Bright start to new angling season and it should get even better soon
With the new season on our local rivers and drains opening last Tuesday, I expect quite a few of you will already have wet a line and hopefully put a few fish in the net.
With the new season on our local rivers and drains opening last Tuesday, I expect quite a few of you will already have wet a line and hopefully put a few fish in the net.The new season should have started well thanks to a good flush through last week and with more rain expected skimmers and bream should be on the feed in lots of places.
It's never easy predicting good places to start the season off with and I have to admit to getting it wrong on several occasions over the past few years. But there are one or two waters that always seem to fish well in early June, so here goes with my hot-spots for this weekend.
First up has to be the River Welland. Over the past few years it has become an unfashionable water, heavily weeded but in my opinion still well worth a visit right now, particularly if you have the time to pre-bait your swim.
Head for the upper reaches above Crowland Bridge going up as far as the Folly mouth. Look for coloured water and you will not go far wrong.
There will be several areas to try for bream on the River Nene.
At the top end the pegs below the Riverside Bridge at Oundle could well see some fine catches and of course here there is also a good head of tench.
Fotheringay on the pegs opposite the church should produce and further downstream still watch out for some cracking early-season action from Stibbington.
At the bottom end of the river Orton Downstream is expected to fish well right through to the hot pegs opposite Asda. And even the city embankment could well be worth a visit if the river remains coloured up.
Without doubt the groundbait feeder is the best line of attack, although more recently chopped worm and caster on the pole has also scored well with red maggot or worm on the hook.
Do not expect the roach to feed in numbers for a couple of weeks yet, base your early season approach on groundbait for skimmers, bream and tench.
Fen drains have always been a big favourite with anglers from around the area and I do not see why not again this season. Look out for some huge bream and tench weights from the Twenty Foot Drain at both Whittlesey and March.
On the Whittlesey sections Beggars Bridge could well be the hot-spot while I predict some very big weights of bream and tench from the March waters below the old bridge between Hobbs Lot and Chain Bridge.
The Forty Foot drain should fish well in the high numbers and I hear a big shoal of bream has been spotted at Staffurths Bridge.
If you are after tench on the fen waters then the North Level Drain should be the one to head for, particularly on the main road section controlled by the Tydd Gote AC.
Another tench hot-spot is likely to be Cock Bank Drain. The predictable pegs will be in the 50s close to Burnt House Bridge but I prefer the early 100s, again chopped worm and plenty of casters on the pole the best approach here.
The big King of the Fens team event gets underway this weekend on the North Level Drain. John Spalton has worked wonders getting a big league up and running when there are plenty out there telling us team fishing is dead.
Tomorrow will see the Wades Match Group fishing the Angling Times/VDE Knockout semi-final on Barston Fishery in Solihull and with seven teams going through to the final captain Dale Stones will be bitterly disappointed not to make the final.
"We have put some time in on the venue and had some valuable information from the Sensas Mark One lads who fished a big match there recently," said Stones. "It's not in great form but I think we should have enough to go through given a reasonable draw which looks like being very important."Fixtures:
Tomorrow: Whittlesey AA, sweepstake Cock Bank, draw 1pm.
Sunday: King of the Fens League, Round One, North Level Drain, draw the Swan Parsons Drove 8.15am; Deeping St James AC, Doxham Trophy, Stretton Lakes, draw 7.45am; Ramsey AS, Club Cup, Staffurths Bridge, draw 7.30am; Oundle AC, Branfoot Cup, draw Old Riverside Pub 9am; Warmington AC, Chairmans Trophy, Fotheringay, draw 9am; Fenland Rods, Magpie Lake draw 8.45am.
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Weather for Peterborough
Saturday 20 March 2010
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C - 13 C
Wind Speed: 18 Knots
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C - 12 C
Wind Speed: 12 Knots
Wind direction: West
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