![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bpch5J7qBCQ/Xpx9iaYebUI/AAAAAAAAC3o/7p_L77Oi1Qs5ZR6SHSHUQ2P7MYBwwwnxQCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqzJZRQbHitYQSqXeKjdmKSMzWvR3_pGta6bqwc4ouVHChLuV_Ha4Wj0Ooa6Zj3eKqTUFLxC6qgmaaFD9pLDdOFlU-6U5gh91d51PCUl4DTanpvYvxH4sRAtH6RqE6NeamZA2X7ZtI1NCkmvdMIYDsxHOzR9IWH2_1f3PavWv8aTuhMq-VxPGIYG48m2CkBgPQ8G4t0aaONodBgjR0KjfKno23-fZnR16pDxPiS9a5MUvHYEq4XrtD_5gbmGV-FbXLaTrC54YAjJsphJLRlcBsly76YvxyZTNqn-OknNROWo93K3njwaSnZql4QpooQdha_vhnVonNDtRYTdhfNSdfOtFUUNUXIGWiqlnk7daFQ_nvE50r_rCenHQJnOErwkyCifv3TdZWbRUBXaNvNIOtnwEcireRKfS9hOAGuCdl9JNwMUkIKLCoYyY2GJ5kOk0YS-oPNO5wQ-HdKsh7HDBQ0aedu00Fd1Nija8XUV2gBamdHZXo9aLLyVTC5Kl0LGJYZxIKgpTaE70PLnJ11HY3qImLBfhHB44sgpOOXkGOl1iiu1D6_UjkOEN2o_AsC4Rkj-nLryD0BiCu2wnMdXPSxuPwlyt8yz3KYwpYDy9AU/s320/Markeaton4.jpg)
Started off with a lump of cheespaste on a simple link-leger and soon had a couple of rattles on the tip of my new 5.5 ft Advanta River Rover.
Unfortunately, the colour in the water meant that I was fishing blind and when I lifted the rod I found the rig had stuck in an immoveable snag and had to pull for a break. After losing two more rigs in a similar fashion (doh!) I realised it probably wasn't worth persevering in what appeared to be a right snag pit, so moved downstream to a short glide with some cover on the far bank. Dropping a lump of cheesepaste at the base of a tree I had to wait all of two minutes before the tip bent round and, after a short tussle, had my first fish in the net. Let things settle a bit, then ran the float through the swim a few times. The minnows were straight onto the maggots and I'd had a handful of the greedy buggers (how do they get double maggot on a size 16 down their gob??) before hooking something a bit more reasonable. Turned out to be a very sorry looking chublet that, judging by his missing scales, must have had a recent run-in with an avian predator.
Carried on downstream picking up another stocky chub from a near-side slack, before dropping into a promising little pool. Again, the lump of cheespaste had only been in the water a few minutes when the tip went round and another chub was in the net. Was just baiting up to cast in again when all hell broke loose! A male goosander suddenly surfaced about 6 feet away, saw me and then panicked, thrashing the water in its attempt to get away. After all of that commotion I realised that it probably wasn't worth carrying on in that swim, so moved downstream again.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-36G7jebVNxY/Xpx9ibTwmkI/AAAAAAAAC34/XYkTdj6MncIKZClAdF8m-G74Dv3qHchiQCEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqwaijRTYDKVSwKU1QECyN5kwGKRB2NdLUf2pORfH6LP_BEN-taVLF-0y_YGt2_YG0ICH9UYqMNVj5KBnrvZqTs7xYu_UHHIrjSgwuCaH3pm-TEeRh6xwLkRd0SnxxmDyaVSKMeh3TvJj_vDk4GnqrTWQw8PXdBSlliboh9YVrxm-kJWZsNslsQ6oNtiXMQFiFV73x4xhP1mtb2hiJosy3ORLDdcIh9yFO2a97CHE_n8gW4z6QRe4U1pXPr4mzn8Mvhv6I_md6LrXu3vLYMbYr9cc5ZIPKYr14ynjaZTgyXOlmGOVNmHP9KqyIZHf7w2t3UsnxwBDnTBDCgrc5q6D6N6fgnJtSjJZ06spYUbxsf78xjsGxbg4FJsmoX5QnI5jQBgU75H58KvDb4PFHjdFqyZ2nD8n-BCMLVPlAF6Vj60IBIXHE5dXkE_5LZfl6XuIRQE7uUBSo4wwcAMiBn68rORZR2AzsVmjZ_bdeBxvcwaGQ6EesWBGqS8vFCp6_U5Qn4Lqg4cttfpVZ3w5hOVcpbjjj8e6k0IVGXwpBTes4ER8OPdbPHpv5_pG9x4v-agi3ELc3weByQ2xdxn9Zw0Wio-FjxVrbkT4bgww4Dy9AU/s320/Markeaton3.jpg)
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AHPBOzsAB8s/Xpx9iZ872lI/AAAAAAAAC30/ELFHH3UHvmMdPqF3msWfMpnFURURyQ8HACEwYBhgLKs0DAL1OcqwaijRTYDKVSwKU1QECyN5kwGKRB2NdLUf2pORfH6LP_BEN-taVLF-0y_YGt2_YG0ICH9UYqMNVj5KBnrvZqTs7xYu_UHHIrjSgwuCaH3pm-TEeRh6xwLkRd0SnxxmDyaVSKMeh3TvJj_vDk4GnqrTWQw8PXdBSlliboh9YVrxm-kJWZsNslsQ6oNtiXMQFiFV73x4xhP1mtb2hiJosy3ORLDdcIh9yFO2a97CHE_n8gW4z6QRe4U1pXPr4mzn8Mvhv6I_md6LrXu3vLYMbYr9cc5ZIPKYr14ynjaZTgyXOlmGOVNmHP9KqyIZHf7w2t3UsnxwBDnTBDCgrc5q6D6N6fgnJtSjJZ06spYUbxsf78xjsGxbg4FJsmoX5QnI5jQBgU75H58KvDb4PFHjdFqyZ2nD8n-BCMLVPlAF6Vj60IBIXHE5dXkE_5LZfl6XuIRQE7uUBSo4wwcAMiBn68rORZR2AzsVmjZ_bdeBxvcwaGQ6EesWBGqS8vFCp6_U5Qn4Lqg4cttfpVZ3w5hOVcpbjjj8e6k0IVGXwpBTes4ER8OPdbPHpv5_pG9x4v-agi3ELc3weByQ2xdxn9Zw0Wio-FjxVrbkT4bgww4Dy9AU/s320/Markeaton2.jpg)
Didn't see my feathered friend again, but the lack of of any further bites made me suspect that he'd probably been working his way upstream through all of the spots that I subsequently dropped a bait into. The weather conditions had deteriorated by this stage and I was suddenly caught in heavy shower. As I was only wearing my light down jacket I was soon soaked, so took that as a good enough reason as any to end the session!
I doubt if I will be venturing out for the last day, so that for me is likely to be the end of a very weather-disrupted winter campaign on the rivers. Oh well, on to the next. I've not bothered those canal zeds for a while.........