Warwickshire Avon - Chuff’s and Chimneys

A miser, penurious, stingy a niggardly, they are certainly not words to describe me this time of the year, apart from a few social and family events, catering for the welcoming receivers and fork clutchers, Bob the postie gets a bottle of wine, the bin men a token tot and a tip and the teachers a couple of stocking fillers.

Now Sam was on his best behaviour this week as after this Christmas Eve session in to dusk if he hadn’t Santa would bypass our chimney and move on to the next leaving him with nought, ok, maybe a bag of pork scratching and some tripe and onions.

Top of his Santa list for this year a “MASSIVE Nerf Gun” and second on the list, “A BIG Tackle Box”

The weather had picked up a little of late with temperatures during the day in to double figures and overnight also relatively mild so I didn’t have to scrape the windscreen and annoy the neighbours. So this session which was Sam’s first in to dusk trip out, well apart from the River Ise where as soon as the bats came out he legged it back to the comfort of his Mum’s rather comforting bosom. To be fair to him I’d have joined him if it wasn’t for the shoal of big Roach I’d spotted under an overhanging tree.

They don’t understand do they, non fisherman that is….

He wanted to feel the power of a Barbel so I hatched a plan “the best time Son is headed in to dusk”. Luckily here, we cannot stay much beyond that and to be fair in my experience as soon as the light goes the rod usually wraps over in celebration.

“Then Yeti’s start to come out Dad”

And we’d have to leave quick sharpish….

The water temperature is still pretty low but I've caught Barbel here in winter before so I'm sure they would be ready to dine and up for feeding. So two rods out prior to sun down, both running rigs, pva bags of freebies and a hair rigged big glugged Complex-T boilies. Simple and effective, sit back, avoid the Chub bangs and plucks and wait for the rod to properly go over. Best laid plans and all that.

Things didn't go to well to be honest....

To hedge my bets we had an hour in the weir and it proved to be a good decision, well to avoid a blank anyway as the small whole deadbait was picked up by a small Chub half hour in the session. The lure rod remained untouched.

So the move down to the Barbel area proved fruitless, not even a nibble come dusk and it was plainly obvious they were not feeding as usually it's like a switch down here come sun down.

Oh well at least it wasn't a blank.....

Merry Christmas to the fellow bloggers and readers !!!