Warwickshire Avon - Bangers and Bantlings

Now Ethical veganism is a "philosophical belief" and so is protected in law, a tribunal has ruled for the first time. Last week a landmark legal case was brought by vegan Jordi Casamitjana, who claims he was sacked by the League Against Cruel Sports because of his ethical veganism. 

But ethical vegans try to exclude all forms of animal exploitation from their lifestyle. For instance, they avoid wearing or buying clothing made from wool or leather, or toiletries from companies that carry out animal testing.

So I assume he not likely to go in to Greggs to ask for a plant based savoury adjacent to the pork offering ?

HEY LOOK AT ME !!!!!!! 

You see I was greeted by a very vibrant sunrise indeed when I hot-footed it to one of my favourite sections of the Warwickshire Avon. Come winter the banks are usually deserted here and I'm free to rove around the snaggy swims that litter this stretch.

I tend to start at the top and work my way down. Chub love it here because there are snags, sunken trees and undercuts they can get themselves tangled up with whatever their predicament, whatever the situation.

They can be cagey though especially in the summer where you can spot the fish drifting in and out of cover.

Bread on the surface can outwit them eventually but you will need to feed nearly a whole Hovis extra thick loaf, then once their bellies reach Mr. Creosote levels just one wafer thin piece of crust can get them leaping out the water once they realise there is a hook in it.

I hadn't been here since the recent floods and it looked like apart from the resident Ottermus Prime and his son Harry Otter the fish hadn't seen bait for a while.

This could work in ones favour....

The river had been well over the banks looking at the debris in the trees and banks as I made my way down the stretch. Two of my favourite swims now out of bounds because of the force of the water had pulled the roots from their anchoring. 

Simple tactics though can get you a bite....

My recently made cheesepaste with added boost of the super hot and fragrant carolina reaper chilli can get you a bite when other baits will be ignored. The colour looked good for a bite, a good foot or so of visibility and slacks could be found because it was still up and whirlpool'y in places.

Anyway the fishing, a short and sweet post this, what a cracking morning I had, 6 fish caught, one fish lost in around 3 hours.

And like buses !!!!, as someone who was struggling to catch a Warwickshire Avon 5lb Chub for a good while, errr around 8 or 9 years, the second fish was the 3rd I've caught now over the five pound mark. This one took the large chuck of paste within seconds of being places in a static swim just off the main flow.

After a sharp couple of twangs on the tip it acted like a Barbel and headed straight off downstream to try and become aquatinted with a sunken tree stump, more or less hooking

Some decent side strain was needed to steer it away from the snag but it was soon in the net. 5lb 2oz on the scales it was short but very fat after its Christmas excesses. A lovely looking fish though, just what a winter chub should look like.

The smallest was around 3lb or so caught from the first swim and there were two certain 4lbers as well within the mix.

All fish came from swims near cover, nothing from open water, they obviously needed to feel safe, somewhere to escape. Not quite my best session down here, but not far off, I'm glad I dragged myself from a warm bed and a couple of large plump pillows.