Last night

[Jigotai]

With only a couple of days left of the fishing season I decided to squeeze in one last session. Tuesday and Wednesday were out so it had to be last night .

I finally got home from work about 6 O’clock, which just about gave me time to pack my gear, get down the river and set up before it was dark.

I’ve enjoyed fishing this river over the last couple of seasons especially this season where I have increased my barbel pb a few times. This session I was hoping for a barbel or even a nice chub to round the season off, but all was not going well.

I started off using lob worms as I had some luck with them last week when I caught some nice chub. I was getting some knocks but nothing that came to anything. I decided to have a change of bait and put on a piece of frankfurter sausage that I grabbed from the fridge before I left, thinking that if I didn’t fish with it I could always eat it. This produced a couple of bigger knocks that looked promising but due to having my hands in my pockets at the time, I missed them.

It went quiet and I was starting to get cold so I decided to bait up one last time. I put a nice piece of sausage on and cast out, I then chopped up the rest and threw it in around my bait as freebies. Nothing happened for a while so I started to pack my gear up, then suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw my rod being pulled round quite violently. I scrambled over to my rod only to see it go limp. I wound my line in and found my bait gone, this was bad news as I had just thrown the last of it in as freebies.

Now that I new I had something decent in my swim there was no way I was leaving, so I unpacked my bag and dug out some pellets I had tucked away.

I cast back to the same spot and it wasn’t long before I had another take. This was another good one and I actually felt the fish this time, but the hook didn’t take.

It was getting late and it was time to call it a night and admit defeat, but again, I decided on one last cast(this decision has got me in trouble with the wife many times, I’m sure I’m not the only one).

An hour later I was shivering and I hadn’t had a touch, I was just about to get up when my rod tip whipped round. This time I was on it like a shot and it was hooked. It steamed off down stream and was pulling line off my reel all the time. I gently tightened the clutch and managed to stop it before it reached some snags. It seemed to be coming back quite nicely, then, when it was about 10 feet away from me it went off on another charge. This went on for a few more minutes until I finally slipped my net under a beautiful 8 1/4lb Barbel, a PB to finish the season off :clap2: . It was in lovely condition and had quite a belly on it. See below.

[gozzer]

Well done mate, nice fish. (it's that last cast that counts, and worth the trouble when you get home )

 

It certainly has a gut on it. Is it 'boily' belly, or are we in for an early spawning this year?

Everything else is 'about face' so I wouldn't be surprised.

 

John.

[HOPPY4]

Jiqotai, Way to End the Season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great Story and and a Better FISH!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

HOPPY4

[Jigotai]

Thanks guy's, it was the icing on the cake for what has been a very enjoyable season for me.

 

I'm not sure if that's a 'boily belly' or spawn, but the chub I caught the other day were the same. The river is not heavily fished so I doubt that's the problem. There's a garden centre nearby and people feed the ducks a lot so they may be picking up food from there.

 

[Steve Walker]

Very nice, well done!

 

I'm really glad I got out on Sunday and caught my end-of-season barbel; I'd have been gutted to see yours today if I hadn't at least tried.

 

Concerning spawn, some of my roach and dace were full of it, but my barbel wasn't (male, perhaps) and none of my chub were. Best chub was only about 2lb, though, which is small for that stretch, and the bigger fish were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps shoaling up for spawning somewhere?

[Jigotai]

Very nice, well done!

 

I'm really glad I got out on Sunday and caught my end-of-season barbel; I'd have been gutted to see yours today if I hadn't at least tried.

 

Concerning spawn, some of my roach and dace were full of it, but my barbel wasn't (male, perhaps) and none of my chub were. Best chub was only about 2lb, though, which is small for that stretch, and the bigger fish were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps shoaling up for spawning somewhere?

 

It was seeing the picture of your barbel yesterday that convinced me I had to go out last night

[musicmick1973]

some nice fish there, have yet to catch a barbel my self, but then hadn't fished a river for 6 years, had a end of season rush have been out 3 times in last 2 weeks, got a unexpected afternoon yesterday, managed 2 chub 1 x 3lb 4oz 1 x 1lb 4oz , bigger one had me in a fallen tree, and the flow along there was unbelievable, didn't think I would get it in, crazy thing was, once unhooked and returned, went to cast out again to find my rig had fallen apart, not quite sure what happened, found the ledger but nothing else, so a very lucky capture.

[Steve Walker]

It was seeing the picture of your barbel yesterday that convinced me I had to go out last night

 

 

I managed to finish work early and sneak a couple of hours this afternoon. I got my favourite peg, but I lost my barbel. Felt bigger than the one I had on Sunday. Bit too much pressure and out pinged the hook

[Anderoo]

Superb! What a fantastic end to the season! It's always worth one last cast isn't it? I bet you get a double next season!

 

I had a couple of perch yesterday which were really fat too (not huge fish but REALLY fat!) - I wonder if they were full of spawn? In fact I had two perch of about the same length and one was at least twice as heavy as the other! One male and one female perhaps.

[Patrizia]

Hi! I'm a newcomer and I found this topic looking through the forum.

 

Congratulations! Very nice fish and a interesting story. I hope, that I will catch a fish like that some day. Really cool!

 

 

Patrizia