With what seemed like all the rivers in the country being in flood I had made up my mind to stay safe for a while and fish some still waters until they started to subside.
During floods and flood warning periods I ALWAYS recommend that if you are in any doubt about the water levels or weather patterns, stay home and wait it out. Don’t ever risk your safety. If you do hit the banks, don’t go near the water edge when the river is in flood. Look for a level on a feature on the far bank, ie a tree or a wall and keep an eye on it.
However, I was missing the river. I’d been watching the water and the forecasts and late one afternoon I had a couple of hours to kill so I threw my river tackle, along with a tin of meat in my car and headed out to see what the river was like.
On arrival I was not surprised, in short, it was high. High and fast. The arrow is not the Wye or the Severn. My swims are generally shallow so the change brought about by the river being in spate is nowhere near as extreme as the flooding on bigger rivers but even so, there was a distinct change in the water and that brings with it new challenges. I had a ponder on which swims would be fishable and I finally settled on a swim right by the car. (If the session turned out to be a wash out I didn’t have a long walk back)
My swim of choice was where two rivers meet. The River Arrow comes in from one direction and flows into the River Alne. Both rivers then merge under a bridge. Fishing at a point where two flooded rivers meet might seem a strange choice considering the conditions. The reason for my choice was based on two main factors. The big old brick built bridge helped kill the flow of the water on the down stream side and also plenty of deep open eddies are created by the flow coming through the bridges four large arches.
Many people choose to fish slacks when a river is in flood and a lot of the time this will produce fish. I however always try where I can to fish creases and even right in the middle of the flow. Barbel, Chub & River Carp are powerful fish, and will happily sit on the bottom in what seems like raging white water. Basically if you can hold bottom then get out in the flow. A large Barbel will think nothing of picking up a bait with 6oz of lead on the line.
Obviously big smelly baits work well and there is no need for pre baiting. A large piece of oily stinking meat will bring any fish up stream.
I fished a running rig with a large lead stopping up to a bead. Hook link, I used around 8-10 inches of 8lb fluorocarbon knot less knotted to a size 10 hook. My meat was hair rigged on, and about the size of a match box.
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My session, just under 2 hours, produced four barbel up to 7lb and a single Chub. All fish were caught in the fastest part of the river.So next time you are on a flooded river, get your bait out in the fast stuff.
Last but by no means least, a final reminder to stay safe. Never put yourself in a situation where a rising river can get you stranded. Keep thinking about the weather and noting changes in the river levels. If it seems like it’s rising quickly then make sure you can get to safety easily.
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