Warwickshire Avon - Phubbing and Phytopathology

The problem with fishing after work is that often you don't know how the day will pan out when working from the office, where either the session gets cancelled because of a rush job, or like today where my boot was filled with some of the parts I've designed for the Polestar 5 & 6 which I need to take to MIRA on Thursday, to fit to one of the prototypes. A modification possibly needed, an epoxied on 3D printed part the method, jobs a good'un. 

Now the Jimny's boot isn't the largest let be honest and even with the rear seats which are folded down 99.5% of the time you need to get creative with the packaging, So after bunging in various bits and pieces, a bag full of tools, off tool parts, ones laptop and God knows what else, all this needed to be removed from the car before I could dig the fishing gear out.

Ok not an issue most of the time, but to get that much needed fishing fix I had literally an hour and a half before I had to get back to the diary makers. Thankfully this local stretch of the Warwickshire Avon has some nice chub milling around in its snag filled waters. Now my phone had for some reason lit up with whatsapp messages but I was fully in phubbing mode, I had fish to catch, the replies could wait.

Phubbing, a contraction of the words “phone snubbing,” is the act of ignoring a companion in favour of using a smartphone. Phubbers may be using their phones to check social media, text others who are not present or for any other activities, although the term usually does not refer to speaking on the phone while spending time with another person.

Now studies have shown that phubbing between friends and romantic partners contributes to unhappiness in relationships and depression. Other studies have shown that simply having a smartphone in sight, such as on a table, during a conversation interferes with the connection between two people, even if the owner is not using it.

The river was up slightly when I got there and a nice pace too, so floating crust to search out the stretch was chosen as the best way to try and get a quick bite. I really do love this method but the conditions need to be right for it to work. 

The water was still pretty clear and in the first swim under the polarized sunglasses there was small chub coming up to inspect the bread and then getting spooked and returning to a safe haven. I'm not sure if the sunlight was effecting them but as soon as I moved to a more shady swim after a trickle down of a few pieces of bread the telltale rise from a chub to take the bread off the top was clear to see.

It didn't take long to hook in to a fish after that because the first drift down of a piece on a hook it nailed it straight away. There are so many escape routes in nearly ever swim so you need to be on top of the fish with as much pressure as possible. Almost bully them because otherwise you'll lose them.

With the first one retained in the landing net miraculously despite the carnage the 3lber made in the swim I managed another one straight after from the same swim. This usually doesn't happen apart from one of the swims which is large and open where the other fish don't get to know what happened to their mate until they meet by chance again in ones landing net.

Like peas in a pod almost like the same year group, anyway I went on the rove to try and find some more chub and after a few swims with no rises and me on the countdown to curfew, out of the blue I noticed nearly out of sight another rise from a chub and its card as marked.  

Because another piece of bread drifted down the fish took it again in almost the same spot. They instantly know something isn't quite right when they nail the bread and it's surprising how quickly they bolt up leaving me to give as much side strain as possible to prevent the fish getting in to the reeds or cover.

Again after a decent battle another 3lber was in the net making the short trip well worthwhile. I've not managed any 4-5 lbers here in ages but with the best fishing conditions on the way, it won't be long I'm sure.