Sunday 27th December - Clevedon Blind Pairs, River Kenn

 14 Booked in for this match and everyone turned up despite the weather. Storm ''Bella'' hit us the night before and dumped a load of rain across the West Country. When we arrived for the draw the Kenn was dirty and pushing through quite a bit plus it was pretty cold. Shame really as the day before the river was spot on.

Match Secretary Adie Baker paired up the pegs above and below Strode Rd Bridge and when my name was called out I was given peg 22 not bad at all under normal river conditions. I was paired up with the angler on 38, another decent peg and Dale Sutor had that. A quick chat with Dale and off we went.

I was expecting to have to stand in the mud but the river was only a couple of feet below the bank so decided to stay out of the water.

I had a big overhanging tree to my right so this would be where I looked first. Loads of debris coming down but in addition to the feeder rod I set up a 6bb crowquill to inch it down the inside. Worm and maggot would be used but also had a pint of caster just in case.

The line and bait had to be cleaned off every time I reeled in and after 2 hours not an indication on anything. 

A couple of bank walkers confirmed it was fishing hard with just the odd small roach caught plus reports of a small tench above Strode Rd.

Jeff Beasley below me on 20 had 2 small roach at 5 meters and Barry Fowler 4 pegs above had 4 roach on the stick float.

The second half of the match I went right across with the maggot feeder where there was a bit of a slack and positioned the rod more or less vertical to avoid the weed coming down. 

I had one of the maggots mouthed when I brought it in and that was the only evidence of fish in the swim. 

So .....blankity blank for me along with half the field, my partner Dale had one small roach.

Andy Law came walking up with the scales and couldn't believe I had blanked. Andy did as well but his partner John Sallis had caught a bream and a small carp, that would be the winning pair then I thought.

Back at the results John and Andy were indeed the winners picking up £60 each. John had been on 36 and after walking the bank having a moan he went back to his peg and put the straight lead out down the inside with 4 maggots on an 18 and caught the bream, small carp and a roach.

John Sallis with his winning bag

The winning pairs John and Andy

Full results as follows....

1st John Sallis & Andy Law 6lb 8oz

2nd Kev Perry & Matt Davis 1lb 9oz

3rd Steve Bonwick & Paul Nichols 12oz

Well that's it for 2020 despite the ''lock downs'' I have fished more than ever and it's been a busy year blogging.

The highlight for me this year was qualifying for the Evesham Festival in my first season of trying, I hope to give the qualifiers another go this year.

I was booked in for the Roy Carter Memorial on the Glossy tomorrow but that's been cancelled by the CRT, given the guidelines I was not able to go out of my tier 3 area anyway.

It looks like i will be under house arrest in North Somerset for a while now so will try and fish the rivers Kenn and Axe plus Acorn Fishery over the coming months.

Happy New Year to all my readers.

Sunday 13th December - Clevedon Christmas Match, River Kenn

 The last match I fished was on the 1st November due to Lockdown 2 and then the tier system suggested you were not to travel outside your tier if you were in tier 3 which I was in unless it was necessary. Well that was my interpretation of the guidance, I know others had a different view.

The last 6 weeks I have been pleasure fishing the River Kenn twice a week, usually Wednesday and Sunday. I have had a couple of blanks but covered most of the lower river and had some decent bags of roach, perch and tench. Maintaining the Club's FaceBook Page and Website has also kept me in touch with other anglers and catches. Chris Ford another Club angler has also put a lot of time in on the venue and kept me up to date on how he has been getting on.

26 were booked in for this match but there was one no show. I thought there might be a few more decide to stay home as the weather was awful and to say the banks were muddy is an understatement. The river is also at winter level so most had to get in the mud. Scott Smallwood provided a few old For Sale Boards to put down and stop the boxes sinking too far in the mud.

The match was pegged from 1 down by the sea wall up to the last peg in Kenn Rd Car Pk section, peg 53.

Match Secretary Adie Baker had the organisation all under control in line with Angling Trust and Government guidelines. 

Pay-out was top 5 and 5 sections (by default) plus Christmas Fare prizes.

Names drawn out from one bucket and a peg number from another was the format of the draw. 

My name was about the 8th to be called out and was quite happy when peg 47 was given to me. Its the end peg in the Car Park Section, no one below you for about 300 metres downstream and out of sight. Chris Ford had a nice bag of tench and perch out of it a few weeks ago but also struggled more recently on the same peg as did I when I fished a few pegs above him. But....an end peg is not to be sniffed at and it was only a short walk from the draw.

Due to all the rain and the steep bank down to the peg I had to use a rope to get the gear down and stay upright at the same time. 

Looking upstream from my peg

All my rods were already made up so it didn't take long to get organised once I had the box sorted.

2 waggler, 1 6BB avon and a maggot feeder. Bait was simply red maggot, pinkie and a few worms. 

In my section upstream of me I had Mike West from Fry's, Dan from Cadbury Angling, Paul Faiers and specimen angler Chris Burden. The two pegs above the Foot Bridge had not been fishing that well recently and Paul was on a downer from the off but said he would give it an hour or so.

I shouted the ''all in'' at 10:00 and started feeding a few maggots down the middle were it was about 4 foot deep. Experience over the last 6 weeks has taught me to keep plugging away at it on the waggler as it can take a while to get a bite.

After an hour I hadn't had a touch but wasn't too worried. There was no sign of life at all, none of the usual signs of small fished topping to escape predators, I gave it about another 40 minutes and picked up the 20 grm maggot feeder. I have caught bonus fish on this method quite a bit as has Chris Ford.

With a fluro pinkie and two red on a 16 I had a pull round 3rd cast and it was fish on. It felt like a tench but as it got closer I could see it was a half tidy perch, that'll do. A few more casts and another bite but did not connect.

Paul came down and sat behind me for a while. He had already been on the phone to a few other anglers and said Lance Tucker had a big bream and Paul Randall on 22 had a tench, he suggested I was lying 3rd at the moment with my 1lb plus perch. I felt some resistance and a nod on the rod while reeling in but got bitten off, prob a jack going for the maggot. Paul had not had a bite, he went soon afterward and headed home to watch the football!

Tony Derrick then appeared, he was not fishing today but had walked the whole match length and said most were blanking but Chris Ford on 40 had a couple of tench and lost one.

With about 30 minutes to go another spectator arrived and said a couple of flounders had been caught.

I didn't have a bite in-between hooking the jack pike but always hoped for another perch or tench, couldn't understand why the roach did not feed as conditions were perfect.

I called the ''all out'' at 15:00.

I was the only one to weigh in my section and the perch went 1lb 4oz. Chris, Paul and Mike didn't have a bite all day and Dan chucked back a 1/2 oz roach which could cost him the section if I framed.

Back at the Car Pk the results came in. Lance Tucker won the match with one bite and one bream for 7lb plus. Apparently he did not get down in the mud and had trouble landing the bream as his landing net only just made it! Must have been sweaky bum time. 

Chris Ford was not far behind and that lost tench cost him. Chris and I were discussing the possible outcome of the match a few days ago and said it would be a shame if bream showed as it would be hard to catch up with roach and perch.

My solitary perch got me 4th overall, £40 and a £25 Tesco voucher.

Full result as follows, some sections were allocated on on lucky dip due to the amount of blanks. Dan was drawn out to win E Section so justice done hence why I put him down for 8 drams which he chucked back.

1st Lance Tucker, one bite one bream for 7lb 2oz peg 10 (photo below)

2nd Chris Ford two tench and two perch 6lb 8oz peg 36

3rd Julian Moss 2lb peg 34

4th Ivan Currie 1lb 4oz peg 47

5th Matt Davis 12oz peg 24

A sect Adie Baker, drawn out

B sect Paul Nichols drawn out

C sect Paul Randell 10 oz

D sect Lee Smallwood 11 oz

E sect Dan Hurley 8 drams

Lance with his match winning bream.

Looking ahead the only match on the horizon is the Roy Carter Memorial on the Gloucester Canal 29th December but will have to see what the tier rules are approaching that date.

Sunday 29th November - River Kenn

 We had a lot of rain overnight on the Friday into Saturday and when I looked at the river on Saturday morning there was a fair bit of flow and colour plus weed coming down off the moors, the level was still 2 foot below normal level.

High tide on Sunday was nice and early which meant the river would flow toward the sea all day and with light winds from the north west it would be spot on.

I looked at 3 different sections before finally deciding on peg 11 down the bottom end. There were a couple of anglers setting up around pegs 36 and 38. This area had produced a huge roach for Simon Carvallo on the Thursday fishing waggler and red maggot and weighed in at 2lb 10oz which is one of the biggest roach reported for some time. Ironically Simon only had 2 bites all day due to our first hard overnight frost.

Simon with his specimen roach following a break from filming ''Peaky Blinders''

I really have enjoyed my enforced break from match fishing, no need to do lots of prep, don't need to take the kitchen sink and fishing locally gives me more time on the bank. The bait bill is also significantly reduced as well.

I set up a 6BB crowquill and a 3AA waggler and that was it.

Groundbait with hemp and caster down the middle and loose fed maggot across 3/4's.

There were quite a few small fish topping trying to escape perch and jacks so at least there were a few fish about.

10 minutes in I had my first bite on the waggler and after that I had regular bites swinging in 2 - 3oz roach plus the odd 6oz one. The middle wasn't great as the pace of the river slowed and dropped a further foot during the day.

I pulled out of 2 better fish during the session, I think they were perch but ended the day with 38 roach, 1 hybrid and 1 perch so happy enough.

There was a nice 8lb plus net of roach on the day from 36 but the catch of the day has to go to Chris Ford who fished peg 51 for 5 tench, 9 big perch and 27 roach plus a 5lb pike, all on the maggot. Chris sent me a photo of his perch and tench.

I did look at this area first thing......oh dear, wrong decision.

The Kenn has been fantastic so far this year, lots more anglers on the bank with some great catches.

Wednesday 25th November - River Kenn

 I fished  the Kenn the previous Sunday and blanked, not a bite. Unbelievable as it was the same peg I fished the Sunday before and had a double figure net of roach as did most others on the day. During the week prior to last Sundays session it fished its head off including giving up a bag of 9 tench. That was my second blank on the river this season but that's the Kenn for you.

I went back again today even though based on reports received it was still fishing hard. I decided on the second peg above Strode Rd Bridge, peg 34, normally a good winter peg and less than a 5 minute walk from where you park. This was the first time I had fished this section since last March.

On arrival I could see that the EA had dropped the level by about 2 foot but the flow was steady. 

I decided on a waggler line halfway between the middle and the bottom of the far shelf where it was about 5 foot deep. I set it a few inches over depth it order to simply trip it though or hold back towards the end of the run down.

The water was also gin clear and I could see all of the 4 metre keep net.

A 3AA waggler on 4lb line, 0.11 hook length and a size 18 B611 hook. 2 number 8's and then 2 number 10's spread out completed the set up.

Feeding about 6 red maggots every run down I kept plugging away and was bite less after 90 minutes. I feared the worst again but then out of the blue the float slide away and ''tench on''. A lovely fish around 4lbs.

A few more runs down and not a bite then .... a decent roach, lovely.

After this it wasn't manic but I had regular bites especially at the end of the run.

Well pleased with how I fished today and felt I got the approach and rhythm just right. Thanks to Chris Ford for the photo.

Never give up!

Sunday 15th November - Roach fishing on the River Kenn

 It was meant to be a Clevedon Club Match on the Kenn today but Lockdown 2 cancelled that.

Looking at the weather forecast it wasn't too clever but looking ahead to the earlier part of the week it did not improve. I was returning from getting bait at Cadbury Angling on the Saturday and coming back into Clevedon I saw a car parked up on the bridge aside the Kenn Rd Car Park section so pulled over to check the angler out.

It turned out to be Paul Randall. Paul was fishing just above the Footbridge trotting an avon float 3/4 the way across using 8mm punched bread on a 10 hook!!! He was also feeding liquidised bread with a little brown crumb in it and the float was going under every run through. Not massive roach but in the 4 oz range, lovely.

The river was up at its normal level and the tide was spot on for the weekend so decided I would fish on the Sunday.

When I woke up on the Sunday morning just before 07:30 I could hear the wind and the rain outside, bugger...so had another hour in bed.

At 08:30 it was much better so was up and out of the house at 09:15.

I decided on the car park section and settled in on peg 51 nice and close to the water. The wind was an upstreamer but the flow was such that it did not present a problem running and avon float through, a 6BB was perfect with a bulk 2 x no.8 as a dropper between the bulk and the hook which was a size 18 to 0.11.

I had a pint of caster still in a sealed bag from 3 weeks ago and they were ok when washed off. I also had a pint of hemp and some reds. I decided given the temperature and the colour to mix up some ground bait, a 50/50 mix of senses river and gros gardons.

Two egg sized balls went in at the start and it was a roach first run through. Bites, bites and more bites followed and then after an hour or so ceased. Small fish were jumping out of the water so big perch or pike had moved in.

They came back after a while and I had a thoroughly enjoyable session. I lost a big fish at the end of the trot when it broke the hook length, big tench or perhaps a pike. 

Feeding regular nuggets of ground bait laced with hemp and caster was key today. Trotting a float through and holding back is a great method on the river when conditions allow, this section is definitely worth another visit soon.

Best net of roach I have had on the Kenn this year.

Winter on the River Kenn, some advice and tips.....

The Kenn can definitely try your patience and is affected by the tide, the way the water is controlled through the sluice and out to the sea, the clarity of the water and wind direction. There's another challenge coming up soon ..... usually around early December the Environment Agency drop the water level as part of their flood prevention plan. Normal summer levels are around 6 to 7 foot but when the EA drop the level in the winter the depth is half that and on the right day the fishing can be fantastic.

Fishing from the bank can be awkward due to being too high or too far away from the water so standing in the mud is unavoidable from most pegs. Waders are advisable but personal safety must be paramount. If you do choose to wade or stand in the mud be aware of the tide times and keep moving your feet so as not to get stuck, go with a friend if you can.

Pegs 2, 3 and 4 have a very hard gravel like bottom close to the bank so you can get your box set up in the water. Pegs 22 and 23 on and just above the bend are also pretty firm close in as are the early pegs below Strode Rd bridge. Up above the bridge there are also a couple of pegs that you can put your box in due to the rushes dying back. 

Bread can be a killer bait after the first frosts and especially when the water is ''gin clear''. Buy a few cheap  medium sliced white loaves, cut the crusts off and put the slices through a liquidiser. Leave the white breadcrumbs in an open bag to dry out for a couple of days then put them through the liquidiser again. For even finer crumb freeze it then defrost it and liquidise again. Feeding squeezed small balls of bread by hand and then fishing a small flake or 7mm piece of punched bread over the top of the feed on a wide gaped 18 or 16 hook can get you some quality fish, roach, hybrids and bream. The bread is usually fished in conjunction with a waggler or small avon float but on the right day and the right swim a small cage feeder can also work.

A few years ago I was fishing with Committee Member Scott Smallwood in the Car Park section. Scott fished the bread all day using a whip and caught 76 lbs, 66 lbs which was bream and they were big un's, here's a few of them from that day as well as 48 lb of roach he caught on the bread up by the motorway.

 

Of course conventional baits like maggots and caster also work but feed sparingly. You also need to think about your hook lengths and size of hook. I have used Flurocarbon line for hook lengths but generally speaking the Preston Power Line in 0.10 has the right low diameter and strength to land just about anything in winter. I usually settle for an 18 or 20 hook. The Kenn tends to have a bit more flow in winter which allows you to trot long usually 2/3rd's the way across and the key is to feed little and often especially when it's cold.

I fished peg 8 a couple of winters ago in January and was continually trotting a waggler down the peg just loose feeding red maggot. I done that for about 3 hours without a bite and was thinking about calling it a day when the float went under...bream..6 more followed the best going 8 lbs 10 ozs.

Bream can still be caught on the feeder but scale down, a small cage feeder is best and don't put too many free offerings in. Due to the low water levels the bites will be really positive.

Quite a few years ago we stocked some chub but they rarely show. Some small ones have been caught on lures but last winter Paul Tedman-Whitemoor had a 4lb specimen from peg 15 using the straight lead, he only had 2 bites all day but what a reward.

The bigger perch also feature more in the winter. Specimen angler Chris Burden targets them by feeding liquidised bread with coriander in it. His theory is that this attracts the small roach and the bigger perch move in on them. Chris trots an avon type float over the top of this with a lob worm on a big hook. Here is Chris with one of his nice perch caught using this method last winter.

Over the last few winter season's the tench have fed even on the coldest days and there have been some spectacular catches of them. Peg 22 on the bend and the pegs immediately above Strode Rd bridge appear to be the most productive. Nothing complicated just a simple waggler and feeding little and often with red maggot. Bigger fish such as roach and hybrids also seem to mix with them. Here's some catches from above Strode Rd from last winter.

So...don't let the cold weather put you off, think a bit differently and persevere. The section above Kenn Rd bridge is rarely fished as is above the motorway, why not give it a go, you never know.

Tight lines,

Ivan Currie

Secretary

Sunday 1st November - Bristol Commercial House League, Final Round K & A Canal, Claverton / Limpley Stoke nr. Bath

 5 days late with the blog due to managing to get away to Cornwall for a few nights before Lockdown 2 started so here is a summary of my last match.....

Glorious weather with a Bullfinch sat on a post, Cornwall's North Coast

The league managed to finish before the latest restrictions thanks to the great work done by Mike and Nicola Goodhind, Andy Britt and Vince Lunn. The staff at the Cadbury Heath Sports and Social Club were also outstanding allowing us to use their facilities within the guidelines. Team Thatchers and Bathampton performed the weighing in throughout which made life a little easier on the bank. 

I think overall Team Thatchers had one ''blow out'' during the series but it did not stop them topping the A Div table with 83 points, 16 points ahead of Bathampton A who had 67 and my Sensas Nomads Team relegated to B Div next year with 65 points.

In B Div it was a much closer finish with any of the teams capable of winning but in the end M & N Electrical came out top with 73 points followed by Midland Spinner with 72 and Bathampton B with 70.

Thatchers Paul Issac's had a great league ending up top in his team, biggest fish, top individual in the league and knock-Out winner.

Team mate Leigh Wakefield and I had a practice session on the Canal on the Wednesday prior to the match   trying different methods. Leigh concentrated on bread and I used ground bait and dead pinkie / caster / choppy / maggot.

Leigh had some quality roach and I had a real mixed bag on what would have been D section in the final match.

Chris Hook had to work on the Sunday so we brought in from the Red Corner ....Mark aka ''The Whippet'' Williams.

Going into the match we knew we could not win A Div but as we were 3 points ahead of Bathampton A hoped we could retain the lead and stay up. 

Sadly that didn't happen as already reported above. We had a few things that went wrong on the day.....

On the way to the canal from the draw Brian Melksham's van broke down and he was unable to fish despite some valiant effort's to get it going. Mark lost 2 decent fish which would have seen him win F Section at Limpley Stoke (he still finished 6th overall with 7lb plus), the end pegs in that section beat him. Sam in B Section had a terrible day (the whole section fished crap as it did last year) only able to catch tiny roach. I was in A Section, not too bad a peg but next to a boat that played loud and I mean loud music for 4 hours. I caught ok before they started up and then only adding the odd small fish to weigh 4lb 2oz, Tim Ford had 4lb 11oz and Andy Britt who I needed to beat had 7lb plus off the end peg. Leigh done ok in C section with 5lb 11oz and 2 points.

Leigh's 5lb 11oz

The only highlight (and that's a massive understatement) of the day was team mate Mike Withy winning the match from E section with a massive 32lb 12oz, yes you read that correctly, I believe it could be a record weight from the canal in this league.

Mike with his catch

So not our day ..but...2 individual match winners and we did smash it out of the park on one match.

Pleasure fishing now for a few weeks so will be giving the River Kenn a go this weekend, some Flyfishing at Chew and maybe take a look at the Bristol Feeder Canal.