Warwickshire Avon - Absolute Blacks and After-Claps

The fishable Alne a colour only Augustus Gloop would fancy a dunking, proper chocolate brown it was, now for whatever reason Chub in the Alne just don't seem to be able to tempted to dine in these proper turbid conditions despite having caught Chevin from similar coloured waters before.

I've tried pungent baits before in the winter floods but for some reason the Alne Chub can be difficult to tempt and believe you me I've tried. 

When the colour is perfect though, that sort of dark grey / dark green colour you cannot fail to catch one.

A near double from Dave !!

The Avon on the other hand luckily wasn't as coloured, and of coarse there are Barbel that reside there if you know where to look, although, I say that, they seem to be harder to find of late. 

The battling Barbus though is always up for a feed in such situations though, they are a target, you just need to give a bait a Glooping.

Now it didn't help that fellow syndicate member Dave Roberts managed to winkle out a near double figure fish 48 hours after he had to beat a hasty retreat. This time though the river was on the fall and he much better prepared for the conditions.

I on the other side of the angling spectrum I was bashing at the keyboard and overworking a CAD machine, whilst chomping at the bit to get out. Luckily a window of opportunity revealed itself and the tackle the packed, the waders dusted off.

Anyway back to the brown stuff, you see I'd eaten 100% chocolate recently and it was a bit of an eye opener, by that I mean chocolate with 100% cocoa solids.

That's right, no sugar or any other ingredients! There’s nothing more chocolatey than 100% chocolate.

You see the Montezuma's chocolate bar (Sainsburys sell it) , Absolute Black, is 100% Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs (93% of the bar is Chocolate and 7% is Cocoa Nibs) .

The bar is intensely fruity (dried plums) plus extremely rich in chocolate and nutty notes throughout. The roasted notes are even, nothing burnt or over done.
As expected, the finish is very bitter but so Goddamn chocolatey that there’s no reason not to love it heck even the nubs are proper crunchy and who isn't up for a crunchy nib.

A nib, you say, well yes cacao nibs or cocoa nibs or cacao nibs are crushed pieces of cocoa bean that have gone through a process of fermenting, drying, and roasting.

They’re jam-packed with chocolatey flavour  and boast a crunchy texture that’s similar to nuts. They’re also loaded with antioxidants and other nutrients including fibre, iron, and magnesium.

Now their taste and nutritional properties help explain why cacao nibs are skyrocketing in popularity in restaurants and superfood aisles in recent time.

Apart from the obvious of adding them to cakes and biscuits for added texture Cacao nibs can be used as a topping on virtually any meal you can think including savoury ones.

Sprinkle them over salads, roasted veggies, yogurt, cereal, or muesli. Or, if you’d prefer the sweet route, use cacao nibs to top a bowl of ice cream, pudding, granola, or fruit salad. 

From condiments and salads to pastries and candy, cacao nibs complement virtually any type of dish. Incorporating these crunchy little bites into your daily cooking routines can add flavour, texture, and nutrients to satisfy any palate. 

Anyway a quick tip, buy another bar, then break it in to chunks and melt in a glass bowl draped over a saucepan of boiling water, once that's done coat some brazil nuts and allow them to cool. You'll thank me later, an awesome Saturday night snack to enjoy with a glass or three of red.

Willy's Worms Finest !!!!

Now talking about satisfying palates, the humble lobworm is the king of baits for many a specimen fish especially in these flood water conditions.  A river in sudden spate you see can disturb the banks and eek out those big fat juicy lobworms chilling with their feet up reading the wriggle weekly.

All of a sudden they are washed away from their sanctuary and are fair game for fish looking for a stomach filler after having had to hold up to avoid the flotsam. 

Once the rivers start to retreat from their peak and the noggin knocking debris has lessened it can be a very productive time to fish especially for Barbel who (and I've experienced it) can go off on a proper feeding frenzy especially when there is extra colour in the water which means they are more confident in venturing out. 

The lobworms juicy protein-packed bodies are packed with goodness that gives the fish all the nourishment it needs, so it’s no wonder why the fish love them so much. 

For this session it was a worm overload, some chopped worms from one's own wormery in the feeder, mixed with some pungent ground bait and a handful of past their best maggots, then a big fat 'un impaled on the hook. 

The Barbel can be closer in than you think too, so bump the empty feeder around to find an area with a clean bottom and it's surprising just how quick the fish can find the feed. Don't neglect swims with turbulent water and boils on the surface either as what happens below isn't always mirrored on the surface. Still they have to be in-front of you and that could be the problem.

And talking of problems, on-route it didn't help that a farmer had shut the road to transition cows from one field to the other. The session caught short, albeit for neigh on fifteen minutes, but heck, I fish short sessions, every minute counts.

Still one good thing about the Suzuki Jimny is that it makes light work of muddy tracks and whilst most cars have to dump their car at the official car park (got the place to myself today) and walk, I can be a stones throw away from the river.

Form follow Function, a rarity with modern cars these days....

All very well this preamble Mick but it shows just how hard fishing can be sometimes in seemingly ideal conditions because despite wading up to my waist to get to a couple of tasty looking swims, and then returning to where I started there was literally nothing doing at all, I got my tactics spot on I thought, but not even a bite or a tug. I thought I'd at least be rewarded for my endeavours. 

So after a suspicious shotgun holder turned up with his girlfriend I assume who was randomly shooting and birds and missing, it was time for the off. You know me though, I love dragging a story out.

Anyway with everything still in the car and with another window of opportunity, I'm going to have another go, this time the middle of the stretch, my least favourite areas to fish in this club water, but to be fair usually the most productive. 

Wish me luck....