Piscatorial Quagswagging: Warwickshire Avon

Saturday, 20 January 2024

Warwickshire Avon - Euphorics and Eurythmics

I'm looking forward to sunnier climes during the February half term because I can get some sea fishing in for much needed change of scenery, and some sun on my back. Also in October thinking about it because we are a stones throw from the sea when we go and see my brother and his family in North Devon.

I fancy a smoothhound for that trip because there are a few around in that area and I've seen the Fish Locker catch loads on one particular productive session. I've also a week away Northumberland (August I think) way so need to check out any fishing spots over that way too. It would be rude not to wet a line if there is a possibility wouldn't it.

Now one of the myths of our island race is that we feel, periodically and irresistibly, the call of the sea. When we get back from a trip on a heaving boat, we realise that most of our ancestors must have walked here before the Channel was cut.

What we mistake for the call of the sea is the euphoria of ozone, winkles and Guinness which overcomes most of us during our week in Blackpool, that feeling of superhuman well-being which can be used either to boost the birthrate of the following spring or diverted towards the pursuit of the saltwater monsters.

Most of our wives, with the kids already squawking for ice creams, buckets and spades, candy floss and a donkey ride, would much rather we got with the monsters.

The first thing to do is to get kitted out. Tartan shirt, windproof trousers, canvas jacket with kinky rope fastening, jaunty trawlerman's cap guaranteed to make anyone but a genuine jaunty trawlerman look a right burke, and a pair of bright yellow wellies.

Once the wife sees you in that lot you have no chance at all of getting to work on the birth-rate. You are now left with a choice of fishing from the beach or the pier, from the rocks, from a rowing boat or in company with a bunch of other yellow-wellied euphorics from a hired inshore fishing boat.

Now the tide comes in and goes out twice a day. The best time of all to fish from the shore is high tide, which generally happens a couple of hours before you get up or a couple of hours after you've gone to bed. Low tide gives you the chance to study the shoreline, so that you will know where the fish will be when the sea comes in.

You look for channels in the sand or between rocks, hollows in the sand, undercut cliffs, sewage outfalls, groups of isolated rocks and clumps of weed. The fish coming in on the tide will be found in or around all of these places. The big snag is that, when the tide does come in, it covers all of these landmarks up and you can't for the life of you remember where they were. Still, it's fun.

Now talking about fun, for this roving session I fancied a dabble for a pike at a section of the Warwickshire Avon I've not fished in ages.

In the odd time I've tried for predators here I've always done ok and there is a reason why they have matches on this stretch because there is usually bait fish around. I'd imagine in these cold conditions they would be shoaled up too, so for this roving session I'd fish those likely looking swims with a couple of deadbaits to try and catch one.