Pilgrim’s Progress

I have been on the Severn only once since October due to the continued rain. In fact so much rain fell during the autumn (and beyond) that ever since, the meadows along rivers like the Severn have been so saturated that the slightest rainfall causes them to become like a sponge that has reached saturation point. The word ‘quagmire’ has become real to me over these last few months.

But for a fishing fanatic like myself, life must still go on. Although a lot of my attention has switched to stillwaters, I have still been out in action on the rivers. Obviously, with the rain we have had, one needs to be careful as to where fishing takes place. Certainly with my track record of falling in, I have to be very careful when I get anywhere near the Severn. I don’t mind fishing a flooded river, but I really prefer it to be in its banks, not two kilometres either side! But not every river, fortunately, is the same as the Severn, and over the last few months I’ve been able to get some chub fishing in on the River Mease.

The River Mease runs through Leicestershire and Derbyshire farmland before emptying into the Trent near Burton in Staffordshire. The title of ‘river’ is quite flattering when you consider that for most of its meandering course, one can literally jump across it. And I’m not exaggerating either.

But what it lacks in quantity it certainly makes up in the quality department. And, as far, as I’m concerned, the chub there are worth pursuing. I’ve heard reports of 5lb fish coming out and there seems to be the possibility of a ‘6’, although I wouldn’t say that was a common event, so would stress the emphasis on the word ‘possibility’.

One of my targets this current season was to catch a 4lb chub. I know for some of you reading this, that is not exactly a monster fish. But I hadn’t caught one, so for me it was a goal that I set out to reach. I had come close many times, with several 3’s from both the Mease and the Dove already this season. But still, that ‘4’ eluded me.

Until recently that is, when a visit to the Mease produced my first fish over 4lb – 4lb 2oz to be precise. Caught on a home-made blue cheese flavoured paste I’m fishing with at the moment, this made the capture that much more special. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking commercially made or shop bought baits. But personally, I get so much more satisfaction from making a catch on something I’ve rattled up myself in the kitchen. Or Mrs B rattled up, as the case may be…..

Most of my fishing on the Mease is done after darkness. Certainly, in the summer, it is so crystal clear that unless you fish ‘apache’ style, ie on your hands and knees crawling along the bank, the hours of daylight are futile. But once darkness descends, the river changes. The fish that were extremely wary and sensitive to noise and shadows suddenly lose their inhibitions and come out to feed. During daylight hours I get the river to myself, at night the only company I have is the odd owl that hoots from a nearby tree. Just like me, hunting its prey at night when it has the chance of most success.

Now that I’ve caught that milestone fish, I’m actually quite confident that I will better that over the winter. I’m targeting chub until the season ends in March so it certainly won’t be for lack of trying. And with the rain we have had, the Mease will certainly feature in my outings. The good thing about the river is that it does run off reasonably well, so that when the Severn, for example, is on national news because of it’s flooding, the Mease is still fishable.

There are probably dozens of rivers around the country like the river Mease. Small, insignificant waterways, not known on a national level, but containing some really good fish. And just like the Mease, available to fish for a cheap club ticket, with lots of clubs to choose from.

Maybe you should check out your local ‘Mease’, you may be in for a pleasant surprise.