Warwickshire Avon – Lucy’s Mill, A Tale of Poo

Many moons ago I’d fished Lucy’s Mill with a friend of mine Simon and couldn’t even remember what I’d caught, if I recall I didn’t particularly enjoy it, it’s not my sort of venue to be honest, I’ve banged on about it before but I’m an angler that seeks solitude. I get all querulous when mixing with the great unwashed, in the summer apart from the frequent eyecandy, it was a nightmare…

Whatever you do, don’t leave your bait box open or unattended, ‘Alfie’, WILL eat it.

There was a good chance for a Zander though, so Mick, get a grip FFS….

I was hoping during this cold spell the banks would be quiet so for this session I positioned myself between the lower weir and the bridge and intended to fish a small dead bait for the Zander and then use a small jig rod.

There is more or less all species to go at here….but it was the Zander I was after.

Despite catching hundreds from the canal after 5 ot 6 attempts on the river I've failed to catch one, but it's no secret the Mill has some.

The Lucy’s Mill Bridge a stone’s throw away was built in and around 1590 most probably to get people with a pig under one arm, a chicken under the other to market. In 1867 floods destroyed two of the piers and the wooden bridge had to be completely re-built. It was eventually replaced in 1934 with an art deco style concrete bridge to match the design of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre that was opened a couple of years earlier.

The problem I found previously was that the bridge was often a meeting place for those that frequent the Stratford Greenway, the modern phenomenon, MAMILS (middle aged men in Lycra) who despite their supposedly superior fitness apparently find it difficult to negotiate the steps with their carbon fiber bikes and GPS computers. A local money raising group (FoLMB) would like it upgraded so I assume cyclists can ride 2 abreast like they do on the local roads, well ok, presumingly for those less mobile, as wheelchair users would certainly benefit from a ramp.

There is an issue though, it spans private land, which would require a compulsory purchase order which is unlikely to be granted. This isn’t China and there isn’t an upcoming Expo, so for the time being, the FoLMB will have to make do, then again it would be nice to see some of my hard earned council tax going to a project that would benefit residents and Stratford’s 4 million yearly visitors.

The river had dropped a huge amount over the last week and a bit because the water had been lapping half way up the benches and partly over the boarding foot bath, still coloured mind, with visibility on a few inches or so.

It was only a short session this, time is precious and all that, anyway a deadbait positioned near the bridge was left untouched for an hour or so, as was the small jig so I moved upstream a little opposite the flats.

The deadbait was getting interest but I didn't manage to connect to anything, I've had the flesh stripped to the bone before, and again, similar results, small fish, cray fish ? I changed from a red head white lure to my favorite colour the firetiger and it was the change what was needed. Within a few casts something hit the lure, not the biggest of fish and it fought more like a Perch but luckily for me, my first river Zander.

Well it's a start, 1lb 8oz, it's a PB anyway.

The amount of dogs walking in this area is staggering and after one decided to relieve its bowls a few feet from me and having to endure the stench that went with it, it was time to leave.

I'll be back again, maybe with an all out deadbait attack or maybe a maggot feeder set-up to see if I could tempt a silver bream.

Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal - #saveUKzeds

With the local rivers over the banks Danny Everitt's recent post on Save the Zander got me packing my Zander gear to fish a stretch near to me that was electro fished not so long ago.

The Lido stretch at Stratford

The person that used to have the rights to this stretch and made it free for all just so happens now owns and runs my favourite tackle shop that opened last year and I've had many chats on the matter.

After the Zander removal the EA at the time restocked this relatively short stretch with 20,000 silver fish to give it an apparent much needed boost as the canals were baron waste lands and devoid of anglers.

Well it's still devoid of anglers...and it's still contains Zander.

During my 2015 closed season Zander challenge I covered many miles of Warwickshire's canal network and I rarely shared footpaths with other anglers, then again it's like that on the rivers I fish though, especially in the winter. It's not like there isn't any silver fish sport to be hard, because there is, I know a few swims where if you stuck it out you could fill a keepnet with Roach, no problem.

But but but, its a trek from the car park and you cannot park next to where you fish.

The modern fisherman is lazy you see....

I'd been out of the sport for 6 years or so after taking a near 20 year layoff and I couldn't believe the difference when I started up again. I remember one Shanghai AC match at Tunnel Barn Farm in the height of summer, I'd not been to the venue before and had a walk around and I spotted an angler on a bridge with his feet dangling in the water and he was catching F1 carp with a small whip right next to his pinkies.

A 200lb weight in a 5 hour match is possible and every fish would look the same, how is that fun, you have to ask.

So this morning, a nice walk in the countryside with a lure rod and a float fished deadbait fished over depth I managed to catch 7 or 8 Zander in quick succession.

The biggest went 3lb 14oz, not big fish but fun all the same. A couple of nudges on the lure but all in deadbait. The water was cold, that could explain it.

As Danny says those anglers that walk the waterways these days are the predator anglers, they are the eyes and ears for the canal and rivers trust, they need support not alienating. Dropshot and jig fishing has become very popular indeed and it's a great way to get kids away from their PS4's and in to the sport.

They are here and naturalised in many waterways, so get out there and catch them and get some exercise whilst you're at it.

They are addictive....

I'm not a facebook user but give your support and Save the UK Zander

Stratford-Upon-Avon Canal - Mucky Waters

What a contrast to the Grand Union I fished earlier in the week, this was proper chocolate brown, overcast and not particularly pleasant as the cold wind was giving it some. The clarity was such that even with a bright green lure it could only be seen a couple of inches down.

I wanted to fish a series of locks that I'd not fished before. Other areas of this canal I fish the hotspots are the overflow at the lock mouth and its oxygenated waters.

It was predicted to be peeing it down all day so I only took my lure rod for a bit of roving so could shelter from the worst of it was an when required.

Firetiger, my favourite colour didn't do it today.

No need....

Now I've caught Zander in the dirtiest of water but deadbait seems to be King, so I should have also brought some deadbait as it was a mere sprinkle for the three hours I was out, now after one fishing in and around these series of locks without even a nibble I returned from where I came.

I swopped to a clown coloured lure and this showed up far better, it was white and yellow and gave just that little more visibility in the overly coloured water. The first swim I originally fished eventually produced a 3lb Zander which after a couple of casts nailed the lure and give it a proper clonking.

Not a blank but next time I'll go better prepared, certainly the swims look ideal with plenty of potential.

With bladderation off the cards for me for the whole of January to give my liver a well deserved rest and my waist line an opportunity to shrink I'm hoping to get out on the bank as much as possible. We just need some proper cold weather to improve the clarity of the rivers as I'm desperate to go and try and catch Pike Tyson.