Warwickshire Avon - Widgeons and Woundikins

A shallow fast section fished once before, two rods meat not a touch. Those baits were positioned in a sheltered bay when the water levels were up, a green tinge of colour for chub, nothing doing. Now despite it being shallow here, there is also a nice relatively deep bay. Well deep, probably not even 5 foot but a fishing holding spot I was sure.

There were also areas of slack where I'm sure Pike would hold up, so when a planned elusive silver bream and predator session was out as there was a match on when I got there as dawn, this venue sprung to mind to try and put those things to the back of my mind firmly to the front.

So luckily a short drive where again I had the banks to myself which usually seems the norm these days luckily. So a sleeper rod in the margins for smelt and the main line of attack was a groundbait feeder with a lobworm tail with a waxworm addition.

A light quiver rod but with enough backbone if a chub came along I set up this TFG allrounder to its maximum of 10ft where it felt perfectly at home next to the river.

A 4lb fluro hooklink, size 12 fine wire hook and a cage feeder full of lovelyness where I was hoping in the sheltered bay with pedestrian pace a bream or nice chub might be hiding.

The pike float sat nicely on the surface close in and it was a a matter of putting in some feed via the feeder to try and attract fish in the area to feed. I'm sure something would be around to mop up this tasty wriggly hookbait.

And I was right, just as the sun was rising behind me the quivertip pulls round and then continues nearly taking the rod off the rest. The fish was already taking line and by the time I felt the weight of the fish it had already made up a good many metres as it powered off downstream. 

This was a BIG Barbel.... !!!

... I felt completely outgunned quite quick where a tightening of the clutch did nothing apart from the fish upping its game, me wondering how long will I be attached to this fish. By this time the rod was bent double and the line was singing in the wind to a high pitched melody.

Sadly the inevitable happened and when the line was singing, the fish still making ground an 'ALMIGHTY SNAP' !!!! and sadly the fish was off. 

Gutted !!!!

The line was pulling off the drag nicely so maybe it got caught round a snag and snapped me off, I'm not completely sure but one thing I know despite losing the fish, is that I know now there are some big Barbel here.

To be fair I did know about the Barbel, but I didn't think they would be up for a feed in this relatively cold conditions.

As I'm typing this the proper Barbel gear is in the car and I'll fish in to dusk after work tomorrow. A quick hour and a half long trip but if I'm to hook it again at least I'd have the right gear to restrain it.

I hate losing big fish like this but then that's what fishing is all about isn't it. The thought of what might have been on the end of the line, was it a PB ?  who knows but I want to find out.

Anyway back to the session, nearly 2 hours in to the session the pike float sailed away and a small Jack took a liking to the smelt offering. 

Apart from that it was very quiet indeed, the odd tap and pull on the lobworm but nothing strikeable sadly, but at least not a blank, considering it was only 5lb or so, it had been feeding nicely and gave a decent account for itself.