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| A plump Severn barbel |
Following an injury lay off which has seen fishing out of bounds for a few weeks, I was eager to get back out and find a few fish. A short trip to the Severn saw me net a barbel of around 7 ½lb but it was hard work. With an afternoon session on the Warks Avon to follow, I knew that catching a daytime barbel in the current conditions would be even harder. I've not seen the Avon this clear for a long time. The bottom is visible in 5-6ft of water meaning angling is as difficult as it gets.
In view of this, my tactics changed. The main attack would be
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| The rig |
maggots introduced through an inline feeder with a short 6" link finished with a size 12 hook. This would be baited with an imitation maggot to disguise the shank together with 2 or 3 live ones. The rig would also employ a back lead to pin the line to the river bed for about a metre or so from the feeder. An initial bombardment of maggots and some hemp via a baitdropper put some bait in and hopefully had some fish gaining interest. It was then a case of recasting every 5 minutes or so to keep a steady stream of maggots going in. I had a few plucks and taps when the tip went round violently. I was holding the rod and was able to strike quickly to feel the satisfying resistance of a hooked barbel. It put up a great fight before it was eventually beaten and netted. The fish went 7lb 12oz and was a decent result given the conditions. With it still relatively early in the session, I was hopeful that another fish might show but it turned out to be the only bite of the session and my session drew to a close by late afternoon.
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| The result - 7lb 12oz of Warwickshire Avon barbel |
The nights are drawing in now and there's a noticeable chill to some of the nights. With the water already clear and now cooling maybe it's time to start shifting my attention towards perch and pike.
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