The Rudd is a species of fish that I have always loved. They are not as common as they once were in the UK and now their stronghold is without doubt the fens, drains, rivers and dykes of Cambridgeshire in the UK. Why they are so common and do so well there is a bit of a mystery, they grow to huge sizes and are really rather numerous. There should be a study into exactly why they are so successful in this area because elsewhere, their numbers seem to have plummeted.
I have been looking longingly at photos of these incredible 'Gold bars' in the angling press for many years and always fancied making the trip up to the fens to try. It's a good opportunity to set a half decent PB as I've never really caught a decent one.
With this in mind, I made a trip up there to have a go with my old friend and fishing buddy - Scott Richardson. After many hours spent looking over google earth and chatting to fellow anglers, a plan was made. We'd picked out 2 specific locations to try and planned to spend a couple of nights up there to give us a chance of locating some fish.
We booked a camp site and get ourselves up there early on the first day to have a good look around. The first thing we realised is that the drains and channels we had picked out were pretty much completely overgrown. Head high nettles and brambles seemed to be the norm and we soon realised that we had some work to do clearing swims if we wanted to get anywhere near the water. Next time, I'll take my kayak!
We did spot some fish eventually and got to work clearing a few areas to fish. It was hard work in the heat but well worth the effort. Our first evening fishing produced fish to 1 lb 8 oz on floating crust and bread flake. There were plenty of fish there and it was a joy to watch them in the crystal clear water. They were stunning fish, beautiful golds and reds. A real treat to catch.
As our time slipped by we tried a well known spot called 'Rudd Alley'. It has a history of producing some really good fish but the cat is defintely out of the bad about his place. There were a good few other anglers treading the banks and to be honest.....that's just not my thing!
We retreated to our more secluded and overgrown area that we had been clearing for the remainder of the time and found this much more to our liking. Over the last 2 evening sessions I managed a best and new PB of 1 lb 11 oz which I was over the moon with. I also hooked and lost a fish that I swear would have gone 3 lb....it was like a submarine!
It was a great experience and some truly wild fishing. Now I've got the measure of it, I'll certainly make the trip up there again in the future. I loved it and have some unfinished business for sure. We'll be back.
