Warwickshire Avon – Cankles, Collops, and Collywobbles

Butterflies in ones stomach, is a fantastic feeling isn't it. A while back something I hooked in the weir really did do me over like nothing has ever done before. The roach deadbait came back a sliver of meat, the razor sharp teeth leaving it unrecognizable the thin gauge hook that has caught many a thick jawed Zander, pulled straight out such was the resistance, the Zander set-up, like a fine bungee cord trying to stop a rampaging Eddie Hall.

This was a huge predator no question, I'd never had a rod bent like that before….

Now talking of huge predators, it reminded me of a friend Zouchy who was befriended by a large cankle equipped predator with a Billy Ray Cyrus haircut at a lad’s night out at the infamous Fatty Arbuckles in Coventry.

Any resistance was futile, she was the boss, he the prey….

At the end of the night, he even had to buy her a burger from the chuck wagon, his arm lifted behind his back, her other arm round his shoulder.

We stood and watched, such was the doing over he received, they wander away in the distance, the night never spoken about.

The stuff of legends.

As Zouchy did, I'm sure of it, I was back at the hallowed waters for a couple or three goes….

It’s low and clear you see and the meat eaters love these conditions. They are prey fish after all, so it's all about the sight.

A little like the clap, being clear is good.

Apart from the Pike set-up I also had a lure rod to see if I could tempt a Perch from the depths, I must admit I don’t lure fish enough, especially whenever I catch a fish using the method it gets ones heart going ten to the dozen.

Best laid plans and all that because, sadly more unfinished business.

You see some bank clearers were there hacking a load of stuff down which ended up coming downstream, also when they eventually went a late comer which I failed to see had taken up residence in the swim I wanted to fish.

Who brings their missus fishing FFS, well apart from Russ Hilton  (Hi Russ)

So only option was to explore some of the other swims, now the river is low, very low in fact, and donning ones cocoons I tried to spot any decent fish lurking for future sessions. They were obviously tucked up under the canopy cover as apart from bleak and little chublets, there was nothing of note.

Eventually I managed a little Jack from using a little shad in the margins.

One swim looked very perchy though, canopy cover, very dark and a gap in-between looked the perfect sanctuary for a stripy.

I changed the wire hook link to fluro and fitted it with a rubber replicant worm.

Perfect cast....

Float settles, flow starts to get hold, float bobs, float goes under....

Fish is on, the rod was a 2.25lb TC, so not ideal as my 1.5lb rods would be more suited but I turn it out in to the main flow and it's out in all its glory.

This is a BIG Perch, it's head now out of the water, shaking vigorously to shed the hook.

It then does one last fast lunge and it's cover bound again, and then....

Stuck Fast, all goes tight. I let some slack out, no good, fish gone, hook buried in a thick branch.

Arrrrrrrrhhhhhhhh !!!! Rod thrown down in anger.

So that's two decent fish I've lost here.

At least I know where it lives.

Gets home peed off, decided to order myself a new car to replace my similar steed albeit in hatchback form, at least that's something to look forward to as, as always the start of the season I find very tough indeed. Much bigger boot too and at least my rubber net will fit with the seats up.

Back out Saturday early, Tench me thinks.