Warwickshire Avon - Sixty Nines and Simultanagnosia

One of those weeks this week, where I struggled to get out basically but then with the all consuming work and family life and the sort days it's difficult isn't it.

I suppose the cold spell hasn't helped and with ones eyes and ears to the ground the fish haven't been exactly crawling up the rods for friends and foes. Still I had couple of hours post eye test where in a weeks time hopefully I won't struggle to tie a size 18 hook.

Luckily ones eyes are not actually that bad, the scans and visual tests went well and I need reading glasses basically which to be honest I knew that already. Now I've learnt the hard way losing expensive sunglasses so always cheap and loseable ones and these glasses are no different. To be fair anything over £69 specsavers bunged in some filters to reduce VDU reflections so all good to go, well Friday when I pick them up.

Very good service to be honest and hopefully going forward I won't have to squint like Mr Magoo, hold my phone a couple of feet away to focus on the text and that magnifying glass to read the back of food packets can be confined to the smallest of the kitchen draws. 

Now I hadn't caught a decent chub in ages and a couple of miles from the opticians and on the way home basically is a stretch of the Avon that over the years I've fished it does hold some nice chub.

A chub over 5lb on the Warwickshire Avon is a good fish and I've had a few here but of late I've struggled to get in and amongst the big'uns for some reason. I've had some cracking sessions over the years here but maybe things goes in waves as even in the summer when you can see the fish the numbers don't seem to be what they were. 

Roving is the key here but 4 swims in without a tap I was wondering where the heck were the fish, the river was up a nadger and carrying some colour so to me anyway it looked like perfect conditions, but then what would I know !!!. I've caught chub when the river has been 3 degrees so at 6.8 it was positively tropical but after mashing some bread in the water I think the walk to the river masked just how cold it still is. 

Even two pre-baited swims failed to produce but then out of the blue a decent bite fishing a crease mid river a chub was on. Only a little splasher though around 2lb but most welcome, a couple more biteless swims I found myself at the end of the stretch without much to show for ones endeavours. 

What I didn't expect though was after throwing some freebies in to float downstream that at the very end of the swim that fish were taking it off the top like it was summer. I got the fishes confidence going before letting a piece complete with the size 6 hook float down river and sure enough, wham the bread was engulfed and a decent chub was on. 

A decent scrap on balanced tackle too but in the net quickly enough. Not a massive fish, just under 4lb but heavier than this picture portrays and most welcome, as roving is my style of fishing and Chub to target as a species are ideal for that piscatorial pursuit. With the gear in the car and the weekend now with us I might give the Leam another go.