This week has seen a lack of time on
the bank as I had three days booked of with the girlfriend. I did
have a FAS barbel teach-in at Stanford End on Tuesday evening and
apart from the initial disappointment of two no-shows we had a great
evening. These teach-ins aren’t all about catching fish as for the
first hour or so I go through how I approach the river, what I look
for, the bait applied and tactics employed. This briefing is so that
anglers can return and know that what they are doing and the swims
they are fishing have a track record of producing.
Each angler picked a swim and settled
down, yet the text requesting a photo failed to arrive early on.
After spending time talking and helping the anglers the first fish
was landed a chub of around 3lb, however this angler revealed that he
had lost a big barbel earlier in the session. Two anglers had settled
in one of the bigger swims as a big fish had rolled as darkness fell
and soon after casting out Nige was into his first ever barbel which
weighed 8lb 2oz. No further action came, yet all the anglers learnt
lots and will be returning with plenty of confidence.
Wednesday we visited Thorpe Park and as
I crossed the bridge into the theme park I looked out across the
lakes and remember the time spent fishing these magical waters,
however today was far from relaxing as I was going to experience a
few white knuckle rides for the first time. OMG!
Thursday arrived and my weekly nine
holes of golf with my mother at dawn were completed before settling
down in the office to catch up on emails etc. The afternoon was spent
getting a couple of lightweight carp rods ready for a few hours on
the river Itchen as well as organising the kit for a days guiding on
Frensham the following morning. I really should have cancelled the
trip to the Itchen as it was gone midnight when my head hit the
pillow and come 3.45am the alarm was ringing.
Meeting Steve next to the hotel we
headed up the bridal path, an area I haven’t fished for a while and
my second choice of swims as another angler had just beaten me to my
preferred area. The first draw back was the rain that started as we
set up and just seconds after casting out I knew that float fishing
with maggot was going to be a non-starter as a tiny perch grabbed the
bait. Loads more followed and after two hours we had to rethink
tactics. A couple of tench had rolled over the groundbait so I
decided to head home and grab a few small tutti fruity boilies. By
the time I returned it was nearly 10am, the time that the tench
normally go of the feed and after setting up scaled down bolt rigs
and casting out we awaited a response. Casting every fifteen minutes
the first bite finally came around midday and Steve slid the net
under a new personal best tench weighing 6lb 2oz. This was followed
by two more in quick succession and we were beginning to think we
were onto a winner yet come 3pm and after a couple of hours of
inactivity we decided to settle for the three. It was one of those
days when the odds seem to be against us, yet constantly casting and
tweaking things finally paid off and we left feeling very content as
well as learning loads.
Next week I looking forward to a whole
week of fishing with my mate Chris. The first couple of days have
been planned to visit a new stretch of the river Thames with carp,
chub and barbel our target as well as trying our luck on the Loddon
for a barbel or two. Come Wednesday we will review are results and
either head to a Stillwater for some action if things have been tough
or continue on the rivers.
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