Piscatorial Quagswagging

...the diary of a specialist angler in around the Warwickshire Avon and its tributaries.

Sunday, 21 October 2012

Hampton Lucy Brook - 20.10.12

I've been of action for a week due to a bad cold and stomach bug, it's gone through our house like wildfire, I even missed one of the regular Shanghai matches. Feeling much better , and with the water in the Avon up and coloured,  the weather mild I went to the Brook for a morning session.


I got there at dawn and was the only fisherman there all day, the mist hung around till I left and for about an hour or so I couldn't see more than about 20 yards. The water was motoring though so I fished an upstream rod under a overhanging tree with a lobworm as bait and a downstream rod in some slack water with a big piece of Garlic spam.


Bites were hard to come by and the first fish was a nice Perch of just under 2lb. A lovely fat River perch that was in great condition. I caught a few more smaller Perch on worm and even a nice Roach.


The downstream rod was mainly motionless in the 4 hours I fished however as I was packing up to leave the baitrunner screamed off and a fish had hooked itself, as soon as I lifted the rod and felt the fish I knew it was  decent Barbel, the flow didn't help progress and with the rod bent double I was struggling to gain control, I managed to turn the fish however it was headed to the roots of a sunken tree so I had no choice but to bully it out of the snag. With the line singing and giving the tackle as much force as I dared, all of a sudden, ping, the fish was off.

I thought the hooklength might have snapped at the swivel or the knotless not failed however the hook had straightened, I've never ever had that before and they are good hooks too, heavy gauge and usually up to the job.

No big Barbel today sadly, a nice Perch and one sorry looking hook.


6 comments:

  1. Tom Herbert21 October 2012 at 13:58

    I have suffered a few straightened hooks in the past, it is very frustrating, still a lovely looking perch though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lee Fletcher21 October 2012 at 18:50

    Unlucky Mick, hope you get a good one out soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Daniel Everitt22 October 2012 at 17:33

    Bad luck on the loss Mick!

    I noticed that your hook link exits the eye on back. It might seem a tiny thing but if the line exits at the front of the hook it changes the angle of the hook under pressure. Sometimes the smallest thing makes all the difference between loss and capture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Piscatorial Quagswagging22 October 2012 at 20:00

      You never know Danny that might have been the reason, suppose I've always tied my hooks like that, the next rig I tie I might change the exit position and see if that helps, it makes sense if I think about it.

      Me and Barbel this year haven't got on at all well :)

      Delete
    2. Daniel Everitt23 October 2012 at 17:21

      I was talking to a friend of mine a while ago about Hampton Lucy brook and he mentioned it can be fished on a day ticket.

      Do you know if he was correct Mick because I have heard along the grape vine that there is some very respectable perch caught from time to time.

      Delete
  4. Piscatorial Quagswagging23 October 2012 at 19:28

    Day tickets are available according to my Stratford book, £5 for a full day and I assume available from Stuarts in Stratford. All visitors must be accompanied by an association member, and limited to two guests per member.

    I know the stretch quite well now, all the undercuts, holes etc and have found where the Perch ,it's a small venue but lots of character and so far of me, produced some half decent fish.

    Any more info just email me at mick@micknewey.co.uk

    ReplyDelete