Urbanisation

Have access to some city centre free parking at the moment and it's a groundbait dropper's reach from the river...lovely jubbly. Fishing is free within the city limits but a lot of the riverside access is problematic in that there are high walls and often safety railings. I found a nice recessed bank and  found about  4 feet down the edge. The river is tidal to the works just above and there had been about 18 inches more water on the top of flood judging by the watermark  on the piling opposite. I'd packed a tip rod  in case perch were the only option but started on the pin.

First trot with double red and the float buried  abut 15 yards down. Nice way to get the year off and running. A touch of urban graffiti as a bonus.

I've been faithful to the Kamasan B520's for a while but they've either made the gape narrower or my gumby hands have got more sausage like as I find them harder to unhook without a disgorger so I picked up some wider gaped B560's today. I can still see a #20 spade  unlike the  Essex Loafer but tend to  go for #16's if there's a chance I'm going to try a small dendro or caster. Just maggot and its  an #18.

You can't beat  a roach.

I didn't get into a proper rhythm in the heavy showers and might have done better with some brown crumb to localise the fish but even  so it was a useful couple of hours spent prospecting as some of the roach put a proper bend in the 15 footer. Think it will be worth having  a float pat rod set up as I'm sure one or two pike would home in once you'd got the roach going. 

A litlte bigger than I thought?

Had enough small perch to think the back up or even first line worm would be a cert but none was above wasp size today. 

Urban fishing certainly has its attractions, especially when the fish come river for the winter months away from the big salt incursions. However, its pretty full on even by day. I had houses behind and offices in front and that pint of IPA had to go somewhere..... Further down and the Riverside complex and the cattle market that is Prince of Wales Road and the burgeoning night time economy would really bring into question even contemplating fishing into dark.  And then there's the footie crowds......