River Colne

[peter9000uk]

Here please

[Happydangler]

Need Martin Harper - The Runner to look after this one for us.

[The Runner]

Evening all- just spotted this.

Water level and clarity both very changeable at the moment- last Sunday was about 9 inches up and quite coloured, by Tuesday colour had dropped out, and by Wednesday was at normal level and its usual tapwater self.
A bit erratic at Uxbridge last weekend although plenty of bits from the lawn area and a few decent chub to 4 8 from the main river.
Match there this Sunday (transferred from the Cherwell ) promises to be a bit gruesome though as there'll be quite a bit of snowmelt and road salt etc coming down. The lowest winning weight I can trace on there in the 22 years we've had it was 5-2 (by Skip McCabe) on a similarly snowy river 15 years ago. A very good chance of this being "beaten" this weekend unless someone finds one of those lumpy chub.

Will keep this updated and try to get some reprts from neighbouring stretches ( I know the "free stretch" just below Uxbridge has been rock hard lately.)

[The Runner]

A bit better than expected today, but predictably patchy. The roach pegs on the backwater and sluice were mostly grim. River only about 9 inches up but a nasty greenish colour, slowly dropping out as the day went on, and really tanking through, so a lot of the main river left out.Astonishingly only one blank, but quite a few with only two or three little fish for their efforts.

1/ Derek Turton 13-9-0, four chub and a dace, wag and mag
2/ Dave Wollington 9-14-0, two chub, (including KeithA's tame one of 6-4-8 ) , stick and mag
3/ Brian Dart 7-9-0 all roach, stick and punch
4/ Martin Harper 3-1-8 mainly bleak
5/ Stuart Turk 1-14-0 dace and chublets
6/ Brian Eggleton 1-10-8, dozen or so roach

The tiny R Frays (sidestream of the Colne) has a fair amount of free fishing around Uxbridge and can be very good with a bit of extra water on. Not today though- four blokes who had been pleasure fishing it leant over the bridge for a chat with me on their way to the pub at 1pm....

[The Runner]

River now well over a foot up and looks as if might still be rising- the R Frays behind my house is nearly over the footpath.

Hope it drops a bit by Sunday for round 3 of the KTC...If it doesnt and we get our usual turnout there'll be some real struggles.

[Skip]

KOTC, Have you managed to win that yet Martin, if not you, who was it that was the nearly man?.

[The Runner]

Oh goody, more snow...

Skip, the nearly man was Derek, who finally won it a couple of years ago after being runner up I think 7 times. We did offer to give the runner up a "Queen of the Colne " trophy but he wasn't too keen....

I've won it I think 4 times. Won't win it again this year though. With best 3 from 4 to count it doesn't help to start off with half an ounce, followed by a blank ! Still, never give up. Dont know if I told you about the last time I won it four years ago. River was fishing absolute pants all winter and all I had to do in the last match was catch- Derek was guaranteed to win it if I blanked and he finished top 6. He drew the hall so guaranteed a decent day on the roach, I drew one down from the hollybush on the main river. Had my one bite at 2 minutes to three on 14.5m of pole and a dibber under the far brambles which turned out to be a minnow which amazingly stayed on a barbless 18 and 12 elastic when shipped back across some pretty fast water. Best of all, someone had walked past a couple of minutes earlier, seen Derek and told him I was blanking with 5 minutes to go. He was on scales, had 6lb odd of roach for second on the day. Would love to have had a video camera for his face when he got round to my peg and found me still there with the bottom foot of keepnet in the water. Especially when he saw what was in it! Won it by about ten points......
Memories, eh?

[The Runner]

Still at least 15 to 18 inches up this morning and a lot of the pallets under a few inches of water. Horrible grey/green colour as well. Higher up at Rickmansworth looks pretty grim as well with the top weir not readily locatable !

Some of the backwater pegs should still fish OK though although the sluice looks to be running too quickly to go.

Any more than 20 there tomorrow and some people will be on for a severe struggle.....

[FBlues]

Good luck to all tomorrow Martin, I hope it gets better. I have a question: I am looking for somewhere to make a film on Tuesday and am considering the stretch you're on tomorrow. I would be happy to fling some cheesepaste into odd corners, roving around, or plot up and fish the stick. Have there been any off the grid yet, as I REALLY love that swim? My plan B is to tuck up behind Teddington Lock and see if Mr Bream and his mates are at home. The Thames, as you can guess, is NOT a pretty sight!

[The Runner]

Evening Keith..

Re the grid, it's done nothing worth speaking of in matches this season (in fact got left out last time) but I had 4 proper chub off it in high water conditions (not quite as high as at present) pleasure fishing around Xmas and I know Eggy had a good day there a week or so later. They still roll there!...Apart from the swim where your pet chub lives and the other traditional chub fliers, 13 and 35 might be worth a look on the smelly stuff as well.

[Skip]

Where abouts is the grid?, my favorite peg there was the peg up stream of dolphin house, I drew that in the third match, the year I won KOTC, and with about a 2 hours to go and biteless, had Martin and Steve Johnson sniggling behind me, but I perservered, upping my feed rate, and bingo those chub just could not resist it, can,t remember whether I actually won the match, but I was chuffed at winning the series. The year prior to that at our presentation, I ask you (Keith) what reel you could reccommend for stick and wag, you answer was the Daiwa fingerdab, so I bought my self a couple, towards the middle of the season I had a few problems with one of them, and had a little friendly moan at you at the following years presentation, I had also won the restocking cup as well as the KOTC, and will always remember with fondness, what you said after presenting me with my second trophy of that year. That reel was,nt that bad was it lol, I still have the picture here some where with us both looking a lot younger. We have great fishing down here, but I do miss the Colne, the stretch running through Hampermill knocked the socks of the island tho, with 10lb of roach on any peg, and just about under any conditions.

[The Runner]

Same Peg , Skip;
Peg 59, Grid,Railings,Grille, Old Mill, whatever you want to call it (Think it was peg 55 when you fished it)
Wish we had roach fishing as good as the Hampermill stretch was- never got to fish it. Do you know if it still fishes as well after all the messing about with the weir?
To be fair we've got some pegs that can give you a creacking days roach sport in the right conditions but not as consistently. Dole Office swim still the best for them but some of the local scrotes have pushed the old wall into the river and its now a real snagpit in front of you.

[Happydangler]

Skip, if MFS get any events to teams of 4 events next year, I'll hold a place for you in case you want to re-visit.....:)

[Skip]

There are not many venues up there that float my boat, but the island does Rick.


Don,t Know Martin, as the fools that run the club managed to get thier way, and there are no longer any matches there. You would not belive the mob that run that club, the waters they have are awesome, as you know I had 176lb of bream there in one match, and did not have a bite in the first hour, all on the tip. you could have 100 anglers on the lake with ease.

[FBlues]

Thanks Martin, I'll give Derek a call on Monday, out of courtesy, for permission to 'take strangers'. I'll be the only one fishing though. If I can, I'd like to do a bit of both and I doubt if the grill will be occupied. The idea is, I went there in the first day of the season and we'd show the film when I get back from my trip next week.

Skip, I remember it well. They're not bad reels are they, and they are STILL the only reels I use for 'proper' match fishing. One of the problems with my weekend job is that I can't get to river matches in time to fish properly but maybe I might give the Colne a go next year...

[Happydangler]

If the reels are Daiwa 1657DM's then I am using 2 - both on original Mach 2 Boron rods. How sad is that....:eek:

[Skip]

You really are a anorak Rick :D

[The Runner]

Its a good job theres still plenty of chub in the river as without them today would have been a real shocker...

1/ Steve Hardy 15-5-0, five chub, pole and maggot, 24
2/ Terry Burgess 14-7-0, five chub, stick and maggot, 52
3/ Dan Richardson 12-2-0 three chub, wag and mag, 59
4/ Martin Harper 7-4-8 two chub and two roach,stick and maggot,4
5/ Roy Perry 4-9-0 one chub,one roach, 58
6/ Bob Hawes 4-3-8 one chub and a few dace, 50A

Green colour easing off as the day went on although the level and pace was a bit variable, but the one certain thing is whatever was coming through, road salt or whatever, put the roach and dace off big time. Blank on Longbridge, ounces from the Lawn, Pipes, 51 and 56, 2lb dead from the Elliot Bridge , no small fish on 52 or 58 and next best weight after mine in the sluice was 5oz...All of which pegs should really, with a bit of water on, be worth at least 3 lb of bits and often a lot more.

And what of FBlues tame 6-4-8 chub I hear you ask? A blank from its home this week...

[FBlues]

Just back from my filming trip. 2 corkers from the grill, one a mid-5, the other longer but leaner, on the stick. Lost a brute under the stage. Got it out 4 times too! Then on the main for a go with my smelly cheese. 1 tiddly rap in 24, didn't develop, then down to 44 (apple tree) and a chub out of the hole. 4lb-ish. Saw a chap getting his gear out as I was leaving, had a 9.4 barbel yesterday under the bush on 45. Another bloke heading for 23. That was 3.30-ish.

Terrific day really, as I was with camera and cameramen all have heavy feet!

[The Runner]

Nice one Keith

I've had them do the under-the-platform trick on that swim as well. You think you're OK once you've kept them out of the submerged snag under the far reedbed, and out of the cressbeds downstream on the inside and then they do a cats cradle round the posts supporting the platform and back out under your keepnet...

[FBlues]

I hooked this one on the drop! It went upstream, like a barbel, then came back down and I kept it out of the platform. Then it went under a couple of times and I got it out. Then it went under my net (which was downstream side) and got in the cress and I got it out again! Then it went under the right hand stanchion and pinged me. All on tape too! The bigger one did a great swirl right on the edge of the far reeds and the camera was over there in the car park at the time. The 3rd one I used my 'you're not going in there' trick - as in under the far reeds - and it came up then went for the snag upstream, on my bank and NEARLY made it - but didn't.

[The Runner]

Looking absolutely spot on for the weekend.
A couple of big bags of chub out during the week as well as at least one double figure barbel, and looks like the dace are beginning to shoal up in the usual areas.

Spotted Mr Flintstone lurking on here- any chance of an update on how Ricky and Denham are fishing Fred?

[FBlues]

Eddie Edwards has had his 7 again; 7.3, from the Uxbridge Rovers section.

[flintstone]

hi martin have not seen the river since christmas but spoke to a member who fished denham just over a week ago and had a 60lb + bag of bream

[The Runner]

Thanks Fred, I heard about that bag yesterday in the shop. Not exactly a recognised bream peg either .

Don't think there's been 60 lb of bream caught at Uxbridge in twenty years in total !

River was absolutely sock on today as predicted and the chub had a go. Shame the match is next weekend - everyone fishing the main river had at least two proper chub , and a couple of 7lb berties came out as well.
And I finally got my first "6". Five chub for 26-4, best 6-2, then 5-9. They did beat me six five though- couldn't get a bite anywhere other than within a foot of,or just past ,a bloody great snag 20 yards down the peg. Come to think of it, it was really five four- got one of my hooks back out of the second biggest.

One decent bag of dace from the backwater today but it was apparently a bit harder than expected there.

[The Runner]

River came up quite sharply yesterday but dropping back again and shoild be spot on for the weekend. Still fishing really well this week- club president had about 50lb of chub yesterday so might be a good idea not to draw that peg on Sunday as they'll probably still be sulking....

[The Runner]

Final round of King of THe Colne today. Windy, wasn't it?

River had been fishing really well for chub in the previous fortnight, but a vicious face wind on most of the chub fliers, coupled with bright sun early on and sa***e squalls in the afternoon put a bit of a damper on things
Winner was a bit dramatic though....
1/ Dan Richardson 17-5, one barbel, one chub, pole and maggot
2/ Derek Turton 12-5, three chub, wag and mag
3/ Kevin Burroughs 11-14, two chub and 5lb of roach, stick and punch
4/ Mike Horwood 7-15, two chub
5/ Bob Hawes 7-5, one chub and 5lb of roach
6=/ Wally Thomas, Don Wilkinson and Brian Eggleton, all 7-4, all two chub

Dropping worst result of 4, (15oz today) Terry Burgess is the new King of The Colne with 7 points, followed by Dan Richardson 9, and Kevin Burroughs/Roy Perry both 10

Well done to Dan today. His barbel went 13lb exactly, and would be interested to know if anyone has ever had a bigger one on the pole in a match- beautiful fish and typical for the Colne- short, very deep and with a big shoulder.

Famously I NEVER draw the backstream where nearly all the bits go for the winter. Until today, when you didn't really want a peg with no chub which is what I promptly drew...- the Elliot Bridge produces one chub per year and Bob Hawes caught it back in October. Still, kept busy with 6-6 of assorted bits (9 species!)-nothing over 2 ounces and very little over an ounce. At least the wind was behind me....

As predicted , the peg which produced a big bag on Thursday struggled a bit-John Barnes had the 4 smallest chub in the river from it for 6-9.

Might try and sneak a day off midweek, otherwise thats it for the season as can't do next Saturday.

[The Runner]

Looking spot on for the last day of the season. Colour dropped out but nowhere near as clear as it can be, and still a good level. Expect it will be pretty busy tomorrow- a couple of barbel boys doing a bit of prebaiting this afternoon on a few swims.
Chub should still be having a go, although probably not from the Holly Bush peg as I caught most of them there today!

[Happydangler]

Martin - can you PM me details of membership please. Am thinking of joining next season.

Cheers

[The Runner]

Took a quick walk round at about 1 30 yesterday and looked as though the last day was shaping up to be a bit of a disappointment.
One lad on the Grille had had a couple of chub and was waiting for his mate to arrive with scales as one of them was a real lump, one chub from the top point and one from the top bend. Other than that a dozen or so anglers on the main river had had nothing , apart from a good barbel lost from the Chickenwire, although to be fair most of them were fishing bomb and a big bait.Only odd dace to the one angler in the sluice, and not a lot from the lawn on the backwater although the deeper Dole Office peg was getting a few.
Generally fishes better in the afternoon at this time of year so hope it improved for everyone.
Glad I fished it Friday!
Got a few working parties there in the next couple of months to repair some of the dodgier platforms (pegs 2,9 and 17 currently have the potential for a comedy stage-trapdoor routine), clear some trees that have come down across the paths and fit one or two temporary groynes to clear silt here and there as well as a few more permanent obstructions to try and create better fish holding areas in some of the iffy pegs.