Hampton Lucy Brook - 07.07.12

With the river in flood and the weather unsettled I nearly didn't go fishing this evening, was a bit last minute, but there seemed a break in the rainfall and I could even see some blue sky. The Avon was at least a metre up when I got there, so with my rods already set-up with only 2oz leads I settled into a swim with some slack water and a overhanging tree.

The water was chocolate brown so one rod I had some garlic spam and the other baited with a halibut pellet and crab paste. For an hour not even a rattle on either rod tip but as soon as dusk came the was some interest. The tip eventually wrapped round and I was finally into a Barbel. Only a small one this time and I didn't bother weighing it but it looked about 4.5lb, it fought well and the pace of the water meant the rod bent double. The heavens opened soon after, but I glad I made the effort to get out, another mint condition Barbel graced my net.