Warwickshire Avon - Billies and Bilocation

This deep and rather pedestrian stretch of the Warwickshire Avon always has looked like there would be Tench in residence. Having looked back at my blog archives I'd fished it a couple of times without anything of note let alone a tinca so Pt.1 and Pt.2 meant I couldn't be bothered with Pt.3, 

Then out of the blue a fellow blogger who also fishes this stretch pointed me to a facebook page where not only did a single Tench >5lb grace the landing net in a recent match, but the 0.000001mm hook length and tiny hook users had lost Tench due to being under gunned for the hooked quarry. 

No smoke without fire and all that so after letting the bait bombardment and their bellies settle I was making my way after work to have a dangle myself. To be honest I think the Wife might be doing a Hancock behind my back as she is actively encouraging me to go fishing whenever I can, but then she knows what it does for ones wellbeing.

I cannot complain I suppose. Now here they are two notable areas that are thick with lilies that are likely holding spots and it was the second area downstream that just screams Tench I'd be fishing. 

So a single main rod approach for this short session, a float fished lift method style on the pin with worm or corn just off the lily pads and a method feeder with corn as a sleeper. 

I don't fish the float nearly enough and its almost like a stillwater here and sometimes, as a roving angler with a long fishing day ahead of me on the Thursday where I'd taken a well deserved day off, a few hours chilling I'd find some peace and solitude here.

The England verses Germany match was on so hopefully the banks were deserted, then again outside of the matches its usually dead anyway, well apart from the middle and lower end of the stretch that sees the early season keen Barbel blankers.

I'm one of those at the minute but hey, its like this year after year for the first 4 to 6 weeks anyway. Worm did the trick for the 3rd place winner that banked the Tench where it looked a tough match looking at the weights, so ones thriving wormery came to the rescue.

Now the winner a small dace over 6lb, that is poor for up here where often most anglers donning their seat-boxes often all catch over 10lb and when you stumble on the bream shoals there are budging keepnets to be had. Some chopped worm, dead maggots and a smattering of groundbait to kick the swim off....

....better get fishing hadn't I....

As expected I had the whole stretch to myself so as I can drive along the river I pre-baited one swim 30 pegs below the starting peg and would fish it for the last hour in to dusk. 

I did have a wander to see if I could see any feeding Tench but nothing was obvious but the two chosen swims looked perfect.

The fish bite cam within minutes and it was a greedy perch that hovered up the worm on the drop. The first swim was 8ft, the last 11ft or so, there is some good depth here even close in, but even fishing on he deck like I did the perch from that one bite keep on coming.

A decent stamp too, not the intended species but at least I was getting a few bites. A switch to sweetcorn the float remained lifeless put a worm on, another perch within seconds. I lost count at the amount of perch I caught in the end having to reuse the worms if I could as I was getting through them at a rate of knots.

So with no Tench showing in this swim without even a single bleep on the method feeder rod I headed to the deeper prebaited swim where upon arrive what looked like some feeding bubbles.

 YES !!!!!

Well NO !!!! actually because the same thing happened, perch after perch as soon as the worm hit the deck or sometimes before. Hmmmm not good, a switch to sweetcorn, nothing, again the sleeper rod fished a little further out, beep-less. 

As the sun was setting and another switch to worm, the umpteenth perch was determined to spoil my plans. So I decided to call it a day half an hour early, I dread to think how many I'd have caught if I fished up in the water and for them properly. A decent net full I'd imagine.