Back on the river....

The Warwickshire Avon Brook was the venue of choice for the first river session in weeks, it was looking in decent fettle too when I got to the bank. I cannot believe how much the levels have dropped in a week, there was also a nice blue tinge to it. Plenty of flow because it's still up from the average river level but unlike the last couple of months the river was fishable.

 

Tactics were a  link-ledgered lobworm with red maggots as feed. Rod was a 11ft Drennan Avon Quiver with a cheap Dunlop centrepin I found at Sports Direct. The Chub banker swim which is quite well hidden from the bank produced a nice Chub of 3lb 14oz's, a proper scrappy fight too as there are snags both sides of the swim. The water was far clearer than I thought and as soon as the sun came up I'm not sure if that put the fish off or not because despite me trying plenty all the swims that usually throw up a Chub or two, that was the only fish I caught.

Strange, oh well nice to be back on flowing water again, and as usual only me fishing this stretch of River. With the river close season nearly upon us I've got running water plans for the next couple of weeks, probably the Warwickshire Stour and the Arrow.

Peas in a Pod

The rivers maybe fishable next weekend so I decided to have another trip to the reservoir. A frosty start when I got there at 7.00am and it was only when I heard a faint beeping from a Delkim and a man shaped silhouette at the far side of the pool that I realised I had company. To try and better my 2lb 11oz PB I set-up in my favourite peg with my usual 2 rod set-up, a float rod with Perch bobber and centrepin and a sleeper rod with a running rig. Lobworms as hookbait and red maggots as feed.

I’ve found especially on the running rig 2 big lobworms seem to attract the bigger Perch, I use a small split shot an inch from the hook and air inject one of them. I use the Zandavan rollover indicator and Delkim as bite indication; I’ve got such confidence in the set-up that I’ve bought another indicator and alarm so I can use two rods with the same running rig. Centre Parcs will be ideal for this as I’ve found the Perch are in the open water rather than near the margins and tree cover.

The set-up can also be used for Zander and eels for example as it’s more or less resistance free. Something else I’ve found is when the Perch takes the bait and pulls line from the open bail arm lift the rod off the rest and feel the line like you would when you touch ledger, as soon as you feel a pull on the line and some resistance, that’s the time to strike. I don’t think I’ve missed a bite since.

Anyway to the fishing, in four hours I had 6 or 7 Perch with the biggest 2lb 9oz on the sleeper rod and a 2lb 8oz’er on the float. The smallest was a pound and a half. Every time I fish here I’m looking to beat my PB, sadly I didn’t today but with the river close season nearly upon and spring round the corner the spawning Perch will be their biggest. Is there a >3lber here ? no doubt about that in my mind.

What a fantastic morning, sunshine really does make a massive difference to a chilly morning, because as soon as the sky cleared and the sun took hold it was very pleasant, it certainly was a big contrast to the weather we have been experiencing up till now. I was back home for midday to take the kids to the park, fishing as a hobby is great isn't it.

A Snitterfield Sergeant

I’ve never caught or even seen a picture of a specimen Perch being caught at Snitterfield Reservoir, no reason why there shouldn’t be big’uns within its largely uncharted depths, plenty of prey fish for them to feast on where they are top dog and it’s a match fishing venue predominately so they are not specifically targeted. In the summer months I fish the crater for the crucians or big carp where fishing a big lobworm under a float you could catch any number of different species before even catching a Perch.

I decided to have a bash this morning though as there was a limited weather window where it wouldn’t be raining and Warwick Racecourse reservoir might be off the cards as there was potentially a race meeting on. It also helps that the high banks provide some sanctuary from the wind at the miserable weather we have been having and being stupidly deep about the only thing that would be braving the cold waters would be the Perch. With lobworms on both rods there might have even been a chance of a big Roach which I know live here.

Perch like structure and features so I decided to fish near the overflow and platform area of the reservoir which just happened to be the calmest area. Red maggots were catapulted in to the swim to try and attract the smaller fish for the Perch to home in on. The water resembled a muddy puddle so would probably be a difficult morning.

Best laid plans and all that, as the first two fish were small bream around 3lb but then a cracking bite where the bobbin hit the butt I was playing a decent fish. When the fish came to the surface it was indeed a Perch, and a half decent one too at 1lb 9oz. After that fish no more bites were forthcoming and with the biting wind picking up I decided to call it a day. Snitterfield is a big water so locating the Perch is the hardest task I but it's the sort of water where I bet there's a big one to be caught. With the rivers flooded and the close season nearly upon us, I'm looking forward to trying again.

Reservoir Result, another PB !!!!

I arrived at the reservoir at 7.00am to find the gates locked again, I did think about going to College Pool but I glad I badgered Maurice the bailiff to come and let me in as the Perch were on the feed. A 1lb 9 Perch was the first fish caught followed by a PB of 2lb 11oz and one of 2lb 9oz. I caught quite a few smaller ones too. It had a distinctive pectoral fin shame no one else was fishing as the self-take picture wasn't one of my best. I had to mess around a bit with it also as it was too bright and over exposed, oh well. At this rate it won't be a PB for long anyway.

I fished with two rods today, both baited with lobworms but one under a float and the other air injected on a running rig on the sleeper rod. It started off overcast and when the sun came out the bites were few and far between but the Perch didn't mind and they were still biting. Feed was red maggots, alive and dead. I wonder how many anglers over estimate the size of the Perch they catch, I swore the biggest I caught would be over 3lb. It was long and fat and certainly looked like a 3lber but the scales told a different story. God only knows what a 5lber would look like, they must be huge.

The available river bank time is diminishing and with more rain in the way it doesn't look likely I'm going to be able to fish the river any time soon. I've decided to buy a Warwick book for the next season, apart from the Reservoir that's a nice little water there is the Grand Union canal at Rowington where I want to try for Zander and also a few stretches of the Avon that look good for Carp.