Warwickshire Avon - Escape Routes and Estrapades

Very much groundhog day for this short session, you see I was back to the stretch where my PB chub slipped up, but this time barbel were firmly on ones mind and I'd fish an area I was more likely to catch one. 

Not only did I catch my last barbel here, which was a near double but its a lovely gravely swim where in the summer especially its an area they congregate to. 

The flow is just right, the escape routes plentiful and lots of space to spread their fins. The plan, because I always have one prior to the session was to use a bait dropper to deposit some hemp and meat and then as before, fish some meat over the top.

The river was still coloured and slightly lower for this session but it looked good for a bite. 

Dusk came and went with one missed bite to show for it, where a chub had a good go at the bait but I was premature on the strike sadly and the meat pulled from the hook, but at least I knew there were fish about. 

Curfew time was half an hour after dusk where I had to get going and as expected it didn't take long for the next bite. 

A similar bite this time I left it a little longer and I was in to a fish. Only a splasher sadly and around half the size of the chub I caught 24 hours earlier.

Still it was a fish and at least I didn't blank. The Barbel were as elusive as ever mind you, but then this is the Warwickshire Avon, there is a good reason why I'm looking at waters new in the new season. They are few and far between in the stretches I currently fish.