Warwickshire Avon - Sonars and Somnambulate

Now apart from aquatic plant and animal life already in the water, the fish's supply of natural food consists of animal and vegetable matter, alive and dead, which is blown, washed or dropped into the water. A cater- pillar which trips up on an overhanging bush, unless it's a strong swimmer, finds itself as hors d'oeuvres to a meal of worms, slugs, spiders and flies.

The relationship of this natural food to underwater geography is that it collects in holes, slow eddies behind rocks, and on and around natural snags such as piling, bridge piers, patches of weed, bankside ledges, old prams, sewing machines and bicycle frames.

Thus it follows that where there is food there are fish. And there is also a snag. The trick is to get the fish to take the bait before the bait finds the snag. Statistics show that fishermen are not very good at this.

A plan of the bed of the river is very useful. You can make one by wading across with a Scout's pole and noting the depth every couple of feet or so. If the water goes over the top of the pole, measure the extra depth in handspans. Remember to hold your breath while doing this.

Or maybe just use a deeper sonar like I do from time to time !!!!

Anyway the last visit to the polluted stretch I caught absolutely naff all, nada, nothing, zilch, not a sausage, I blanked 👀 however on a more positive note there were some signs of fish. 

Not only did I miss a sure thing chub bite where the fish felt the hook, but in the swim just above it there was plucks pulls and bangs which meant that there were small fish in the swim, however their mouths were nowhere near enough big enough for the gob-stopping cheesepaste. The only fish showing though despite fishing a good number of swims. 

So feeling undefeated I was back to try and see I could not only get more bites but also if I could manage to bank an actual fish this time. I didn't have that long but I would prime two spots with bread slop and then fish a float with maggots initially and then give the cheesepaste a go when the light was starting to go. Not ideal conditions to be honest as the skies with blue and clear and the air temperature was a cold 7 degrees and the wind biting. 

I headed to the swim where I got bites and the river looked completely different, you see it was back been almost clear again and that lovely light green colour now a rather lacklustre grey. A good half an hour in the swim with maggots nothing but a nibble on the maggots probably from fry.

So I chucked the deeper out in the next swim down and then some further downstream after driving down the track with the same result. A river devoid of fish and it took a while to get the first chirp on the phone and that was a couple of small fish hanging around a snag.

Whatever they were they were not interested in a float going by with a couple of maggots, I don't think I can remember scanning a river with so few indications. Were they tucked away from harm because of the clear skies ?

In the end I decided to prime two swims with some bread slop and would fish them in to dusk for a big fish. The first swim was near a snag and the second a really nice slack away from the main rivers flow.

I fished the first swim for a good 40 minutes or so in to the dusk and then with the moon illuminating the river and also the swim, after nothing was doing there I moved to the next swim and gave that a good 20 minutes or so. 

Not a pluck, pull or an inquiry and this is a stretch that come dusk those big chub would be on the hunt. They just didn't seem to be there whatsoever, such a shame, "been obliterated" (Nic's words not mine). I could have probably stayed there all night (even though the clubs rules say no night fishing) for the same returns.

So a blank sadly and with the deeper telling me what was going on beneath the surface I'm not likely to fish it any time soon. On a positive note the Jimny proved what a good little motor it is off-road. It wasn't phased at all despite tyre deep in mud !!!!

On to the next one !!!