Warwickshire Avon - L-Plates and Lumpenintelligentsia

Now the little Jimny's ALLGRIP PRO system includes three modes: 2H, 4H and 4L. 2H and 4H are rear-wheel and four-wheel drive respectively. Where as 4L engages the low-range transfer box which is a great for off-roading when the conditions are challenging. Wet grass doesn't seem to be an issue and I rarely need it in 4H even for slopes where many cars would be struggling for grip. 

To be honest I've not got it stuck yet despite driving some testing deep muddy tracks. The low ratio means that once moving and the clutch lifted off the car creeps at snails pace and you could open the door, get out the car and literally walk next to it admiring its scale (less than half the weight of a modern defender)

It also means 11 year old Sam who with the seat slid all the way forward can actually drive it without issue as doesn't need to use the clutch. After the initial stomping of the throttle pedal I'm allowing him to drive from swim to swim. Thankfully the cheesy radio station turned down for him to concentrate. 

There are a couple of stretches where there is plenty of scope for him to have a drive without any drama, wish I had the opportunity when I was his age. 

 

Ideal really as when we got bankside for a couple of hours of fishing the rain really was quite heavy.

There are bait fish in numbers here and initially after casting a maggot baited float rig out you'd wonder what the fuss was about, but bung a handful of the grubs in to the swim, within minutes it will be a bite a chuck.

Not just annoying bleak either some proper miniature species, from dace, chub, roach and the odd rudd.

The fish eventually start to get bigger when the small fish have their fill so if you want a few for the predator rod that initial half an hour plays dividends.

This session was no different in-fact both swims we fished held bait fish in decent numbers with one swim in-particular chock full of tiny dace. 

Now what we didn't expect was that it took a good while to get a bite on the predator rod, in-fact the perch that were here in numbers last time just didn't show whatsoever. 

To be honest like many of the local river we are desperately in need of some rain. It's surprising how baron the rivers look at the moment for the bigger fish, especially the chub that have seemingly gone to their hiding places. 

Sam was happy initially catching the small stuff as it was literally a bite a chuck but he got bored in the end and fancied something a little bigger. 

It didn't take long to get his request though because in the last swim a jack nailed the bleak within a minute of getting it out. A bit of a scraper too, proudly displaying his nashers that will terrorise his fellow water dwellers. 

There was a reason why I wanted to fish this swim last though and that was because there are some decent chub milling around here. 

So with Sam sheltering in the car from the heavier rain his stupid Dad was fishing a chunk of liver in to dusk. A ridiculously powerful bite out the blue I struck so hard in to nothing the 3SSG link ledger came flying out the water and 'PINGED' against the passenger window glass with Sam wondering what the heck just happened.

After getting the windscreen replaced recently that was a close call as it thankfully went the right way of two of the possible outcomes.  I fully expected another bite but it never happened, oh well, some good father and son bonding time, it's not all about the fish these trips out.