The Ron Hayes Trophy (best Chub from Society waters)

The 2009 trophy was won by Colin Rane with a 4lb 10oz Chub caught on 2nd August.

September to November 2009:

Alby Jones caught a 14lb 4oz Barbel on 29th September.

September was another difficult month on the Loddon at SE with most anglers complaining about the lack of water and the apparent lack of fish. Daytime sessions were proving difficult for the Barbel anglers and the catch rate of Chub seemed to be lower than this time last year. For the small species the faster water in and around the weirs proved to be the better areas for catching.

Evening sessions tended to be more favourable with the first hour of darkness often triggering a bite or two. Certainly the die-hard overnighters who were making the most of the better weather were catching the best fish.

October saw things pick up especially into the last week after some steady rain brought the levels up and coloured the water. Some very good fish were starting to appear and once again it was the few who stayed on until the small hours that were being rewarded. The top section was busier than normal because of the cattle in the lower fields had scared many off after the press reported a few people getting killed around the country by mad cows. No one got killed at SE but a few got trapped in as the farmer had left a drink trough by the gate. In any case the cooler weather and improvements in the water were contributing to better fishing both day and night.

Moving into November saw a similar picture but with increasing rain and clag coming downstream things were being made difficult. Most people were now targeting Barbel and Chub but November saw things a little more hit and miss. Pike were showing to the usual dead baits and a few good Perch were also caught. Some pretty poor weather during the month kept a lot of people away, though once again the late evening and small hours were proving to yield results.

August 2009:
August is traditionally a poor month on the River Loddon at Stanford End and 2009 did not fail to break this tradition in any way.

With about 80% of visitors targeting Barbel most of them went home with a blank during August as the river literally switched off. Chub fishing also suffered particularly in the first two weeks of the month though began to pick up a bit towards the end. There were a few exceptions during mid August and it was noticeable that any Barbel that were being caught, came out mostly on night sessions well into the small hours.

The general fishing was confirmed by people who contacted me that had gone small species fishing and had come up with very little. I did the same myself during August and also noticed that there did not seem to be much in the way of Dace, Perch and Roach. Spinning for Pike however proved to be quite productive with some nice fish up to ten pounds being caught on the lure.

Water levels in the river have been the lowest I can remember for many years. This time last year the levels were consistently up by about a foot due consistent rain. No flooding and little rain during the month had left the level very low indeed and gin clear. The river has also been weedier than in previous years though the low levels of water probably exaggerate this.

The last week of August went some way to restore confidence as nighttime catches of Barbel and Chub picked up and a few significant fish well into double figures were caught. Freelining meat seemed the best method and bait during August.

Angler levels also dropped off in August due partly to the poor fishing and also by the cows, bull and calves roaming in the bottom fields.

Two anglers were denied access to the river in August, one who was not a member claiming he forgot to rejoin and another who had no unhooking mat.