Sunday at Duxford

I rarely fish at weekends and some aspects of today's trip show why. I arrived at Duxford just after lunch and there were already several cars in the little parking area by the farm. Just as I was sorting out my stuff, two more guys and their dog arrived. They turned out to be fisherman but were out today to visit the nature reserve on the other side of the river. Nonetheless, they were keen to quiz me about fishing as we set off along the bank.

About 100 yards below the ford, two guys were pike fishing, but with no success yet. When they found I waas chub fishing, they then started telling me at great lenght about their huge catches of chub down at Sutton Courtney. But they did say that in the past they had caught barbel in the swims below the ford. Once I was extricated from them, I still had to chat to the other two as we walked to the spot I intended starting. Because of the number of people about, I decided I would just chub fish today with bread. The area where I have been barbel fishing so far has a very narrow bank and I wouldn't be able to fish if people were walking along it.

So I settled in "swim four" from the last trip. Soon after, I was passed by an older guy loaded down with fishing tackle. He had decided to call it a day after having to chat for 10 minutes to the two guys who I had walked down with. He had caught a number of chub on lobworms in a selection of swims between the weir at Shifford and where I was starting fishing. At some point I will check this area out I expect.

Meanwhile I had started fishing and caught a small chub of under 3lbs. Ever so often I would re-bait a couple of other swims with mashed bread, but those would have to wait till I was sure people wouldn't be walking along the bank. In any case, such bankside activity might already have scared the fish.

The pike anglers appeared and settled in about 100 yards away where I could hear them chatting away - mostly about barbel tactics on other rivers. I managed a second 3lbers, but then more or less stopped fishing while I waiting for it to get dark and the chance of a fish in the swim where I caught the 4lber last week. The pike anglers packed up and walked back in the field at the top where they didn't disturb me. I was settled in the "swim two" from last week, but didn't manage a bite in the hour I was there. Had they been disturbed by the people passing so close by? Who knows?

My next planned trip is Tuesday, when I might try some of the swims nearer Duxford Ford. It should be quieter then as well.