Childhood Enthusiasm Rekindled

Picnic by the river, Max enjoying his ham sandwiches on his first ever Pike fishing trip.
It was hard work, several swims in different stretches, Max's patience started to wain, it is not easy to keep a seven year olds boredom at bay when the fish won't play ball. We tried slow stretches, under willows, dying reed beds, deep holes and shallow glides., every spot that looked likely. Moving swims renewed the lads enthusiasm each time but without results. Eventually we ended up on the edge of a weir pool.
The dead baits remained untouched still so a change of tactic to sink and draw and on the second cast we finally got a take. It was not a monster (thankfully) as the adrenaline got Max in a bit of a panic but with a little coaching he did enough to get the fish to the net. A perfect predator in miniature was bravely held up for the camera and my relief was immense. He was so buzzing with excitement he asked to phone his mum straight away, he couldn't wait to tell her he had caught his first Pike. I had forgotten what that sort of excitement was like but it came flooding back, I'm still buzzing on his infectious enthusiasm. He had the camera out the bag before I even got into the house and the printed photo is pride of place by his bed-until the next time. I gave him a book and now he wants to catch a Catfish- or an Eel-or a Barbel or a...
Wouldn't we all love to be at that discovery age again?!

Dull Session

A sneaky few hours on the Avon. Not a lot to report. No Barbel on the pellet rod but managed to avoid a blank with the smallest Pike I have ever caught and one a bit bigger at 6lb 2oz both taken on Roach deadbaits. River still low and clear. As I said, not a lot to report!

An Avon Evening

4lb 9oz

Not quite sure why I look so miserable having just caught a cracking summer Chub weighing over four and a half pounds. This was the third fish of a highly enjoyable evening spent by the Avon. Not a long fish but it had a good girth, probably been feeding on all the pellets I had baited up with.
Martin was already ensconced himself in the fast water below the weir when I arrived so I plonked myself in the next peg, a slow moving area that I thought might throw up a few surprises. My two pronged attack consisted of pellet on the right and half a Roach on the left in the hope that a few predators attracted by the abundant fry life would take advantage of an easy meal. Two small Pike fell for the approach in the early evening but as the light faded the pellet rod started to come to life.
We decided to give it ten more minutes and truly at last knockings the pellet rod hooped round as a decent Barbel tried to make its escape. In the darkness it felt like a good fish. I had no idea exactly where it was in the river so stopping it snagging me up was almost impossible. It managed the inevitable but thankfully the weed was sparse and I managed to cajole it back into open water.
Finally I was able to slip it over the net with Martins help. In the gloom I thought it was a double but the scales revealed it fell a bit short of the mark. Anyway it capped off an enjoyable couple of hours by our special local river.

9lb

A Pair of Jacks

The late afternoon turned out bright and crisp following a stormy lunchtime. I had a couple of hours free, a rarity these days, so I grabbed the Pike rods and headed local.
Half Mackerel and small Roach were deployed in a particularly snaggy but very likely looking swim in the hope of nailing some toothy predators.

I fished on well into darkness thinking I might just land a Zander or two but sadly the only fish to show an interest were a couple of Jack Pike. To be fair they both fought very hard for their weight and I did enjoy the battles but not quite the size (or species) I was hoping for. Next time...

                                                      

A Good Move

The initial intention was to fish for Barbel and I set up in the same swim as last week. Conditions looked great, the river was about a foot above normal, had a nice colour to it and the temperature of late has been exceptionally mild for the time of year. Feel a 'but' coming along? As is often the case the Barbel hadn't read the script. After over an hour with no activity, not even a slight twitch I decided a change of tack was required. 

I like to always have a plan B in place as my fishing time is precious and never to be wasted. I grabbed some cheese paste and a pack of Roach dead baits and wandered down below the weir. Dead bait in the margin, cheese out in the flow and finally got some action. A brace of Chub landed both around the three and a half pound mark. Cracking battles in the snaggy swim.

Only one bite to the dead baits but a really pleasing stunning Pike of 11lb 3oz. The move was well worth it.

Struggled to get the focus right on the self-take but rescued what I could on the computer.
The car is still there and getting closer to the river!!

December Surprises

When I made my first cast this morning there was more hope than expectation. Over night temperatures were hovering around 5 degrees centigrade and the river level was on the rise. I decided to play it safe fishing two rods, a 'sleeping' Pike bait chucked along the margin and maggot feeder deployed towards the far bank willows. I settled back preparing to build a swim hoping to nail a few Roach, Dace and maybe the odd bonus.
My coffee flew everywhere when the rod tip almost immediately jumped in the rest, bent down towards the water and just kept on going in a manner that could only be produced by an angry Barbel.  The anti reverse was clicked off just in time to allow the fish some line and the battle commenced. What was obviously a reasonable fish used the strong flow to its full advantage and the 3lb hook-link rendered me fairly helpless to do anything but hang on. Gently and carefully I coaxed the fish back upstream and with an aching arm I breathed a sigh of relief as it slid into the net. A short immaculate specimen that was as fat as butter. Curiosity got the better of me and I put it on the scales, 8lb 6oz.

I thought to myself that it was a one off and so stuck with the light hook-link and size 16 hook but it turned out to be a mistake. It didn't take long before another Barbel was hooked but this time the fish found a snag and with it its freedom.
Hint taken I tied on a new hook but this time using eight pound line. Surprisingly the Barbel were really having it and in no time at all I was attached to another. With more power at my disposal the battle was short-lived and soon enough I was slipping the net under another fat Barbel, this time weighing in at 9lb 6oz.

Normally I would have made the effort to take a decent photo but with a sloppy sliding bank side and a dodgy knee I settled for another 'net' shot rather than risking more damage to my painful joint.
Having never caught a Barbel in December before (I don't see the point in trying) I was made up with the mornings fishing so far. It didn't last though and following a quiet spell the maggot bait was swapped for cheese paste. The air temperature had noticeably fallen and felt much more 'Chubby'. The change of tack worked and a brace of Chub were landed, weirdly both weighed exactly the same, 3lb 12oz.

In between I also managed to land a small Jack Pike to round off a pretty good Winters day by the river.

Avon Piking

A rare occurrence took place today, the sun came out, accompanied by a slither of blue sky. Albeit brief it was enough to have me scrabbling for the camera to record such a rarity of late. The unusual event took place during a short afternoon Piking session that I treated myself to on the back of a couple of weeks that has seen the new business venture progressing nicely. 

Two rods were deployed, one with a small Roach dead bait along the nearside margin and the other with large sea-baits thrown across river into a fishy looking slack. First off was a smelt that remained untouched for a half hour. I changed it over to a Mackerel tail and within a few minutes I was playing a feisty Jack that fought really well in the strong flow. I eventually won despite much angry head shaking and weighed in an immaculate 6lb 13oz fish. 

I was off and running with my first Pike of the campaign in the not so 'Pikey' conditions. It still feels too autumnal to be chasing these predators but with the alleged global warming being reported this may be as cold as it gets!

Tazzy kept watch for goings on down river while I kicked back and chilled on my easy chair.

The Roach bait remained static all day while the sea baits did the opposite. A couple of missed runs followed until finally I managed to hook the culprit. An even smaller Jack had been playing with the bait (and me!) until finally I managed to nail him. It was only about three pounds so I didn't bother taking weights or pics, just putting him back straight away. It turned out to be the last of the activity for the day apart from my usual messing about with the camera.

Chub, Barbel and a Surprise

One of those evening sessions where the fish were just having it! I reckon I could have chucked the bait up the bank and still got a bite they were that turned on! Barbel followed Chub followed Barbel etc.
I had the river to myself surprisingly on such a lovely summers evening, the wind had dropped, the sun came out, the Kingfisher flitted about, it was perfect.
Martin was also fishing but he was about twenty miles further upstream, we kept in touch via text. His reports were uncannily similar, the fish were highly active there too. The conditions must have been right: moon phase, air pressure, temperature? I'm not sure which, maybe all the above but I won't dwell on it, sometimes it happens, just wish it was more often. I have to tailor my fishing times around family and work commitments so even if I could work out what it was specifically there would be nothing I could do about getting bankside. Fishing sessions need to be scheduled in the diary in advance.
I lost count of the number of Chub I landed but in amongst the three pounders there was an unusual hump-backed one of 4lb 12oz and a cracking lump of a Chub that despite being quite flabby pulled the scales down to a pleasing 5lb 8oz. It looks like a fish I caught a couple of seasons back, late summer weighing nearly six pound.

I also landed several Barbel, nothing huge but all in great condition and excellent battlers especially in the crystal clear water where I could see every twist, turn and thrust as they tried to make good their escapes.

All were well rested upon returning them to the water watching them swim away to make sure they were ok but when the last one was about a rod length out I notice it swim nonchalantly past the nose of a large Pike. The predator must have been attracted by the endless commotion but obviously decided this one was too large for a meal. However when the next fish I hooked was a three pound Chub it sprang into action grabbing the unfortunate fish broadside. It had admiral determination and hung on for dear life as it battled me for its supper. I thought it would let go when it saw the net but it didn't and I ended up landing both! Finally in the net it released the Chub. I left the Pike in the net while the Chub was unhooked but it thrashed about and managed to escape before I could take a unique photo. A really long but scrawny specimen that would have weighed well into double figures, something else to target come the Winter. The Chub had been through enough so I released it straight away, missing a few scales but it should hopefully survive its ordeal.
I had one last cast, hooked a better Barbel but sadly the hook pulled denying me the icing on the cake but I still went home(actually to the pub) with a smile on my face.

Tough going

Its been a tough couple of weeks on the fishing front. Last weekend Martin and I fished the Warwickshire Avon with limited success. Martin managed a few fish including a small Barbel and a low double figure Pike while I could only muster one solitary Chub taken on luncheon meat.

This weekend I set my stall out for Perch and again all I could manage was one fish before the heavens opened and I beat an early retreat back home.

Probably weighing about a pound and a half, I was confident of landing a few more of its brethren but with no brolly I wasn't willing to take a drenching in the process.

Our half term outing had a fishy theme as we took the kids to Birmingham Sea Life Centre, certainly whets the appetite for a sea fishing trip or two!!

A worrying end to a good day

The mist swirling and dancing across the surface of the river, grass crunching underfoot, the temperature barely getting above zero and a crystal clear river all baked in glorious sunshine. One of my favourite times of the year to be venturing forth in the great outdoors. 

Not the easiest conditions to catch fish but there are a couple of species that still feed in ernest, Chub and Pike. I decided to fish for old rubber lips with my favourite home made stinky cheese paste and Martin set his stall out for the toothy critters offering a salty snack of frozen Sardine.

Not surprisingly the majority of action came my way but the bites were very finicky. The rod tip rattled, shook and bounced but several strikes met thin air before the culprits became apparent when I landed my first fish of the day in the form of a four ounce Dace.
After a couple of frustrating hours I finally slipped the net under the target species but it was no monster just a small two pounder. The very next cast resulted in a solid bite and following a spirited battle the scales registered a 4lb 9oz specimen. That was much more like the standard I was hoping for. The stretch we were fishing is known to produce the odd 'six', something I would dearly love to land.

Minutes later I heard the dulcet tones of the big guy in the next swim calling for assistance with a near double figure Pike he wanted landing. A short but stocky example of the perfect freshwater predator.

I managed to land one more decent Chub to give me a pleasing brace shot to finish with. We were confident of more sport but any chance of that was put paid to by a family of highly active Otters. A bit worrying as this is the furthest down river sighting I have heard of indicating they are moving to lower parts of the Avon dangerously close to some of my most prolific Barbel hunting grounds. We stood and watched in almost disbelief the streams of bubbles travelling up and down the near margin as they hunted their prey. Not good news in the slightest!!

spot the Pheasant!

Rain Stops Play

In the interest of blogging balance blanks are always posted, as well as red letter days. Sadly this weekend was the former.
Martin and I took a short road trip down to the Wye valley on the outskirts of Ross on Wye. Our target was Pike and hopefully huge ones. The trip had been booked three weeks previously so obviously weather wise we were completely at the mercy of the gods, they were not kind. The previous day was a wash out across the whole of Wales. Torrential down pours emptied into the river system and when we arrived at our chosen stretch the river looked perfect but it was on the rise. And boy did it rise quickly!
To add to a rapidly rising river(in my opinion the worse possible conditions for Pike) within ten minutes  of our arrival the heavens opened and it did not not up. It was so heavy it caused the river surface to bubble up.
Despite the conditions I did manage to hook a Jack Pike within ten minutes of casting out but sadly it threw the hook just as I was about to net it. That was the some total of the action and after four hours we beat a soggy retreat to the car for an early lunch.
A change of venue was decided upon and we toddled off closer to home and our favourite river Avon. We both knew that the odds were against us again as the Avon was a foot and a bit above normal levels and a lovely chocolate brown, lovely for Barbel not so good for Pike. We gave it our best shot but yet again we were sent home with our tails between our legs, a couple of right blankers!
Did manage to get a nice shot of a pheasant though......

Early season Piking

Three weeks since I last wet a line so I was itching to get to the river. Although the weather is still decidedly autumnal I wanted to begin my Pike campaign early especially with a sojourn to the Wye coming up in a fortnight. The weather was not ideal with bright skies and beautiful sunshine but the recent flush of rain gave me some much needed confidence. It didn't take long until the first Pike snaffled my Roach deadbait, a small Jack of about five pound. It still had it's warm water vibrancy as it thrashed and tail walked around the swim leading me a merry song and dance. An enjoyable fight.

Tactics were pretty simple, a small Roach deadbait, a single size Six hook impaled ust above the dorsal fin attached to a part-cocked loafer float. Resistance must be avoided as much as possible when predator fishing otherwise the fish will drop the bait and this rig is very light. Seems to work well for me. 

It wasn't long before the float twitched and went for a wander followed by that lovely feeling of resistance when I struck into the second Pike of the day. The initial stages of this fight were considerably different to the previous. The fish was much more deliberate and I knew I was attached to something substantial. My first sight of the fish revealed more than just it's size, I could see the hook in the corner of it's mouth and the hold it had there looked extremely flimsy. The enjoyment of the fight immediately disappeared replaced by nervous tension and as it thrashed and made powerful runs around the swim all I could do was pray. Thankfully those prayers were answered and I ended up slipping the net under a stunning double figure Pike.

Not a long fish but immaculate and as fat as butter weighing in at 11lb 2oz.

Another Jack snaffled the bait soon after, a hat trick of Pike from the same swim in only a few hours.

My eldest daughter, Maisie joined me mid-afternoon and whilst I still fished on for Pike I realised that her patience would not last as long as mine so a maggot swimfeeder was chucked out and we had fun  messing about with Perch and Roach. Her favourite fish is now Roach because 'they are beautiful' and she would like a couple as pets! 

Guiding and Wildlife

Several weeks ago I received a message from a chap called John asking if I fancied doing some guiding on the river chasing Barbel on the float. The arrangements were made and today was the day. Having agreed to it I didn't quite realise the amount of pressure involved in trying to set a stall for someone else to catch fish. Leading up to it I also thought I would detest being beside the river and not fishing but once the day started I actually thoroughly enjoyed it, In fact it was quite a different sort of challenge and I relished it.
John helped tremendously being such an easy going guy and pretty skilled in the art of trotting a float in running water.
We started the day in my banker swim, a difficult trot in fast water but I felt confident having pre-baited the evening before. The only problem was the Barbel hadn't read the script.
The second swim was much more to John's liking. A slightly gentler pace but still a powerful flow. He decided to step down from my heavy Barbel gear and use his  own set up. Six pound line, five pound hook link, float rod and centre pin reel. A lovely set up until you connect with a big angry Barbel that uses all its muscles and the heavy flow to try to gain its freedom. John battled hard but with limited line on the reel the inevitable was always going to happen. The unseen adversary stripped all the line, straightened the hook and gained its freedom
Swim number three and we were back on the heavy gear. Yet again the Barbel didn't want to play but on reeling in a Pike flashed at the meat and took it. Result, a four pound Pike and as John doesn't fish for old Esox it was a pb to boot!

John shows how not to hold a Pike!

If that wasn't strange enough lo and behold the same thing happens again and this time it's bigger again, pb number two at six pounds. As his guide I would love to take the credit for the two pbs but obviously I can't!

We finished the day back in the first swim where a similar story unfolded, another Barbel hooked but sadly the hook pulled, it was just not meant to be. Still thats fishing for you, an enjoyable day where hopefully we both learnt a thing or two.
Having worked hard all morning I fancied an hour or two just kicking back on the bank so the pellets and leads came out and I managed to winkle out a little Barbel just to prove a point to myself.

Not a monster but a welcome fish all the same.

Back she goes

Distractions
Fishing is a superb  way of getting closer to nature. Before I had even left my village this morning I had seen a Roe deer. There was also a muntjac on the track down to the river(second one I have seen this fortnight).
On the river there were the usual Moorhens, Swans and Ducks but also there was a Mink, the second I have spotted this week.

The highlight though had to be the Kingfisher. I have seen and taken lots of photos of Kingfishers but never have I had the chance to photograph one from such close quarters and it truly made my day.

At one stage it flew so slowly over my head that I could almost have reached out and grabbed it!

Simply Stunning.