Warwickshire Avon - Prototypes and Prosopography

So one of the first components I designed and engineered for the Polestar 5 came off-tool recently (a large magnesium casting for the centre console) and ended up at MIRA in Nuneaton where the new office and workshop is. 

Even though the kids didn't think the Polestar Precept was all that when we went to see it recently in Solihull. The Precept is the Concept Car the 5 is based on. 

Sam did perk up when I said I'd worked on the prototypes that are currently running around that were the fruits of my pandemic labour. 

"WOW, you worked on a prototype Daddy !!!" 

I've had a patent awarded too on an interior component that is ultimately >3 years worth of work is nearing tool completion as well. The assy one of many of the interior components I've been heavily involved in since starting with the company. The Wife happy too, she has a Volvo T8 XC90 to tool around in.

This sort of work is usually secretive for obvious reasons but Polestar have been open and transparent as part of their growth of the brand. 

Source: Polestar

It would be nice to see it finally on the road, in all those years I've worked in the industry its rare to work on a project from a sketch to seeing a vehicle on the road, but it's such a small team, nowhere to hide and all hands on deck. The issue is, I've been flat out since the project start, the tennis elbow kicked in because of it. 

Now talking of secretive the whereabouts of the beasts of the Warwickshire Avon is hardly a secret but when I was sent this this week (I don't use social media) you would have thought the big fish chaser would be happier with this fish on the bank, heck as someone "devoid of emotion" (The Wife) I did well up  when after many a year I caught the double figure canal Zander. 

A 20lber early in the New Year ?

Still lots of work to do though even though I'm already double dipping on the next project !!!

Anyway mid Teams meeting, I get a call "Hello,  Mr Newey, I've tried to get hold of your Wife to no avail, but can you come and collect Sam from school please, he has had a bang to his head from a hockey ball in PE and, still feeling a little dizzy after the icepack"

"Yeah no problem, the Wife works in a school at lunchtime and hasn't access to her phone, I'll see you in 15 minutes". Sam was fine especially when I fashioned up some ham, egg and chips to replace his packed lunch the lump on his head was quickly forgotten about. 

"The food of the Gods, Daddy !!!!" "Can I have some bread and butter too"

Anyway with that drama out the way, finally a decent dumping of rain that is hopefully going to hit the local rivers to turn them in better fishing fettle. The Warwickshire Stour for example, one of the those small rivers I love to fish at this time of the year has hardly been worth a look as it's been almost static or a mere trickle. The Alne, wow over its bank in places, same with the Arrow, onwards my friends,

I've persevered with the Warwickshire Avon without really that much to show for it really but with a weekend of revelry awaiting and no let up on the work, where this sadly would be my lot for this week  I was hoping with the river on the rise it would stir those fish to start going on the munch. 

For this short session it was out with the Barbel gear with a paste wrapped boilie as bait and a swimfeeder stuffed with stinky Dynamite Big Fish River Shrimp and Krill Groundbait, where I'd fish in to dusk and a couple of hours or so in to dark.

The bait tighter to the hair this time so at least if those elusive barbel didn't appear at least if the chub where up for a feed I might at least bank a fish. !!!! There are some good ones here as well, certainly big enough to threaten my 5lb 15oz PB. 

Now I'd invested in a Dynamite Baits bucket recently and ideal to store stinky groundbait in the bottom and hook baits, feeders etc in the top. You can smell Nic's car from 100ft where there seems to be a haze emanating from  his cars roof.  In folklore, the witching hour or devil's hour is a time of night that is associated with supernatural events, whereby witches, demons and ghosts are thought to appear and be at their most powerful.

Definitions vary, and include the hour immediately after midnight, and the time between 3:00 am and 4:00 am. 

The term now has a widespread colloquial and idiomatic usage that is associated with human physiology and behaviour to more superstitious phenomena such as luck.

Any boy I need some luck !! because ok I've caught a 12lb 6oz Barbel this season as can be seen in Nic video HERE. That group of fish I actually spotted though and I've an idea why they were there when the river was at its summer levels. 

Apart from that, I've failed on many occasions this season with lots of blanks. Next season a new book may well make my fortunes a little better on the specimen front even though I might have to grin and bear it with the hobos.  

The witching hour I find is the half an hour before dusk and the hour afterwards, but as I rarely fish after that, maybe I'm missing a trick ? Anyway enough of the waffle better get the rod out !!!

The river was on the rise and the amount of flotsam coming down the river really was quite ridiculous, so much so I had to move swims three times because the debris coming down was wiping out the feeder set-up so I couldn't keep the rod in the water for more than five minutes. 

 Not an easy task in the dark but eventually I found a swim where the bait was sat nicely. The wind was up and it was cold but I could position the car to block most of it out !!.

An hour in to dark and after a couple of recasts still not even a chub pull, I gave it another 20 minutes after changing to a lump of meat with the same result. So another blank !! Still, I do like these sort of sessions because fortunes can change with one bite, and that bite can be off a PB Barbel, and that's why I'll keep on plugging away.