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.

Do we need a river close season? (edited)

I note that Dave Harrell has penned an article in this week’s Angling Times calling for a lift on the river close season. After all, it’s the only type of UK waterway that still has an obligation to close on March 15^th.

Now I’m fully aware of the pros and cons depending on which side of the fence you sit on. Those in favour of a close season claim it protects the banks and associated wildlife and spawning fish. To be fair, given that many of the country’s rivers are suffering from predation, abstraction and many other problems it could be deemed this argument is as pertinent as ever.

On the flip side, those wanting a change to the rules offer the idea that it could boost the economy, offer more choice to anglers, and that stillwaters and canals haven’t suffered so why would rivers?

Personally, I would like to leave things as they are and that comes from someone who lives a few hundred metres from the Warwickshire Avon and would benefit more than most from a rule change. You’re probably wondering why? Well, for me the 16^th June is still a special date in the angling calendar. The week preceding the 16th will have me getting tackle ready, preparing bait and thinking through my approach for the big day with great anticipation. A rule change would see this lost forever. Perhaps that’s a bit old fashioned but it’s what I look forward to. Since most of my angling is carried out on the river, the close season also gives me an opportunity to fish elsewhere and have a bash at other species. My observations also show that most canals are under fished and to add so are many stillwaters, commercials excepted. Therefore, the argument that they are fine doesn’t actually paint the full picture. If commercial fisheries suffer fatalities due to angling pressure then they simply buy new stock. This of course cannot happen on a natural fishery.

As I mentioned earlier, some rivers have really suffered in recent years due to cormorants, otters and poachers for the pot. These fish haven’t been replaced and some areas are hardly worth fishing. Ask anglers on the Windrush or Bristol Avon what the Barbel fishing is like these days and you wouldn’t get much of a response.  On my local Warks Avon, I know that weirs in particular get lots of angling pressure throughout the season yet these are the main sites, due to the oxygenated water, where many fish spawn. Would anglers really be happy fishing over gravel runs used for spawning? Perhaps, with some years seeing fish spawning outside the close season a change to the dates would be more appropriate than a lift.

I’ve not managed to read the article yet on the Angling Times but I can see why match anglers may want a lift since it increases the chances of river fishing and if you’re a river expert in those circles like Dave Harrell then that equates to extra income. Now although Dave won’t remember me, I do have memories of him giving chats and advice when I was a youngster with the Birmingham based, Junior Starlets and he always seemed a decent bloke. However, it would be interesting if his main points for a change actually benefit the angler or the river. Any views would of course be welcome from anyone reading so thanks in advance.

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P.S. - it appears Mr Harrell's main argument is that the current close season should be used to compensate for poor weather during the winter months. I personally don't think it's argument enough to warrant a change, but that's my opinion. Our rivers need all the help they can get at the moment and I'm not sure lifting the close season would aid the current issues they face.