Warwickshire Avon - Spectroheliokinematographs and Slip-upperers

You know me, ones fishing sessions are planned well ahead of when they happen. Those short sessions I cram in, it's the only way to maximise fishing . Tackle and bait sorted, rods made up, all I've got to do is drive to the venue.

Yesterdays planned session a rather large spanner in the works !!!!

You see, initially I thought the vans parked inside the closed road signs were actually workmen themselves but after venturing past the 'access to frontages only sign' the official venue carpark was full to the rafters with the dreaded white van matchmen with no doubt enough tackle to support GB's falling GDP if need be.

I should have checked the club card I suppose, one of the very few matches on this stretch sadly was the evening I chose to fish for Barbel.

The problem now is where to go what to do? a recent three day festival on another local river that has some Barbel in residence finished 24 hours earlier and the fish are always off feeding for a good while. And who can blame them, would you like to be contained in a keepnet again with other unfortunate slip-upperers.

No of cause not....

The syndicate stretch ain't far from here though and that's where I'd chose to fish for this short session. It's been tough down here of late, the larger fish in hiding the other members like me finding it though when it's as clear as this.

Still with the Gudgeon set-up still strapped to the car and a handful of maggots I'm sure a few bites would be forthcoming before I'd put some big lumps of meat out for Barbel in to dusk and beyond.

Fishing isn't all about catching fish though it. Well for some it is I suppose, the seat box frequenters, pole slappers and elastic stretcherers. With an environment like this, what's not to like, the bird life is ridiculous, the insects and butterflies active as ever.

It puts the mind in a good place, a couple of hours of relative solitude on ones own terms.

Ok nothing big was caught on the light quiver set-up but still it nice to catch some of the eager small feeders when the adults where somewhere, where do they go I wonder, I'd love to know?

A few small roach, lots of small perch and a few fat minnows, at least the quiver had a quiver'ing.

Early doors one of the syndicate members had already banked a 12lb 10oz Barbel from here so there are fish about but ones suspicion is that much of the Avon I fish there are some lone lunkers rather than Barbel in numbers.

But there are other fish here too that would like a big bait, the second time I fished here I banked a double figure carp and beat my bream PB. One big difference though, plenty of colour in the water.

Now this Dynamite Baits luncheon meat certain stinks, it's got a nice consistency too. The krill flavour I decided to fish with a sort of cheap fish sandwich paste smell to to it. The fish have to be there though and as dusk came and went without even a couple of chub pulls to rattle the rods, it was another big fish blank.

What a sunset though and with the wind non-existent the session was a much needed tonic, cannot ask for more than that can I.

Well a Barbel would be nice, I'd move on to my preferred species then...