Northumberland - Slobs and Slumlords

A rather large epic fail on the fishing front up at Northumberland, I'd packed the rods but just wasn't feeling it really. I should have done some more research because we were not far from Seahouses and Beadnall where some decent Wrasse reside apparently, but the gear I packed wasn't really what I needed really. Oh well, not all about the fishing is it !!

The weather didn't help, where the first few days were really windy and not exactly good fishing weather. On route we stopped off at Colmans Seafood Restaurant in South Shields for a fish and chip lunch, which was rather nice I must admit. 

We rarely have fish and chips these days so it was a nice treat especially when the curry sauce that went with it, really was Soooooooo nice, a decent heat, consistency and full of flavour. The chips hard to fault and the batter, thin and crispy just how I like it.

I can count on one hand the amount of times I've been up this neck of the woods, but the areas can vary quite quite considerably, from rundown seaside towns and villages, to some really affluent areas with some stunning architecture and history for that matter. Houses from 50k (yes really) 150k for one with a sea view, to multi-million pound properties, plenty for all budgets. 

Bamburgh Castle and the village is an example of one of those more affluent areas, after passing between the Britons and the Anglo-Saxons three times, the fort came under Anglo-Saxon control in 590. The fort was destroyed by Vikings in 993, and the Normans later built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one. After a revolt in 1095 supported by the castle's owner, it became the property of the English monarch.

In the 17th century, financial difficulties led to the castle deteriorating, but it was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian era industrialist William Armstrong, who completed its restoration. The castle still belongs to the Armstrong family and is open to the public.

You could if you wanted from the beach at Bamburgh walk all the way to Seahorses and beyond, and I would have done it if the Wife and kids were not in tow. But the wind was kicking up the sand which wasn't ideal, but a nice ramble in a rather nice area I must admit followed by a pub lunch and a decent pint of Alnwick Ale was enjoyable enough. 

Holy Island or Lindisfarne is well worth a visit if you're in this area, where you can travel across the causeway to the Island (make sure you check the crossing times as you don't want to have to use the refuse hut !!) and discover this magical place despite the rip-off carpark. One of the most iconic landmarks in the UK, Lindisfarne Castle was converted by famed architect Sir Edwin Lutyens into a private holiday home for Edward Hudson, founder of Country Life magazine.

Outside, the garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll, and the unexpected grandeur of the 19th-century industrial lime kilns, shoreline walks and a National Trust shop in the village. There is also Lindisfarne Mead which is produced using traditional methods at the St. Aidan's winery where you can sample the different types and mead, and also purchase, local gin, wine and beers. 

Avoid the Ship Inn, as it had the world's most miserable landlord, the pub would likely shut if it wasn't for the tourists they need to think about that, at least the beer was ok. 😆

You cannot complain about the castle though, what a landmark. There were plans by Defra to ban fishing on the island a couple of years ago, however that was retracted last year apparently. There were a few fishing boats moored up the harbour during our visit, which was an encouraging sign. 

 

Now ever since 635, when King Oswald gave the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to St. Aidan to establish his monastery, the island has been a place of pilgrimage. The road was not constructed until 1954 and until then the vertical poles (The Pilgrim's Way) were the only indicators of the safe route between the mainland and island.

The sight of the poles stretching across the sand and mud is one of the most iconic views in Northumberland (that I forgot to take a picture off ) and to walk the route away from the road and follow in the footsteps of our medieval ancestors is well worth a go, we managed a good section of the 3 miles walk, but the rain and wind stopped play.

The iconic Alnwick Castle the location for Harry Potter, Downton Abbey and more is well worth a visit, the market town, really is very nice indeed and there is Sooooo many pubs and eateries to spend your pennies, the Ale Gate is my sort of place, and felt instantly welcome and a nice atmosphere. 

Anyway, this was about all we could muster up fishing wise, there is so much to go at up at this area and we barely touched it, but one thing I did notice was the percentage of those 'not shy round the buffet' did seem to increase once we got up past Newcastle 😋 happy with life I’d imagine !!. The road works 👀 almost constant on the A1M and various other main roads, a long old 290 mile slog back, thankfully a comfortable car to do it in, with the Wife doing all the driving. 

We averaged something like 17k steps a day, and yet a couple of those days I felt we didn't actually do a fat lot mainly due to the weather. Still a nice break away from the CAD screen, some wind swept walks, and a nice chilled week away with the family, now need to sort those fishing rods after a spicy concocted curry. 

Warwickshire Avon - Chubsters and Chthonophagia

With a week off work next week I thought I'd try and cram in a short session to try and catch a barbel. The Warwickshire Avon is gin clear at the moment however the witching hour things can often change and the angler can often be rewarded.

When I arrived at the carpark via the bumpy track Jon Pinfold and his son were just getting out the van and they were going to do exactly what I was going to do. There was also another couple of anglers sharing one of the convient swims. 

Jon's son hot-footed it up to the weir and Jon and I headed to the middle of the river and got fishing. In my swim ping in pellets there was already plenty of fish in the swim. They seemed like decent roach with the odd big chub in and amongst them. 

For a good hour and a half I only had chub pulls with the fish trying to pull the small pellet from the hair. The roach were still milling around and I actually scaled down to an 18 hook and a rubber maggot but they actively ignored it when cast in to the swim.

I switched back to pellet headed in to dusk thinking how I could fish for them in a future session and 10 minutes later a barbel esk bite and a fish was on. I really did think it was a small barbel at first because it was taking line but when it was heading to cover I knew what the culprit was.

A really nice chub, not that long but proper stocky it was and would go around 4lb I'd imagine. A really deep body and a fish that was likely to have been on the munch.

Anyway to cut a long story short, no more fish only more chub pulls before curfew. Jon's son blanked which is rare and Jon had an eel. The anglers sharing a swim, only chub pulls too. Tough going and I was lucky to actually get to land a fish. 

Warwickshire Avon - Braunschweiger and Brachymetropia

I really wasn't that bothered about going fishing, however to be fair I had promised Sam I'd take him again. The weather wasn't brilliant with a cold-ish wind that would bump the quiver tip all over the place but in the end I gave in to Sam's wimper.

He wanted to fish the same peg we had caught some chub from the other day but upon arriving at the secure car-park we knew those cars would be in the peg(s) we wanted to fish, we just knew it.

And we were right on our assumption, as a couple of matchman with enough gear to start a tackle shop of their own were in our intended pegs. But the two next to each other have always been some of the favoured pegs on this section.

A chat with one of them, he'd managed a few chublets and also a small barbel but was struggling with anything decent to put a bend in the rod. He said the river isn't fishing that well of late and many anglers are struggling. They'd be off before dusk I know that just when the big fish start to venture out for a mosey about.

We left them to it and headed to another swim that holds some decent fish which was only a 5 minute walk away. We were out of bread however on-route I could stop off at the shop and get some, well that's what I thought because they'd sold out of literally everything, thankfully I'd had a back-up plan, some lambs liver left over from a lunchtime cook-up. 

If you're a reader of my blog you'd know I've been experimenting with liver to catch chub for a good while now. It does seem to single out the bigger fish so I was looking forward to see what we could catch once the light went.

It really is a like a switch on the Warwickshire Avon where as soon as the bats appears the bigger fish do to. That was an hour away so Sam got catching minnows using some bread in a cup where sadly he didn't manage to catch any of the bigger ones.

It kept him occupied though, because apart from the odd rattle the liver was doing naff all in the fairly deep swim. If we didn't know any different we might have moved, but then Sam who now wanted in on the quiver rod was all set-up ready to go. 

I've mentioned before there is a strict curfew here where you need to be off half an hour past official dusk so you need to connect to any bites you get if possible. Sam missed three really powerful bites where he hooked in to nothing when dusk was with us, and the chub were really on to the bait. We'd primed the swim with some pellets when we got there, helped I think.

I decided to have a go and the same thing happened to me, an unmissable bite missed where literally the 1 ounce tip bent all the way to where it connects to the rod and then some more.

With curfew approaching Sam let me have another chance at it where this time I managed to connect to a chub that didn't actually put up much of a fight. A 4lber I say because when I lifted it out the net for a quick photo it weighed more than I thought. So at least we'd not blanked, Sam had another 5 mins but no more bites sadly but the good thing about travelling light is that you can be eek the last dregs of the fishing session out and be off within a minute or so.

I'm sure the more visible bread had been the better option but still it just goes to show that chub really will eat anything in order to quell their hunger. 

Warwickshire Avon - Stoners and Stomatology

Sam is keen as mustard at the minute, because he is asking when he can come with me fishing ALL the time. The problem is I'm been working full time as usual, and I'll like some me time occasionally without a kid with verbal diarrhea.  Maybe I should become a train driver rather than a skilled engineer with 30 years of experience, 4 days a week and inflation busting pay rises, what's not to like. Well a job an ZX Spectrum could do, I would get boring after a while I suppose, and we have to keep that brain active don't we. 

Anyway with a weeks break in Northumberland coming up hopefully Sam can catch the carp he's been wanting for a while. There is a lake or two we can fish apparently so we've some gear sorted to try and catch one. Hopefully there are some as there is lack on information on the internet, but hopefully with a method feeder set-up and float gear we'd get in and amongst some fish. 

"No I'm not taking you to Tunnel Barn, how many times have I told you that !!, I tell you what, if we don't catch any on holiday I'll take you to Shrewley Pools with some proper carp, not  ten a penny F1's ? how about that ?"

"Ok, let's do that then"

I promised him we'd go and catch some Chub after I got back from work and seeing my mum so I prepped a rather nice aubergine parmigiana the night before, so it only need to be popped in the oven for half an hour and after sharing it with the Wife, I'd be good to go.

So at 6.30pm or so we were heading out the door where literally the heavens had just opened, yeah great !!! I asked Sam if he still wanted to go and he said, yeah I do. So back in the house waterproofs donned and we were on our way to a swim where the chub activity at dusk on a previous session was incredible really. 

We arrived bankside at 6.45pm where we'd need to be off half an hour after dusk which was at 8.59pm. Plenty of time to catch a few fish, where within half an hour both Sam and I had caught chub on breadflake, mine a upper 3,Sam's a upper 2lber. 

There is good reason why we needed to be off with the nearby houses, however the whole 102 peg stretch has the same rule, despite most it being in open countryside. What we didn't expect from fishing opposite the affluent area was the absolute stink of weed from a house opposite that opened its patio door to let their ankle bites out 👀😱

Anyway a decent session with another 3 chub caught with one last that carted through the reeds with Sam holding on for dear life. The chub were certainly on the feed again this time tamed by the dedicated Chub rod the TFG River and Stream.

The best was a 4lber that came as the perfect time because when we put it back it was time to get moving before any collars were felt. I do love these short and sweet sessions and thankfully the rain held off apart from the odd tinkle. What I did find odd was the only other angler there on the stretch left not long after we got there where things will start to hot up.

Maybe he'd been there all day and had his quote, who knows. still I wasn't complaining we'd had a nice evening despite the wind and a swan that wouldn't move from the swim for the whole time we were there. 

Warwickshire Avon - Red Moons and Reductionisms

Skygazers in the UK and biteless bored anglers have been treated to unusually vivid sunrises and sunsets over the weekend.Social media (apparently) has been full of dazzling pictures of a red-hued Sun and Moon at dawn and dusk. The spectacular displays have been caused smoke particles from wildfires in North America - carried thousands of miles by the jet stream to the skies above the British Isles.

However skywatchers will be craning their necks upwards in the hope of spotting a rare blue supermoon over the UK (tonight). As is the case now, a blue moon refers to the third full moon in a season with four full moons. The label is also used for the second full moon in a month with two full moons. A supermoon appears brighter and bigger than usual because it has been brought closer to earth by the Moon's orbit.

Think something happening 'once in a blue moon' is rare? Blue moons are actually fairly common, at least in astronomical terms. First things first, a blue moon has nothing to do with the colour of the Moon. Instead, it is all to do with the timing of full moons during the year. 

Cultures around the world, including the Native Americans, have given names to each of the full Moons, with each typically happening in its own month. For example the 'Wolf Moon' is usually the full Moon occurring within January. With the cycle of the phases of the Moon lasting approximately one month, and there being 12 months in a year, we typically have 12 full moons each year.

However, the phases of the Moon actually take 29.5 days to complete, meaning 354 days total for 12 full cycles. This falls some way short of the 365/366 days in a calendar year: therefore, roughly every two and a half years a 13th full moon is seen. This additional full moon does not fit with the normal naming scheme and so is instead referred to as a ‘blue moon’.

Normally blue moons occur about every two or three years. In 2018, unusually, we had two blue moons in one year and only two months apart – and one was a lunar eclipse! The next time we will get two blue moons in a year will be 2037.

Quite where the term blue moon came from is unclear. It may be a mispronunciation of the disused word “belewe” which means ‘to betray’. This may be a reference to the betrayal of the usual idea of having one full moon in each month or perhaps the “betrayal” by the Moon of worshippers attempting to determine the position and duration of Lent in the calendar year.

Now talking about betray, well looking back at my blog, the last time I caught a barbel was over a year ago when I was trotting on the river Wye with Nic from Avon Angling. It was a rapidly rising river that day and the fish really switched on to the feed and we had a great day. 

I've been back on the Wye since and also tried a number of times on the Warwickshire Avon and despite seeing them in the swim they are eluding me big time. This short post Sunday dinner session was no exception you see after arriving at the swim I was going to fish I spotted a couple of barbel after half an hour pinging pellets in to the swim.

They didn't seem to be interested brushing in to the line a few times and didn't spook either. The chub on the other hand, well this the biggest of the three I caught caught me off guard and almost took the rod in the bite the was so violent. 

When I left at 9.40pm or so the moon was illuminating the sky rather nicely where it was initially red and then lightened up to to a dull orange half an hour or so later. Sadly not a picture in focus but my Sony 63x zoom camera isn't the best to be honest.

So no barbel again, but I'm sure one will slip up again soon enough because at least I've been seeing them and not fishing blind like I often do. The next session Sam wants to catch a big chub, only a short session again, but fingers crossed for a big-un. They were showing big time at dusk the last time on the stretch we are going to fish.

Warwickshire Avon - Tsunamis and Tsiganology

I'm not quite feeling the fishing at the minute, and I'm not desperate to get out fishing longer than a couple hours or so. To be honest it's not that unusual for me at this time of year because I prefer autumn and winter as my preferred fishing seasons. 

Winter especially when the fish are hungry and the chub are getting fat, because not only are the banks much quieter but the fish are more obliging to take that bait. 

However when Buffalo Si from River Masters was keeping me in the loop of his barbel captures on the Warwickshire Avon it certainly got me thinking about giving the stretch a go. Especially when he'd given me a google map location of the 'hot peg no.2' where despite the conditions he'd been managing to catch them during the day. 

Not just barbel either but some decent chub to over 5lb which ain't to be sniffed at. Now I've been busy of late but Sam and I had a short window of opportunity to join him bankside to try and winkle one out. He'd managed a 7lber earlier on in the day so fingers crossed as the light went we'd manage one too. 

A nice muggy evening with lots of cloud cover it looked perfect for a summer barbel so after driving down the bumpy track after letting two cars leave, we were parked next to Si recognisable whip despite the stealth appearance. 

What we didn't expect to be greeting by was not Si, but the noise of outboard motors heading up towards us where after legging it to the river which is a stone's throw away, four small boats speed past at a ridiculous speed with the motors audibly straining under the rev of the engine. 

WTF !!! the wake, sorry tsunami that ensued really was quite ridiculous and the river went from clear to churned up and coloured in a matter of seconds. Hmmmm great start....We'd walked up to where Si was fishing and he still in the 'hot peg' thinking of a move because of what just happened but after a good chat to allow the river to settle, he'd pinged some pellets out in to the swim and the amount of fish milling around to try and intercept them really was quite ridiculous. This was in coloured water too, so dread to think what the melee would look like when it was gin clear. 

I'm not 100% sure what they were, they looked like decent roach or smallish chub, but apparently keep the pellets going in eventually you'd get to see the flanking barbel and bigger chub move in. 

We got fishing a few fegs downstream with simple tactics of a glugged Dynamite Hot-Fish boilie and a pva bag of small pellets. There was some nice cover over at the far side and some reeds to my left. Not the deepest of swims but it looked good for a bite. As dusk approached only some chublet rattles but with twenty minutes before curfew some decent pulls on the tip that looked like the bigger chub had moved in, and to be honest I nearly struck.

I left it because I was confident the bait would be still on 😁and as it was cast perfectly next to some cover I could just wait for that eventual 3ft twitch, but sadly when time to go was with us, Sam reeled in to no bleeding bait on the hair and the chub has done me over good and proper 🙈. Oh well, there will be another opportunity in the future despite the schoolboy error. Anyway we packed up to see Si and he'd just managed a chunky chub which was in the net and also missed an unmissable wrap round when he strunk in to nothing.  

The Tiny River Alne - Cack-Handers and Cacodemomania

Ah, August... The finest flowering of the English Summer. The warm, drowsy days. The noble trees in their fullest leaf. The hum of the industrious bees. The still waters, curling their mists in the early morning as the golden sun strikes the limpid surface. What could mar such idyllic scenes?

Kids!

That's what. Flaming kids. On the long holiday from school. Roaming the banks in droves, slinging in 4 oz leads from broomstick rods right next to your float. Getting bored after a while and skimming stones across the water. Or switching on their ghetto blasters at full belt, right in your ear. Or charging up and down having sword fights and stampeding every fish for miles.

Kids! Ought to be banned. Better still, transported.

But stay. That is not the attitude the mature and skilled angler ought to have towards the younger generation. We were all young once. And we can pass on to these youngsters the skills we ourselves learned through the patience of older anglers.

So sit beside me, little lad, and I will show you the way you ought to go; teach you skills my own father taught me. Teach you all the art and mystery of the craft of angling that is in my humble power to transmit.

That's it. Sit down, stay low, don't move. Get your groundbait out, at the proper texture, into that likely looking eddy by the rock. Cast out carefully, looking behind you before you do, for safety's sake. Now keep your eye on the float. See, it's twitching! Don't be hasty. Strike just as it dips under - You've got it!

Why, you snotty-nosed little swine! That's the monster I've been after for weeks! And you've got the flaming nerve to come down here and snatch the thing from under my nose at first cast! , you little..**** !!!

Calm yourself. Who wants the fresh water in hot weather, anyway? Nothing but gudgeon and bleak, and not a lot of those. And not only kids to contend with. 

Everybody's out: a million old ladies walking a million leg-cocking dogs, a million old fellers with nothing else to do but ask if you've had any luck; a million pleasure boats, with a million weekend skippers looking right wallies in their yachting caps, a million more kids in kayaks doing the Duke of Edinburgh award bit and sploshing right through your line, all the ducks and all the swans in the world homing in for their holiday time freebies.

You're best out of it. Out to the sea for some bracing air and bigger fish. Not from the pier, either: that's crowded with once-a-year cack-handers knocking off kiss-me-quick hats on the backswing, crowded again with kids who keep fiddling with your catch and unaccountably avoiding the conger which might deter them a little. No, it's the open sea for you, lad. Out on the briny, as befits the scion of a seafaring nation. Book a boat guaranteed to have no kids on it. Get out there, beyond the 3-mile limit, to the famous wrecking mark in the wind-blown, choppy water.

Ah, this is the-

Bleargh, Groo!, Perrr-UKE!, Arrrrrrhhhhhhhhhh!!, Wanna die...

Hey, skipper...How much longer are we supposed to be staying out here ? What do you mean, until the moon comes up ? It must have come up.Everything else has. One thing about sea fishing, You soon know when you've had enough. And it makes you grateful for the idyllic scenes you left behind on terra firma.

Kids or no kids....

Anyway to the fishing, well we only went for a couple of hours in the midday sun where Sam caught trout on the lure and also on the float fishing maggots. He also had a smattering of other maggot munchers until a tree and a huge birds nest tangle put paid to that, so the lure got most of the action where Sam caught another two trout and I managed one as well, when I actually could get hold of the rod. Short and sweet, but that fishing fix ticked off !!

Warwickshire Avon - Kegs and Kinetheodolites

If you ever find yourself in Stratford-Upon-Avon you couldn't find a more welcoming alehouse, it is situated on the busy Greenhill Street in the town centre and is easy to find. I remember the first time I went there maybe a year after it opened in 2016 and the weather was really nice and I was sat outside on my tod on one of the beer kegs with a bespoke cushion, when a group of elderly gentlemen that knew each other turned up one by one and joined me to enjoy the sun. 

They couldn't be more welcoming and enjoying a pint and putting the world to rights without fear of being judged and having the finger pointed at you. I've been popping in from time to time ever since and despite its appearances, there is a reason why 8 years later it is still going strong.

They usually have 4 ales on, with at least 6 ciders and if that doesn't suit your palate there are plenty of other options. The turnover of ales show just how popular this alehouse is and it's a shame more town and cities don't have places like this where everyone is welcome with no pretentiousness whatsoever. 

It is family run and there mission is to serve real ales and ciders straight from the barrel to your table (whenever possible) what could be simpler. Oh and there is a fish and chip shop over the road if you need some food and the bar snacks won't quell that hunger. 

Sam wanted to go fishing but the conditions really are challenging at the moment if a bigger fish is your quarry. The small fish will still feed but if you need a bend in the rod you need to try and outwit the fish or fishing in to dusk like we had planned to do for this session.

We started down at the bottom end of the this near 2.5 mile stretch of the Warwickshire Avon (which we had to ourselves) with Sam doing to the steering along the track to the river. It's so nice to see his enthusiasm for fishing that seems to increase everytime we go.

The plan was to try and find some chub to take bread off the top in this gin clear river by moving from swim to swim and drifting bread down to see if any pieces were intercepted. We tried maybe 6 swims where it was only the first swim that after some decent rises and the bread disappearing from sight that chub were showing. 

The problem was they vanished as soon as it was time to put the hookbait on so we decided to head to the middle of the stretch to fish static in to dusk for a barbel with a rather large piece of bacon grill on. 

Dusk was an hour away so we set the stall out and chilled in the muggy evening sun where as soon as the light started to go the fish activity really was quite ridiculous. Chub were breaching the surface in the shallow water every minute or so and the matchbox sized piece of bait was getting attention from aforementioned, bang, pull, rattle !!!

Sam often helps himself the meat when we go fishing and he's partial to a spam sandwich 😃 which he enjoyed whilst we were bankside for this 3 hour session.

There is a strict curfew here where you have to be off half an hour after official dusk so we were running out of time to catch a fish. The barbel didn't seem to be showing (not unusual to be fair) and with the mist now blanketing the field Sam wanted a change of tactic, " shall we just try a big piece of bread for a Chub"

So we did exactly that, a gobstopping sized amount went on the rather large hook and within seconds a decent bite where Sam didn't connect. A cumbersome set-up for a chub didn't help where I'm sure the resistance of the rod top didn't help so I decided to try the slack line approach which worked brilliantly because after a foot pull the rod top continued over and a Chub has hooked itself, where Sam did the honours. 

So a 3lb 11oz Chub (Sam wanted to weigh it) saved a blank in challenging conditions, but as I mentioned the fish activity really was quite something else and if we hadn't had to leave I'm sure we'd have banked a few more fish using similar tactics. My standard 1oz quiver tip on my TFG River and Stream rod would have been the perfect combination here, because we were rather overgunned I must admit. 

Even though I'd rather fish on my own half the time because the 101 questions asked by Sam over the time we were bankside can be a bit of pain 😊, but 9 years as an angler now (I've taken him since he was 4) it really is so nice to seem him really thinking like an experienced fisherman and enjoying the adventure like we all do in our brilliant pastime.