Sept so far....

After returning from Holiday on the I fished the Dove on the following Sunday (6th) and again didn't catch. I did get my ticket checked by Jim Ufton, the current Dove River Record holder, who was fishing the peg next to me and told me the river was not fishing particluarly well this season, he wasn't sure exactly why??
Suffice to say we both blanked, so I didn't feel too inferior fishing along side him. He also confirmed that a 15lber had been out from this stretch last season (which was why he was there presumably??).
We talked about stretches on the Trent and he reccomended a stretch to me which I plan give a go soon.
He seemed friendly enough but I couldn't help thinking to myself that it must be hard work chasing after the largest Dove fish all the time, but then again I suppose if you can get out three or four times a week like he does, you might as well go for it!

That's probably why he enjoys sessions on the Trent so much as it must be more of a relaxing pleasure fish for him, the fish are not bad either, being a good average stamp at around 9 - 10 lb with the outside chance of a surprise lump.

August ... more of the same

Fished a morning session on the Dove but blanked again. I was on Holiday in Menorca for two weeks at the end of Aug though so only had time for a couple of short sessions.

Bank high blank

Thur 30th July
Another visit to the Dove and this time the water had been over the banks and was receeding back down again.

The level was back to the rim when I arrived, but the swim I had planned to fish was inaccessable, well safely anyway due to a run off ditch that, normally dry, was now coursing with about 2ft plus of water draining off the fields back into the river.

After testing the depth with a stick I decided that I would get a welly full and didn't fancy sitting there with wet legs all night or trying to get back across in the dark. So after a bit of consideration I headed for another stretch over at Marston.
On arriving I didnt have much time to set up before dark. I checked out a few swims near the bridge and decided on one in the lee of a tree on the near bank out of the main flow would be fine. I had one rod out with pellets or M C boilies and the other on meat. The only interest all night was when the meat rod sprang forward momentarily but waiting for any development resulted in nothing. The temperature dropped after dark and by 11:30 I'd had enough so packed up defeated again.
There are fish reported on the forums coming out all over the river now though so it's just a matter of time I'm sure.