Warwickshire Avon - Sandpipers and Sacramentarianism

Now at the start of the week the PM Boris Johnson announced the government’s roadmap to cautiously ease lockdown restrictions in England.

So schools back in two weeks initially, see how that goes first and the other businesses softly, softly, catchee monkey. Heck might even be able to have my first beer garden pint in April, pennies at the ready !! 

Now unlike Bojo this area sees little pressure, and in these travel restricted times even less so, in-fact it's only me that has been fishing it. There are Barbel here though and above and below it too so that's why I was here. Not only that but I can fish in to dusk and beyond so no need to watch my back, to feel the eagle eyes of the sanctimonious finger pointers. 

Now all the Barbel caught on this stretch (errrr ok, only 3 fish thus far best 12lb 10oz to Colin 😳 ) from the other syndicate members were near double or actual doubles so wanderers rather than grouped together splashers further upstream, but that's not a bad thing if I want to bank a potential PB beater, there could be one here.

There are some good chub too, I've had a couple of 5 pounders now but like the Barbel they are either there or not. More blanks than anything but when the stars align the cogs engage bites can come thick and fast.

There is little doubt about it though when the water is clear or almost clear the big fish don't venture out, to be fair though that is very much like the Warwickshire Avon as a whole, well the bits I fish anyway, they are predator wary. 

That's why unless the water is chocolate brown I rarely fish for Barbel during the day. There is one area in the summer though that has thick far bank cover and I've caught Barbel rolling meat where as it's shallow in the main where you can almost sight fish for them. They do tuck themselves out of the way though but a highly visible bait naturally rolling past will get them leaving their sanctuary. 

This session was a bait and wait approach though like much of my short sessions. A couple or three bait droppers of pungent pellets and then a piece of meat placed downstream and chub resistant wafter fished over the top of the buffet come dusk and beyond. 

With fingers and toes crossed hopefully the rod tip would wallop over, if it didn't the 20 mph gusts of wind would certainly come to ones rescue. 

A concentration of baits seems to do the trick where a more haphazard approach seems to bring less results. Still this was a planned session like most of mine seem to be the days, sometimes the detailed agenda goes to pot though and a more suitable attack conjured up when I was bankside....

Anyway the light started to go quick but the river seemed rather lifeless, a little drab too, with spring on the way hopefully we will see some much needed colour. 

Anyway enough of the preamble how do I get on ?

Well errrrrrr, a blankety blank but then this is a blog after all, if I blank somehow I manage to post about it. The wind was very strong indeed so the rod tip wouldn't settle so it was difficult to register bites but about half an hour past dusk the first chub pull came.

Then every five or ten minutes or so the same happened, a couple of sharp jabs of the tip and then it sprung back to it's normal position. If there are proper Chevin in the swim here in a feeding mood they give proper bites till their persistence means they hook themselves.

I stayed well past dusk but the Barbus were as elusive as ever, so to be honest not unexpected, the weather is turning cold overnight again for a few days, the water temperature was 8.8 for this session, with the season on the countdown I might have missed the opportunity for a winter Barbel. 

Would one have turned up deep in to the night, who knows, 2 hours stationary behind rods is enough for me.

A highlight of the session though the first Snipe I've seen down here, when I got bankside I disturbed it and it flew off like a mad'un so sadly all I got was a library pic. On to the next one.