More Max Fishing

My blog is in danger of being completely taken over by a small boy whose passion for angling is showing no signs of waning. He has however started his own blog now, check it out.
Thursdays (cut short by the weather) afternoon session again at Willow Farm was highlighted by Max's first Carp. A pretty apple slice scaled Mirror that led him a merry dance. Max float fished maggots while I plonked a prawn down by the lilies to give us a back-up option. The Carp picked up the prawn and made the boys day.

His next session was scheduled for Saturday but we gave storm Brian a wide berth and postponed until Sunday morning. The wind was still blowing a hooley so we kept the rod tip as low as possible while feeder fishing maggots. The swim took some getting going but after an hour or so the fish started to oblige.
Ever since our first session Max has had a weird obsession about catching an Eel. I have told him that the time of year meant that it was unlikely and that the numbers of Eels are not what they used to be, trying to soften the blow of disappointment. Well I shouldn't have wasted my breath. We had already landed a quality netful of Perch, Roach, Dace, Chublets and the biggest Bleak I have ever seen, when the rod bent over and stayed bent over. Max laid into the unseen adversary, I thought he was attached to a decent Chub so imagine our surprise when an Eel appeared at the net. Excited high fives followed. It was not going in the keepnet so we weighed and photographed it and put it straight back.

Max insisted he was going to hold it for the trophy shot, he obviously had no idea what is involved in holding an Eel. His expressions speak a thousand words.

Eventually he got it under control.

And it took him about half an hour to get the slime off his hands.

Posing with the biggest Perch of the day was much easier!

Season Finale

So that's it then, another fishing season draws to a close. Despite fishing ponds for the last couple of weeks it was compulsory to have one 'last hurrah' on running water today. An end of season Barbel was the target and I started the day in what has been a banker late-on swim for me and thankfully it didn't let me down today, but only just.
Martin and Jeff were to join me mid morning and right on cue just as they arrived  I had my first bite of the day.

Not a monster by ant stretch of the imagination but an immaculate and very welcome fish. A fish that filled us all with confidence for the rest of the day but it transpired to be a false dawn. One Eel was all I could manage over the next couple of hours and with the cold Northerly wind going straight through me I moved to a more sheltered area.
I toyed with the idea of going home to warm up but instead gave one more swim a try and within ten minutes of casting out I played in another small Barbel that had taken a liking to my pellets, warmed me up a bit at least!

That proved to be the end of the action on what turned out to be a tough old day. As far as I know Jeff had blanked but my goodness he looked dapper while doing so....

and Martin had landed a small Chub.....

...not so Dapper, almost tripped over him!!

It was nice to see the local Deer again on the way home.

Hangover

The river looked perfect for a Barbel, about a foot up with a touch of colour. The forecast rain had not materialised and the sun shone all day. I didn't see it until mid-afternoon though as the previous nights over-indulgence meant I needed some extra sleep.
My excessive lethargy also meant that I could not be bothered with trotting instead choosing to sit behind a pair of static rods and wait.

Bait was the usual Spam but this time a flavoured variety. The plain stuff works really well but the fish do seem to like a bit of Garlic with their snack.

It was a quiet session but I avoided a blank with an Eel which I photographed and unhooked in the water, doing my bit for their conservation.

I didn't have the energy to sit out long and went home early for some more tablets. It definitely takes longer to recover the older I get!!

A fish filled friday morning

One of my favourite species is the dainty diminutive Dace. Not a spectacular fish in terms of size but stunning looking, and lightning quick. They are a species that will readily feed at all times of the year and their bites can be frustratingly missable but it doesn't matter when you do because the next opportunity is only moments away.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find the time for a full day session so an early start was again necessary in order to put in a few hours on the bank and I found myself tramping across the dew soaked fields at 4.30am on my way to a favourite Dace hotspot, Barton weir. I travelled light (for me!), rod, net, rucksack seat, holdall and a bucket filled with four pints of red and white maggots. My intention was to feeder fish, I enjoy trotting for them but the fast pace of the swim means a lot of time spent reeling in and recasting and time is precious at the moment.
I initially piled in hemp and maggots to stir the fish into a feeding frenzy while I set up the rod. The rig is simplicity itself, a paternostered 40g black cap feeder, strong size 16 hook and three pound hooklink (which I upped to 5lb when I lost a substantial fish half way through).

I caught quickly right from the off and landed loads of Dace to 6oz, a few Roach, some lovely looking Perch to about a pound, a bootlace Eel, three Bleak and a couple of Chub. I would have really liked a bigger Dace but fun was had none the less.

I was down to my last few maggots and about to pack away when I struck in to something of a different class. By that time I was using the more substantial hook length but still had to play it carefully to avoid a hook pull. My unseen adversary powered up and down the swim staying out of sight and the beauty of maggot fishing is that you have no idea what is on the other end until it is right at the net. It turned out to be a bruising chunky Chub which weighed in at 5lb 4oz. Only an average fish in some rivers but in the Warwickshire Avon a five is a good fish.

This year has been brilliant for me on the Chub front as this is my third 'five' already. I set off home a tired but contented angler and still had plenty of time in the day to help set everything for my daughters school fete.

Static bait proving me wrong

My goal for a short evening session was to prove that a static bait catches less fish but they are generally bigger specimens. Couple of problems with that. I hadn't banked on being plagued by Eels nibbling away at the luncheon meat hookbait giving me taps and knocks on the rod tips and occasionally hookable bites. I landed one and had the hook pull from another. The one I landed was a great battler and fought loads above it's weight of 1lb 8oz. It was pretty well behaved on the bank too.
The other issue I had was that I hooked and landed two Barbel but they were both small ones so my theory was proved incorrect, on this occasion.The biggest weighed in at 4lb 8oz.

I came to the conclusion that because the swim I fished was fairly fast water and the bigger fish must be down in the slower stretches. Only dilemma now is trotted or static bait, will have to try both.

Only mad ducks and an Englishman

Despite the terrible inclement weather I ventured down to the Warks Avon for a couple of hours Barbel fishing this evening. I knew I would have the pick of the swims because nobody else would be mad enough to be fishing in the torrential rain we are having, yet again!
Over the last few years I have read many times that Eel numbers are down by 95%, I don't believe that figure.  My bait tonight was ledgered luncheon meat and they were absolutely mullering the bait as soon as it was cast in. First fish an Eel of about a pound. The rod tip was bouncing and twitching all night as the Eels attacked the meat often stripping the bait but not getting hooked.

The next proper bite thankfully was a three foot twitch and after a brilliant fight I landed an 8lb 13oz Barbel. A solid stocky fish that fought like a double but wasn't long enough to weigh that much.

I took two self take photos, I will not take any more than that because it would cause the fish to much stress  but due to the conditions the photos were crap. This was the best of them, not up to my usual standard but it will suffice.
I ended the session with one more smaller Barbel and went to the pub contented that I had had a result when most other anglers would not have bothered trying.

Brown Water Barbelling

The Warwickshire Avon has been up and down since the start of the season. At the start of the season it was a very strong reddish brown colour and something put me off, I just did not fancy it to produce fish. Today it was at it's highest point this year following yesterday's 'months worth of rain' (seem to have heard that a lot lately!) This time around however it was a more familiar chocolate brown and I fancied it for a Barbel.
The problem I find with a swollen river is fish location. Are they in the flow making the most of the bountiful larder being swept down to them? Are they sheltering out of the flow avoiding all the rubbish and debris that is washed downstream? Are they under the willows foraging in areas that have previously been under water? Probably all three, the river is wider than normal so there is more area to search, a daunting task.
The first swim I tried had been successful for me in the past in similar conditions but today it seem dead. I was fishing pellet wrapped in paste which I am confident in catching on and although I saw a Barbel roll it was under the far bank willows. An impossible area to fish due to the amount of debris coming downstream.
The next two swims produced the same result, nothing, both good swims in normal conditions but not right for today.

In the final swim I changed tack slightly. Pellet on one rod and luncheon meat on the other. I had grabbed a small tin on my way out this morning purely as an afterthought and this was the bait that went first. A couple of taps and then the rod bent right over. The fish felt good but not Barbel like so I suspected it was a Chub. It was actually an Eel.

1lb 6oz

A quick weigh and photo and back it went. I was pleased because it had stopped me from blanking.
With renewed enthusiasm another lump of meat was cast to the same spot.
Less than an hour later the rod hooped over again and the free spool screamed, an obvious Barbel bite. The fish felt strong in the fight but it's power faded rapidly telling me this was no monster. I netted a small Barbel and as I unhooked it I noticed a bite on my other rod. I put the Barbel in the net in the water to recuperate and reeled in a Bream.

Not a typical brace shot! Bream and 4lb 11oz Barbel

I thought I was crazy sitting in the rain but I could not believe my eyes when this lot turned up. A stupidly dangerous pastime in these conditions.

Confidence was high now and the next fish came quickly. It was a part blind cousin of the other Barbel weighing 4lb 12oz.

I had only picked up the meat as an afterthought so only had one small tin with me and I was running out fast. On virtually the last piece I nailed one more fish and it turned out to be the best of the day, 8lb 12oz.

An excellent finale. A couple of hours in the right place made up for several hours in the wrong place. Or was it the bait? As always with fishing, more questions than answers!

Meaty Eel

I headed down to the Barton stretch of the Avon this morning for a short session chasing Barbel. Started rolling meat down the run and after a biteless couple of hours I changed tactics and ledgered in the fast flow. First cast I missed a bite and second chuck I had the three foot twitch and fish on, sadly it found one of the many snags and I lost it. It felt like a good fish.

The bites started to get twitchy and I suspected Chub but then a short while later I found out the culprits.

The hook was in the corner of it's mouth and so I managed to unhook, weigh and return without touching. At this point I should claim to be respecting them because of diminishing numbers, endangered species, minimal handling etc but I won't. I did not want to be covered in slime and then smelling it for the rest of the week. 

Bonus points for the challenge- 1lb 2oz. That was the only fish landed of the session so no blank and I went home contented.

Eel, Coppice Pool

I confess that Eels are not my favourite species but there is something different and therefore exciting about them and I enjoy the idea of setting out trying to catch them. A couple of years ago I landed a 2lber from Coppice pool so I headed there for a short evening reccy session. I had intended on getting some dead baits out the freezer and using them as bait but forgot so two tubs of Lobworms from the fishing shop had to suffice. 

I got there about a half hour before sunset and set up low resistance 'John Sidley' rigs on both rods. A short flick into the margins as close as I dare to over hanging bushes and all was set. Twenty minutes of peace ensued until suddenly both rods set off at speed! Talk about buses! 

I hit the left one and felt nothing so dropped it and struck the right rod and felt resistance. I could not believe it Eel in the net and not even dark yet.

I weighed it at 12oz, took this crap photo and put it back. I am not afraid of an Eely self take trophy shot but this was not big enough to get slimed and smelly for!

I rebaited and chucked back in for what I thought was going to be an easy and busy session but it turned into frustration, typical fishing!

Regular bites and chewed worms but thin air strikes. Most likely a mixture of Eels and silver fish and a lot of food for thought. Back next week for another attempt.

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!