Warwickshire Avon - Yabbies and Yarnwindles

I didn't really have long for this session, in-fact by the time I got out only 2.5 hours bankside which isn't a fat lot, but enough to winkle out a fish. I'd have only regretted it, that fishing fix is needed more than ever these days !!!

Now the Avon was on the rise and would continue to do so for a while, so not exactly brilliant conditions but with the driving stretch of convenience chosen, once the rods are made they can be strapped to the car and, I could move from swim to swim and drop in to a swim with relative ease. 

Chub with the initial target but I also packed a barbel rod because the temperature was no well over 7 degrees and with the colour the way it is, they may well venture out for a munch.

Dynamite bait Hot Fish and GLM with a matching paste wrap has proven a decent bait for me, so with a feeder full of the shrimp and krill groundbait that should be pungent enough to try and get any barbel feeding in the area to home in on the bait.   

What I didn't expect with bread fished on a light link ledger in the swim in the video produced the only bite of the day, when after the 3 SSG's settled and the flake was wafting about around 5 minutes later as line bite turned in to a few plucks and then a full on decent bite.

I don't think the fish knew what was going on at first but once it realised it was hooked it went off on a mad one and I was trying to get in and amongst the bush to my right. 

It felt a decent fish and once the fight was over it looked a 5lber all day long and sure enough after putting it on the scaled it went 5lb and 5 ounces. 

Another cracking Warwickshire Avon chub bare in mind I've been struggling to catch anything over 4lb for ages so a 6lber and then this 5lber a cracking 24 hours. With the fish retained in the deep landing net no more bites, so I moved to the next swim up and nothing in there so I decided to up the gear and try for a barbel, giving the swim more time than I usually do.

The river was motoring through and despite it being up to similar levels not long ago the amount of debris coming down was frustrating at times. 

The feeder hit a lovely hard bottom so any fish could find the bait easily but sometimes the rod was only out for 5 minutes before the amount of debris wrapped round the line, meant a recast. At one point the bait was out for a good half an hour before repeating the aforementioned, but the fish were having other ideas.

Curfew came round too quick but taking the afternoon shift was fellow syndicate member Dave who had barbel on the mind, but he was suffering with the same issues as me.

He was on for a blank, but thankfully a crayfish came along to 😀 save the day. I've caught quite a few crayfish on the Avon over the years and it was on this stretch when something had not only taken a boilie bait on a previous session but had also taken the hair with it !!!

Eric was on a WBAS syndicate water not a million of miles away and he blanked too. Considering I've fished over 10 swims over the past couple of days only 2 produced bites and I think I was lucky with those.

Conditions are not getting any easier but there are still some fish to caught, you just need to be on the fish and that can often be by chance. 

Just look at the 6lb chub I caught that wouldn't have happen if it wasn't for the decision I made and also the fact I had a quiver rod and lobworms left in the car., spooky !!! but that's fishing for you and why we love it !!! 

RIP Terry Hall, I'd seen the specials a few times, the last time they were warming up for the Levellers. What he went through as a kid must have been horrendous, there really are evil people in this world.