Warwickshire Avon – Saints and Snowflakes

I wonder if a friends ears have been burning, a Siberian weather front was headed our way, ‘The Beast from the East’ about to hit so hard I might even have to wear some thicker socks and maybe even a long sleeve shirt for work such the predicted temperature drop.

I was fully expecting to wake up to 8 inches of snow if I believed the headline makers and scaremongers were to be believed so I cobbled a few bits and pieces together to try for a last gasp Chevin attempt before the apocalypse hit big time and I’d be wondering about the session that never was. A few snowflakes in the air, Mick you must be mad.

To be honest, I'm not disagreeing with that theory....

‘The Beast of La Plagne’ was a nickname given to a female encounter or incidence for some reason he’d rather forget from a snowboarding trip back in the day, one New Year’s Eve on the stroke of midnight, beds broken in the kerfuffle, inhibitions lost, something that unfortunately he couldn’t sweep under the carpet, especially when she turned up when he’d least expect it throughout the remainder of the trip.

He came clean eventually to detail exactly what went on that night whilst Arthttttthhhhur and I were watching the fireworks on the slopes he and ‘she’ were having some of their own. I’ll brush over the sordid details, this is a family blog don’t you know.

With the Avon now at low winters levels with the colour all but dropped out any decent Chub that could be tempted would likely to happen headed in to dusk. I like these quick after work sessions though, just the ticket especially when largely I have the banks to myself the majority of the time. Then again the wind chill was admittedly brass monkeys, so maybe I’m the stupid one.

So two rods, one with the usual cheese paste the other a whitebait that I’d used successfully in the past for Chub maybe it was the edge I needed down this of the woods where come dusk it really does switch on. Chub would eat the grundies of a tramp though such their appetite but for me as an angler I’m intrigued to find out what else I could pick-up using something they’d not likely seen before.

The air temperature was set to drop even further during this week but the water should be sufficient for the Chub to feed before even they might settle in to semi-hibernation and only feed in small spells. Out of all the fish species though they need their fix more than any other, so if there was a chance of catching anything in the coldest of winters a Chub would be a good fish to put your chip on.

Ok maybe I could have abandoned the session altogether but with only a couple of weeks before the season close, I was hoping for one last hurrah before the canals beckoned and another winter gone without the capture of a 5lber to add to the relative mediocre season I’ve had where the two PB’s beaten was for a dace one which to be honest wasn’t a huge target anyway, as I don’t fish for them that often as other species have captured more of my attention.

The other I managed to up my Pike PB to 11lb 8oz, which again, I don’t fish for them that often, more often than not they are picked up when targeting Zander.

With the water temperature now 4.3 degrees, yes really, so a degree drop from Sunday, the day before I was fulling expecting a blank. The first bite came pretty quick though, the left hand rod that was on the inside line next to some cover had some interest. Eventually the tip bent round and continued going, I struck in to the fish and it was on. At first I thought it was a decent chub but then it surfaced and it was a scrappy little jack.

So with the swim messed up a little, back went on a piece of whitebait. The wind was picking up, the air getting colder the wind chill factor up a notch, heck maybe the forecasters are on to something here. Forty-five minutes passed without an indications and then again the whitebait rod starts to go and another fish is on. This time I knew it was a Pike straight away, it gave a good account for itself and was nice to see the fight in clear water on light tackle. Both not managing to get through the 5lb florocarbon.

Quickly landed and returned I swapped both rods to cheesepaste in the next swim down, I'd had strict time keeping requirements for this session and despite giving it another half an hour it was time to head back. The landing net by this time rock solid and stuck to the ground, cold very cold indeed. Bitter was exactly the word for it.

When temperatures on the fall once more I'm expecting the water temperature to fall even further, if I do get out, I haven't a clue what to target, it's a tough one heading in to the closed season that's for sure.As they are cold blooded so food doesn't really have an effect on their body temperatures would go really be doing much if you were not much more than 4 degrees, I doubt very much.

A dry sprinkling of snow overnight without the need to scrape the windscreen apparently we might see more a covering today, we'll see.Maybe the deeper up at the deep bit to find the shoaled up fish is worth a shot, deadbaits over the top to see if anything is lying in wait. Or I might just stay in bed.