Warwickshire Avon - Braai's and Bumboats

I've not really had the urge to go fishing, well apart from the odd hour or three here and there because well the conditions are not really conducive for a decent session, because it's gin clear and very low indeed. I've a trip booked with Wye maestro Nic from Avon Angling  where hopefully I'll put my new trotting set-up to good use because I really want to catch a barbel on the float. 

I'm just hoping that the river will stay at a decent level so I can don my waders and fish the Wye like I want to fish it. There is nothing like seeing a stick flow bury under the surface and the Wye is chalk and cheese compared to the Avon where barbel numbers are concerned. 

It's BBQ weather at the moment and I would rather be sat in the garden chilling out rather than on a river bank with the sun beating down. Moo Ping with a thai dipping sauce is often my go-to these days. So easy to make and beats a boggo burger the kids were having, give them a go if you fancy something different. The pork loin needs to be bashed thin with a rolling pin and cling film is my only tip, the marinade is pretty easy. 

Anyway the chub are definitely wising up to the surface bread method as I only managed one during an hour early morning session. A couple of hours later I was back with Sam this time in my long sleeve t-shirt as the temperature had risen considerably and would turn in to another nice day despite the threat of a thunder and lightning. 

Despite the heavy rain showers recently it had hardly touched the water levels and it's not coloured it up either so you can almost see every single fish in the swim, which can be disheartening when there is literally nothing whatsoever swimming around. 

This is Sam's favourite bit of river though so he dictated where we headed for this 2.5 hour trotting trip. It took a good few swims to start getting bites and then it really was a bite a chuck. Nothing big but plenty of dips of the float to keep a kid entertained. 

Mostly bleak and small dace but with the odd perch and tiny chub in the mix they were certainly up for the maggots drip fed in to the swim. 

I drifted bread down in every swim we tried and it was only swim where a decent sized chub came for a rise. It disappeared as quickly as it arrived though and I'm sure it was because I spooked it trying to get to a better vantage point. 

Sam was happy enough as he was occupied catching plenty of small fish but I was left wondering where had all the gudgeon gone. Canoeists and a paddle boarder didn't help matters either, it's a small waterway where especially the chub scoot off never to be see again, as one swim were were in there were quite a few milling around until their sanctuary was disturbed.  

Anyway back the gonks here was our best stretch to catch them but swim after swim where you usually seem them milling around they just not there. Even the 'bleak swim' was devoid of bleak and apart from the odd tiny minnow milling around the swim was barren. 

On the way back we stopped off at another club stretch for a nose and then once over at the syndicate stretch where again the chub were just not up for taking bread off the surface. It was very muggy though I wonder if that has anything to do with it. No real plans for next week to be honest but if I do get out I'll fishing in to dark most likely for a better chance of catching something a bit bigger. 

To be honest looking back at my blog its like this every year, it's always a tough month or two on the Warwickshire Avon, so I might look at fishing the smaller rivers for that fix. In-fact the Alne might be worth a go as I had a nice sized chub follow the lure the other day and it looked well worth catching.