The 1st week of January saw me making a trip to the famous Throop fishery on the Dorset Stour to fish for its huge shoals of Chub. Taking up a long standing invitiation from my friend Paul Martin I was soon heading down the M40 with thoughts of monster Chub filling my head. Below is a short account of our weeks fishing that I wrote for an online forum,
I arrived on the Sunday evening and Paul spent some time talking me through methods and rigs to get me upto speed for the week ahead, very different to how I would fish for Chub on the Warks Avon but 'when in Rome'.
Monday arrived and we were on Throop for 1st light,
Tuesday came and again we were out for 1st thing. Today i was determined to make amends and learn from my mistakes of the previous day. We again set up in the same swims and from the off I fished hard, recasting every couple of minutes to build up a bed of maggots in the swim in the hope I could get the chub going. It was very hard fishing and by the time dusk came I was beginning to think it wouldnt happen but then someone hit the 'switch' and it was a bite a cast. My last 5 casts of the day brought me 4 chub and a missed bite, in the process enabling me to beat my PB with a lovely fish of 6.3.
Wednesday came and went without much happening, we fished till late morning but the conditions were awful and it was chuffing freezing so a cup of tea in the local Tackle Shop and a Cafe brekkie were the highlights.
We were up bright and early again on Thursday and decided we were going to fish as a team. With Paul setting up slightly upstream of me the plan was for both of us to fish the same 'line' and draw the fish upto my swim. The plan worked to start with as I landed a couple of moderate chub mid morning but then as the day wore on the temperature took a huge dive and the river switched off. Just as it got dark I got a shout from Paul 'fish on'! I reeled in and went to his swim to see him land a chub of quite large proportions. It was certainly the largest chub I had ever seen and so it was proved when the scales read a very healthy 6.11.
Friday was soon upon us and again we headed for Throop albeit in different swims today. A cold North easterly wind had come in and it was easily the coldest day of the week.
A very tough week in the coldest conditions I have ever fished in but very enjoyable and a good laugh, Cheers Paul.