My Ise Odyssey

[FishingMagic]

This is a dedicated thread for discussing article: My Ise Odyssey

 

[Peter Jacobs]

What a lovely introduction to what I hope will be many more similar accounts.

Thanks Nick, I really enjoyed that as it took me back to my own very early days on a similar 'river'

 

[Cakey]

nice one young Nick

 

[Graham Whatmore]

Now that is the type of article I could read every day of the week, well done Nick.

 

[barbeldave]

I enjoyed reading that Nick, reminds me of my own fishing on the upper Nene. Looking forward to the next installment.

 

[Dicky (Angling Trust PAC)]

The best article I've read on FM for a long while Nick

Looking forward to part 2.

 

[Steve Spiller]

Well done Nick that was lovely mate.

Took my mind back to a lovely little stretch I used to fish as a lad.

Looking forward to part 2.

 

[Neneman Nick]

Many thanks for your kind words so far gents.
The article originaly appeared in the chub study groups magazine "chevin",unfortunately though i left the group and parts 2&3 never happened.
I double checked with the magazines editor regarding copyright etc... and he said it was okay to use it here.I have tweaked it around a bit to freshen things up a bit and told jeff i will carry on with the next installments etc... thats if you chaps want me to.
A big thanks to Jeff for his editing skills etc.... and making it all look even better.
Many thanks again chaps.
Nick.

PS Part 2 will be in either july or august,with part 3 in the winter time.

 

[Paul Morley]

Nick great work, a lot of us in our 40s have similar experiences, yours could be mine on the River Bain in Lincs which I still visit as often as I can.

 

[tjl21]

Cracking article, really captures the essence of small river / stream fishing, a really nice read.
Pat

 

[neil atkins]

I love the ise, it runs a stones throw from my house. The water runs so clear in the summer months meaning that it is a cracking stalking water. Infact I learnt the basics of fishing there and plan to get down there once the rivers open. Its a shame that the fish dont grow a little bigger and that the chub now dominate the river, however it does throw up the odd suprise. I just wish I could have fished it in the roach glory days, Ive heard of multiple catches of 3lbders back in the day, sadly them days are long gone. Never had a grayling but ive had brown and rainbow trout. Look forwards to the next installment Nick.

 

[Adrian Thirkill]

Great article - really well written and having just seen Germany lose my mood couldn't be better. These "lost" little rivers were such a part of my childhood in Leeds just the same and now I live about 5 miles from your river. Now the kids just bag up on commercials rather than wandering and learning watercraft and wildlife.... Times they are a changing ! Great stuff look forward to the net one

 

[billynoband]

Good to find this thread.
I still fish the ise about 5 times a year. It is nowhere near the roach river it was in the 70s nor the perch hotspot in the 60s and there were 2 articles about the river in the angling times when I was a kid about the huge roach.
My biggest roach in the 70s was 2lb 8oz, there were many many hight 2lb fish then but I only saw one 3lb + fish and this made the angling times but any roach over 2lb 8oz did back then. It is very rare to see a 2lb + roach now from the ise but my son had one at 2lb 6oz from the stretch near Isham last week while chubbing. I have not had a fish over a pound and a half since the 70s. I did see someone have 31 fish for 33lb about 5 years back just near wicksteed park bridge with the largest at 2ib 2oz.
The fish seem smaller now, there are more of them but weed is a problem and the water is either too clear or flooded where as it was darker water with a better flow originally with very little weed in winter.
What it lacks in huge roach now it makes up for in chub of which there were few in the 60s/70s. There is a good head of fish around 2-3lb between warkton all the way to the nene at wellingborough and a great deal of it is free water. My biggest chub is 5lb caught while roach fishing just before wickies bridge 5 years back. Had a couple of chub around 3lb from burton latimer last week. The only way I find to get the big fish now is around a hour before and after dark . You can then use big hooks , free liner or legered breadflake and 6ib line as the fish don't care in bad light what tackle you use, I find they hook themselver by pulling the rod tip around ala bolt rig.
I do not think it will make the river overfished if people report catches as suggested in another forum of the barbel catchers re; river ise barbel as everyone is carp bashing on the commercials. They are welcome to it.
I would be interested to hear of your catches on the ise.

 

[neil atkins]

I agree that the Ise will never be overfished, most go straight for the commercials. It seems that most don't know how to fish the Ise and miss out on some exciting chub fishing and therefore lose interest - I remember two young lads fishing the Ise telling me it was '****' as they had caught nothing (they were fishing an pool which visbibly contained no fish which waggler and maggot) - so I took them 20 yards upstream lended them my poloroids and pointed out two chub around the 3lb mark under a overhanging tree and showed them how to catch them with a big bait on a big hook and just one swanshot pinched on the line. I too have had Chub over 5lb, catching the same fish twice towards the Warkton end, however I do think the Chub carry a higher average weight around the weetabix area. I also ledger using bread, but opt for a half ounce quiver tip, which shows up absolutely everything meaning I pick up the odd Perch and Roach also. At the moment I am going out of my way to catch an Ise Tench! I have located a small shoal of around 3-4 fish which swim around with a big Chub, but they are proving a little bit too clever, hope to catch one by the end of the summer. Ive also seen a small Koi in the Ise also, but not seen it for sometime now.

Regards, Neil

 

[billynoband]

Interesting you should mention the tench. I have not seen any myself abouve wickies park but have had one in the weir after the water chute. When we were kids I remember finding dozens of tench about a inch long on the weeds after they drained the lake in the park. We put them in the nature trail lake so I take responsibility for stocking that, partly. I see Kettering ac have the nature trail lake back now after letting it go in the 70s even though wicksteed managment reconed they never recieved a penny from them in the first place. The baliff Norman Law used to walk all the way to Warkton bridge asking for a KAC club card back then. I wonder if they really had the rights to the Ise.
Do you remember when the Anglian water authority used to net Wickies lake pools that were left after it was drained for repairs some years in the 70s. They told us kids they released the fish into the nene at Thrapston. What a total waste of big roach as the nene is too big to find large roach. They were also there last year with their nets and tanks I heard.
I wish the big perch would come back to the ise there seems to be a few small ones so maybe they are already there. I am surprised the nature trail lake has not thrown up big perch as we used to get pound plus fish on live baits intended for pike as kids.

 

[justin simms]

Lovely River

I love the Ise. My most favourite of all rivers fished. I went fishing on Monday and these were the first couple of fish caught. Including a tiny "Holy Grail". I have now been fishing it for 8 years and what I will say is the fishing has improved for myself year after year. I can't ever recall bumping to any other anglers on the bank. Just how I like it. The one thing I have noticed in the last couple of months is an explosion in population when it comes to Brown Trout. Never ever caught one until 2 months ago and now it seems that in the stretch I now fish they are the only fish I ever seem to catch. Not complaining though. (And yes, I do return em).

 

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[billynoband]

Nice one, I used to see the odd Rainbow come out of the Ise in the 70s but never brownies. I see there has been some work done in the field behind the skate park and it seems to have created a new swim that is wider with a drainage pipe coming out.
Some of the swims near the park end look ok although you can only trot a float a few yards but can't see the big roach showing much unless there is some colour in the water without it being too high or fast flowing. You really need some colour to give the fish confidence and it just does'nt seem to have much nowadays. It's either a torrent or too clear.
I miss long trotting for the big roach as the weed never really clears because of so few proper frosts but I suppose the chub make up for it. I shall try the deeper swims at dark eventually this winter as it's the only way I can see to avoid small fish and usually brings the bigger Roach though they are not as big as they used to be. Hope someone proves me wrong though about the size of the Roach.

 

[justin simms]

The stretch you talk of by the skate park has been destroyed by the EA in the last week. I have no idea what they are doing.

 

[billynoband]

I know what you mean but the fishing used to be at it's best behind the skate park in the 70s when the EA used to cut the banks both sides leaving a 10-12 foot completely clear stretch all the way down to the bridge by the park. The flow used to be much better then and the water was coloured but most of all there was no weed. They seem to let it take care of itself now like the rest of the river so you end up fishing the deep holes or just a short trot with the float instead of the long trotting you could do. I only bother at dark now when if you can get past the chub, not moaning though,the big roach may take a big piece of bread as this seems to be the only stretch were the roach still outnumber chub.
I recon they are improving the water drainage at the extension for the school at the back.