End of another year

This time tomorrow I will be revelling with friends as another year comes to a close. Today however, I managed one last trip to a deserted Warks Avon. It had rained all morning so I didn't rush to the river, finally making a cast just before 1pm. The Avon was about 2ft up with visibility less than a 30cm. Chub were to be my main focus. I had toyed with smelly deadbaits for pike in the slacks but decided I would leave that for the weekend. I didn't really fancy a barbel but I did have a second rod with meat that unsurprisingly failed to catch.

My mobile approach finally found some chub and I was soon into a fish on the trusty cheesepaste. Unfortunately, I played it like a buffoon and the hook pulled resulting in the odd expletive. I was confident the fish were still there so I fished on and sure enough a couple of tentative plucks turned into a positive pull. There were no mistakes this time and decent chub was netted. Winter fish always look stunning and this was no exception.

A winter chub

It all went quiet so I moved on but that was the end of the sport even though I returned to the productive swim.

So that was that for 2013. As far as barbel have been concerned it's been a disappointing year on the stretches I frequent with just the one double this season and that warm June evening seems a long time ago. However, the tough conditions meant new methods and I found success with rolling meat during the summer to keep things ticking over when all else failed. Other highlights were a PB carp caught off the surface in spring and my first zander from the lower Severn, which in turn sparked a long overdue interest in predators.

Hopefully, 2014 will bring more to cheer so on that note I hope that you have a good New Year's Eve and an even better year. All the best.