Langport & District Angling Association
Fishing News
River Parrett
River levels
The Angling Trust has put a useful website on the internet for finding river levels; one I use when planning a fishing trip on the river.
The web address is www.fishinginfo.co.uk.
Click on the 'Find A River Level' tab and enter 'Langport' in the search box.
This will show a map of river level measuring stations in the Langport area.
I find the 'Monks Lease Wq' at Combe and the 'Oath' at Oath Lock locations give meaningful levels for the river.
Beware the level at 'Westover' which is the river side of the Westover Pumping Station opposite Cocklemoor in Langport. When the river is low, this measuring station shows a smooth horizontal line which suggests the level sensor is probably above the current water level and so not showing the correct level.
I hope this site is of some use to you.
Tuesday 19th November
Fran and I fished at the Footbridge at Oath.
The day was dry, overcast, the sun occasionally shone through breaks in the cloud, there was a cold downstream light breeze occasionally.
The Parrett was nearly back to summer level, there was a nice steady flow and some colour in the water; perfect conditions for trotting a stick float for roach!
Fran fished on the roadside bank, next to an overhanging bush just below the Footbridge. He fished a 6 metre Bolognese rod and a stick float. He fished maggot on the hook over loosefed maggot and the occasional nugget of groundbait; he couldn't get any bites with caster or hemp.
He caught roach for a total of 5lb 6oz.
I set up in the downstream swim next to the Footbridge on the opposite bank.
I fished a 17 foot rod and centrepin reel with maggot on the hook over loosefed maggot. I fed the odd ball of groundbait but the loosefeed seem to work better.
I caught roach and the odd dace for a total of 5lb 4oz.
I had a couple of pike attacks in the morning before I managed to hook and land him! He weighed 5lb 8oz.
The day was complete when, at the end of the session, I watched a Barn Owl patrolling along the bank of the nearby River Sowey!
Tuesday 3rd December
I fished the same swim next to the downstream side of the footbridge at Oath as I fished a fortnight ago.
It was a sunny, calm day and quite warm in the sunshine.
The river was a nice level and there was a steady flow, just right for trotting a stick float.
I fished a wire-stemmed stick float using my centrepin reel and 17 foot rod. I loosefed caster and maggot and started with maggot on the hook. After a couple of casts, I started getting bites and was soon catching roach. I changed to a caster on the hook and stayed with caster for the rest of the session.
I caught roach and a few bleak for a total weight of 3lb 8oz.
A very enjoyable three hours fishing!
Saturday 11th January
Club member, Julian Chidgey, caught this lovely 3lb 3oz perch from a high and very coloured River Parrett.
Combe Lake
Please make sure you shut the gate securely in the otter fence when entering and leaving the lake.
If you are fishing Combe Lake, why not let me know what you caught; photos of your catch would also be appreciated. We'd love to know how it's fishing for our members. Email me.
WEED
I know some members aren't happy about the weed in our lake. However, the weed is very beneficial to our fish and the waterfowl. It contains lots of food in the form of invertebrates. It provides shelter and protection for our fish. It also helps to keep the algae levels down and improve water quality.
Most of our fishing can be done in front of the platforms so we only need to clear the weed from where we want to fish. This is easily achieved by spending a few minutes raking before we tackle up. This gives a short period for the swim to settle before fishing. Raking also stirs up the silt which attracts the fish into the swim.
A simple weed rake (as shown above) can be made by joining two garden rake heads back to back and securing with cable ties. A length of strong nylon rope can be securely attached.
Wednesday 2nd October
Club President, Brian David and I deployed another couple of bales of barley straw in the lake to try and keep the algae at bay for the remainder of the year!
After we'd finished, I settled down and fished by the large lily bed on the east side of the lake.
I fished an 18 foot rod and centrepin reel. For a change, I loosefed 4mm expander pellets, little and often, and fished a 4mm expander pellet on the hook just touching the bottom close to the lily bed. The water was a bit cold after a cold night and recent rain, so after a few hours, I had four fish in the net. I shallowed up by an inch off the bottom and then the bites improved and I caught steadily until I packed up. In total, I had 3lb 4oz of roach.
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