Off the mark

Opening day saw me sneak a couple of hours after work on the Warks Avon. I had hoped to bounce some meat in the pacier water but unsurprisingly the obvious pegs were occupied so I was forced to change my tactics. With it being a short session, I only had meat as bait so I had to try and find some barbel or chub or face an opening day blank. Fortunately, the stretch is familiar  so I knew a few unfancied pegs that usually hold chub and provide the chance of a barbel. So a chunk of meat was cast out with a PVA bag resulting in a lean 2lb chub shortly after.

First fish of the season

I put a bit more bait in and wandered off to try a new area. After about 10 minutes the rod tip signalled some interest before finally giving me a reason to strike. A strange battle commenced. Clearly the fish was not a barbel yet it didn't behave like a chub either. Seconds later an eel appeared from the depths. I have nothing against eels but they are awkward creatures to handle often turning into a writhing mass of thick slime. I was pleased when I was able to return it to the river. I returned to my previous spot and managed another chub which went 4lb, which is not not bad for this time of year. By now the anglers fishing the pacier water had vacated and I decided to give the original, rolling meat tactic a try for the last 20 minutes of the evening. However, there was to be no explosive end to the day although it was significantly better than last year's opening.

Fish of the day