Recent rainstorms, had put some life back in the drought affected River Cut near my home and I was determined to fish the river, before Winter got a grip. The temperture had already dropped, when I arrived on a bright afternoon this week, but was pleased to see that the leaves were still on the trees, rather than covering the surface of the river.

I had not fished this swim for some years, when better flows had produced good nets of roach and chub on the bread punch, while trotting a stick float beneath the trees. Now the river is shallower, with less pace and I opted for a lightweight 2 No 4 float, fished over depth through a cloud of groundbait, with a 6 mm punch of bread on a size 16 barbless hook. I mixed up liquidised bread, ground hemp and a fine strawberry groundbait, that was very sloppy to sink slowly in the clear water. Fishing “The Slop” on the Grand Union Canal, had worked well for roach in the past and it was worth  a try today. The idea is to feed little and often, producing a column of fine groundbait that keeps fish in the swim without actually feeding them. Although suited to fishing a pole, I use my twelve foot Hardy rod that does not bounce off small fish, yet can handle any bonus fish.

As expected, very small roach and chub were the first fish, flashing over deep down on the strike. Each time I expected the rod to bend into a perch, but no such luck today. The dace below did put a bend in the rod however, tumbling over and over as it tried to shake out the hook

I was over casting the float downstream, with a single No 8 shot a foot from the hook and a No 6 midway, the float slow to cock and often sinking out of sight, when it did. A better roach was next, searching out the opposite bank foliage in seconds of being hooked.

The small chub had been beaten to the punch by very welcome roach, this one barely sucking in the punch before it was hooked.

More small roach, dace and chub followed before another bite produced a rudd, that surfaced immediately scudding across the surface.

This was now a bite a chuck, although a brief spell of wind blew in a collection of oak leaves, dragging on the surface line. This roach taking on the drop.

The sun had by now sunk below the houses of the estate that lines the Cut, the river running through a narrow green corridor of wilderness hemmed in by a busy road and houses. Recently the Town Council have begun a steady programme of mature tree removal, leaving wide gaps along the roadside, which has destroyed any illusion of peaceful solitude, when fishing here. At least the fishing is holding up against the constant threat of pollution and water abstraction, to supply the thousands of new homes built in the area over the last ten years. The other side of this major road, no longer bluebell woods, but a thriving community of 4,000 houses and a school. Such is progress?

I kept feeding a small ball of groundbait every cast and the fish kept obliging by taking the bread punch. My next notable fish was a solid dace, that fought all over the river.

A decent rudd, one of many, still hanging onto the punch.

There were too many fish to photograph, this final chub being landed at 4 pm and time to pack up, before it got dark. There was now a chill in the air and I was glad that I had put on a thick woollen shirt.

It had been a busy two hours, and well worth the visit.

A mixed bag of silver fish, roach, dace, chub and rudd.