Warwickshire Avon - Suffarcinate and Superfluity

2 fishing trips in one day, who would have thought it. But then after calling a session early where I'd blanked and with the weather clearing nicely, a still had a small window off opportunity to fish in to dusk.

I had to act fast because after this session the rivers would likely rise yet again and the local roads back to flooding again. With the Bloggers Challenge coming to an end pretty soon and not having registered any points for ages after an initial surge, I needed to make my time count.

Location well, after fishing one particular area without much success but know there are silver bream in residence that's where I head to. The last time I tried to fish it an impromptu match was on and I had to go elsewhere.

Now It was in-fact Nic from Avon Angling UK who said "why not fish in to dusk with a halibut pellet and fishmeal groundbait"

For him you see when he used to fish it that's where the bites from bream came. To be fair I had fished it twice in to dusk and yes the bites came, but the bites from me came anything but a bream. He even trawled through past captures to confirm that yes indeed, there have been silver bream hear for a while.

The river clarity was also getting better, the colour and levels dropping fast over the last 24 hours, that won't last, in-fact as I type this I'm glad I got out, the rivers likely to be un-fishable for the rest of the season. Lots of rain the day after this session and also sleet combined with a low air temp it's going to be a tough countdown to the season end.

A slight change of tactics this time I'd fish a tight bed of bed via a method feeder. I'd used this tactic earlier on in the challenge and it certainly worked well. In-fact some of the bites were unmissable.

I'd some groundbait left over from earlier so I had nothing to lose. I'd some 12mm Lone Angler pellets and also some soft 11 mm halibut pellets I could use via a quickstop. Now the water temp wasn't that high but if the fish weren't moving maybe a concentrated area of bait was better than a bed of bait especially if I didn't have the time anyway.

I started off on the soft pellet and headed in to dusk and after half an hour or so without a bite I was worried it would be another wasted trip. The river was up for sure but at the downstream end I knew from the previous sessions here that is a nice slack despite the relatively turbulent flow.

A set-up that has worked well in the past.

Eventually the bites came and in-fact I more or less knew straight away what they were. Small roach, after a couple hanged themselves Nic was right, it switches on here big time. I set-up my torch with the narrow beam to focus on the tip and more or less as I sat down again a proper pull round, a decent bite.

I've photographed Otters here so maybe like other waters, that's when feeding time begins and also being a match venue, that's where the matchmen's bait is hoovered up.

Not a great fight for sure but as soon as I landed it and gave it a good once over with the head torch, I knew it wasn't a silver bream nor a bream, it appeared to be a roach bream hybrid and at 1lb 12oz.

Not a bad fish either considering it's only the 2nd to be registered on the scoreboard, the other by Nic himself not a millions of miles away, because I was there when he caught his.

It coughed up a few red maggots and I left it in the net before packing my stuff up, 'slightly' going over my allotted session time but also I should have really been off by now.



But just goes to show it can pay off after the relatively hard work and effort I've put in here. This probably my 5th or 6th session and probably nearly a days worth of fishing without even a bream, yet alone a silver bream which was the initial target.

A quick photo in the net with the iPhone flash, I better get going !!!!

I've got a habit of doing similar to be honest, a last gasp session in another Bloggers Challenge I caught a 20lb river carp. and leapfrogged Sean if I recall to keep my 2nd place on the rivers chart, hopefully this year I can do one better.

This my 12th or 13th registered species if I recall (15 actually see below, current standing ), I didn't even think that I would manage anything like that at the start of this years challenge. A very cobbled together post a bit like the session, but can I manage another species ?

Fingers crossed, because a last gasp carp up at the deep bit on the Avon may be in order. A swim close in, at the end of something manmade is perfect for a margin feeder, I've fed every time I've been in the area, an area where I know for a fact carp have come out in the matches.

Not big fish not even doubles I don't think, but a carp would do, just need to be able to get out now. We will see, I caught a Warwickshire Avon carp last time in March so there is method in my madness.

Thus far !!!

1. Barbel 10lb 11oz
2. Bream 4lb 8oz
3. Bullhead 0.3 oz
4. Chub 5lb 6oz
5. Dace 5.4oz
6. Eel 1lb 8oz
7. Gudgeon 1oz
8. Grayling 8oz
9. Perch 1lb 2oz
10. Pike 11lb 10oz
11. Roach 12oz
12. Roach Bream Hybrid 1lb 12oz
13. Rudd 6.2oz
14. Ruffe 0.7oz
15. Zander 6lb