Warwickshire Avon – Caught in the Act

I’d picked up what seemed like a thousand maggots individually but maybe it was time for the Dyson, out with the big guns.

I hear the gravel drive.

Bugger the Wife is back.

Need to think quickly on my feet.

It’s happened before you see, not only escapee maggots but….

The rancid cheese paste that somehow made it way behind the tumble drier, the mummified roach dead baits undiscovered for months, the lobworms I’d forgot about that turned to mush and I’d better not tell her about the castors I keep on finding in her car, to this day I still don’t know where all the maggots went.

Shhhhhhhhhssshhhhh….

Simple, kettle on !!!

“Oh hello, you’re back early”

“I was just making a coffee, fancy one?”

“Yeah go on then”

“You fishing tomorrow?”

“I am indeed, might sort the tackle out in a bit” “I’ll sort the washing in the tumble drier, you go and sit yourself down” “play that new game if you want”

“You sure?”

“Yeah no problem, I’d only get in your way anyway”

Coffee finished, Wife in the lounge, I know what, the handheld vacuum on top of the fridge is ideal, lift it off its dock, she wouldn’t even hear, easy, it’s even quiet too.

Job’s a good’un….

I slide out the white good from under the worktop, a sh*t load of maggots still on their bid for freedom, the door barricaded by the bait fridge.

Right, let them have it, vacuum now on !!!

The cyclone in full effect, I’m getting down them quick, too, she will be none the wiser.

A tap on the shoulder, I JUMP !!!!!!!.

WTF, she’s gained entry through the garage door.

“Errr what are you doing”

“Nothing, just….”

“ARE THEY MAGGOTS!!!”

Hands up, yes sorry, had a bit of an accident, I’m, sorting it though, don’t worry.

“YEAH WITH MY HOOVER!!!”

“I’ll clean it up, just leave me too it”

“YOU BETTER”

“Shall I get some wine for later?”

“Yeah, that would be nice, now GET IT SORTED”

Luckily she is easily bought, till the next time.

So the session, well I wanted to have a butchers at the middle of the stretch an area I'd not even visited before. I decided to sit it out too, the downstream rod with pellets the upstream rod with a couple of boilies. 

I settled in a swim with mostly dead water to my left but with a nice flow at the top of the swim that made a nice crease that I'd position my baits. Further downstream some thick streamer weed that was in patches.

On the upstream rod I'd put a carpet of hemp and tiny pellets down via a groundbait feeder and I'd switch to a lead to make less disturbance. With the sessions been hard work of late I'd shorten my hair rig and also use a smaller hook, a wide gape size 14.

The first fish came after nearly an hour and a half which was the last cast on the feeder I'd make, it was a Chub that took the boilies on the drop. It gave a good account for itself in the flow and when it turned up looking like it would just about scrape 3lb I was a little disappointed. 

Weirdly no fish on the pellets just a odd bang and tap here and there. At the end of the session though I'd managed 8 or so Chub. Nothing of size but at least it was a bend in the rod.

For the last hour I walked downstream had a nose at the other swims and also tried and failed to catch some decent looking Chub that were held station under the bridge just up from the fast shallow water. The more I look at this area the more I'm thinking I need some waders. Not only decent Chub will be had but Barbel will be in and amongst the streamer weed.

The next session, not sure, I might rove around the lower swims and trundle some meat around, I'm sure a moving bait or something different is the way to go.