I was up for some more small stream fishing but after parking up and walking down the upper reaches of the Stort I was really surprised to see it even shallower and narrower than the only time I had fished it previously, a few years back when it became number 103 on the river's fished list. Nonetheless I was eager to try it again. I walked along looking for some depth (and some signs of fish) before settling on a spot I did well at last time below a bridge.
It was so slow I set up a pole float taking 2 no6 and fed a couple of times each cast just to get a trickle of feed going as my float went through at a pedestrian pace (if the walker in question was the world's slowest) bites also took an age to come but when they did I got a few dace and perch before stopping for coffee as faster walkers went by across the bridge, mostly mums with prams.
It's not often you can say you were fishing below a castle so on emerging from my fern gully I took a photo of this fortification, don't get too excited folks It's seen better days and also It's fair to say we've all seen better castles.
I soldiered on (see what I did there) upstream whittling out a half pound chub in a foot of water before going above a weir where it deepened, here the water was slower than slow, I've seen ponds move faster so I made do with picking up a few more half decent perch as a fox went by oblivious to my presence in the gardens opposite. Here's the overgrown gardens minus the fox which roamed around behind the trees just out of shot, naturally.
I probably stayed too long in this spot but it was a good place to relax but I was now on the move walking past another car park that was half the price of the one my motor was in, typical. I passed by large chunks of river that were too overgrown or choked with rushes before finding a clearing in the middle of nowhere. A heron flew off as did a kingfisher, which are usually signs that you are going to catch and catch I did, first a few more small chub.
Then some mightily impressive dace, right tonkers.
The mix of small chub, good dace and perch were interrupted by three small trout which are always fun although I wouldn't be surprised knowing my form lately if it was the same fish each time.
Despite the slow start I ended up catching one a chuck, standing in the woods fishing like a kid and thoroughly enjoyable it was too, yet the place is hardly fished. I didn't mind having it all to myself that's for sure and will return when there's some flow on one day.
