Border skirmishes

I had some pre-lockdown errands down in Devil Dog Land, once finished dropped in on a very old stamping ground, the Essex/Suffolk border delineating  River Stour in search of a few chub, courtesy of the Essex Scribbler. I haven't fished this stretch for over 30 years and decided a nice pint of Adnams Southwold would be a suitable livener and so it proved, and at a very nice £3.90 as well. No London prices here.

I donned the winter gear, all beery breath and enthusiasm and set off down the water meadow in the foggy gloom. River low as has been run off for some engineering works and had it been 2 and a half feet higher would have been one long chub swim. As it was a couple caught my eye and  I put a couple of handfuls of mashed bread in both then out with a decent lump of flake on a size 8. 

Missed a couple of jangly pulls then  a more confident wrap round of the freshly mat white painted 2oz glass quiver, and a chub was on. I could tell it was a chub as it tried to get under the trailing brambles and that overhanging stump before I saw the coppery flanks and shocking red fins. Doubt if it weighed 2 lb but it  was a chub, and  a fished for chub. It was a Suffolk chub rather than an Essex chub but it would most certainly do.

Moved down to the next chosen swim, this time over to a classic fallen tree and though I had 3 decent bites I couldn't connect to what would have been an Essex chub, so back to the first swim just in time for the Essex Scribbler see me nearly fall in. He also saw me miss several plucks, and then sort of net a chub that would have been a very decent dace if was a dace, and as he left  shaking his head at my gross incompetence I had another chublet that would have been a dace record shaker at the very least with that bulk in such a short frame..

Now, I have 7lb chub swimming in "my" river but ultra low density and night time only it seems, and until the back up fish come though it doesn't float my boat. I've missed this simple bread fishing and I think I'll scale it down for the roach here in Norfolkcestershire but I will certainly be heading back to the Stour, and will pack a trotting rod too. And allow time for a couple of pints and eats.