How did you get on?

[@Clive]

No, I've read this a few times to make sure I got it right but a snotty better than a blank Clive - the commas just save you

Wot commas Jerry. Do you mean the quotation marks? Yes, anything beats a blank. Even a bream.

Today, after work I fished a swim on the Vienne and couldn't even get a bleak to bite. Normally I'll have 6 or 7 species out in an afternoon. Started with single maggot fished shallow for bleak. Went down through the rudd and dace zones to the roach, carp, bream zone at the bottom without a touch so put a grain of wheat on and worked that through the depths also without a touch. Double wheat got both of the two bites I managed. One small roach landed and a bigger fish bumped off. Fished the last hour in the rain as it got dark with a lobworm hoping for a perch, but nothing stirred.

As I packed up I realised that the 8 metre pole I thought I had bought for €10 at a car boot sale is actually only a 6 metre pole. Must have got mixed up with a pole I used in Cyprus for mullet. That definitely was 8 metre. No wonder I couldn't fish over the marginal weed bed.

 

[Steve Arnold]

No, I've read this a few times to make sure I got it right but a snotty better than a blank Clive - the commas just save you

For all of those that appreciate this fine fish......

The river bream here are usually very fit fish, not nearly as slimy as bream I caught from Oulton Broad when I was a kid!

I had one over 6 pounds here a few years back that fought like a chub, it kept heading for the sunken trees! Wish I could find its photo as I remember it looked a slightly different profile, a very "solid" specimen.

 

[@Clive]

For all of those that appreciate this fine fish......

View attachment 24771

The river bream here are usually very fit fish, not nearly as slimy as bream I caught from Oulton Broad when I was a kid!

I had one over 6 pounds here a few years back that fought like a chub, it kept heading for the sunken trees! Wish I could find its photo as I remember it looked a slightly different profile, a very "solid" specimen.

I see that you are using those long range intercontinental feeders Steve. Was it one of yours that hit the Polish silo yesterday?

 

[mikench]

Why do you think he has changed his name on here? What I would have given for a decent bream today. Gordon and I turned up at a favourite venue where I have caught nearly 70 tench this year. It was dull and cloudy first thing but brightened up later. It was cold too with a stiff SE wind which made float fishing a little difficult. Mind you the conditions didn’t affect the fishing; it was a struggle all day.

We both float fished and Mr Metronome led the way and despite the fish refusing to play had around 20 small perch and several nice roach. I only managed 7 or 8 small perch and one half decent roach. Our nets were dry at the end but small comfort. We both enjoyed it though and had some interesting conversations about sundry subjects which is the object of the exercise. With the temperatures about to drop, today might not be repeated for a while . Well until next week.

 

[Pete Shears]

First trip of the autumn to the upper Soar this morning as the EA site showed the level had peaked and was dropping slowly.
Hoping for chub started trotting flake but after not having any interest switched to the cage feeder and quiver with crust on the hook and soon had a chub of 2lb 1oz in the net followed shortly after by a chub of exactly one pound.
Sat back sipping coffee watching four buzzards circling slowly and two white egrets finding breakfast in the grass churned up by the cattle in the fields downstream.
A nice brown trout of 1lb 13oz on crust was landed followed by a crayfish which fell off. Switching to worms brought a 10oz brown trout to the net.
Surprised to see two bumble bees zooming about and having to bat flies away in November !

 

[john step]

Another attempt at pike today. Managed a 16+ on a wobbled trout. Lousy photo. Should not have trusted a member to take it as I was too lazy to get the stand out. Grrr.

 

[Steve Arnold]

I see that you are using those long range intercontinental feeders Steve. Was it one of yours that hit the Polish silo yesterday?

Those feeders really do fly!

Not normally much use in the river as they roll and tangle the trace in any current. I slightly flatten the cage to reduce this happening. But with the conditions this summer I have used them a few times, moulding a ball of method mix around the cage seems a productive ploy some days.

 

[@Clive]

Those feeders really do fly!

Not normally much use in the river as they roll and tangle the trace in any current. I slightly flatten the cage to reduce this happening. But with the conditions this summer I have used them a few times, moulding a ball of method mix around the cage seems a productive ploy some days.

I have some lead flashing that would sort the rolling problem Steve. PM your address and I'll send some. It can be cut to shape using large scissors.

 

[markcw]

I was always under the impression that tidal stretches of rivers are free fishing anyway ,

 

[John Aston]

They are - but the riparian owner controls access above high tide - or is it low tide , can't remember. Hence your day ticket is effectively for access , not that many fishing clubs who purport to control tidal rivers cover that legal nicety. There are some exceptions to the general rule, but it holds good for most tidal rivers.

 

[Mark Wintle]

They are - but the riparian owner controls access above high tide - or is it low tide , can't remember. Hence your day ticket is effectively for access , not that many fishing clubs who purport to control tidal rivers cover that legal nicety. There are some exceptions to the general rule, but it holds good for most tidal rivers.

Down in Dorset most of the tidal water is privately owned even if in one or two cases fishing is allowed (tidal Frome at Wareham). Certainly the tidal Piddle (another Royalty Fishery), tidal Dorset Stour, tidal Hampshire Avon (The Royalty Fishery) and most of Christchurch Harbour are all waters for which you will need a ticket regardless of bank access (much of the bank is free access) or using a boat. Some homeowners have found that their freehold doesn't include fishing rights even though they abut the tidal river.

 

[flightliner]

I seem to recall that anglers have been turned away in boats from the weir by the lock people. There was a drowning there. Interesting about the free fishing/tidal angle.
I wonder what Collinghan AC would say to that especially as there is actually free access to the whole bank part of the Trent Way. Interesting angle.

John, as you say, an interesting angle, but, to the best of my knowledge any boat with anglers intending to fish any part of a tidal river should need to have someone rowing constantly to hold position as any anchor used to do so would be regarded as trespass by the riperian owner of the river bed. In the case of C&DAA I was told many years ago that the landowner is Cambridge university.
As I say, it was about forty years ago so I could be wrong, time plays tricks on peoples memories after so long???
Ps, I saw Johns post, wrote the above and posted then saw similar from Greyson and Mark had been posted!

 

[John Aston]

Not so - a riparian owner doesn't own, or control the river bed of tidal water. It belongs to the Crown - who may grant exclusive rights to a third party , as I suspect has happened in Dorset. But in the absence of any such grant , anybody can fish a tidal river from a boat , moored or not , in the same way one can fish at sea .

In non tidal water , the presumption is that the riparian owners each own up to the centre . This is rebuttable, by different arrangements having been agreed , on a sale or lease for example. It is also possible to separate the ownership of fishing rights , in perpetuity , by selling the freehold in the land , including the river bed , but reserving the sporting rights.

All interesting stuff , and a good excuse to dig out my old law books.

 

[flightliner]

Not so - a riparian owner doesn't own, or control the river bed of tidal water. It belongs to the Crown - who may grant exclusive rights to a third party , as I suspect has happened in Dorset. But in the absence of any such grant , anybody can fish a tidal river from a boat , moored or not , in the same way one can fish at sea .

In non tidal water , the presumption is that the riparian owners each own up to the centre . This is rebuttable, by different arrangements having been agreed , on a sale or lease for example. It is also possible to separate the ownership of fishing rights , in perpetuity , by selling the freehold in the land , including the river bed , but reserving the sporting rights.

All interesting stuff , and a good excuse to dig out my old law books.

Nice to know the correct legalities Greyson.

 

[sam vimes]

No idea whether it's true or not, but I was told that not all of the Trent that actually experiences tidal rises and falls is actually considered to be tidal for the purposes of ownership and riparian rights. I do know that it's not always as clear cut as some believe. Similar story with regards to rights of navigation. Not all general rules apply equally to every river.

 

[John Aston]

The case law on this includes a 1907 case on one of our local rivers, the Wharfe where the point revolved around sewage discharge (topically enough ) . It was illegal to discharge in non tidal , but ok in tidal. The court stated that 'the point at issue is decided on the principle that the limit of tidality is measured by the fluctuation of water in its rise and fall ...up and down the banks ' .

I don't know the Trent , only having fished well upstream , so am unaware of how it fits into this rule ? Locally , the Yorkshire Ouse from Naburn weir has a hell of fluctuation in level , as some have found out the hard way.

The general principles do apply to all English rivers (different in Scotland ) but there are exceptions (one being where , pre Magna Carta, the public had already lost its right to fish by the Crown having granted the rights to a subject )

 

[@Clive]

Absolute rubbish day today! Fancied a change from barbel fishing so just took an old fibreglass Avon with sliding float, a tub of worms, 3 cock chafer grubs and some dead maggots left over from last week. I found a swim that looked like it might hold some perch and I had seen some good ones in the area recently. There was one in the swim when I got there so my hopes were high.

The perch never got a look in.

6 barbel a chub and a bream! All on worms or cock chafer grubs. I possibly had a perch on a grub, but it got off.
I'll never get the hang of this fishing lark!

 

[barbelboi]

Must have got mixed up with a pole I used in Cyprus for mullet. That definitely was 8 metre. No wonder I couldn't fish over the marginal weed bed.

Used to catch a lot of mullet in Cyprus off Cape Greco with bread - they were not shy like our mullet, when you threw a few slices into the water it erupted and it was a fish a chuck.................

 

[@Clive]

Used to catch a lot of mullet in Cyprus off Cape Greco with bread - they were not shy like our mullet, when you threw a few slices into the water it erupted and it was a fish a chuck.................

It was similar in the harbours on the other end of the island, Latchi, Pomos and Kato Pergos. Some of the locals had multiple hooks attached to a large piece of crust. At night the bigger ones came into the harbours and they were more wary. Bream also took bread. They were silver with a broad black stripe. If you threw a breadstick in they would rip it to pieces. When fishing at night the water would erupt with thousands of small fish being chased by shoals of bass and bluefish. Saw a barracuda once patrolling the shore line and caught a baby moray eel when beach casting.

Cyprus doesn't get mentioned much on angling forums, but it is a paradise. I used to fish the dams for carp, channel catfish and black bass. Caught some nice roach too. At one time the world record match weight was from a Cyprus dam. I would love to go back, but circumstances prevent it at the moment.

 

[sam vimes]

Cyprus doesn't get mentioned much on angling forums, but it is a paradise. I used to fish the dams for carp, channel catfish and black bass. Caught some nice roach too. At one time the world record match weight was from a Cyprus dam. I would love to go back, but circumstances prevent it at the moment.

There's a fairly sad reason for that. By the time the late nineties/early noughties rolled around, the dams were starting to get pillaged. I remember being hassled for each fish I caught on Polemidia in 96/97. Tipping a keepnet back resulted in threats.

I knew the bloke that held the match record (from Polemidia). I worked and fished with him for a few years after his return from Cyprus until he took the last of the fairly hefty redundancy offers.