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How long do you stick with one bait?

Having read the complete thread, and then re-read your original post, perhaps it's time for a change of bait. Ian mentioned spices - often a good choice (even if a spicy boilie) in clear or colder water.

However, I'm confused that you expect better when you suggest that only a dozen (or so) fish were caught in the stretch over the entire last season. On that basis alone, I'd say you've already lost the fish you might have reasonable expected over the course of this season (assuming there are a dozen (or so) anglers). It must be a hard river! :)
 
Rich

All the upper Thames tribs are hard - they have declined immeasurably over the years. - a number are harder than the one i mainly fish. My original thought was i wonder how long others persist with one bait. There is no silver bullet i accept that but others on different rivers are catching on the bait i am using, as demonstrated on FB. But the chub are taking little interest which is odd. Speaking of odd, the odds are high and you might be right that could be it. I did read in the hemp and caster thread someone had 130 fish out in 6 sessions - oh how our rivers differ.:)
 
Indeed, Paul. I've read a lot (on these and other pages) about the decline of the Thames tributaries, most notable the Cherwell as described by Tony Miles. It really is a sad state of affairs. I wish you the best of luck for the remainder of the season. Keep us posted. :)
 
Which brings us back to what it is that is causing the problems in small rivers like the Thames tribs. If you mention the ludicrous imbalance of predators (from crays, mitten crabs, cormorants, mink,otters...you name it, we now have it)...it causes frothing at the mouth in some quarters. Yet those same people are often the ones claiming that our rivers are cleaner now than they have ever been. So if pollution and predators are not the problem...then what the hell is?

Cheers, Dave.
 
Dave- this has been discussed ad infinitum in other threads as we know...on the stretch i fish there are crays en masse, no confirmed reports of otter or mink or cormorant or gooseander and for some reason this year there appears to be a lot of fry which i was very surprised about given the flooding...which someone also said was the case in the BAvon. The river appears rich in life, a good head of kingfishers for example, but is it at key trophic levels - i don't know..
 
It does make you think, doesn't it paul? If there is a hidden water quality problem that is interfering with the lower levels of the food chain, then that would have a marked effect. If there are chemicals present (which apparently is fact) which affects the spawning viability, that too wouldn't be good. And then of course there is the predator issue. I think our problems stem from a mixture of many new issues, combined with those already present.

Cheers, Dave.
 
So stuck with same bait but larger and two of them (crays had much less impact on them) - same baiting tactics and finally some success :) not one of the bigger fish in the stretch but a strong fighting, male mid 7's. So two bites in 8 trips is a pretty good ratio for this river.
 
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