Warwickshire Avon – Monsters Inc.

I’d been eyeing up this swim for ages as it looked ideal for big Perch and this quick smash and grab evening session was the first time I’d fished it.

It was really shady you see and even with the river as clear as it is, predators would have a nice canopy over their heads and somewhere to hide and tuck themselves away. The pace is also pedestrian with a few static areas too which I thought would also suit the fish hunters.

The first fish caught was a dinky Pike the smallest I’d ever caught but then weirdly every other fish caught was also a predator in miniature.

It was like I stumbled on a training school for future hunters….

These were predators on L plates….

But then as the light was going and nearing the self-imposed finishing time, I hooked in to the teacher. I knew it was a decent Zander because I saw its flanks but they are tricky hooking the best of times so next time I fish it I’ll be armed with some Sakuma Manta’s easily the best Zander hook I’ve found. 

The more I fish this stretch of river the more I feel at home, there is just so much to go at so this season I’ve more or less written off as a long and drawn out reccy….

Again, I had the stretch to myself, it’s like I’ve got my own private waters.

I’ll be back….