Give it a rest...

After I spoke to Mal the chairman last week please always use the official car park when you fish the Brook, the club have invested in a good combination lock and the code is in your Stratford book. Not only does it make it easier to tell if you a member or not it gives the farmer less of a reason to complain. I've been guilty of parking on the area before the gate in the past but as the lock and gate is now sorted there is no excuse.

It only takes me 8 minutes to get to the venue , 10 today as I stopped to get a picture of the field full of rapeseed. You can just about see the Welcombe Hills monument in the distance, it was Erected in 1876 by Robert Needham Philips to honour his brother Mark Philips, this obelisk on the hill above the Welcombe Hotel is visible for miles up and down the vale of the Avon.

Welcombe was once part of the chief manor of Old Stratford and in Shakespeare’s time the Combes family had a considerable estate here. In 1845 Mark Philips, son of a northern industrialist purchased Welcombe Manor and in the 1860s rebuilt it as the family seat. Today this forms the Welcombe Hotel. Mark Philips was also notable as Manchester’s first Member of Parliament. If you're in the Stratford area go and have a butchers.

Anyway back to the fishing, I stupidly left my luncheon meat and hemp in the garage so only had sausage sizzle squabs in my rucksack. Not a touch in a few swims for a couple of hours, it was only when the bats started to stir and the sun was going down when things started to happen. The fish started to top and I was having the odd indication on the rod tip.

Within 15 minutes of each other I had banked two Chub, the last one weighed 4lb 4oz and wrenched the rod over so much I thought it was a Barbel.

Slow going this evening but then I rarely blank at this venue so I cannot really complain. Bazal Peck has started to fish this venue too and looks like he is enjoying his time here as much as me and it's also nice to know how other anglers are getting on. I'm giving the Brook a rest for a few weeks and plan to fish other venues. A trip to the Reservoir and Wasperton are on the cards.