Clifton Hampden Thames

[Sid Little]

Hi I have just moved to a village just outside Clifton Hampden in Oxfordshire. I have been on the Thames here about 10 times since the glorious 16th but to say I'm frustrated is an understatement. I am used to the narrower sections closer to Lechlade and would have definitely had something nice out of the upper stretches but I'm at a loss on how to fish these wider shallower sections. I'm used to fishing just off a crease, undercut or an eddy but there's none of this. So far the best fish I have had is around a 12 ounce chub. I started off on the float and maggot and had a good day catching plenty of fish but all around a couple of ounces. The next time I went on the feeder and alternated between corn and maggot and the size of the fish went up slightly. Since then I have triad many methods and each time I cast out I think 'this is the one' but alas no.
I am just wondering if some one can assure me there is bigger stuff worth going for around this area?
There seams to be plenty of cray fish and this normally means good chub etc
Cheers
Sid

 

[mikench]

Hi there supersonic! Unless you have put on some muscle fish of that size should be perfect for you.

Regards

Eddie.

 

[peter crabtree]

Hi Sid, the middle Thames is always a bit hard at this point in the season.
I was at Marlow last week and the colour wasn't right and I believe the bigger fish are probably there but disinterested in bait. Sit tight until autumn and things generally change for the better....

 

[Sid Little]

If I get something to pull me in, perfect ill just hang on to Eddie.

Cheers Peter I know they're down there some where it doesn't make sense not. I'm determined to get one or two.

 

[john step]

Just a thought... with all the clarity of water and daytime boat traffic, have you tried into darkness?

 

[iannate]

You haven't said what you're after or expecting.

I haven't fished at Clifton Hampden for a while, you need a good pair of hiking boots. I suggest you leave your tackle in the car a go for a good walk up-stream past the lock and explore around where the river splits, this time of year there will be a lot of bleak.

Going the opposite direction:
Is it still ODAA, if so they had / have permission to park in certain places which can cut down the walk on certain parts, I think they used letters A - G for the sections and there was a hotel on the opposite bank of one of the sections (I think D) which was very good fishing for Chub and Roach (no records, just good pleasure fishing).

Not trying to teach you to suck eggs: moored boats are good spots, especially if they haven't been moved for a while, in which case use it to stop your feeder [unless someone lives in it ].

Early mornings seemed to be the best time to go.

The local tackle shops should be able to give you some useful information.

 

[Mark Wintle]

Got a feeling the ODAA water downstream is now just the first three fields - 'A', 'B' and 'C'. Once walked 2 miles downstream in a match and still 20 pegs short of end peg prior to access through a farm; good peg on the right day as I won the annual cup with bream. The week before the longest walk was just over 3 miles. The more noted bream peg was called 'The Groyne' and was further up but I don't know which meadow. Bream catches on groundbait feeder, worm and caster. See Oxford & District AA for ODAA waters.

 

[Jim Crosskey 2]

Like Mark said, you may have some success with bream. As long as the peg you're in is relatively deep (look for somewhere where it gets a bit wider) it should have some potential. I would mix up a fairly particle-rich groundbait, plenty of corn and pellets - and then get a good bit of it in the swim before you start fishing. Use the line clip so you're hitting the same spot with the feeder. I would put at least 10 feeders out, maybe a few more, before you even tie a hook on. Then fish maggots, worms and corn in rotation until something happens.

If you can do the baiting bit just before dark and then fish into dark, then so much the better. This time of year, I'd be looking to get the initial feed in at about 9.00pm with a view to having a first "baited" cast at about 9.30

Get it right and you'll have a succession of bream between 3 and 6 pounds, with a genuine possibility of a chub or even tench along the was, and an outside chance of a barbel or carp.

 

[stevejay]

If its any consolation, I fished that stretch and Port Meadow/Godstow several times last year through the Autumn and early Winter and had much the same results.......bite a cast at times on maggot but anything above 2 oz was a rarity.

Odd chublet but never had a fish over 10 oz (perch were generally the best fish).

True I only fished daytime, like match hours, but was equally frustrated and haven't renewed this year (joined BAA instead and plan to try the Avon and Severn more often).

Am sure there are better fish there, but hard work......and thats before the damn crays!

 

[Sid Little]

Hi Thanks for all the info and I'm definitely going to try all the advise the next thing on the cards is a night session and I will let you know how I get on. I have also bought some ground bait stuff so ill give that a go too and some pellet just in case.

I watched a bloke, last winter, pull a 5lb 13oz chub out of port meadow right by where all the canal boats are opposite the strawberry PYO.

Cheers

 

[stevejay]

Understand that there are some massive chub through that stretch, but are just wily old fish so hard to catch!

 

[jasonbean1]

It's a shame odaa had to give up the fields down to the hotel, about 6 years ago I fished a winter league there and drew 4 pegs from the end and scales. I was fishing for north Oxford who only had scales going to 12.8lb. It was carrying a bit of water and vey cold and everyone were ready for a struggle. I started weighing the end peg a drennan chap......125lb bream on pole, next door 90lb.then 15lb then me with 2 fish for 10lb. all of us had bream on pole in the last 4 pegs. Then it went dead for a few pegs and the weights shot up to 30-40lb of mixed nets of chub and perch on on feeder to far bank, in that there were perch over 3lb an chub over 6lb. Clifton is very much a late autum/winter fishery and it comes alive.

It was hell of a job weighing them in on those scales!

As said this time of year you have to be out first light or late evening. Personally I would be fishing the waggler with hemp, Tare, corn and caster. I was at donnington on the green bank yesterday and fished through the middle of the day and had 5 bream for about 15lb on the feeder and corn in the first hour then it died, switched to hemp and corn on the waggler and had about 10 lb of good roach with a couple of good perch on it as well. God knows how many bream we would have had it was first light.

It will take patience, but will be worth it, good luck

 

[Sid Little]

Hi

Thought I would update my efforts on the Thames at Clifton Hampden over the last year as they've been so poor.

I haven't fished it much really maybe 30 times and gave it a miss in the summer but I am still struggling. I have had about 5 or 6 decent chub up to 4 1/5 lb which was nice and I thought I'd cracked it but no.

Other species I have really struggled with which has included lures for perch and pike I've yet to break the 1lb mark with perch and no pike at all. All other species I have not had any decent fish.

I have been fishing first thing in the morning and last thing at night into dark.

I have been wondering if there is a divide with stretches in that one stretch is known for bream say but you may have to go down stream a couple of miles for the chance of a barbel etc?

I know that at Radcot you had this scenario but it was swim to swim and you can catch every species to a good size in the stretch.

I would have thought that fish were evenly distributed through the whole river and the chance of a good chub etc would be there regardless of the stretch you are on?

But I may be wrong, I am wasting a lotof time at Clifton Hampden trying to prove this.

And there is the possibility that I am a rubbish angler although I'd never admit it.

 

[Richox12]

Hi I have just moved to a village just outside Clifton Hampden in Oxfordshire. I have been on the Thames here about 10 times since the glorious 16th but to say I'm frustrated is an understatement. I am used to the narrower sections closer to Lechlade and would have definitely had something nice out of the upper stretches but I'm at a loss on how to fish these wider shallower sections. I'm used to fishing just off a crease, undercut or an eddy but there's none of this. So far the best fish I have had is around a 12 ounce chub. I started off on the float and maggot and had a good day catching plenty of fish but all around a couple of ounces. The next time I went on the feeder and alternated between corn and maggot and the size of the fish went up slightly. Since then I have triad many methods and each time I cast out I think 'this is the one' but alas no.
I am just wondering if some one can assure me there is bigger stuff worth going for around this area?
There seams to be plenty of cray fish and this normally means good chub etc
Cheers
Sid

There are lots of good fish, barbel into doubles, bream & chub. For barbel most fish into dark (I don't think night fishing is actually allowed), bream get caught way down the downstream stretch (end of 4th field which is the end of ODAA water). In summer good chub (6lb+) get caught just above the road bridge on Alliance bank using Hallibut pellet and MOST chub in daytime get caught in winter on any of the features. Bread and lobworms are banker baits unless it's mild and you can catch on crushed hemp & caster feeder.

In summer there are a LOT of carp. When I say a lot it's possible to see 8 or 10 in one weedy swim.

First 2 fields downstream are shallow gravel and then in changes, gets deeper and clay especially from just above the Hotel to the end as it can be 11' or 12' deep.

It's solid with fish but through the summer/early autumn small fish are a pain.

The bit above the upstream lock is/was private syndicate water (Clifton Island).

 

[Richox12]

Hi

Thought I would update my efforts on the Thames at Clifton Hampden over the last year as they've been so poor.

I haven't fished it much really maybe 30 times and gave it a miss in the summer but I am still struggling. I have had about 5 or 6 decent chub up to 4 1/5 lb which was nice and I thought I'd cracked it but no.

Other species I have really struggled with which has included lures for perch and pike I've yet to break the 1lb mark with perch and no pike at all. All other species I have not had any decent fish.

I have been fishing first thing in the morning and last thing at night into dark.

I have been wondering if there is a divide with stretches in that one stretch is known for bream say but you may have to go down stream a couple of miles for the chance of a barbel etc?

I know that at Radcot you had this scenario but it was swim to swim and you can catch every species to a good size in the stretch.

I would have thought that fish were evenly distributed through the whole river and the chance of a good chub etc would be there regardless of the stretch you are on?

But I may be wrong, I am wasting a lotof time at Clifton Hampden trying to prove this.

And there is the possibility that I am a rubbish angler although I'd never admit it.

You're not rubbish. You just don't know the water and relevant swims. Many are 'feature' swims but have no obvious feature. A bit like the Pink Boathouse at Radley which ....er.....isn't Pink !!!!

 

[jasonbean1]

I fish the upper thames from Clanfield to Lechlade a fair bit, while it ok its not a patch on Clifton.

Now is the time to start fishing it for big fish, throughout the summer its a roach, hemp and tares water. I had a cracking session this summer just below the bridge on the waggler.

Even though odaa only have the first 3 fields now there's nothing to stop you fishing further down. I fished down there a lot last year and the farmer didn't say anything to me.

The last few swims just before the hotel where you face the wood are perhaps the most consistent chub swims, its deep tight to the far bank as its a narrow gravel groove that eventually stops just before the hotel, at the hotel the depth switches to the inside and you can get the chub right under your feet there...they were the barbel swims many years ago.

stick at it, in the winter bread and maggots is all you need

 

[jasonbean1]

or seeing as you have an odaa ticket you could try places like the channel for big chub and perch.

no shortage of quality fishing