Another warm day in prospect with no sign of a let up in the dry conditions.  Could be we are heading for a long drought as some forecasters have predicted.

Anyway despite the conditions a couple of fish were reported yesterday;

One from the  Redbrood rapid pool to Simon McLucas/A 32" fish on a black Francis.
One also from Lower Symonds Yat   12lbs to Maarten Fontein

Also a report of several fresh fish seen and brief contact made much further up the river towards Hereford so they do seem able, despite the low water, to get at least that far.

Regarding the mullet, others recall seeing them too, mainly on the lower river and also seen a couple of times apparently on the Town water on the Usk.  Pity they are not caught very often by any of the methods we fish.   Caught a couple off my friends boat in Pwythelli marina on float fished bread flake but mostly they seemed to graze on the algae on the bottom of the moored boats.  Good fighters too.  Small flounder still pretty common on the beats down at Bigsweir apparently.  Thanks for all the replies.


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                                                   The Shrimp.

Another method now denied us is fishing the natural shrimp  Not as old a method as the prawn I don’t think but came into vogue as I recall in the 1960s onwards.

Another method that benefits anglers with a coarse fishing background used to maneuvering a float  to best effect through a swim taking into account  pace and depth, shotting  etc.

A fairly basic method consisting of at best a fixed spool reel, a decent float taking two or three swan shot.  A good single 4 single hook or a treble if you prefered and the usual straight eyed shrimp pin to keep the shrimp straight.  Shrimps could be natural or dyed red and purple.  Red was easily the best colour, for me anyway.

Attach the float with enough shot on the line to cock it, line through the eye of the pins and attach hook , Pierce the shrimp with the pin head downwards and nick in the hook   Some would bind the shrimp and pin to the line to make it more secure.   You could of course dispense with the float altogether and fish the shrimp as you would a worm . The advantage a float had of course was that you could see where your bait was fishing, adapt the depth when required and sometime hold the float back a little to make the shrimp rise up.  All pretty basic stuff for a coarse fisherman.

The other advantage you had was of course an indication of a take. This was important as the fish usually, never in my experience, hung onto the bait as the would a worm and sometimes the prawn.  So float disappears, an immediate strike and you should be attached. Never had one hooked down the throat and always in my experience lip hooked. Could be returned as easily as a fly caught fish if not more so.

It was a very effective method and I was of the opinion that if a fish refused a shrimp it was unlikely to take anything else .  Some fish never did take anything I am sure but they found it hard to refuse a shrimp.

This was shown one afternoon when after a few days fishing a guest had only had one moderate fish earlier in the week and things were dour.  He wanted a couple to take home.  I told him I would fish the shrimp to try and get him one.  Float fished a shrimp through one of the fast gutters we had fished with other methods and had five in an hour or so.

It was an interesting method to fish, bit more visual than the worm and if the fish was to be released pretty safe for the fish too.  Another method denied us on the altar of catch and release which will be our demise sooner or later I fear.