A View from the Water's Edge

[Chris Plumb]

Balsam and Barbel

 

11/9/03

1900 - 0000

 

A great evening to be out. Overcast - more muggy than mild, not a hint of autumn chill. Despite some rain the river is still pityfully low. The banks at this venue are blanketed with Himalayan Balsam - the still air filled with its sickly, sweet perfume. A stiffling smell that made me feel slightly queasy by the end of the evening.

For a reason I can't put my finger on I felt ridiculously optimistic and within half an hour of casting out my intuition was rewarded as I slipped the net under a 4lb barbel.

It was 2 hours before my rod moved again (though the lack of crayfish bites kept my confidence high). A sharp donk and a fine chub was brought to the bank. 10lb braid and 1.75lb T/C rods are somewhat over gunned for chub but this was a splendid fish. Pristine and very long it looked a lot bigger than it 4lb 15oz (and a bit ) that it registered on my scales. I'd certainly like to catch him again in a few months when he's packed on a few more ounces. Still my biggest of the season.

Next cast - another barbel though the fight was particularly sluggish. And it was soon apparent why - it was the same 4lber I'd caught 2 hours previous! It obviously found my halibut pellet irresistible!

Another barbel rounded off the session - a 6lb fish which fought like fury as these 'teenage' barbel are apt to do!

 

Still No Crucians

13/9/03

0600 - 1200

 

I've had a pretty thin summer chasing large crucians and this was another abortive mission. The lake was as pretty as a picture on a simply stunning summer's morning. But the fish weren't having it. The first hour saw a 2lb tench and a skimmer fall to single red maggot - but, thereafter with the sun relentless and my float motionless my confidence plummetted and I was soon heading for home!

 

 

Chris

[Paulg]

Lets see if we can get you a Crucian this w/end then! Nice write-ups, Chris.

 

Paul

[Chris Plumb]

An Autumn Night

 

19/20-9-03 1500 - 0800

 

This was Paul's idea! I'd planned an evening barbelling on another bit of new water when Paul suggested we make a night of it on a favourite Tench lake of ours. Paul fished the lake on an overnighter a fortnight ago and had caught a 2lb 14oz crucian - so actually I didn't need too much persuading! Crucians are a rare sight on this pit - in 19 years of fishing it I've only caught 12 - but they've all been over 2lb - usually over 2½lb and it has produced to me 3 over 3lb including my PB of 3lb 10oz. Paul and I both reckon it could hold 4lbers and whilst tench were my primary target on one rod the other would fish for crucians.

A caveat for this venue is that fishing during the day is usually a waste of time - Paul and I have both had frantic action during the nights here and struggled during daylight. But fishermen make rules for fish to break and we both had 4lb+ tench within an hour of setting up!!!

However, It would be the early hours of the morning before our nets were wet again. Paul started the ball rolling with a tench of 5lb 6oz. Then I had a common of 7lb followed by a couple of tench. The night was still and calm, cloudless, with Mars rising straight ahead and slowwly moving off to our right. The temperature hovvered just above 9ºC all night - yet the really curious thing was the water temperature. Paul's thermomemter in the margins registered 17.9ºC at the beginning of the night and 20.1ºC at the end! Can someone explain THAT one!

Daylight and things went quite for Paul - yet the tench were still showing an interest in my hair-rigged Pellet. My float rod in the margins hardly registered a bite - and when it did - a dithering sort of affair which had CRUCIAN writ large - it was nothing more than an accursed Crayfish. Still a thoroughly enjoyable night out. Finally resulting in 7 tench - only one of which was under 4lb and rounded off with a sumptuous cooked breakfast of sausages and fried egg sandwiches done on my portable stove - LOVELY!

 

 

Chris

[nursejudy]

nice one

Chris

[Chris Plumb]

Spindle's First Barbel!

 

 

OK - so not the World's biggest barbel - but I think the smile says it all!

 

27/9/03

0630 - 1300

 

A return, as my guest, to the Kennet, for Glenn and as you can see the promise of a barbel was THIS time rewarded! 3 months since we were here last and in the usual flurry of e-mails leading up to the day I did suggest that he might have better luck ledgering meat at the top of the beat. But, NO!, Glenn was adamant he wanted to trot with one of his beloved centre-pins.

And so first light saw us taking up station in the swims we started off in back in June. Spindle fishing The Point, me in a riffle 100m above. The river was emaciated by the lack of rain, really low - but by fishing the faster water we were both quickly into silver fish. Roach and dace a-plenty and, as back in June, I also had a brace of grayling. Glenn also managed something bigger and within the hour brought a 3lb chub to the net.

The dry summer has brought some rewards - 'recruitment' of fry appears to have been exceptional this year - but after a couple of hours I tired of catching small un's - and decided to move on (actually - truth be told - the swim had gone quiet!).

So, after a quick update with Glenn, I dropped down to 'The Bridge' swim and was quickly onto a better 'stamp' of fish. 3 Chub in quick succession, all 1½ - 2¼lb were followed by a brownie of the same size. The water was cold and after the first frosts of autumn in mid-week - prospects for barbel were gloomy. And yet the next cast produced one! Barely 1½lb I slipped it back and rushed upstream to share my news and vacate my swim for Glenn. Where's there's one of this size there's bound to be more. And sure enough with-in 20 minutes I was summoned by a scream to witness Glenn's first barbel - or rather barbelet - a perfect minature barbel about half the size of my one - but - most importantly - subdued with a float rod and Match Aerial! Glenn fished on and caught 2 more barbel - slightly bigger than his first - but not by much - but they made him one happy bunny!!!

We'd seen some evidence of Pike so Glenn now switched to his lure rod while, after enjoying and early lunch, I returned to the Bridge for the final hour.

Sport was pretty frenetic, a couple of chub - one a really heavy ponderous fish which weighed nearly 4½lb, a splendid perch of 1½lb and another babelet were the fish brought to the bank - but as many again slipped the hook in the current. Meanwhile Glenn lure rod saw some action - but not the Pike he'd hoped for - a greedy Brown Trout attacking his floating lure.

So all in all, a very enjoyable morning angling!

 

 

Perfection in Minature - just look at the size of that tail in proportion to the body!

 

 

Chris

 

[ 29. September 2003, 09:30 AM: Message edited by: Elton ]

[Chris Plumb]

Ummm - don't know why that 1st link doesn't work :confused: - anyways - here's the piccie of the baby barbel and it's happy captor.

 

 

Chris

[Apache]

Nice read Chris, I thought you were fishing the Loddon by the phptos until I read the text.

[Chris Plumb]

Curiouser and curiouser - the first pic is now showing and is now also replacing the close up shot - very strange! :confused:

 

Apache - do you get this 'stamp' of barbel on the Loddon as well? They're great fun trotting in shallow water. I call this venue The Barbel Nursery as I've had them this big (small ) for a number of years!!!

 

 

Chris

[Apache]

Not so much the size of the barbel mate, but the bridge in the background looks a dead ringer for a swim I know somewhere else.

 

[ 22. October 2003, 05:58 PM: Message edited by: Apache ]

[Slyder]

Saw the picture and thought the entry title should have been "Spindles record gudgeon"!