Eel, Warks Avon

An evening session hoping for Eels but lobworms have a universal appeal to all species so with every twitch of the quivertip you have no idea what the culprit is. The first three fish landed were all 3oz Perch and then suddenly the tip flew round with a better stamp of fish. A really tough tussle ensued with the unseen quarry battling through the far bank weedbed and causing a few hairy moments. Finally the culprit started to tire and I could see a stunning river Tench of about 4lbish. The fight was better than any of the 8lb Tench I had battled in the spring, amazing from a fish half their size. Living in running water had really built up it's muscles.

I shouted four pegs down to our lad to bring the camera and when he arrived he told me he had a decent Bream and so I put the Tench back and trailed up to take his picture in return. He was also on the Lobs and the Bream weighed 4lb 7oz. This season is his first real foray into serious specimen fishing so this is probably his fourth or fifth pb of the year!                       

Being super competitive I had to outdo him and I added several more Perch, two Chublets and my own Bream. Having already had a double figure Bream this year I would normally have put it straight back but instead I decided to wind my brother up and weigh it as I was sure it was the larger. I was proved correct but only just, beat him by 2oz! His round first at the pub on the way home!

Barbel and Chub, Warks Avon

An early morning session that blew hot and cold and we can probably blame it on this regular visitor to the swim!

We did manage a few fish between us though. I started the ball rolling with a 4lb 4oz Chub and our lad quickly followed suit with his own 4lber, a Barbel weighing 4lb 11oz. 

The swim then went dead for an hour or so. I have never seen the Avon so low and clear and it was plain to see why the swim was dead. For half an hour we watched old Esox trying to eat a Barbel of about a pound and a half, fascinating but just too far out to get on camera. I decided at that point to have a play in the lock with some worms. It was like an aquarium and  although I could see one or two better Roach the stunted Perch did not give them a chance. A succession of eight or nine in about five minutes soon spooked the Roach, one of which was well over a pound!

Having got bored of that I returned to the Barbel and they came back on the feed. I landed a battling 6lber and Nath managed a 7lb 9oz fish plus a pb Chub of 4lb exactly.

Barbel, Warks Avon

A successful overnight session on the Avon for both me and our lad with a total of five fish caught, all different species! I was fishing mainly for Barbel and the boy was after Zander and Pike. There is a huge amount of weed in the river this year and trying to find a couple of pegs where we could land fish if we hooked them but also had a reasonable chance of hooking them wasn't easy. We eventually settled into adjacent pegs and with the land rover parked behind us, we left the bivvy in it's bag. At 9.30pm the tip of my rod did a 3 foot twitch and then danced around as I tried to steer a 7lb 8oz Barbel to the waiting net. A couple of hairy moments with weed and eventually it was in the net.

It just turned midnight and my rod bucked over but this time it was a chub and having put up a really good account of itself I landed and put it straight back, probably about 3lb 8oz. 

2pm and it was our lads turn and after a weedy battle he landed this 5lb 11oz Zander taken on a Roach dead bait. 

A celebratory can of Carling and I was falling asleep in my chair so I reeled in and climbed into the back of the Landy. The wind and the rain were now really noisy and I thought to myself my brother has either fallen in or must be crazy to still be out I this. I was just thinking about checking on him when the passenger door went and he got in the front. His snoring woke me at about 5am and as it was light I got up and started fishing again.

I put a dead bait out and landed a near double Pike and also had a skimmer Bream took a size 9 hook. 

At 9am my wife rang to tell me that she was ill and I would be looking after the kids for the rest of the day. Should be fun after only three hours sleep.

Barbel, Warks Avon

I tend not to use particles for my Barbel fishing as they not discerning and any species will take them. However because the river is so low and clear and a big lump of meat, boilie or pellet will spook them I gave casters and hemp a try on a short evening session.
Constant tapping from bits and three Dace and a Perch reminded me once again. I persevered however and finally nailed a whiskers. I lost a smaller one in the abundant weed before finally carefully landing this probable 5ish pounder. Now a dilemma, back to big baits or stick with the particles?

Tope, Brightlingsea

Firstly I apologise but I wanted to show the reason we made a 7 hour round trip to the Essex coast and back. This 48lb Tope was the biggest of five Tope caught LAST YEAR when we chartered a boat out of Brighlingsea. They are called the Greyhound of the sea and they feel like a 48lb Barbel when they run. This year was a major disappointment and we should have twigged early on when even the Mackeral bait were difficult.

This year there has been a lack of a Tope run and that is probably due to the lack of bait but we were stubborn and when we should have stuck on a Skate bonanza we twisted on the Tope and bust.

Tony however landed the only non bait fish of the day, this 5lb 4oz Ray which is a club record. Still two nights away with good mates and plenty of Ale is never a total downer!

Pike and Zander, Warks Avon.

An after work short evening session down by Wick weir chasing predators with dead baits. Small Roach are a universal bait and could result in either of the big predators but last year we landed Eels on them too at around this time of year. If small Eels are around it can result in chewed bits of Roach and false takes but this year none have been caught or mouthed. Hopefully this is not a sign of their absence.
It is not often I have to be photographer and our lad is the subject but he beat me tonight. This 7lb 3oz Pike was the only fish landed as I missed my only bite of the session. Cannot win them all!!