Warwickshire Avon - Quarrel-Pickers and Quarromes

Over the years this stretch of the Warwickshire Avon has been kind to me, it's just one of those that have given me many memorable sessions, from my first 5lb chub, my first double figure barbel and my biggest ever river Pike.

Its not just the bigger species either as it always has gudgeon in numbers and some proper gonks too if you stumble upon the swim they have taken up residence in. My PB chub of 5lb 15 ounces is also from this stretch but over the years those bigger chub that always were here have definitely thinned out somewhat. 

Still it will always remain on ones radar for very good reason, I just love fishing it. The recent rain certainly would help this stretch because when it's low and clear it can be very tough indeed. To those that know it intimately like I do though, there are some cracking fish to be caught.

Now with the gear still in the car and with half a loaf of Warburton's Blue left, it would be rude to now have a post work session to try and get one to have a nibble. I've refined my ledger rig over the years and it couldn't be more simple really. A couple of adjustable float stops, a running clip bead and straight through to the hook.

The biggest change to my chub fishing however came when I swapped to the lightest glass tip I could get away with. Often a chub can play around with the bait before properly taking it and any sort of resistance can often put the fish off.

You can see that visibly on a lighter tip where after some tentative pulls and plucks eventually a proper bite will materialise. 

I couldn't believe how much the river had risen when I got bankside and a few of the swims were unfishable really with not just the pace of the river, but also the fact the swims were waterlogged.

As soon as the bread settled it was getting interest from the smaller fish with some plucks, taps and pulls and I thought I was going to be a good session.

How wrong was I though !!!

Because swim after swim there was no chub showing at all. Even the chublets were not up for a nibble either which was surprising. All very very odd indeed as I rarely blank here for chub.

I had a curfew for this session so when the thunder started in the distance I gave it fifteen minutes in the last swim which was perfect really as when I was yards from the car it started to tank it down. A session which so much promise, with so little return, but that's fishing for you, don't want it too easy !!!