A few hours out yesterday.....

[Phone]

Tigger,

I always love a new spin on the big one that got away. Bet that DICE weighed at least 1lb 13oz. maybe more.

Phone

I'll just sit right here while you spin the yarn

[Tigger]

I had a couple of hours on the river for the latter part of the afternoon today/yesterday now!

Anyhow, the river was still carrying a bit more water and was powering through the swim i'd chosen to fish.  The wind was a strong upstream one which helped me out in the powerful flow.

Anyhow, I lost a barbel which managed to get under a half sunken tree.  I got my float back and shot but the fish is wearing a lip piercing for the time being.

It was only a 14's so not big and whoever catches the fish will be able to remove it easy enough so no real harm done.

My 6 grame wire stemmed avon bolo float was bent like a capital letter L but I was able to bend it back into a small lette l, all be it a bit of a wiggly letter l lol.

I caught a few very nice chub and a barbel before hunger pangs got the better of me and I went home for my tea.  I ate that much food I got a pain in my left collar bone area and neck, that's what greed gets you! Lol.

 

I've tried to post some pictures as I always have but for some reason they wont work on AN site.  

Edited September 14, 2020 by Tigger
Spelling mistakes

[Martin56]

Not too sure if this Wednesday is goer?, my mate has had injections in his hip last Friday. He is 86 & still does marvelously well. 

We take it steady & both take 3 or 4 trips to our pegs with our tackle. (Always fishing well within sight of each other)

It's just a different time of life where we both need to feel safe!!

There's still no prisoners taken re who does best!!!

Edited September 14, 2020 by Martin56

[Tigger]

Had a decent session today, caught a good few chub of various sizes, some "dice", annoying minows and a single barbel.

The strong down stream wind made float control hard work, especially in this spot as the river is 80 plus yards wide and a wind tunnel.

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[url=https://postimg.cc/bSb1QdCV][img]https://i.postimg.cc/hvZMRd9n/IMG-0793.jpg[/img][/url]

 

[Phone]

Tigger,

nice looking fish - had to look at each in separate windows

Why not so many barbel this year? Seems like you were on a roll last year. Two or three per session

Phone

[Tigger]

Hey Phone,

Your right, no so many barbel again.  I think there's several different reasons for my lack of barbel.  

There may be less in the river after the last few years of quite serious floods.

There are a lot of people fishing for them now and they are very pressured.

Most of the fish I catch are smaller now with a few decent ones, maybe the older ones have died off and there is some new year classes coming through?

My barbel catches have dropped off drastically over the last 5yrs.

It isn't down to otters as they have always been there, and were there before barbel were even introduced to the river.  

It may be a cycle thing?

It may be i'm just not fishing so good as before!

[Martin56]

They don't always respond to trotting Ian, maybe take another rod that's set up - overshotted & a foot or so overdepth & held back. Put the rod it the rests & have a sandwich, with the Ratchet on (if you dare lol)

Edited September 19, 2020 by Martin56

[Phone]

Tigger,

I'm not buying for one second "you're not fishing so good".  You know you're not fishing so good when you pass up a chance to go. I KNOW when you are on the water you're working your arce off. Hang in there

Phone

[gozzer]

I seem to be hearing the same from places all round the country Ian. Barbel seem scarcer this year, even on the usual 'hot spots' like the Trent, Severn, and Avon. Like you, I think that the heavy flooding over the winter has played a part, not the otters as a guy I met on the bank the other week kept insisting, we had a slightly heated, (more like luke warm), debate on the subject. I've not tried for them yet this year, I've reached the time of life when my approach is more sedate than it used to be. Walking a few miles of bank, to locate them is out now. I don't mind a longish walk to a spot, but then settle down and fish. I thought I'd hooked a barbel last week when I put out a couple of dedras on the leger, after the float line died on me. I was hoping for a perch, and was getting a few knocks from smaller fish, when the tip swung round a few inches. I thought I'd missed the bite and started to reel in, only for the rod to bend over as something powerful took off across the river. After about 5mins, and several runs under a willow, it suddenly turned and dived under the willow above me, and the line went solid. I tried pulling, then leaving slack for a while, but nothing. I decided to pull for a break, and tested the 5lb sensas hook length to it's limit. The 'thing' then started to move, and a decent pike surfaced under my rod tip. I was worried that it wouldn't fit into my 22ins pan net, but at the third attempt it just made it. The hook was set on the outside of the scissors, so easy to unhook. I tried to weight it in the net, but my scales batteries were dead, but at a little over 36 ins, I guessed 12lb +. It rested at my feet for more than 5 minutes before it took off it was so knackerd. I went back to catching roach, gudgeon, perch, chublets, and of course 'dice'. An hour or so later my keepnet tried to take off, and and I'm sure it was the same bloody pike that had come back for another go! 

It's getting to the time of year I always thought of as prime barbel time, so if the weather, and new threatened lock down permit, I might get a session or two after them. 

I really must try to sort out posting pictures on here, when I get the time. 

John.

[gozzer]

Not sure what's happening, but it took 3 attempts to post the above, I had to copy it, sign back in and then paste it back in to reply. Is there a new 'timed out' limit on the new layout?

John.