Warwickshire Avon - Packthreads and Pantile Shops

Now time spent on waterways can be very therapeutic to one's mind, the trickle and turbulence only flowing water can give amplifying that experience. A world away from the sanctimonious carnage causers telling my kids we are on the cusp of the sixth mass extinction despite not being able to predict the weather in 24 hours, oh and away from those clearly not suffering from visiobibliophobia to sign up to their utopia.

Before I moved on to try and catch a river carp or a silver bream to increase my species tally, it was a return to Punxsutawney to hopefully bump into something large and feminal.

A life more simple, in and amongst nature, the rat race seemingly a different one, within ten minutes of arriving bankside, the red admirals going about their business without fear or hinderance, the field mouse appearing and disappearing in similar vigour, the hares popping out for a nose, but I know things will only get better the more time I spend here.

Otters, kingfishers, buzzards, deer, barn owls, dragonflies, the list goes on, for me and the like- minded those sightnings are an average week spent on the riverbank. Luckily I don't have to flick through a reference book with a pointed finger.

A few hours here and there, enables me to rejoin the establishment and get back to filling the coffers for those with big hands in ones pockets, whilst knowing that a visit back to the Kingdom of Narnia won't be far away. It also means that the mind alterers can be kept at bay whilst shaking hands with the convention conformers whilst awaiting the next paycheck.

But that works for me, everyone is different, whatever works for you !!!!

Mixing it up a little can also work wonders and the last session I fished differently than I usually do and not only that but an area that had been off one's radar. I had an inkling at the back of my mind that I didn't quite put to bed. A cracking Barbel was banked, my suspicions confirmed. But could it be the way I fished it though ? more bait down for certain but also I stayed in one swim longer than I usually do, biteless at first, then chub pulls and then an unmistakable Barbus graced my net after violently taking the 15mm boilie in its path.

This short after work session would be fished simulary but with a sleeper this time. A roach bait offering fished in the margins to try and pick up a Zander that I know frequent here. The swim I caught the Barbel from much deeper than above and below it. Not only that but a waiting Zander could easily hide out here, we fear no foe.

So tactics for the Barbel, a feeder full of pungent groundbait and stinky pellets and a 15mm boilie on the hook that did the business last time. Confidence in a bait can be all that is needed to enjoy the session and considering I'd be blanking for Barbel for a while that last capture did me the world of good. There still are these magnificent fish swimming in the Warwickshire Avon, despite me wondering what had happened to them all, so better crack on to the double dipping hadn't I.

A slightly extended session this one, the internet went down at a client which meant I couldn't work effectively. Again the thought was put a decent amount of feed down to get the fish to start grubbing around and it seemed to work again, an hour in to the session in a different swim to last time the rod wrapped over and a Barbel was on. It gave a cracking fight as well but was netted in the end. The 15mm boilie doing the trick again.

Dusk wasn't long off so I'd expect the Zander to move around but sadly the deadbait remained largely unhindered. Eventually a chub was caught at last knocking, 3lb or so, and was clearly determined hook itself, sadly that called time on the session. Another barbel though, cannot complain about that. Now the colour was dropping out of the Avon and the levels goin down so I might try for a Perch, the colour looked ideal for them.