of troubles"
"Simple pleasures maybe, but very real ones, which seem all the more precious in these restless modern days."
'BB' Denys Watkins-Pitchford
"Simple pleasures maybe, but very real ones, which seem all the more precious in these restless modern days."
'BB' Denys Watkins-Pitchford
- Bigoll
- Silver Bream
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:54 pm
- 11
Re: 100-up on World Rivers Day
The thing with the few giants in the Roding is that when you're trying to catch them, you don't stand a chance. On the two occasions when I've hooked one of them it's taken me completely by surprise, resulting in snaps; it takes a good ten minutes to get my heart rate back to normal afterwards! And yes, they both still hurtLuga00 wrote:Stunningly beautifully conditioned fish and a real 'piece of heaven' you have there.
That giant chub has got to hurt - the one that snapped me still hurts to this day