Barbel, Warks Avon

The Avon with an extra few feet of coloured water in it. Perfect Barbel conditions you might be saying, but try as I might I could not tempt one. Meat and pellets were cast into all the likely places, along creases, into eddys, into slackwater and even into the next river, the Arrow! Still not a sniff. 

Barbel, Warks Avon

Only a mad man would have gone Barbel fishing in these conditions. Having checked the forecast all week it was never going to be easy. The day before my only opportunity this week it goes and snows and then just to cap it off upon arrival at the river the snow is melting double quick. Low water temperatures and Barbel do not mix but I gave it a go anyway, nutter!
A couple of hours in and things did not look good. I started with cheese paste as the possibility of Chub as well as barbel evened out the odds a bit in my favour. However the raised water levels brought a lot of crud and weed down with them which kept dragging the lead and the Cheese would inevitably come off.
I decided to change tack and went for flavoured meat on one rod and maggot on the other. That kind of worked as I could now reel in my bait but still no bites.
Eventually about 3 1/2 hours into the session the meat rod showed a bite and it was fish on. The speed of the current made the fight above average for Chub and after a hairy moment in the reeds I managed to land all 4lb 11oz of Chub.
That turned out to be the only fish if the day, in fact only bite of the day too.

Pike, River Wye

The river Wye looked in perfect condition and the weather was chilly but bearable. It did not matter what or where I tried though, another Wye blank was endured. There were bites but the fish must have been semi dormant as they were little twitches and nothing more. Still, never mind, the scenery was stunning and peaceful and I could have been at work.

Barbel, Warks Avon

Barbel
The Warwickshire Avon was in perfect trim, about a foot higher than normal following a week of warmer weather. It just screamed Barbel and they did not let me down. Flavoured luncheon meat works a treat in winter and first cast the rod started screaming. An anxious moment with a weed bed and the first Barbel of the day was safely netted. Only a small one for this part of the river but a good start weighing 5lb 10oz.

Less than half an hour later and the same rod was away again. A spirited battle led me to think this was a better fish but I was always in control and the weed bed was avoided. It was a better fish going 6lb 15oz but not the one I was after.

Another half hour and the same rod leapt about for a third time. From the off this felt like a good fish. The battle lasted a good ten minutes but the outcome was the same. Barbel in the net. A solid fish, fairly short in length but well fed. On the scales it went 10lb 15oz. A quick shake of the scales and it still went 10lb 15oz, never mind, worth a try. Still a cracking fish. 

An hour of inactivity prompted a move to a different swim but no more Barbel were forthcoming. A 3lb 10oz Chub took a liking to the meat and that was the final fish of the day.