Once again on Friday I was contracted to give Paul from Slough another coaching session, the fifth in as many weeks. He has learned a lot over the course, coping well with every challenge I have set him, so I decided to set him a really tough test. The venue was to be the river Kennet, a fast flowing river which meant he would have to control his float rather than just sit and watch it.

I set him up with a closed face fixed spool reel loaded with four pound floating braid. I hate these reels but I inherited this one from Gordon Scott, a friend of mine who died a few years ago. I keep it because it is the ideal tool to teach an absolute beginner to trot a float. He soon learned how to use the reel and was really enjoying trotting a float. He was catching a fish per cast, mostly small dace but with the occasional larger one.

Paul with a nice dace

Later in the day I set him up a longer rod with a centrepin reel and he was soon well on his way to becoming a competent centrepin angler, despite the pike that were taking the odd fish on the way in. Most of these bit through the line and at least one was well into double figures. Even the rain showers that had been promised in the weather forecast failed to dampen his enthusiasm.

Paul fishing in the rain

Once again he caught over fifty fish including roach, dace, chub, gudgeon and bleak. A switch to a maggot feeder resulted in more fish once he had come to terms with bite indication on a quiver tip, a very steep learning curve all round but he enjoyed it immensely . I think we have another potential river angler on our hands.

Paul with a nice river roach

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