A state of quandary...

I hooked a Barbel a few days ago, the first I've hooked in a long time. To be honest with the rivers low and stupidly clear I haven't really targeted them in anger. The bite came at dusk and was a proper rod wrencher, the classic Barbel bite.

I used a bait dropper to leave a carpet of hemp and bait was a caviar pellet covered in a spicy sausage flavored paste. Anyway back to the bite, a fish was on and felt a decent size too but it found a snag mid-water, and it wouldn't budge, so I lost the fish.

As the nights are drawing in, my after work fishing times are being vastly reduced so I can just about manage a couple of hours on the bank that's about it. The bait and wait approach seems to suit the limited sessions as when I'm 'waiting' I chuck a small soft lure out and about to see what's there.

I had a few Perch and a jack so far but nothing of size.  Hopefully I'll get another few trips in before I'll have to call my after work session off. Shame the rivers are so low because with a bit of colour the rivers fish completely different, like chalk and cheese. It really is that simple.

After a night-out in Warwick to hear my mates women problems (groundhog day, sorry Simon :) ), in the morning we ventured to the ressi. With the pool covered in leaves and surface scum I moved over to the opposite side of the lake, away from my favorite peg. A sleeper rod with lobworm and I fished a small pole float next to some overhanging branches. It was an odd day, me and 4 other anglers were catching Perch, Silver Bream, Roach, Skimmers, Gudgeon and Rudd but no Tench or Carp.

Talking of scum and I'm not talking about the person who left a load of little again for me to pick up, over the years the accumulation of fallen leaves has left a thick sludge on the bottom of the reservoir reducing the capacity. It looks like the owners may do something about it, not just dredging it but widening it, fixing the fencing, new platforms,  and even talk of a car-park. It's not a definite yet but could well happen. It's a great little venue that could be made so much better. Could be next month, next year or never we will see. Enough of that back to the fishing..

I did manage a Perch a Gnats nadger under 2lb but the larger ones didn't show. I'm in a bit of a guandary what to do now. I'm a river man at heart but we desperately need some rain as fishing is difficult so the next session I might even just go down the cut for a couple of hours. I've not been to my Zander banker swim in ages, so that might be my next port of call.