Warwickshire Avon - Stormtroopers and Stomatology

Back to work with a bang this week, where over the extended Christmas break I racked up as many short sessions as possible to get my fishing fix where I knew when returning to ones desk and back to bashing the heck out of the CAD machine and as a busy family man I know I'd struggle for time.

The Skullcandy crashers have been cranked up to iPhone warning levels and the Mixcloud mixes been stacked up ten to the dozen. 

Unlike the statue topplers and furlough fettlers in the wild west of Bristol its been head down and a very busy couple of years on the rather unique BEV I've been working on and it will only get busier when this time next year we'll have proper production ready cars around us and all the components I've been working on will be off-tool, which is where all the fun starts.

Now one saving grace though the shortest day which was the 21st of December has been and gone and for the office bound fisherman dusk is getting further and further away, which means plan it right you can get bankside prior to dusk, set your stall out and then fish when the fish are more likely to bite.

So with a chub session planned the following afternoon and the gear sorted out I had a small window of opportunity for a smash and grab session at an area that has been good to me in the past where I've caught 5lber, but also seen fish that looked in the 6's. 

The river was due to rise again you see and if I didn't get out for an hour or two the conditions could well change for the worse and having almost been chair bound for a couple of days my legs needed a stretch. 

Now after the ridiculously mild New Year the weather has turned a lot colder and over the past couple of mornings we've had a hard frost where Sam has had to go to school with a blanket and a hat because the authorities protocols mean that ventilation is required and that means, yeap, leaving the windows open. 

Luckily for him he's had some hot soup for his lunch and cockle warmers for his tea. This slow cooked beef and coconut curry is one of my favourites as the fennel and fragrant spice mix of coriander seeds and cumin is chilli light meaning that the kids haven't got the fear of having to reach for the glass of milk. 

The Chevin has its appetite to quell though, where their almost Prader-Willi syndrome means they have a constant craving for food.

Their constant hunger leads to eating often and consuming large portions. Unusual food-seeking behaviours compared to their compadres, and in my experience they will almost have a go at anything presented right in front of them providing it will fit in their cavernous mouths.

I love these sort of sessions and it helps that within ten minutes I can be bankside the problem is if I'm to catch a 6lb Warwickshire Avon chub I may well need to cast ones net wider. I've been struggling to catch decent chub of late, the last decent fish was a 5lb 2 ounce fish from the syndicate stretch where I may well concentrate my efforts on a little more.

So for this quick in and out my dedicated chub set-up which is a TFG river and stream rod fitted with a 1 ounce glass tip and pungent cheesepaste for bait. Just upstream from here I was fishing for Barbel a month or so ago and as soon at the light went the chub became active, the problem is snatching at bait as they do they would feel the weight of the tip and would shy off for that second go. 

Some ridiculous bites too, but I was after Barbel at the time not chub. In the summer they almost don't care I've found and will keep on having a go until they hook themselves but in the colder months they can be a little more standoffish.  

So with a much lighter set-up the glass quiver offers less resistance and its surprising what a difference it makes in chub fishing where they can be tricky to catch sometimes. Just that change means more hook-ups and being more balanced means you can enjoy the battle better, and boy can they battle when they want to. 

A size 6 hook (best chub hook in the world ? ), a paste cage, some stinky cheese paste, what chub could refuse ?

The river has been falling for a couple of days and it was carrying some colour as expect and the swim looked perfect for a bite. The water temperature had fallen considerably but it was still 5.8 degrees and to be fair, chub revel in the other fishes miss-fortune as I've caught chub when its been 2 degrees believe it or not.   

A couple of missed bites as soon as I dropped the paste in to the slack I decided to feed a few bits first, wait a few minutes and then give it another go.

To be honest I was really surprised they were on it straight away so was a little premature on the strike. The fish were still in the swim though because within 10 minutes I had a couple of small ones in the net. The larger fish that reside here could well turn up post dusk so I took a quick pic and returned the fish downstream.

Another missed bite I got the torch out and illuminated the rod tip and would give it fifteen minutes in to darkness. That sort of happened, well I fully intended to stay longer if I could but the rain came and literally bucketed down calling the end to the session.

Less than an hour bankside just goes to show how little and often works for me. Ok not the proper chunky Chevin I was after but at least I ticked off the must go fishing box where I could have easily stayed in the warmth at home.