Pleasure fishing on the lower Bristol Avon

I was watching the river level carefully through the week, it was dropping nicely until we had a bit more rain midweek and then it stalled and stayed a little on the high side. Still it would be a fishable river with a nice colour for a change. The only question now was where to go... I ordered some bait mid week keeping an open mind on where I might fish and what species I might fish for. When I picked my bait up on Saturday I had a little drive around to look at the river. It looked nice up at Rotork, could fish a float easily in that and so decided to go there, though I did consider going to Kelston Straight but you cannot park your car on the side of the river now so it is very awkward

Got to Rotork and as I was setting up along came Mark Harper and Rob Manns who had also thought Rotork would be a good place to fish (Rob had drawn this section in a Commercial House round). The three of us were well spread out as the pegs are well spread these days, so hopefully some fish for us all. I set up a 12BB crowquill with a 18N40 to 0.11, threw in 3 small balls of gbait well downstream and loose fed some caster and hemp. After about 10 mins I caught a 1oz roach, then a few runs down later I had two in two casts. No more bites over the gbait so I let the float go a long way downstream, I had one bite soing this and hooked a proper fish, I don't know what it was as after about 15 seconds it came off, the dreaded maggot over the point of the hook, bah. I had a 3oz roach and then nothing. Lee Trevitt was walking the bank and stopped to watch me for a while, I only managed to hook a couple of leaves and then skillfully I caught a swan mussel lol.

Well that was my lot, I never had a bite after, and 90 mins gone I found Mark and he had not had a bite at all, Rob had 1 dace. No fish here, so I decided to pack up and go somewhere else, as did Rob and Mark. I suggested them to go to Saltford drop the gear off and park up whilst one looks after the gear. I went to Swineford where I knew a few lads were catching chub and roach. However, when I got to Swineford parking was difficult, so I had to carry my gear 100 yards to the kissing gate, then get it over that before putting it all on the trolley in the field. Never let it be said that I don't give up, lol!

Dereck Coles was fishing in the outfall, he had a couple of bream and some 1lb chub on the feeder. the next swims were far too fast as I knew they would be, and I ended up getting to the end of the 1st field and the peg here was empty, it didn't look great, boily for a 1/3 out then very pacey. The peg the other side of fence looked a bit better but a pike angler was in there, as I knew the pegs after that were taken I stayed in the peg at the end of the first field. I quickly set up a groundbait feeder with a 14 N50 to 0.15, and underarmed it into the middle of the river into the pacey water. Second cast and three maggots on the hook got me a decent rattle, a roach of maybe 10oz. A few casts later I missed a bite, then had another and it was a 6oz chublet. It then was quiet for about 30 minutes, until a classic viscous bite and I had a chub on I was sure. It was a chub, about 2lb, I caught it on 2 casters and a bronze maggot. I thought maybe I would get a few more now, but sadly it wasn't to be. The swim never came to life really, but I did get a 2lb skimmer another big roach and a couple of smaller ones. A huge pike came up right in close by the bank at the end of the day, it made such a noise and swirl it shocked me, must have been a biggy! The anglers pleasure fishing on the flyers came down just before I packed up, best of the bunch was Shaun Townsend who had over 30lb of chub and roach on a stick float. Very nice.

Rob Manns then rang me to say he had nearly 14lb of roach at Saltford, so I am glad I was able to put them on some fish.

Looks like I did well to avoid the fish today, lol. But I still enjoyed being out, and it felt like a proper winter day, Robins feeding on my maggots, Grey wagtail and Kingfisher feverishly trying to find food, as well as meadow pipits and redwing flying overhead.

A couple of pictures of my swim and my poor attempt to get a photo of my fish.

As I was putting my gear back in the car a cyclist stopped to talk to me, it was former angler Andy Greenham, used to fish for Bathampton. Andy told me he was thinking about getting his rods out again and asked me where he could buy bait and tackle. He also said his brother Robbie had been out fishing again for the first time in many years. Back in the day if you had either of these two brothers in your section you knew you were up against it, and when I beat one of them it was definitely a good day!