Cold but rewarding afternoon at Neatishead Staithe

Well, the weather has got a good deal colder but the nice thing is that now that half-term is over, the broads waterways seem practically empty of boats. As a fisherman this means that you have the bankside to yourself with virtually no disturbance. It comes as a great relief.

I went down to Neatishead Staithe this afternoon even though rain was predicted. I put on my thermals because it was only going to be 8 or 9C. Actually, the rain didn't amount to much more than a shower. I set up my gear under the shelter of a tree in the middle of the dyke. I have got out my pole rod again with some very light tackle (using two No 4 shot) and a size 14 hook. It was nice to get some bites straight away on some maggots and a few fish in I caught this nice bream:-

This fish is 13 inches in length and probably weighs a pound and a half. Notice that it has a nasty gash which looks a bit like a boat propeller injury.

I carried on fishing at this spot for a while and even though the fish I was landing were of a reasonable size, the bites began to dry up.

So I moved along to the end where the dyke meets main system and there I was catching a mixture of roach, rudd, skimmers and perch. I did have a nice fish at one point but lost it. The best of the rest was this lovely rudd:-

This fish is about 9 inches in length and may be about 8oz.

All text and pictures copyright Duncan Hale-Sutton 2016.