What I Did On My Day Off (Long Msg.)

[Del_R]

Had a trip to Severn Stoke today. It was a couple of feet higher and a few MPH faster than last week and the fishing was better too... if you like Bream.

 

But, let me go back a few hours. The day started with me buying a new landing net (to go with the new landing net handle I bought off the web following on from recommendations here - cheers fellows!) and then late afternoon off I went to find a place where I might be in with a shout of both a barbel and a pike. Ripple, on the Lower Severn was suggested by the fine fellow in my local shop. He's normally good with a recommendation so off I went.

 

I should add, that last night - following on from the "What Do You Take To The Bank" thread - I stripped my tackle down to a bare minimum - today I'd be travelling light...

 

Alas, my bare minimum was still ridiculous. Two rods, brolly, landing net, landing net handle, unhooking mat, bait, groundbait, ground bait bowl, camera, couple of rod rests, bite alarm and pike swinger, deadbaits in a freezer bag with freezer blocks, traces, trebles, weights, feeders, hooks, flask of coffee, packet of Jaffa cakes... etc etc.

 

I know now why I enjoy lure fishing so much! I felt like I was in training for the SAS I was carrying so much weight.

 

Anyway, I got to Ripple, parked up. Swapped my trainers for wellies. Unloaded and shouldered the gear and carted it around the lake, through the stile, along the edge of the next field, past a couple of pegs that were occupied, along the river bank, and finally to a pedunkle/barbelly looking peg. My aching back breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Ahhhh.

 

Oh dear.

 

At Ripple it's all lovely wooden platforms. Excellent they are. If you're not travelling light and have got appropriate banksticks and the like...

 

I stood there for a few moments pondering. I could fish just the barbel rod, rest it on my knees, and to hell with the deadbaiting... but no. I'd come out with the intention of doing both.

 

And good old Severn Stoke is just up the road.

 

Back along the bank, across the field, through the stile, round the lake, load up the car, swap my wellies for trainers, and drive up to Severn Stoke (at this stage I wasn't too grumpy. I had Shostakovitch on the CD player, the car window open, it wasn't overly late, and it was only my back and shoulders that were protesting about my decision).

 

Out the car, heave all my gear onto my annoyed shoulders, over the stile, along the field. What's this? The farmer has put up a new fence right across the foot path. Hmmmm. It looks suspiciously electric, too.

 

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz. Owww. It is electric, too.

 

Carefully I slide all the gear under it, roll beneath it myself (minding the animal droppings), and we're almost at the swim I've got in mind.

 

Hang on... where's my new landing net? Bugger. Must have dropped it at the electric fence. Nope. Must have left it in the car. Run back... Nope.

 

Darn. Or words to that effect. Now there's a bit of grumpiness coming on, to say the least.

 

Back to the swim. Pick up gear. Re-negotiate fence. Load up car. Drive back to Ripple (in my wellies), with no music on because I'm proper grumpy now. Park up. What's that in the distance on the floor.

 

Tis my new landing net. At least that was good news. Could quite easily have been gone for good. Hope I haven't damaged the suspension in my car racing back over all those potholes the way I did.

 

Back to the car... drive to Severn Stoke once more. Starting to get a headache. I bet I don't catch anything after all this. Park up. Unload gear... etc etc No electric shock this time.

 

Get to the swim. Drink coffee, eat a Jaffa cake, and relax. Eat another Jaffa cake and continue to relax.

 

Almost from the word go I was into bream. Did manage one barbel (6 lb) which was good and a couple of really nice roach (around the pound mark) but then it was bream, bream, and more bream. I had the deadbait rod out but nothing was happening.

 

Then, just as it was getting dusky, I hooked the biggest bream of the day - about 5lb - and as I was slowly playing it into the bank so the deadbait rod burst into life. I struck into something pretty solid on that rod whilst seeing the big bream come to the surface for the first time. There I was stuck with a hefty bream on the end of one rod and a predator on the end of the other. I managed to bring the bream in whilst holding the predator still. But as it's quite rocky at Severn Stoke it's often awkward to land fish. Sure enough, as I was landing the bream I relaxed the tension on the deadbait rod and that was the end of that. Off she went, taking my smelt with her.

 

After releasing the slab I cast out another deadbait whilst I put away the feeder rod and packed up all the rest of my gear. I waited until just after dark but nothing else was happening, though I'm sure I could have caught some more bream.

 

So it was back to the electric fence and the knowledge that I had to roll under it and that there was cow and sheep sh#t everywhere and now it was so dark I couldn't see it.

 

I love fishing, me.

 

Derek

[poledark]

We should have more posts like that one

 

Den

[Ferg]

Sounds like you had a good day eventually. Would love to find some good swims on the severn. As I live in the North west when I come down I normally have a stop over. If you could give me any details i'd be most grateful ( if you don't want to publicise where you go e-mail me). If you prefer not to I won't take offence.

 

great day

[Guest tigger]

Had a trip to Severn Stoke today. It was a couple of feet higher and a few MPH faster than last week and the fishing was better too... if you like Bream.

 

But, let me go back a few hours. The day started with me buying a new landing net (to go with the new landing net handle I bought off the web following on from recommendations here - cheers fellows!) and then late afternoon off I went to find a place where I might be in with a shout of both a barbel and a pike. Ripple, on the Lower Severn was suggested by the fine fellow in my local shop. He's normally good with a recommendation so off I went.

 

I should add, that last night - following on from the "What Do You Take To The Bank" thread - I stripped my tackle down to a bare minimum - today I'd be travelling light...

 

Alas, my bare minimum was still ridiculous. Two rods, brolly, landing net, landing net handle, unhooking mat, bait, groundbait, ground bait bowl, camera, couple of rod rests, bite alarm and pike swinger, deadbaits in a freezer bag with freezer blocks, traces, trebles, weights, feeders, hooks, flask of coffee, packet of Jaffa cakes... etc etc.

 

I know now why I enjoy lure fishing so much! I felt like I was in training for the SAS I was carrying so much weight.

 

Anyway, I got to Ripple, parked up. Swapped my trainers for wellies. Unloaded and shouldered the gear and carted it around the lake, through the stile, along the edge of the next field, past a couple of pegs that were occupied, along the river bank, and finally to a pedunkle/barbelly looking peg. My aching back breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Ahhhh.

 

Oh dear.

 

At Ripple it's all lovely wooden platforms. Excellent they are. If you're not travelling light and have got appropriate banksticks and the like...

 

I stood there for a few moments pondering. I could fish just the barbel rod, rest it on my knees, and to hell with the deadbaiting... but no. I'd come out with the intention of doing both.

 

And good old Severn Stoke is just up the road.

 

Back along the bank, across the field, through the stile, round the lake, load up the car, swap my wellies for trainers, and drive up to Severn Stoke (at this stage I wasn't too grumpy. I had Shostakovitch on the CD player, the car window open, it wasn't overly late, and it was only my back and shoulders that were protesting about my decision).

 

Out the car, heave all my gear onto my annoyed shoulders, over the stile, along the field. What's this? The farmer has put up a new fence right across the foot path. Hmmmm. It looks suspiciously electric, too.

 

Bzzzzzzzzzzzz. Owww. It is electric, too.

 

Carefully I slide all the gear under it, roll beneath it myself (minding the animal droppings), and we're almost at the swim I've got in mind.

 

Hang on... where's my new landing net? Bugger. Must have dropped it at the electric fence. Nope. Must have left it in the car. Run back... Nope.

 

Darn. Or words to that effect. Now there's a bit of grumpiness coming on, to say the least.

 

Back to the swim. Pick up gear. Re-negotiate fence. Load up car. Drive back to Ripple (in my wellies), with no music on because I'm proper grumpy now. Park up. What's that in the distance on the floor.

 

Tis my new landing net. At least that was good news. Could quite easily have been gone for good. Hope I haven't damaged the suspension in my car racing back over all those potholes the way I did.

 

Back to the car... drive to Severn Stoke once more. Starting to get a headache. I bet I don't catch anything after all this. Park up. Unload gear... etc etc No electric shock this time.

 

Get to the swim. Drink coffee, eat a Jaffa cake, and relax. Eat another Jaffa cake and continue to relax.

 

Almost from the word go I was into bream. Did manage one barbel (6 lb) which was good and a couple of really nice roach (around the pound mark) but then it was bream, bream, and more bream. I had the deadbait rod out but nothing was happening.

 

Then, just as it was getting dusky, I hooked the biggest bream of the day - about 5lb - and as I was slowly playing it into the bank so the deadbait rod burst into life. I struck into something pretty solid on that rod whilst seeing the big bream come to the surface for the first time. There I was stuck with a hefty bream on the end of one rod and a predator on the end of the other. I managed to bring the bream in whilst holding the predator still. But as it's quite rocky at Severn Stoke it's often awkward to land fish. Sure enough, as I was landing the bream I relaxed the tension on the deadbait rod and that was the end of that. Off she went, taking my smelt with her.

 

After releasing the slab I cast out another deadbait whilst I put away the feeder rod and packed up all the rest of my gear. I waited until just after dark but nothing else was happening, though I'm sure I could have caught some more bream.

 

So it was back to the electric fence and the knowledge that I had to roll under it and that there was cow and sheep sh#t everywhere and now it was so dark I couldn't see it.

 

I love fishing, me.

 

Derek

 

 

 

Great reading, had me laughing too!

[Guest Brumagem Phil]

Excellent post....loved reading it.

[Severn Wolf]

Tremendous post. Cheers

[Janet]

That was brilliant reading. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Lets have more of the same guys!

 

Janet

[Del_R]

Glad the post raised a few smiles. It did turn out to be a good day in the end, despite the too-ing and fro-ing up the A38.

 

Sounds like you had a good day eventually. Would love to find some good swims on the severn. As I live in the North west when I come down I normally have a stop over. If you could give me any details i'd be most grateful

 

Hi Ferg. Glad to share details with you, though I'm not sure I'm the best person to advise anyone on decent Lower Severn swims. My approach to locating a good place to fish normally (and seriously! ) goes something like this:

 

Check weather forecast - if it's raining or likely to rain tell myself that honestly I'm not a fair weather angler but today I really do have a few other things I must do.

 

Drive to venue ensuring that the parking is not "across field and park by river" as I'm paranoid about getting stuck in mud (which almost happened once - luckily I was on top of a rise and the mud was at the bottom and momentum and much Richard Hammond style acceleration carried me through).

 

Walk along river bank looking for somewhere:

• nice to set up my chair (ideally with a well-placed rock for me to rest my feet on)
  
• plenty of room to spread out my tackle
  
• no trees/power lines to inhibit casting
  
• good access to land humongous fish
  
• good access to return humongous fish
  

Finally, cast out somewhere in pellet-catapulting range.

 

As you can tell, I have my priorities all right

 

As it happens, the swim at Severn Stoke that met all these conditions also happened to be the one that several passer-bys assured me was the best swim in that particular field. Luck? Or am I not the only Taurean angler who likes comfort - and consequently there's more bait going into that swim than any of the others?

 

Joking aside, the word on the riverbank is that the best swims are further away in the next few fields along (i.e. further from the car-park). I did walk this stretch a few sessions ago and never got to the end of the BAA stretch, so I guess one could fish this venue alone all season and still not have to use the same swim more than once (and therefore still not be sure if one's in the hottest swims). I never reached the end of the BAA stretch in the opposite direction either!

 

My preferences this autumn so far have been the aforementioned Severn Stoke, the Teme at Broadwas, and the Avon at Nafford. I've blanked at all three and I've caught at all three (and I've been caught in thunderous storms at all three - so much for weather forecasters!). They are all beautiful venues in their own right and fulfil my main criteria (which I never mentioned above) which is to be out in the countryside away from everything. They're all BAA waters, too, which despite mine and others critiscisms remains exceedingly brilliant value for money and I've hardly scratched the surface of what they offer in four seasons of membership.

 

Anyway, I'm rambling. I'm not sure if I've answered your question at all. These are great venues for barbel, chub, and bream (!) and if you're down in this part of the world you won't go wrong with them. But individual swims are harder for this amateur to advise on.

 

Kind regards,

Derek

 

[Elton]

I'm sick of seeing pictures of big barbel

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It's about time we got some around here

[RUDD]

I'm sick of seeing pictures of big barbel

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It's about time we got some around here

Plenty in the Suffolk Stour, BUT those in the know keep it to themselves as to where the best locations are, and personally I do not blame them.