Difficult conditions but as long as your bait’s in the water
On a pond that was just a couple of feet deep, the water temperature was rock bottom and the colour was a horrible grey, courtesy of heavy rain that had washed sediment in via a small brook that goes in at one end and out the other.
Still, I thought to myself as I cast out, as long as your bait’s in the water then you’ve always got a chance.
It took a while before the first roach – that was my realistic target species – but then they were regular throughout the short session.
Fishing about one rod length out, and underneath overhanging branches, it was my usual small waggler and two white maggots on a size 14 hook approach.
I loose fed mixed maggots, ensuring that the frequency and amount despatched was enough to keep the fish keen and competitive.
You can see some of the fish in the accompanying video, which when you take the conditions and the venue into consideration, they’re not bad.