Roll on Winter....

I really shouldn't be wishing the summer away, if we can call it a summer after the deluge of wet stuff that didn't stop falling, but I am looking forward to waters not being so crowded as the colder weather approaches.  My recent outing was in search of my first Avon Barbel.
I decided to fish a stretch of the Avon on the BAA card with my intention of staying the night in the van and making 2 days of it.  On arrival at this popular stretch I made the decision to walk down river away from the "popular pegs" which just so happen to be the closet to the car park!  I as I approached the river I could see a couple of heads down the bank, then another, then another, then as the river came into view there were anglers in every peg, the length of the river.  I know this is a popular stretch but this is ridiculous!
I spoke to one of the anglers, who happened to be fish less up to now, and he explained how the match had been moved that morning from another stretch of the Avon due to car park being flooded, that was why it wasn't listed on the BAA website.
Only about 2 pegs remained, neither one I would of chosen to fish if I had the choice, however as I made the trip I thought id give it a go, I set up and fished on, not in much confidence of catching.  After 2 hours I was also fish less, not even an indication on the rod tip, so made the decision to fish another stretch, one in fact that I hadn't even seen before.


My view upstream towards the weir

I managed to find the new stretch first time which doesn't normally happen, there was about 10 anglers but I found what looked a reasonable swim and fished 2 rods, both on feeder rigs one cast out into the flow and the second on an inside line.  As this part of the river was narrow the pleasure boats were bit of a problem, but at least I was topping the swim up regular.  I fished on all afternoon until it was almost dark however I remained fish less and still in search of my first Avon Barbel.
I made my way back to the van for some fresh bacon rolls and a cuppa.  On speaking to another angler in the car park he said he had been catching steadily all day, a bag full of Bream upto 3lb, not quite what I was after but at least someone was catching something.  I have noticed on these stretches there seem to be very few anglers specifically fishing for Barbel, the majority seem to fish match style for whatever comes along, which is fine, does this mean the Barbel are a bit thin on the ground.



My Swim on day 2

I was back on the water at first light the following morning on the same stretch as I finished up on the previous evening.  I chose to fish a swim further downstream with a big over hanging tree on the far bank.  I fished with just one rod, casting the feeder as close to the foliage as possible.  I tried to keep casting to a minimum and fed the swim by and only recasting when a boat came through causing me to reel in.  I nicknamed the swim the "Ashtray" due to the amount of cigarette butts that were left by an angler from the previous day, not very pleasant.  This was something  I was noticing more and more on these stretches is the amount of litter left by anglers on the banks.  An anglers upstream of me filled an entire carry bag full of litter he picked up from his swim when he arrived as he just couldn't fish with all that crap around and I don't blame him I would of done the same.  Why are anglers so thoughtless when it comes to taking their rubbish back home with them, they will be the first ones to complain when the land owner doesn't renew his lease to the clubs concerned!
Anyway not much happened over the next couple of hours so I photographed a couple of Canada Geese that came through my swim.



Canada Geese

The longer I fished on, it felt more and more likely I was not going to catch my first Avon Barbel today.  It was still only 10am, and I had fished for 4 hours.  I phoned  Rob the bailiff from my club stretch of the Wye who said the river had dropped a little over night and was looking perfect.  That's all I needed to hear, I packed up headed back to the van and drove to the Wye and hopefully get a bend in my rod.  This sounds a little defeatist but as my fishing has been limited recently due to work commitments I just wanted to get a bend in my rod and hopefully get a Barbel on the bank.
Within 90 minutes I was on the banks of the Wye sat under an umbrella with my feeder rig cast out in hope of a bite.  Over the next 4 hours I caught 4 Barbel biggest going just short of 8lb  It was good to have a fighting fish pull my line and I will definitely be back after those Avon Barbel.



6lb 4oz Wye Barbel in between the showers

 As I said at the start I dont want to wish the longer days and warmer weather away but I do enjoy my fishing when the banks aren't so busy.  Im going to make sure I get out on the banks more often as the winter approaches, im going to concentrate on Predator and Barbel fishing for the most part and my challenges from now until the end of the river season will be either my first Avon or Severn Barbel, improve my Pike and Zander pb and hopefully manage my first double Barbel from any river.

Day 2

After an almost comfortable night in the back of the van, I was glad to hear the alarm sound so I could start preparing for a days piking!  Kettle on, cup of tea, quick wash and I was on my way to the new stretch of water full of hope.  Having surveyed the water the afternoon before I chose 4 or 5 swims to fish deadbaits in with 2 rods and hopefully pick up a few predators.
I walked downstream to the furthest swim I'd chosen with the intention of working my way back to the van during the day.  As I cast out  to an overhanging tree, the sun was rising bringing a beautiful pink tinge to the few clouds that graced the sky.
Deadbaits were coarse fish in the hope of picking up a bonus Zander.  Rigs were a simple float leger set-up, inched back every so often in the hope of provoking a take.   After 6 hours with no bites or indications I felt I needed to try something different.  I headed back to the van to exchange the deadbait rods for the lure rod and walked upstream and fished every inch of river I could reach, I was determined to get a reaction from the river.
With the morning being still and mild the afternoon was completely different, a cold wind had sprung and felt hostile when stood in its full force.  It was a cold wind that left me looking ruddy!

A cold and windswept Avon

I cast lures to deep bends, along dead reed beds, past overhanging trees and smooth glides in the hope of a take.  The only action I had was from a pike of about 2lb that snatched at my rubber shad in the margins but fell short of the single hook.  For the next 5 minutes we played cat and mouse as I teased the lure just off the marginal shelf.  The small pike showed an interest with a couple more follows but never committed. 
It was now late in the afternoon and the cold wind had taken its toll.  The two stretches have potential, one for barbel and chub the other for predators.  I have a barbel session planned for later this week on the Wye, i'll let you know how I get on.

Starting all over again

Eventually, after working 6-7 days a week for the last 6 weeks, I finally managed some time off work to wet a line.  As I had 4 consecutive days to do with what I liked, I decided to fish a couple of stretches of the Warwickshire Avon on the Birmingham Anglers Card (BAA) after predators, armed with a lure rod and a couple of deadbaiting rods. 
The stretches in question are completely new to me, ive never even clapped eyes on them until I arrived on the monday morning.  Once I arrived in the carp park I jumped out the van and took a quick stroll to have a look at the stretch for the first time.  I was pleased with what I saw, fishy looking swims, nice bends a few nice glides, it screamed barbel and chub!  Pity I had the piking gear with me!
The river leant itself to the roving approach, so I took the lure rod and left the deadbaits in the van.  After fishing several swims, I thought my best chance would be from the weir so I promptly followed the hedge line into the next field.

Good Barbel Potential

I spent half an hour working lures through the weir pool and run off with no success.  As I was preparing to move swims, a club bailiff strolled up to check my license, (a welcome sight that I dont see too often on my local rivers unfortunatley!) he was a helpful chap named Colin.  He confirmed what I was thinking and this stretch is more prolific for barbel and chub rather than predators.  We talked for 10 minutes and he described another stretch that I might be better off targeting for the Pike and Zander.
I took his advice and took the short drive to a stretch that was deeper and slower for a look around with the intention of fishing the next morning.