Warwickshire Avon - Knots and Knick-Knackatory

What the heck was the fish that did me over ?

Ok, it might have been a knot failure 🙈, who knows but if it were a chub, it was a chub like no chub I'd felt on the end of my rod before. It was certainly a big'un I know that because I couldn't do a fat lot with it until we parted company.

Now knots are very useful for tying things to other things. The full range of anglers' knots can be learned by anybody with an IQ of 140, a Magic Circle Diploma in Prestidigitation and three years to spare.

It is best to practise at home, using an old piece of you are clothes line. This does you no good at all when using invisible nylon in failing light in a snowstorm, but at least you tried. And it does stop you worrying about what you can do with an old piece of clothes line. 

Knots have one disadvantage they are always weaker than the lines they are tied in, so that when you do eventually cast out, the whole of the terminal tackle drops off. But they're fun to do. If you like doing pointless, boring things.

Anyway I was back for some more disappointment !!! 

I'd trot the first hour or so where there is a decent section of cover with bread mash as feed and bread on the hook and then settle in the pre-baited swim (again) to try see if the fish was still lurking in the same swim. Fish are often creatures of habit after all.

Nic off of Avon Angling UK the day before had managed a couple of clonkers from the Avon not far from here in-fact he managed his PB on the float, which will feature in on of his videos no doubt so watch out for that. 

Trotting can certainly get fish to bite when the conditions are against you. I suspect with all the freebies heading past their noggins they can often be spurred on to feed. I've found myself though sometimes it can be slim pickings.

However once bitten twice shy ?, better get fishing....

I fed some mash for a good while before running the float down and what I didn't expect that within 15 minutes I had already lost 3 fish !!!

One was on for a few seconds and then came off and then two were lost in some submerged reeds I didn't even realise that were there. Damn, so a change of stance and moving a bit further down the swim seemed to pay dividends because I had two nice fish in as many casts with the best going 4lb and 8 ounces on the scales.

One more bumped fish that felt the hooks and that was my lot. I do love trotting I don't do enough of it but it shows when it's clear like it was today that fish can often be coaxed away from their hidey-holes and up for feeding.

So with dusk approaching I fed the swim I fish did me over in and left it rest for a while and then settled in to it hoping I'd get a second chance. Sadly that second chance never happened though because to cut a long story short, well in to dark, not even a single bite. all very odd !!!