Warwickshire Avon - Gimcracks and Galligaskins

Dave Seaman a DJ I've grown up with has a show on Mixcloud titled Radio Therapy, the working week, head down, work out, with repetitive beats just how I like them, one's mind away from what keeps interfering with one's mindfulness, you know, what we all have to contend with, yeahhhh that thing called Life.

Fishing can give that for sure, in abundance, but then we all know that as fisherman, it's one of the reasons why we spend hours bankside often staring at motionless floats and rattleless quivertips.

A trip bankside can me back on the straight and narrow rather than straying off piste down a red run. Now this session was a quicky after work for Barbel. Not ideal conditions with a river on the rise after recent rain, but a chance maybe especially when the light went at dusk.

A usually productive area was again the chosen stretch and despite not catching a Barbel yet from here this season I'd seen some nice fish when it had been low and clear.

So witrods already set up it was a matter of casting out and enjoying the peace. Now the river was up a tinge of colour and every so often I had to recast as debris had collected around the line, a bit of a pain but to be honest expected.

All was going well until a turkey twizzler eating tearaway appeared in the garden in the house opposite with his mate. After annoying his gym loving mother to such an extent she shouted at him louder than was probably necessary, after reluctantly obeying her commands, he decided to venture to the small pontoon at the end of his garden and start skimming stones not only in to my swim but also hitting the hull of the boat that was moored up.

Now I could have pointed out the error of his ways but unlike me I decided to upsticks altogether and venture right down to the bottom of the stretch and give the Jimny a workout. Some nice dips, ruts and climbs and at the end a rather large area of wet grass.

No problem with the newly acquired toy but it meant it would also provide some shelter if the heavens opened whilst I was bankside. With some smelly baits out with a pva bag of small spicy sausage pellets I thought it gave me a chance of a bite. The debris coming down seemed to increase though here but eventually I managed a unhindered hour in to dusk where sadly the rods remained motionless.

So again since the start of the new season I've yet to catch a Barbel, I wouldn't say back to the drawing board as I'm sure with conditions improving I'll catch one soon enough. If anything the time on the bank with help with the probability.

Whilst that that session couldn't be any more lacklustre, Nic has upload the recent Zander session that couldn't be more different. Bites two at a time, take a look below and check out his other videos.