Warwickshire Avon – Plop & Drop

A flowing river, narrowed by overgrowth

Perched upstream, colours of azure, of bittersweet

Territorial, it watches, in wait

Lightning quick, reading the contours, kissing the surface

Eyes closed, it dives, beak open

It succeeds, the minnow aloft, it returns

It strikes, prey limp, head-first, it’s gone

I’ve encountered pairs of Kingfishers in all the river stretches I fish in Warwickshire but here they seem to be used to the angler, like they are part of the territory, the norm. When the rods are motionless they really are a joy to watch, their breakneck speed is something to behold, and it’s a privilege to witness.

I need a better camera.

For this short evening session I’d stick it out in one swim after adding a couple of baitdroppers of hemp and broken boilies. It was busy when I got there so I couldn’t fish one of the swims I’d liked but still plenty to choose from. So 3 droppers under an overhanging tree and one downstream amongst some reeds just off a crease.

I’d leave the swim for a good while whilst rigging up. A couple of boilies on the upstream rod on a long hooklink and downstream a chunk of garlic meat.

Talking of garlic meat Tesco sell a garlic sausage from the maker Morliny, it comes with a tough as old boots skin so when mounted on a hair even using a small boilie stop the bait stays on remarkably well, ok a chub will eventually hook-itself but it’s surprising just how many pulls and tugs it can have and still stay intact.

You can see why fish like it….

Pork (57%), Water, Pork Fat, Pork Rind, Potato Flour, Salt, Soya Protein, Stabilisers (E451, E452, E261, E326, E508), Pork Collagen Protein, Sugar, Flavour Enhancer (E621), Antioxidant (E316), Garlic Powder (0.5%), Gelling Agent (E407), Glucose, Thickener (E425), Vegetable Extracts, Spice Extracts, Hydrolysed Maize Protein, Flavouring, Smoke Flavouring, Dried Yeast, Yeast Extract, Preservative (E250), Filled into inedible casing

With baits plopped in and positioned not a fat lot happened for half an hour or so but an hour from dusk when the fish become more active I started to get indications. The first Chub gave the downstream rod a right going over and a mint one it was too, only 3lb or so but nice all the same.

Then the switched was pressed….

With 20 minutes or so before the end of civil twilight I’ve never see a river come so alive, fish topping everywhere, small and large.

3 more chub were banked, all of a similar size. Shame I had to leave as I was starting to enjoy myself, I’d have loved to have been watching the isotope as I’m sure a Barbel would have graced my net.

I think for the next evening session I’m going to have a static rod with the centrepin’s ratchet as a bite alarm and trot a bait, the fish were really coming up in the water, Barbel too which is encouraging.