Thames: River Thames - is it fishing for anyone else?

[Alan Campbell]

There seems to be plenty of roach coming out at Sandford below Oxford but no Bream or Tench showing. Maybe it has got something to do with sewage outfall as we are not far from Northbrook Stream where TW discharges into. I will try and find out from someone in the know

 

[alan whittington]

Be assured Alan the river is showing similar symptoms at Abingdon,Dorchester areas and the bigger fish species have been generally conspiquous by their absence all season.

 

[tuolumne fisher]

spent first light near hampton court, trotting a livebait under a float on 4lb line and a size 12, one bite in 3hrs and a bare hook to show for it, my location skills must be pants, laters dudes and dudettes

 

[alan whittington]

My friend and i fished all day below Abingdon and apart from several decent indications on my tackle,blanks were had by us both,totally soul destroying,also heard of otters taking fish around Abingdon.

 

[tuolumne fisher]

angled in four spots from kingston to twickenham this morning, my buddy and i managed a single dace and perch to show for our 6hrs quiver tipping

 

[Alan Campbell]

My mate who works for Thames Water, assures me they have not increased the amount of treated sewage they put back into the Thames. So whats going on!! Otters can't be eating all the fish surely

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

I would normally have fished it today/tonight, but it's the full moon and that has strange effects on me. Not good at all.....

 

[alan whittington]

hooooowwwwwl................sorry mate couldnt resist it

 

[Alan Campbell]

Medley fished poor today. About 5lb top weight I heard. This was just below the lock.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Medley fished poor today. About 5lb top weight I heard. This was just below the lock.

It's the moon, honestly! Full moons, easterly winds, temperature/barometric plunges - all bad.

 

[Murton Bere]

Clutching at straws

It's the moon, honestly! Full moons, easterly winds, temperature/barometric plunges - all bad.

What? All season Jeff?

Had a 2 hr dabble today on the stick as I wasn't going to sit on the motionless feeder like everyone else. A few Roach but didn't really get into the swing as the wind played me about.

Spoke to a chap who has fished every swim on this particular stretch over and over again. He is also at his wits end at the total lack of Chub or decent sized anything.

It's more than wind direction, moon phases and pressure drops. We can normally be over imaginative when it comes to prolonged barren spells but this is different - there is something majorly wrong with the river.

Don't believe it's Otters or Cormorants but then a sewage or treatment issue would surely manifest itself more obviously wouldn't it?

 

[geoffmaynard]

Maybe not. Perhaps a chemical leakage into the water, making the fish sick enough to put them off their food but not killing them. I've noticed that on the middle Thames every time they start slurrying the fields.

 

[alan whittington]

Must agree with Murton,there is something drastic putting the fish off as if they were not there the bleak and roach with the small perch wouldnt be in the river,as Geoff says some form of 'minor' chemical irritant could be the problem,it has been a season long problem and when you think i and most others were moaning about last season....it fished brilliant last year compared to this,also you cant blame it on a one species decline for its chub,bream,tench,carp and barbel.

 

[tuolumne fisher]

squeezed a couple of hours in yesterday, arrived at a new area at molesey in the rain and lobbed out a carp bait, very happy with the way it landed, fished the float with maggots for an hour, biteless I changed to the feeder, again not a tap for an hour, packed up in the rain after not seeing any signs of fish,

 

[tuolumne fisher]

Managed to nab a 5hr session yesterday, fished 2 areas on the tidal, one rod with a typical carp rig, the other, a multiple 6ml pellet rig and mahoosive cage feeder, not even a dace took any of my baits, if it hadnt been for a buddy popping down to see me, I'm sure I would have returned to an easier swim, thanks dude

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Alan

You've made a very convincing case for me and my mate not to bother with our planned trip to fish at culham bridge next friday!

 

[Specihunter]

still sticking to sea fishing

 

[alan whittington]

Jim,please go and prove me useless,we need anglers out to see if its just our tactics that are wrong,but do me a favour and post your results on here or PM me for its a long season for someone as stubborn as me.
Allright Speci,i hear you have left the land of the clinically insane and swung to the sea(bl***y long way to go every time you feel like wetting a line though).

 

[adrian hoare]

had a morning session on the tidal thames yesterday morning , using lures and float fishing livebaits , 2 small pike and a perch about 1lb . nothing on the carp rod i lobbed out intended for carp/barbel .

 

[peter crabtree]

Wednesday 7th fished a match at Runneymede,National Trust down to pleasure ground. 20 pegs. No colour despite recent rain,but a certain improvement on the flow. Any one who knows this venue will tell you it is stuffed with quality roach,but hardly any were caught. Most of us caught perch,the winner with 14lb all perch falling to worm over chopped worm.
Bream were seen rolling on some pegs but did not seem to be feeding,one angler caught a skimmer and one proper bream. Most other species,dace,gudgeon,chub,etc also made no appearance.

I was thinking of going to my mates house at Sutton Courtenay soon,he lives by the bridge and has a landing stage in his garden and I have often fished there,just opposite the downstream entrance to the lock cut. Generally it fishes very well but from what I'm reading on here maybe I wont bother. Is this the bit some of you are referring to as Culham?