I was out recently practicing for a feature on the river Trent at Holme Marsh and was really surprised at just how many fish there were to catch for a river that is supposed to be in decline, catch it in the right conditions and it’s solid.

Four hours’ feeder fishing produced a great mixed bag of Barbel, Bream, Eels and Roach most of the latter I threw back so the Bream and Barbel would not crush them in the keepnet. I had so many Roach bites fishing a Drennan 50gram flat lead cage feeder with groundbait, hemp casters and dead maggots it prompted me to put up a pole. After balling in groundbait I had a Roach a drop for a great three hours fishing on what can only be described as A Day to Remember on our premier river.

The magazine feature the next day was not quite as good as the river had fallen a little but what was interesting I had a Roach bite on nearly every cast. Even on three casters and a maggot on a size 10 Drennan Wide Gape hook I still caught Roach.  If only I had the time to go and have a session on a Waggler with our new Drennan Acolyte rods on a nice eight-foot deep swim below where I was fishing I think I could have had a tremendous catch of pristine red fins!

If you want more information, read my piece in DHP Total Coarse Fishing, and get out on the river for some fantastic sport.