Warwickshire Avon - Biteless and Bidenticulate

I'd not been down to this stretch for Aggeeeessssssssss and with the predator gear packed the night before I fancied a go for the pike or zander, or maybe even a big perch.

What I didn't expect though was the deadbait could be seen at the bottom of each and every swim which to be honest ain't got in my experience. I roved up and down the stretch for a couple of hours and there was nothing doing whatsoever. 

Even a switch to a wobbled sprat was ignored and yet it looked perfect in the water for at least a pike strike or maybe even a follow.

Even the deeper swims where I thought could offer a predator a nice lair didn't produce either. The water was gin clear which often means those fish that are usually on the hunt when there is some colour, they go in to hiding with the angler like me stretching their heads wondering where the heck the fish are. 

In the end in the boredom I put the gear back in the car and headed not far away to a stretch with a weir. My PB river pike of 16lb 10oz came from here. and it was one of those memorable catches that will stay with me. I've caught bigger from the canal when I was chasing the elusive canal double but I rarely catch big pike from the river, mainly because I don't cast my net that wide.
 

My bad I suppose but if I'm honest even though I like catching pike they are not up their with my favourite species.

I mainly have a pike rod out as a sleeper in the winter maybe I should do like I did today and fish a dedicated predator session.

A conversation with Nic from Avon Angling in the week he'd mentioned he's not had many pike strikes of late in the Warwickshire Avon and he'd be fishing the float for the smaller species where often it's only a matter of time before the pike turned up. 

The Avon used to be plagued with jacks as well but they seem to be in lesser numbers than they were last year. Anyway in both sections I fished for this session even the bait fish seemed to be lacking so to cut a long story shorts despite braving the rain even the weir didn't produce. 3 hours, not one bite, damn it !!