Warwickshire Avon - Oligopolies and Oligophrenia

I'd stupidly left my rod rest and bankstick down the river the evening before, and as it was an expensive Chub stainless steel one I had to return the following morning to retrieve it.

I've left stuff plenty of times before over the years but I really did think after a quick scour around I'd manged to get everything. Oh well these things happen.

I was quite a pleasant morning and the predicted rain never materialised throughout this 4 hour session. This would be a roving session to try and spot some fish but an hour in things were not going well at all and the chub were basically not up for anything.

Drifting bread over their noses never got a reaction, in-fact in one elevated swim the bread actually sent them into hiding and the chub would head back to the thick cover.

The river is gin clear and low though so not unexpected especially when in these conditions they can be very cautious indeed.

For this session though I had some manky maggots and past their best hemp so one of the nettle wading through swims I dumped around 2 pints worth in a swim I'd seen Barbel before and would return in an hour to see if they were showing themselves.

A good rove around fishing bread on the bottom and the top bought a few nibbles and one proper bite which I missed it was a very tough morning on a usually productive river.

I could see the bottom in most swims where I could see the off perch and dace milling around but that was it. A river devoid of fish assume all in hiding somewhere.

So I returned to swim I pre-baited and sure enough the group of 4 barbel I'd seen before feeding on the free offering. Amazing to see because I don't get to see this very often. I was transfixed for the next 2 hours watching them basically moving around an area the size of a garage floor confidently feeding.

Now I wasn't really prepared properly if I was brutally honest. When I got a bait out the meat was ignored completely even 5mm pieces, maggots brought small fry and small worms brought small perch and dace.

I had some plasticine to try and disguise the line by pinning it down but I'm sure they could see it. No fluorocarbon hooklink either just 8lb mono so that didn't help. In the end a change to a tough size 14 hook with a single grain of hemp eventually brought some interest and the line went tight twice with no fish on the end.

The biggest looked a double the middle two around 6 or 7lb and the smallest maybe 5lb. For ages I watched and was memorised how none of them were hooked. Being preoccupied by them I didn't see a chub get in on the act and that put a pay to the Barbel because after that was hooked and disturbed the swim they never came back.

So after some tips from better anglers than me a visit to Angling Direct in Redditch to buy a few bits and pieces I will return but much suited to the conditions. Some 8lb flouro a size 12 hook and a small 5mm banded pellet to try again for them. I'm sure they could see the plasticine too so a stone weight as well to try and make everything hidden the best I can.

I just hope they are still around as it was all very frustrating. Sam was with me and he went away happy because he got a free whip  which we will try out this week sometime, he also bought a £1 lure using his own bankcard, he's growing up too fast. 

I know they have got a bit of a monopoly going on but I have always had great service from Angling Direct and this new 'superstore' in Redditch is also open on a Sunday which help, they literally have everything an angler could want.