The longest of winters

One of the few recent captures

Another river season has come and gone and the lack of activity on these pages tell its own story. Since Christmas there have been few opportunities to capture some large winter fish. Since my previous post where I enjoyed some nice chub fishing in January, it has been a tale of woe. The changeable weather conditions have been most unhelpful. We have had to endure long periods of freezing weather which saw the Warks Avon dip to below 2°C at one point then we've had to contend with the inevitable snow melts that saw the river rage and spill its banks. A couple of small pike managed to put a bend in the rod but a string of blanks appeared to be the norm for me.

Mother nature flexes her muscles

Despite the lack of fish, the countryside can be at its most striking at this time of year. From the beautiful snow covered landscape to witnessing the power of mother nature when a river is in full flood. I had the pleasure of witnessing a starling murmuration for several weeks through the colder months. Quite why starlings do this prior to roosting is a mystery but it certainly makes for an interesting spectacle on a cold, winter's afternoon.

The final weekend saw the river rise dramatically. Had it not been the last chance to fish the river then I'd have probably given it a miss since I have found the Avon rarely produces when on a rapid rise. Despite reasonable water temperatures, a winter barbel could not be tempted. I even gave the river a final chance on the 12th but again she was on another quick rise following a day of heavy rain. I struggled to place a bait even in the slacker swims and was forced to retire early.

There are few better sights than the countryside shrouded in a blanket of snow

The PB chub

As I write this, I have awoken to find we are once again greeted by snow. It's certainly been an interesting start to what is supposed to be spring. Looking back, it's been a reasonable season full of highs and lows. The barbel fishing through the summer and autumn was some of the best I've enjoyed on the Avon in recent years and my first Wye double was a stand out memory. A personal best chub brightened up my winter before the weather took its grip. With March upon us it affords time to regroup and explore new challenges and I for one hope that the close season remains although that's a debate for another day. The next few weeks will see me switch to big perch and hopefully some better times to come.

It's not funny anymore

I left for work this morning to be met with the all too familiar sight of the Warks Avon spread across the outskirts of my village and flood signs being erected. It really has been a hopeless winter as far as river fishing has been concerned. With the river carrying extra water for the last three months it takes very little to burst the banks so a weekend of constant rain, topped off with a blanket of snow and the subsequent thaw means the river has risen about 2 metres since Saturday.

I've never been overly concerned with extra water, after all if coupled with the right temperature it can provide some pretty good fishing, especially for Barbel. However, apart from a mild influx around New Year all the extra water has been cold rain and snow melt resulting in the Avon's contents resembling a cup of cold coffee. With the conditions being so unsettled it's been almost impossible to plan a session with any degree of success since the river has been neither one thing or the other. I mean, mild and coloured can be perfect for Barbel, cold and clear can produce Chub, Pike and maybe Roach but cold, coloured and seemingly getting worse is a recipe for disaster.

With only a month left of the season it would be nice to be able to put a few decent fish in the net to rival what was a decent winter, probably my best, last year. But I'm a long way off from matching those achievements so instead I find my mind wandering away to lily fringed lakes, with mist rising as the sunrise brings in a new day. Perhaps this spring can make up for the missed opportunities of winter.

Rivers on the rise

We seem to have some milder weather on the way but this of course has triggered the snow melt. As a result the last 24 hours have seen the Warks Avon rise by over a metre and it appears it's a similar story on the Severn. Of course, this new influx of water will also play havoc with the temperatures so with cold, coloured water the order of day I think the rivers are probably best left alone for a week or so.

It's Snow Joke

Picture the scene; the countryside covered in fluffy, white snow, a Robin perched on a fence post and hardly a soul to be seen. I've always hankered after catching a Pike in the snow and having that photo of me holding a fine fish surrounded by the white stuff.

So with most of the country blessed with snow I chanced my arm on Saturday. With many places inaccessible, I chose my local stretch which meant a 2 minute drive to the banks of the Warwickshire Avon. My wife and mother-in-law, who happened to be visiting, thought I was barking mad and I must admit part of me agreed. However, if I wanted that photo I was not going to achieve it sitting in front of the log burner so I off I went.

Unfortunately, there was no Pike so I will have to wait a little longer for that photo. I fished two rods, one ledger and one float in several swims. Since I know the stretch pretty well, I was confident I was placing dead baits in good areas but that's the second consecutive Piking session that's resulted in nothing so perhaps I'm barking up the wrong tree. I was briefly heartened when one of the spots had some small Chub topping and I felt a Pike would be near and although it felt right the fish would not oblige.

With the temperature dropping considerably during the last hour and with it the feeling in my fingers, I decided the log burner was more attractive idea after all and called it a day.