Season Review

With another season passing, it's certainly been one of ups and downs for me. After a cold winter coupled with floods, the season of 2013 started with relatively warm and normal conditions. A sunny May saw me surface fishing for carp with the highlight being a PB carp as the river season approached.

Following an opening day blank on the lower Severn, the opening week soon took a turn for the better with a double figure barbel from the Warks Avon. With a 'double' in the bag so early in the season, I thought this would be the pre-cursor to a profitable season.

This double proved to be a false dawn

However, the next few weeks proved hard work as warm weather meant low, clear river conditions which are never ideal for fishing. Rather than struggle for fish in difficult conditions I decided a change in tactics was the order of the day. I had heard of quite a few zander coming off the lower Severn and having not caught one before decided it had to be worth a try. With slightly refined pike rigs, my first attempt saw me land a zander of around 6lb. To be honest, zander proved a god send as they were the only fish I could seem to tempt from the stretch as the season wore on.

It also meant I had new method under my belt. Variety is the spice of life and this new experience started a real interest in predator fishing which I would revisit in the autumn. Meanwhile, with my local Warks Avon at its lowest and clearest there were blanks a plenty judging by conversations with fellow anglers and the bailiff. With traditional static tactics resulting in little joy I decided moving baits could provide the fish with something different. The plan was rolling meat and it turned out to be pretty useful too, netting a string of average sized barbel when all around couldn't muster a twitch. 

A typical barbel taken on rolling meat

Another one bites the dust

With autumn almost upon on us, I was determined to get some predator sessions under my belt. It had always been my intention that pike would dominate my winter's fishing so I started a little early with lures and dead baits my main line of attack. Although none of the fish were huge, the clear water led to some exciting sport with perch and pike rewarding my efforts.

However, my enjoyment and winter plans were left in disarray as the rain fell and fell some more. With the rivers now in a permanent state of flood it meant that predator fishing became ineffective. With a few mixed bags to keep things ticking over, the final few months of the season proved hard work with just one barbel. The final week saw two lower Severn blanks with an Avon chub just under the 5lb mark sandwiched between them.

A decent way to finish the season

I started by stating it had been a season of ups and downs. Whilst there were some decent fish along the way, it was also a hard slog at times. I certainly managed fewer barbel than in recent seasons begging the question of whether a decline is in motion. Similar stories have been shared on other rivers across the nation so there has certainly been issues at play. Certainly, the weather of the last year or so has been erratic at best. A cold spring delayed spawning. This was then followed by a long, hot summer with little rain and a winter of almost permanent flooding. Prolonged conditions like the ones we have seen have to affect the river's species. Fish move on becoming localised, holding spots are moved in heavy flow and add to this the other well documented pressures such as predators and it's no surprise that some anglers have struggled. Hopefully, our current seasonal conditions will stay with us and a normal spring might see some return to what we have become accustomed to in readiness for June 16th. In the meantime, drop shotting for perch, a few tench sessions and some surface caught carp will occupy my thoughts. With a bit of luck I'll be able to share a few fishing stories with you over the coming months. All the best, Lee.

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.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

As another year edges towards its conclusion we often see ourselves reflecting on what has gone and fishing evokes memories, some good and some not so. Like most anglers, 2012 has had its fair share of ups and downs for me.

This PB got 2012 off to a flyer

The year got off to a cracking start with a personal best Pike off the Warks Avon going 18lb 3oz. However, apart from a few modest Barbel the season tailed away and the river season slammed shut. That had been my first season fishing the Warks Avon seriously following my move and I’d found it trickier than I thought it would be. That said, I’m a firm believer that you learn from your experiences and I was determined to put things right when June 16^th finally arrived. Becoming a father for the first time in April meant that there was little time for stillwater or canal fishing whilst I counted down to the season opener.

June finally arrived but the opening day was also greeted by heavy rain and an out of sorts river failed to produce. Although the ‘glorious 16^th’is still savoured by river anglers I have to admit it is often a disappointment when it comes to fishing but the excitement of being on the river again never diminishes and I’m sure it’ll be just the same in 2013.

The Lower Double

Much of the summer and autumn was spent targeting Barbel. This was to be my second season on the new stretch and I was determined to find fish on a more consistent basis and sort out a few bigger specimens. Looking back at my records shows the river was often high as we experienced one of the wettest summers in recent history. I managed to find one reliable swim that seemed to produce in swollen conditions but none of the fish were above average. Further explorations saw me manage my biggest Barbel from the stretch to date at 9lb 10oz after the river had returned to normal conditions and another of 9lb 6oz in autumn which makes me believe a double is not far away on this stretch of river. Autumn also saw me look for a change of scenery and saw me put a few hours in on the lower Severn. Much has been written about the tricky nature of this water and in the sessions I fished it became apparent you were fishing for one bite. In actual fact I managed to blank 4 times in 5 visits. Two of those blanks saw a Barbel lost to pulls, one of which felt a very good fish. The session I managed to put a fish in the net resulted in a Barbel of 11lb so the rewards are there if you don’t mind putting the work in.

Fishing however is not always about highlights and there’s been some lows too. In angling a low usually equates to blanking and I’ve had my fair share this season including a recent run of three consecutive blanks. It’s part of the game of course but despite all the clichés of being on the bank is enough we all know that is not entirely true.

As this post is all about memories I thought I’d share a slightly amusing one that actually happened a few years ago. It was one of those sessions where nothing goes to plan, in fact it was something of a disaster from start to finish. I was fishing at Trimpley on the middle Severn and had managed to drop into my preferred swim and was confident of catching. After building up my swim using a groundbait feeder the bites finally started to arrive. A Barbel on then subsequently lost. This happened three more times and had me getting more and more frustrated. Then unbelievably the last three inches of my quiver tip snapped off which had me improvising so that I could fish on. But the final nail in the coffin was yet to come. Without warning, the button on my trousers decided to pop off leaving me in a very tricky predicament. Time to improvise yet again. By pulling my zip up fully I could jam the aforementioned trousers into position to allow to me to fish on but it was far from ideal. I did manage a few fish that night but decided to put an end to my misery and call it a day. However, as any visitors to Trimpley will know, it’s an awfully long walk back to the car park so off I trudged, fishing tackle in one hand while the other did its best to keep my trousers up. Fortunately, no one had the misfortune to pass me by on that awkward walk and I was able to make to the car without further embarrassment. And with that I wish you all a ‘Happy New Year’ and hope 2013 is good to you all.