02/08/2026 - Metal magic

A combined birthday and anniversary celebration involving several pints of Wye Valley Brewey’s excellent "Butty Bach" put paid to any ideas of a morning session yesterday. I was a knackered after the previous two early mornings anyway, so enjoyed the lie in instead. 

The plan had been to go wrasse fishing up at Fishguard and I very nearly headed there this morning, but having woken up shortly before 0500 hrs for some reason and not able to go back to sleep I decided to head to the estuary at Lawrenny for a bass session. Got there just after first light, the sun just starting to illuminate the mudflats, and drove down to the quay. The tide was already a couple of hours into the flood and I had therefore intended to bump soft plastics in the flow in mouth of the side channel. 

However, as I got togged up I could see a lot of bird activity out in the main estuary, so walked up to the breakwater for a look. A flock of gulls were diving on a shoal of bait fish and there was also the occasional strike from beneath.  Whilst all of this was happening some distance out of casting range I thought it would be worth a punt, so clipped on a 17g chrome Slingshot “surface iron” that I had recently purchased from Lures Edge. Whacked it out as far as I could and started retrieving it close to the surface. Within a few turns of the reel handle it got whacked by a small bass that punched well above it’s weight in the current. From that point onwards it was constant action with the lure getting smashed as soon as it hit the water. 

By the time that the birds and presumably the baitfish had finally drifted away an hour and a half later I’d had 27 schoolies, all like peas in a pod. Whilst it had been great sport, with about an hour left to high I upped sticks and went to a spot higher up the side channel to try and find a bigger fish. Worked a Savage Gear slender scoop shad around the clumps of bladder wrack in the hope that a big mama would come nosing in after an easy meal. However, it wasn’t to be and I was eventually pushed up against the wall by the incoming tide. I couldn’t really complain having just had my most prolific bass session so far. It had certainly been a case of being in the right place at the right time. 

I just wondered if a heavier lure would have given me enough distance to get right amongst the action and possibly the bigger fish. Oooh look, they do a 26g version. Where's the credit card......

31/07/2026 - Disappointing morning down Milford

Celebrated 33 years of marriage by sneaking off to Milford Haven for another quick morning session. To be fair, it was actually my anniversary "present" off the wife, subject to the condition that I got her a Lidl almond croissant on the way back home. 

In contrast to the previous morning it was bright and sunny with not a cloud in the sky. However, as a result it was a tad cooler at 10 degrees Centigrade and even briefly fell into single figures as I dropped down into the river valley at Gelli. Headed to the stone pier on the Hakin side of the marina entrance and found that I'd got the place to myself, although the port authority had put up some suitably grim posters to try and dissuade the local youth from tomb-stoning. 

Again, it was about half an hour before high and there was a stream of boats of various descriptions exiting the lock and heading off up the haven. Set up on the end, baited up my mini two hook flapper and dropped it down the wall. Didn't get anything in the first ten minutes, so tried a few different spots before finding a shoal of pollack that seemed to like a strip of mackerel belly. Had half a dozen in quick succession before they disappeared, so went back to the first spot which I'd "chummed" with a few broken mussels. Had a couple of small corkwing wrasse, but bites were unusually slow in coming. At one point I spotted a shoal of sand smelt swimming under my feet so quickly wound in and dangled the my rig mid-water for one to immediately oblige and snaffle the mackerel strip.

However, by the time I'd unhooked him and popped him back his mates had scarpered. The tide had turned now and the outgoing flow was bringing a stream of debris past the end of the pier, including clumps of weed and presumably what were discards from the fishing boats, including bits of crabs and a sizeable bull huss.  

Carried on moving about trying to chase bites, but could only manage a couple more corkwings and a rock goby. Briefly had a go off the main wall but it was a bit shallow and featureless, and after another ten minutes without a bite I was back on the pier. A few people had started to turn up now, including a couple of lady swimmers and a young family with some loud kids, so after a solitary shanny I called it a day. Had been a bit disappointing as the venue is usually far more prolific. Whether it was down to lack of ragworm for bait or something else, I don't know. Rounded off the morning dodging traffic and roads works to get the wife her croissant. Might need a rethink for the next two days.

30/07/26 - Quick session at Hobbs Point

With no let up with work through July and the hot weather continuing I didn’t really have the time or inclination to head out onto the rivers again. 

However, a few days break down in Pembrokeshire me a chance to unwind and do a bit of species hunting in saltwater. Arrived late on Wednesday evening with the temperature gauge in the car still reading 26 degrees Centigrade. However, the following morning I woke to find it grey and overcast and a cool 16 degrees. Driving through the country lanes over to Pembroke Dock it was nice to see some greenery compared to the endless swathes of “beige” back home. Popped into Tesco to pick up some bait to be going on with pending a trip to the tackle shop, but the usual mackerel and king prawns were extortionate, so I ended up getting a pack of mixed, cooked seafood instead along with some breakfast for myself. 

Pulled up in the car park just as it started to rain (shock!) so sat and drank my coffee, ate a croissant and peered through the windscreen into the gloom. Thankfully it soon settled down to a fine drizzle and as I’d had the foresight I pack my waterproof coat (it is Wales) I got tackled up and headed down the slipway. Had got there about half an hour before high and given it was going to be over 6 metres I reckoned that I’d got about an hour and a half of fishable water. Baited up my usual mini two hook flapper with a squid strip and a bit of prawn and dropped it down the wall. Did try a bit of cooked mussel, but they were far too soft to stay on the hook, so I broke them into pieces and dropped them in at my feet as “chum”. 

Made the mistake of giving a couple to a young herring gull that had been hanging around in expectation, but them had to listen to him whining for the rest of the session. Started getting a few rattles before the rod tip thumped over and, after a decent fight on the might rod, I had my first fish in the net - a nice ballan wrasse.

Added another shortly afterwards, along with a few rock gobies, corkwing wrasse and pollack, the latter shooting out from the weed fringing the wall and taking the squid strip on the drop. Almost bang on the hour after high the tide starting rip out again, forcing me to find a bit of sheltered water around the corner. 

However, could only add a few more rock gobies and a solitary shanny, so I packed up and headed to J & M Tackle on the High Street for some ragworm to tide me over for the rest of the weekend only for the chap in the shop to tell me that “there’s no ragworm in Wales”! Apparently the suppliers of farmed worm over in Port Talbot had lost all of their last batch due to the high temperatures and with no local diggers he was waiting to hear when the next lot would be available. Therefore ended up getting a wrap of frozen blacks and going back to Tesco for mackerel and king prawns anyway. I’ve done okay with them as a standby before, I just have more confidence in a bit of juicy worm. We’ll see…

09/07/26 - Summer trotting Part II (dace, dace, dace!)

Didn't get out again in June due to some unforeseen demands at work and by the time those were out the way it had got too hot and oppressive to think about staying outdoors for too long. Did have a pleasant long weekend in the Netherlands visiting the wife's cousin in The Hague, although again a high of 38 degrees Centigrade on the Friday effectively curtailed our initial sight-seeing to the morning. 

A quick nap after lunch was then followed by a trip to the beach in the evening for a dip and a beer and some food from one of the pop up restaurants along the front (along with eveybody else it seemed!). Thankfully it cooled down a bit after that and we were able to explore a bit wider and take in the modern and traditional architecture, along with the many coffee shops and shady, green spaces around the city. Back in the UK and suitably refreshed I checked the maggots I had left over in the fridge from the last session and found them in surprisingly good nick.

With the wife away for work, I therefore packed up work about 4 o'clock and headed to the Derwent. Pulled into an empty carpark yet again (not complaining, but where  is everybody?), got the chesties on and then made my way up to the run at the back of the island. 

Didn't fancy walking too far as it was still warm and my "breathable" waders didn't turn out to be that breathable last time, so decided to just stay in the same swim until I'd run out of bait. Could see from a distance that somebody was camped on the island itself and as I got closer I got a whiff of "medicinal" cigarettes. However, turned out to be a couple of middle-aged ladies who'd been enjoying a bit of wild swimming and they soon packed up and left after I arrived. 

River was gin clear and flat as a mill pond in the shelter of the far bank, but at least it was now overcast and a bit cooler as a result. 

Waded out mid-channel and sent the float and some freebies down the bubble line towards the overhanging trees. Ten, frustrating minutes followed trying to connect with a succession of stupidly fast bites that were violent enough to pull the rod tip around but just resulted in crushed maggots. Eventually I got my eye in and started to connect with the culprits - small dace, all like peas in a pod. Occasionally had a better one that at least put a bit of a bend in the Acolyte, along with the odd chub, roach, perch and bleak. However, it was the dace that kept me busy and the greedy, little buggers were still biting when I finally emptied my bait pouch three hours later. Good fun, but I might be tempted to get the "dink-dink" out next time to try and sort out some better fish. 

19/06/2026 - Summer trotting Part I (we're off!)

The closed season passed very quickly this year with nothing really blog-worthy to mention. Plans to fish the local canal and a club stillwater for zander and eels respectively never came too fruition, mainly due to apathy on my part. 

Had a couple of early bass sessions down in Pembrokeshire in April, but the weather was absolutely vile and I was fishing more in hope than expectation and blanked accordingly. In contrast, when I met up with Joel Squires at a new estuary mark in North Devon in May conditions couldn't have been much better. Unfortunately, despite fishing the dropping tide hard for five hours, we could only manage a couple of tiny schoolies between us. Next time! As well as trips to Wales and Devon, it was a busy time with trips abroad to Vilnius, Lithuania, to see the laddo and to Wroclaw, Poland, with friends and there was plenty of walking, sight-seeing and consumption of great food and beer on both occasions. 

Come the start of the new season I was therefore quite keen to wet a line, so having popped over to Stapleford Angling for a pint of maggots earlier in the week, I finished work early and headed for the River Derwent near Church Wilne. Was extremely surprised to pull into an empty car park, although it had been baking hot all day which may have put people off. Got togged up an then walked up towards the top of the section to find a spot in the shade and out of the stiff breeze, the long grass either side of the path alive with banded demoiselles. By the time I got to the first spot I was beginning to doubt how "breathable" my new waders were and it was a relief to drop into the relative cool of the gin clear river. 

Found that I could easily wade out to mid-channel and send the float straight down the bubble line. Second trot down the float disappeared and I was into my first fish of the season - a little dace. Soon became apparent that the minnows were going to be a pain in the ass - the float dithering and bobbing about as it travelled down the run and the maggot coming back looking like it had been tortured on a tiny rack! However, every so often a "proper" fish took the bait and I added several more small dace, like peas in a pod, along with some bleak and chublets. Despite it being the middle of June, there were still a few, fat mayfly duns emerging from the river although, having laboured off the surface of the water, they were swiftly nailed by the grey wagtails darting out from the bank. Short life indeed!

Carried on for about an hour and a half, but got itchy feet and decided to walk back downstream and try a couple of different spots. Dropped in just upstream of the pipe bridge but had nothing but bleak. Was on the point of moving again when two lads appeared at the top of the bank, one of whom grunted an unintelligible greeting and then proceeded to cast a spinner straight over the line I was trotting down. I really don't understand people sometimes, although I suppose they should be at least commended for actually being out in the fresh air. Whether they were actually members was not something I chose to pursue!  Whilst there hadn't been a cloud in the sky when I arrived it had now fully clouded over and it had gone quite gloomy, exacerbated by the fact that I'd stupidly only got my prescription subglasses with me.

The wind had also switched around and was now blowing straight downstream and putting a ripple on the water, so it was getting tricky following the float. Therefore headed to a usually reliable spot downstream of the island, making note of a couple of decent chub lazing about out of reach on the shallows in the process. Fished for another half an hour during which it was a small dace a chuck, with just a single, summer grayling to break their monopoly. In the end it was my stomach, not my eyesight, that got the better of me and I headed back to the car after having had a pleasant three hours getting a bend back in the rod. Will have to see if I can squeeze in another short session before it gets too hot next week.

07/04/2026 - Change of plans

Popped down for a few days over Easter with the in-laws in Pembrokeshire so took enough tackle to cover a range of eventualities, but with the main target being my first bass of the year. 

However, whilst I knew that the tides were going to be less than ideal, I hadn't reckoned upon the added influence of Storm Dave. Saturday was grim as a result, but by Sunday morning the worst of the weather had blown through and I was down on the estuary at dawn, albeit still with a stiff breeze at my back. Only had about an hour and a half before high tide so planned to fish creature baits as the water came flooding across the mud, hoping to intercept a feeding bass. Worked a Megabass sleeper craw around the clumps of bladderwrack whilst keeping an eye out for any fish movement. However, by the time I'd been pushed back against the sea wall I'd not had a sniff. 

The water had become progressively murkier as the tide came in and a trip to Lawrenny Quay for lunch later in the day confirmed my worst fears. There were white horses being driven by the wind up the main estuary and the water was now the colour of mud due to the wave action on the shore. That knocked any further ideas of lure fishing on the head, so the following day I scratched around in the father-in-law's garden for some worms instead, having brought the ultra-lite gear as back up. Tuesday I was up early again and headed over towards Haverfordwest to my little, urban trout stream. Parked up in the layby on the bypass, got quickly togged up in the waders and then sneaked down the bank into the water when there was a suitable gap in the morning traffic - more to avoid bringing unwanted attention to "my spot". 

Flicked a worm on a 0.5 gram jig-head up to the head of the first run and let it drift back towards me. Was immediately met by un-hittable  jabs and rattles on the rod tip, the worm coming back mangled by tiny teeth. Eventually hooked one of the critters responsible, but it turned out to be a perfect little silver tourist rather than the expected brownie. Later confirmed as a salmon rather than a sea trout smolt by a friend who works for the Wild Trout Trust, I carefully popped him/her back to continue their perilous journey downstream and out into the Atlantic. Salmon stocks have declined in the catchment to the extent that National Resources Wales have categorised them as "depleted and at risk".

When I had two more in the next few casts I was therefore seriously contemplating cutting the session short to avoid unduly disturbing them. However, the next spot yielded my first wild brownie of the morning so I carried on upstream after that, picking the odd one off here and there from amongst the assorted urban debris. Had another surprise when I spotted some movement in the outflow from a sluice around an old dam. Upon closer investigation it turned out to be a small cluster of spawning brook lamprey. Several males mate with a single female, whose eggs are then deposited in a "nest" in the gravel. Job done the adults then die, leaving the eggs to hatch into larvae which stay buried in the substrate for several years before transforming into adult themselves and starting the cycle again.

Managed to get a reasonable photo just to get expert confirmation of the ID and then watched them fascinated for a good five minutes before carrying on. In the light of my morning's observations I was pleased to see that the pollution I'd reported last time had apparently been resolved, althought the occasional whiff from the nearby sewage treatment works served as an unwellcome reminder! By the time I reached the road bridge about 200 metres upstream I was down to my last worm. Used it to trick one final brownie and making it a "baker's dozen" before packing up. I often feel quite privileged that, as an angler, I get to see and experience nature much closer than most and this morning was no exception. 

As I walked back to the car I wondered how many of the people speeding past were even aware of this little gem of a stream so close to a busy road, but I suppose that's what makes it special.

10/03/2026 - Last chance saloon

Well the February water situation report for the Midlands wasn't really a surprise, all river catchments receiving well above normal rainfall during the month, with the Lower Trent and Soar catchments getting a whopping 254% and 272% of their long-term averages respectively. Drought, what drought?!

Thankfully we've had some respite for the start of March giving the rivers chance to finally fine down to reasonable levels, although I've not really had much success when I have been able to get out, apart from the one decent session up on the Dove. Today was just about grabbing a couple of hours on the Derwent with the float rod and remains of the maggots, possibly my last opportunity due to work and family commitments over the rest of the week. Headed to Draycott late afternoon to find it overcast and with a stiff, cold breeze blowing, so walked upstream to the wood where I could find some shelter in the trees. Passed a chap who was in the process of packing up and stopped for a quick chat to see how he'd got on. 

Said he'd been there all day, fishing big baits for chub in various swims but had also tried maggot feeder in some of the runs hoping to pick up a grayling. However, he'd not had a single fish, which was not very promising to say the least! Carried on a bit further upstream and dropped into the first swim but, rather than get into the river straight away, I decided to send the float down the inside to see if there was anything tucked in close to the bank. Halfway down the run it promptly disappeared resulting in a first cast fish - a small grayling. Had two more in the next three casts and thought I was onto a winner. However, the bites dried up and I eventually slid into the river to cover some different water. Worked the run hard for another half an hour but surprisingly didn't get another sniff, so upped sticks and headed back downstream. 

Stopped and had a look at a spot that is usually good for a few dace in the summer. There was a nice crease coming off a bush on the nearside so I gave the float a few runs through. Quickly had three more grayling out of there including a decent male, albeit with a bit of bird damage, before it again seemed to go quiet. Drew a blank in the next swim by the pipe bridge so moved downstream of the island, usually a reliable spot. However, the winter floods had moved the gravel about and had changed the nature of the bottom, so it felt unfamiliar and just a bit too pacey and turbulent to be holding fish. Had a few trots down but soon lost confidence as I kept snagging up so walked across the bottom field to what was going to be my last spot on the sand bar. 

As I did so the waterlogged soil released an unpleasant, "rotten" odour - testament to just how long it had been under water and starved of oxygen.  Off the bar the current was much more even and gentle, the only problem being that the wind was gusting straight upstream and making it difficult to keep track of the float in the resulting ripple. Perservered for a bit, eventually adding another grayling to the tally before deciding that I'd had enough and headed back to the car, crows and jackdaws flying noisily overhead to their roosts. 

As I said, can't see myself getting out again now, although it looks like the weather is going to have the last say anyway with strong winds and rain forecast for the end of the week, so another season fizzles out. Didn't get to do half the things I'd planned to do over the winter due to the atrocious weather, but not going to dwell on it.Time to have a bit of a rest and a reset...