March 3rd The first 2 weeks of March are always eagerly anticipated and as in many previous years I had a few days off work to make the most of the final fortnight of the season. This first trip of the month was just a short pre-breakfast jaunt to the canal. Conditions were far from ideal for perch - clear skies, an overnight frost and very coloured water. In 2 hours I had just one bite - but it produced a stunning perch of exactly 3lb. By 0900 the sun had melted the hoar-frost and my confidence in further action was non existent so it was off home for some brekkie - vowing to return again before the season was out.
10th A day on a club water above Newbury. As usual I was up before the sun as I wanted to have the first hour of daylight on the canal before switching over to the river. The canal appeared lifeless and I wasn’t surprised to leave it without a bite. The river however looked much more promising, despite being very high a lot of colour had dropped out - and I headed for a swim that has produced for me in the past under similar conditions. One long straight glide down to a cattle drink - it’s a fantastic trotting swim. Trickling maggots into the head of the swim, I was soon into fish. Some small dace were followed by a perch of around a pound and then a very acrobatic trout which proceeded to jump at every opportunity - putting paid to further immediate sport alas. I rested the swim for an hour or two but had caught nothing but gudgeon by the time I returned to it.
First trot through and I connected with something right at the end of the run - it held on stubbornly for some time before burying its head in the bankside vegetation (which wouldn’t normally have been under water!) and got off. Ten minutes later I was more successful and gingerly coaxed a 3lb chub up the length of the swim to my waiting net. The next 2 hours saw a couple more lost fish and a couple more landed - both chub a tad smaller than the first. I also managed around a dozen nice dace before - you guessed it - I caught THAT trout again which was no less energetic than 4 hours previous!
12th Paul had Barton Court booked for another IAC day. We arrived early as we both wanted to get amongst the perch before it got too bright. I headed down to Gunters where I’ve seen good perch before and it wasn’t long before I was ringing Paul to announce that I had one on the bank - a fish of 1¾lbs, followed shortly by one a few ounces lighter. I then switched over to the carrier off the Middle Cut and had a nice roach of 1lb 3oz - however this swim too went quiet after a few fish - setting the tone of the day - catch a couple and move on. Next was 20 meters below the weed-stop above the Kintbury Rd and this produced a lovely grayling just shy of 1½lb; not a bad start - it still wasn’t 10 am!
I then went to the top of the fishery and worked my way down one of the carriers - Heron’s Delight - getting a trout here, a couple of dace there plus a brace of 2lb chub. Highlight of the day was finding a nice shoal of (feeding) roach in the last hour - not massive fish - but fish over 8oz - most around 12oz with the odd one a bit bigger. Right at ‘the death’ I thought I’d snaffled a good-un only for it to transform into a 2½lb bream at the net!
13th At last! For the first time this winter conditions for a crack-o-dawn canal perching session were spot on. Mild, overcast and the colour had dropped out of the water. I was back at the swim where I’d had that 3lber ten days earlier and I knew it was going to be my morning when I got a 3lb 6oz fish 1st cast!. By 08:45 when the clouds had cleared and the swim was bathed in bright sunlight (putting an end to the bites) I'd accounted for 13 perch - 11 of which were over 1½lbs (7 over 2lb). The best 4 went 3.08, 3.06, 3.05 and 3.01. I also managed a 4lber - actually nearer 5 - shame it was a pike!
14th Paul and I rounded off the season on a piece of water we’d never even seen before - let alone fished. A Kennet carrier that is only really fishable in high water - you wouldn't bother with it in low conditions - but it's a stream the fish seem to favour when the main river is pushing through. It was absolutely teeming with fish! Paul and I had dozens and dozens of roach and dace. Nothing particularly big, though some of the dace were in the 10-12oz bracket (about the same size as the bigger roach). I also had a few chub and Paul started with a lovely perch of 2½lbs. It was easy fishing and a thoroughly excellent way to end the season.
