Warwickshire Avon - Cat Ice and Catapedamania

This post matches the post count of last year, 189, so with much of December still to go. Can I muster up 200 sessions ? Anyway I really do love this time of year when the skies are clear and there is a hard frost overnight. Not only does it sort the men from the boys where the fair-weather anglers are still tucked up in bed, but with the wind almost non existent, and the sun starting to rise those that brave the conditions are in for a treat.

The morning only gets better especially when a kingfisher opposite the first swim I was fishing was feeding on fish and kept popping back to its perch to make the most of the suns rays. 

Sadly I didn't have my super zoom camera as sadly the iPhone camera doesn't cut the mustard. The water temperature was nearly one degree less than 24 hours before so I knew it was going to tough to get a bite, but so what, it feels great to be bankside where as expected I had the stretch to myself.

Anyway a pike rod with a mackerel as bait fished overdepth with a float and then a link ledgered piece of bread to try and tempt a chub. I fished 4 swims in the two and half hours I was there and the pike bait was completely ignored, but with ice in the margins not unexpected. 

Eventually the 3rd swim produced a chub where I managed a perfect cast tight to some far bank cover where after ten minutes or so when on the phone to my mum, the tip jumped in to life and fish was on.

There were reeds right out in front of me so the landing of it was a rather calamity affair but eventually I teased the ice block in to my net and a blank was saved. That was my lot though and even in the big slack where I thought that was my best chance for a bite, the key was finding some cover.  

I still fancy a pike though so I might head over to an area that the probability of a bite is more than any I fish. The bait fish usually congregate there and the predators are not far behind.

Certainly these conditions can be tough going but the fish you would hope would start to get accustomed to their icy home where hopefully their grumbling bellies with get them searching out food. 

On to the next one !!!

Warwickshire Avon - Frolics and Frontogenesis

Like every other rugged, adventurous outdoor pursuit, angling is beset with perils and dangers that would daunt any ordinary man, but which merely give the angler a further incentive to press home the battle against raging elements and fierce, brute beasts.

The angler is cast in the classic mould. Where would we be, for instance, if it were not for men like Columbus, Raleigh, Drake, Frobisher, Hawkins, da Gama, Arthur, Nelson, Churchill and Hatt? Who but the angler, long inured to danger and pain, could shrug them off with sentiments akin to those expressed by Sherpa Tensing when, on the summit of Everest, Hillary accidentally stuck the flagpole up his nose? 

Alone he braves the elements, clad simply in two string vests, one pair of long johns, an army surplus shirt, three pullovers, one pair of pyjama trousers, one pair of battledress trousers, one pair of water- proof overtrousers, two pairs of socks, one pair of seaboot stockings, a pair of wellington boots, an ankle-length anorak, a bobbly hat and a nose cosy. 

His only other sources of warmth and comfort are a collapsible windbreak, a six-foot umbrella, a camping stool, a foot muff, a hand warmer, two thermos flasks a plastic boxful of cheese and onion butties, a portable-television and a bottle of the hard stuff. He goes out in to the unknown, an epic figure with a sense of his own destiny, knowing only that a man has to do what he has to do. Now and again he does it, Discreetly, And taking care to avoid the nettles.

The perils facing this man are many. It is only by being constantly on his guard that he can return to his loved ones unscathed. What follows, in an attempt to cut down the numbers of anglers who come home scathed, is a review of the most common dangers and ways of dealing with them. As the old proverb puts it. 'Forewarned is enough to put anybody off.'

Now the the vagaries of the British climate are responsible for the queues of the British climate are responsible for the goose-pimpled anglers in doctors' waiting rooms (you'd be lucky) every Monday morning.

Any sport which keeps its participants out of doors throughout the whole of an English summer's day, which its usual mix of hail, rain, sleet, snow, fog, frost, khamseen, mistral, haboob and Scotch mist, is bound to have its martyrs. But chilling is avoidable if the necessary precautions are taken. 

 

First check your clothing. Never cast a clout. Or anything else. More than one seasoned angler has gone to the great peg draw in the sky because he left Secondly, look after the inner man. Have a good breakfast before you leave home. 

It need be nothing elaborate: eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, tomatoes, toasted cheese, potato cakes, liver, onions, beans, cabbage and ribs, fish fingers, black pudding, faggots and bubble and squeak should see you through until you can open your sandwiches.

Do not neglect to have a couple of good mugs of tea, liberally laced with rum or whisky. Better still, a couple of mugs of rum or whisky liberally laced with tea. 

At the water's edge, set out your tackle so that everything can be reached without your having to move from the spot. Put up the windbreak, lash the umbrella to the top of it, lay down the groundsheet, set up your stool, put your feet in the foot muff, cover your knees with a travelling rug, put up the hood of your anorak and make sure your nose cosy fits snugly. 

Every half hour, or as often as is deemed necessary, take a tot of something to keep up the inner glow. At opening time, when the fish will have stopped biting, move into the nearest pub and stay close to the fire. When the fish come on again, which is generally about half an hour after closing time, go back to the water and fish until the evening opening hour. 

 

This time, because of failing light, pack up your tackle and take it with you. When you leave the pub at the end of the evening, keep in mind the importance of a good warm bed. 

Get into it as soon as you can. Do not bore your beloved with tales of the day's fishing, restore your circulation with some passionate lovemaking, well ok, a nice cup of tea then, then wrap up well for the journey home.

Mick get on with the fishing !!

I'd sorted my late Dad's fishing tackle out yesterday and to be honest there wasn't a huge amount of stuff there. Some gems though, size 20 hooks for chub 🙈 maybe I'm doing something wrong with my size 6's !!

Anyway enough tackle for a starter kit for a budding youngster who could do with a leg up the piscatorial pursuit ladder. 2 rods and reels, a tackle box full of bits and pieces to get started, a nice korum chair, landing net, keepnet etc. 

So after dropping the gear off with Martyn, from Stratford Upon Avon Fishing and Outdoors where Stuart from the local Shipston-on-Stour and District Angling Club would put it all to good use, certainly the Fish n Frolics which gives youngsters a go, anything like this is idea really. Anyway after bidding farewell I was headed to the Avon, now it was a rather quiet affair a few days ago here but when a pike grabbed the lobworms on the retrieve maybe I'm missing a trick in pursuit of a bite or two. 

The river is back to clear again and with the skies clear not exactly ideal conditions for fishing but often a predator be is a chub or a pike laying in wait can often 'snap' when a lure goes over their noggin and they have no choice but to act on their predatory instinct.

Anyway I decided to try out the very top end of the syndicate stretch as well for this session because it rarely gets fished and we all know big predators thrive on neglect. 

Swim after swim I was biteless and the only action was when out of the blue near my feet a decent pike came out of nowhere and decided to snatch at the lure. 

And that was it. Hmmmm disappointing really but with a clear sky and even clearer water which was pretty cold not unexpected really. I thought I'd have at least a pike or something though, oh well, it was just nice to be out in the fresh air and when in the sun very pleasant indeed. 

Warwickshire Avon - Jack Frosts and Jabberwocks

Christmas comes but once a year (End of Great Thought) but when it comes it does not always brings Good Cheer, especially among fishing families where the Pursuit of the Angle and the odd extra pint can lead to some unfortunate misunderstandings, not to mention the raking up of the all the transgressions over the past twelve months. 

So this time I'd like you to remember that Christmas time is family time. Let's keep it jolly, lets keep it peaceful. And it'll be mainly up to you, you've not got to mess Christmas up again like you did last year. Start your Christmas peace efforts early, and you'll reap the rewards. 

Let's get back to the wife. You've made your peace. You're going to be a good lad from now on, cross your heart and hope to die. And you're going to set the seal on your resolution by buying her a proper present this year. A present she'll like and can use, not the usual litre bottle of Scotch or set of floats.

I've done Dearly Beloved really proud, you see I bought her a mixer, a grinder and a blender for the kitchen. She's always fancied those, and this year I thought what the hell. Last of the big spenders, me. So she'll be able to play with them straightaway on Christmas morning, I've got them all ready, unpacked them from their packaging and tested them out. I must say that all three of them work superbly. 

Should you be thinking of buying the same, I can thoroughly recommend them. The mixer. A couple of minutes with that and you've got some beautifully textured dough bait, with the high protein additives mixed evenly all the way through. 

The grinder. How smoothly it reduces wheat and oats to use as fine groundbait. How quickly it chops down a handful of worms into bite-sized pieces for the fishes' little rosebud mouths. 

And the blender. Warm water, custard powder, any kind of flavouring essence, and in seconds you've got a beaker full of liquid gold to squidge into the groundbait. 

Pardon? No, I've been testing them that's all. I washed them out properly, dried them, and put them back in to the boxes. 

I wouldn't dream of using them regularly for preparing bait. Not until after Christmas anyway, not until things are, how can I put it ? a little more peaceful. 

Which such a busy time at the minute with work being full on as always and the behind the scenes funeral stuff to be sorted (funeral the 12th) I had a short opportunity to visit the syndicate stretch before meeting a mate for a curry at a pub ten minute away.

Pike and chub were the intended target to a smelt on one rod and some bread flake on the other. 

And what a chilly one it was, barely above freezing but thankfully if ones cockles got a little too cold then the sanctuary of the car wasn't far away. 

Nothing much happen for an hour or so and the smelt was moved every 10 minutes or so to try and induce a take from a pike. I decided to change to lobworms on the chub rod but again nothing doing on that. What I didn't expect though was when reeling in the lobworms was that a pike out the blue decided to grab the bait and give me a merry dance. 

There was a bleeding smelt 10 foot to the left 🙈 why not take that. Anyway the 4lber came off at the net sadly and I thought I was on for a blank. 10 minutes after though with the full moon bright in the sky and the sun setting the bread was getting interest and a drop back bite turned in to a full on bent quiver tip and a chub was on.

Not a bad fish either at a nadger under 4lb but with my hands now like ice blocks I got it back quickly rather then spend time taking a picture with me holding it. 

As soon as the sun disappeared from view boy it was cold, thankfully I only had 45 minutes but I was determined to stick it out till I had to leave for a well deserved curry. It was still though and despite the chill it was quite nice to be out. 

The fish had other ideas though because nothing whatsoever in to dusk and beyond, when I left at 5.20pm the landing net was frozen solid and the rods were covered in frost. Still not a blank and with it being cold going forward hopefully the pike rods will get some action.