I managed a couple of end-of-season trips to my favourite barbel haunt in the last week of the season. We'd had a lot of heavy rain, and the rivers had been out of sorts for weeks, but finally the levels dropped, the colour faded and the rivers started to look inviting, so I gave it a go.

After traipsing across three fields feeling smug about the people fishing the swims near the road, I got to my favourite barbel swim to find some rotter fishing it. This stretch doesn't actually have all that many good pegs, and I had half a mind to just go home. I walked down a little way and found that the floods had collapsed the banking, creating safe access to a swim I'd previously been loath to clamber down to. I'd got a willow stump growing in the water on the opposite bank creating an eddy down the far side, and a fast, turbulent run under my feet. To be honest, I expected chub but thought it lacked a certain barbel-ness. Still in a bit of a grump over my swim-usurper, I set up a link leger and baited up with the fattest lobworm in the pot. On my second or third cast, exploring the downstream boundary between the run and the slack, I got a very chub-ish rattle and pull. I hit it, expecting the usual token charge for cover of a 3lb chub, and instead got a savage jolt and a big golden flash. After a short, hard fight, a 6lb12oz barbel was on the bank. End of season mission accomplished!

I took a few small chub on worm before deciding that as I'd now achieved my main objective, I'd dig out the centrepin and have some fun on the float. I had a succession of small fish, chub, roach, dace, a lovely fat six inch gudgeon, before hitting the second barbel of the day. I would be lying if I denied that I had the possibility of my first barbel on the float in mind when I tackled up, hence the 4lb double strength bottom and #14 hook, but in the end it just wasn't enough to keep the fish out of the snags.

After a while, the swim died off, and so I took a wander downstream. I found a nice long, steady section to fish a float down, and spent the rest of the day catching more or less a fish a chuck on maggot. Mostly chub and dace, with a few roach, and none of them much over 12oz, but a lovely way to end the season. I've found a braid that I like on the pin, a Fox product intended for fishing floaters, and it was perfect for fishing a long trot, mending the line and contacting fish at a distance very neatly. Perfect!