Wonderful Wye

Recent weather finally brought some rainfall and with it the hope that the rivers would finally give us something to get excited about. While this week's weather has seen a cold blast hit UK shores, the last few weeks have been very mild with most rivers returning temperatures of about 10°C. However this had been largely coupled with low clear water so any rainfall would be gladly welcomed.

One of my chosen swims

With the temperatures so high for November it seemed silly not to have a go for barbel. The weather is fickle at this time of year and it could be weeks, even months before another opportunity this good arose. My local Warwickshire Avon saw no change to its levels, well maybe a few inches but nothing to set the pulses racing. The Severn had risen a little but again it didn't really fill me with confidence. The Wye however looked to have about 4ft on and was starting to drop. It was what I was looking for and my mind was made up pretty quickly.

I arrived just after lunch to find the stretch empty. Just the way I like it. I had not fished this stretch before in such conditions so a bit of roving was the order of the day and with no one else there it meant I was free to do what I liked. I walked upstream, eyeing a few likely looking spots behind trees. It was this type of swim that I dropped into first.  With the main current a torrent I hoped the fish would be sheltering behind these obstructions. I had only brought one rod and that was tackled with a straight lead to a size 2 hook baited with meat. I aimed to give each swim up to 30-40 minutes. In these conditions a fish ought to show relatively quickly if they are indeed present.

Within minutes of settling down the heavens opened. The forecast has not mentioned rain so without an umbrella I simply had to sit it out. Soon after it turned to a sharp hail storm. It was not a great start but the sun returned and gave me just enough heat to attempt to dry off a little.

A promising start in the new swim

The first two swims produced nothing other than one sharp jag on the rod tip. I dropped further downstream to an area that looked a whole lot more promising. A smooth looking glide screamed barbel so my bait was cast just my side of the crease. I didn't have to wait too long before a tap turned into a wrap around and the first barbel of the day was hooked. It put up a decent scrap and a fish of just over 8lb was my reward.

I did contemplate moving on again but this area looked as promising as anywhere else so I decided I would sit it out on the premise that if it was good enough for one barbel then they'd probably be another in the area at some

The best fish of the session

point. The next hour or more was pretty quiet fishing wise but the Wye Valley is as good as anywhere to spend an autumn afternoon. With stunning scenery, buzzards soaring overhead and the chance that any moment could signal the arrival of a barbel the afternoon flew by. The sun started to set and with it daytime began to lose its grasp. This time of the day is always synonymous with a barbel bite and today was to be no different. A positive bite saw me connected with another barbel that put up a much more stubborn resistance than the first fish. Another fine looking barbel was landed with this one going 9lb 9oz. It was a fitting way to end an enjoyable afternoon on the river Wye.

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August Catch Up - Wye and Warks Avon

August finally saw the heatwave leave our shores and with that the rivers were once again fair game. I love this time of year. You can sense autumn is on it's way. The nights begin to draw in and dusk sees the geese travelling to roost in their v-formations. It is also a great time to be on the banks fishing.

A failed barbel trip on an Avon weir pool did see me unlock some decent predator potential so I

A weir pool pike

returned a few days later armed with just a lure rod. It didn't take long to connect with a fish but whilst I was expecting perch and pike to be the likely targets it was indeed a chub that put in the first appearance. A small perch followed then a couple of fish were lost. Unfortunately, the weir pool has a large bed of underwater cabbages on the near bank and to land fish successfully I had to manoeuvre them over this obstacle. That was fine for the smaller fish but anything that could stay low used them to escape and there was little I could do. A decent pike that was certainly a double beat me this way as did a nice perch or two. I did manage a pike a few swims further down before the perch became active at dusk. Another decent perch was hooked but as before the near bank plant growth got the better of me. Maybe it's a chapter to return to when the weed dies back a little.

A Wye fish going 9lb 11oz

I don't fish the Wye too often, indeed it's been a year so as August came to its conclusion I once again found myself in wonderful and beautiful county of Herefordshire. Much has been said about the beauty of the Wye Valley so I won't attempt to convince you here. My swim was relatively shallow and laced with streamer weed. I had to do a fair bit of bank clearing to find enough space to be comfortable for the day. In swims like this I always fish upstream. That way you are not pulling your rig or fish back up against the weed which often results in inevitable breakages and lost fish. The bites will be drop backs and the fish will drop with the flow allowing you to bring them across the river without too much trouble. A couple of barbel showed up in the first hour before the daytime drought set in. I did attempt some trotting, wading mid-river but the slightly increased level meant there was a huge amount of weed coming down the river that hindered presentation meaning a biteless one hour. A bit of roving after lunch rewarded me with a third barbel before I settled in my original spot late afternoon. The bites started again and I finished the session with 9 barbel including a 9lb 11oz, 9lb 9oz and an 8lb 13oz plus a chub of about 4lb. By 8pm the level had rose by about a foot and the already problematic weed became impossible to fish on in. A good session was ended slightly earlier than intended but it was a super session in what became pretty testing conditions.

A few days later I was on the Avon, keen to try a new area in search of some larger fish. I didn't arrive until about half past 7 and immediately baited three swims. A 3lb chub showed up quite quickly in the first of them before I moved to the area I had not fished much before. I am convinced there's fish to be had there but as yet they were not playing ball. By 10pm I'd barely a tap. Time was fast running out so I moved slightly upstream to probably the shallowest part of the stretch at about 5ft deep. I cast a chunk of meat mid-

Another 9lb 11oz barbel, this time from the Avon

river. About 15 mins later the rod arched round and I commenced what turned out to be an epic battle. The fish took me way downstream in an instant. I heard a splash as it broke the surface. I then teased it back upstream. There was a lot of reed growth between me and the river. I then saw the fish for the first time and realised I'd have a game getting it out. A few more powerful runs and she was beaten. I tried to net the fish with difficulty. My right leg went in upto my knee but I eventually netted my prize. I was convinced an Avon double lay before me. However, it wasn't to be as the scales settled at 9lb 11oz. Not to be grumbled at as it was a fine fish that won't be easily forgotten.

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.

River Wye - Double Delight

Every so often a session will come along that sticks in the memory for a while. I had opted for a change and chosen the Wye for a few evening hours in unfamiliar surroundings. It's not a river I have fished often, indeed this was only my fourth visit, with my last being over two years ago.

I arrived at the venue around 3.30pm and decided to have a look around. Although I had an outline plan in my head I am a firm believer of not being too regimental. Within 10 minutes I had a completely new approach mapped out. Greeted by a gin clear and low river together with bright sunshine, I had originally envisaged feeder fishing in the slightly deeper areas hoping the darker pools would offer sanctuary. However, my walk found me drawn to the shallow, weedy areas. Although only a few feet deep, I found myself bewitched by the beds of ranunculus weed that stretched as far as  the eye could see. It hypnotically waved with the current revealing clean gravel runs and was convincing enough for me to settle confident a fish or two would be hiding amongst it. With this decision came a new approach. If I was fortunate enough to hook a fish then the weed would create a barrier with regard to landing it successfully. Therefore, the feeder was ditched. I didn't want a heavy feeder dangling about and creating an obvious snagging point. Instead I would fish a straight lead of 3oz together with PVA bags which would deposit enough pellets to hopefully entice a barbel or chub to forage and find my hookbait, which began as two 8mm Dynamite Source pellets on a size 12. The other decision came in the shape of fishing upstream. Firstly, there appeared to be a slightly deeper area upstream but I also hoped any hooked fish would hopefully drop downstream with the flow and therefore not see me trying to drag it against the weed. Going with the flow so to speak made it pretty painless.

10lb 11oz - A great start

I made my first cast just after 4pm. After 15 minutes or so I reeled in having received no obvious interest. I changed the hook bait to two regular 8mm halibut pellets and again cast mid-river to my chosen area. The bait had hardly been in the place for a minute or so when a thud on tip resulted in a definite drop back. I took up the slack and struck into my first barbel of the session. It felt a decent fish in the strong current. By now it had dropped directly in front of me and I was keen to keep the rod high and the fish moving to prevent it from getting snagged. I caught a glimpse of the fish in the clear water and was able to watch it as it eased ever closer. Steady pressure got it under the rod tip where it made several lunges for the main current. Eventually the fish was netted. It looked a nice fish but most Wye barbel tend to be in the 4-7lb class and although it looked slightly better than that I was not expecting what lay in the folds of the net. As the fish was laid onto the unhooking mat I knew instantly that I had landed my first Wye double. The scales soon confirmed this with a reading of 10lb 11oz. It was a beautifully conditioned fish with its golden flanks glistening in the September sun and had plenty of room for further growth. What a start after 25 minutes of fishing. My first Wye double!  Another barbel came to the next cast albeit of the more expected proportions. The next few casts saw me admiring the surroundings. Much has been written about the beauty of the Wye Valley and with the sun beaming down there was nothing to dispute this. A lone buzzard soared above the far bank woodland. The water glistened and sparkled as the odd strand of weed broke surface every so often. It was truly a moment of contentment.

I finished with 7 barbel in a frantic 4 hours or so

Half an hour passed without me even noticing. I reeled in twice to find my bait gone, probably from small fish, so I changed to a boilie which I find a bit more robust. I broke a few bits off to make an irregular shape and off I went again. By 8.30 it was almost dark. I had manged seven barbel. Most in the 6-7lb mark although two were probably around 8lb. Despite fishing a heavily weeded area, I suffered no tackle loss and only lost one fish to a hook pull. Even better was the small amount of bait I used. Although I had packed 6 pints of hemp, corn, pellets and boilies my total for the session was a few 8mm pellets, 2 boilies and the contents of around 15 PVA bags. Who says you need loads of bait to catch barbel? I was obviously fortunate to have stumbled upon them so bait was not required to draw fish to me. It proved just how important location is as well as not turning up with preconceived ideas. Had I stuck with my original plan I would have no doubt struggled with maybe a fish as the light faded. However, the main lesson I learned was not to ignore this majestic river for so long. There are few better places to spend a few hours catching fish.

My first Wye double

Back to the drawing board

Scary to a toddler

After returning from a week away, it was time to get back out and do some fishing. First trip was an impromptu session. I gave my 3 year old son the option of a bike ride or going fishing. Fishing was
the clear winner so off we went armed with a lure rod and a few essentials. A Pike of around 5lb resulted which gave me a right run around. My son watched from afar because of the 'sharp teeth'. It was the only fish of the session, mainly because I missed another hit but it was great fun for us both to share a bit of time together on the bankside. It turned out to be the highlight of the week.

 Wednesday saw me visit the BAA's new Stacklands stretch on the Wye. It is a cracking looking stretch but I knew I'd been in for a struggle given the very sunny weather and clear water conditions. And so it proved. Two chub at the death saved a blank but I'll definitely return and I will change my approach as a result of that first visit. A chat with the bailiff revealed a barbel or two is considered a good session so it's certainly not an easy stretch unlike some of the Wye beats you read about.

BAA's new Wye water

I finished the week off with an evening session on the Avon. It was very quiet. Very few chub taps, definitely no bites and all in all a disappointment. As dark fell I had a savage bite that pulled the rod from the rest. It screamed Barbel but the culprit was a 4lb 8oz Chub that fought rather tamely for its size.

The weekend saw the rivers rise a little after the heavy rain in Friday but another trip away saw me miss out on any advantage the new water brought so it looks like a change of venue might be on order so I can struggle in new surroundings!