The new river season is just around the corner. I can’t believe how quickly the last few months have gone and here we are into June. Thank goodness the weather has at last warmed up and it was certainly noticeable as we headed to Godalming Angling Society’s Marsh Farm. The car was showing 26c! It was overcast and rather humid. All in all, pretty good conditions.
After the traditional brekkie at the local golf club and a stop at Apollo tackle on site, we were soon full of eggs and bacon and armed with a few maggots for the fishing. After a quick recce I decided to remain in the corner, in peg 1. It was out of the wind and looked very fishy.
After a quick depth check, I baited up with some groundbait, mini pellets and a liberal dose of Ocean Pride spray. The maggots got the same treatment plus a sprinkle of chili powder for good measure. Reserve baits included garlic luncheon meat, an assortment of soft hooker pellets and some corn. As it turned out maggots yet again proved to be the winning bait.
The fish were soon fizzing in the swim, mopping up the loose fed maggots and groundbait. It didn’t take long to get some action and a small crucian succumbed to the tactics. Today I was using a 1 1/2 bb waggler, 3.8lb line and a 13ft float rod. A small 16 hook would be sufficient. In this particular peg there weren’t any real snags, so I could fish comparatively light.
The fish continued to fiz right through the evening until about 9pm. Then things slowed down. By about 9.30 I had managed to tempt 7 crucians but then things went quiet. This seems to be a familiar theme of late. I start really well but can’t seem to catch as the light fades for some reason. Geoff seems to do the opposite, which is all rather inexplicable.
By the end of the evening I’d managed 9 crucians including fish of 1lb 14oz, 2lb, 2lb 3oz and 2lb 5oz. Pretty good going really. Geoff ended up with 8 fish but his first was the best at just a smidgen under 2lb 11oz. I also managed to land a small tench but lost a decent fish to a hook pull after it had towed me all over the lake. I also lost a couple of crucians, which is fairly normal.
Geoff’s Crucian
We left about 12.30am feeling pretty chuffed with the results. We certainly won’t be back before the new season starts. We hope to be on the river next Thursday 16th for the first day challenge and we are hoping for a barbel or two!
Good luck to all you river anglers out there and may your rod bend and your tight lines sing in the wind!
The River Angler 
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