The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Hi All
It's my second season at the High Ongar part of the Roding and including minnow i have caught 7 species so far. My question is when was your last Roding Gudgeon, I have not caught one for ages . They seem so scarce. At Shonks Mill Road the big tree at the end of the BDAC car park had a hole about 4 ft in low levels and you could always catch Gudgeon there about 4 years ago.

Forgot to add the Roding Gudgeon held the Rod caught record years ago at just under 4 ozs

Not had a Gudgeon anywhere, including the Roding for a long time.
I do however remember fishing a stretch of the Roding as a kid (can’t remember exactly where) and the river bed was paved with them. Shame to see such a decline.

Last Wednesday on a swing tip at a small lake at Mountnessing. I had 3.

I was watching swarms of them in the Suffolk Stour a couple of weeks ago! I think they are a very cyclical fish in terms of population.

Great to see a swing tip, very rare these days. Do leger/Avon rods come with a female thread anymore? I dont really want find out what lives in the High Ongar stretch without catching them. Rudd on the opening day was a surprise. I dont target anything but would like to add as many different species as possible. Its wrong to wish ones life away however I need to get back to the Roding and catch a Eel or Gudgeon. Money poor ,Time poor

I have been reading the post on TFF about Gudgeon over the last couple of months... they never did interest me but now I'm starting to think I a missing something!
We used to fish at Yalding on the Medway when I was a boy and we called it Gudgeon Creek, hundreds of em! Drove us mad!
I haven't fished at Yalding for well over 40 years but I'm now wondering if there still there? Mmmm?

Mr B