Warwickshire Avon - Pariahs and Perpilocutionists

Many anglers may shrug their shoulders on reading the statement that chub are not particularly difficult to catch. But I know I am right. Izaak Walton truly wrote that the chub is the "fearfullest of fish ", but he is also the most greedy, and one of the most stupid. That said, as a species, for me they are right up there in my favourite fish to catch.

The sight of a man in motion, an unnatural movement in a bait, a footfall on the bank, or a stir in the water, will send chub to the bottom at once, and stop their feeding, but if you do not frighten them, and can place the bait before them in a fairly natural manner as, for instance, a fly which seems to drop from the trees above, or a fragment of bread drifting down stream then chub will take the bait. 

When the water is low and bright the careful chub-fisher makes the best bags, for his bait is seen far and near by many fish, while he himself can, by using suitable tackle, keep so far off as not to be noticed.

I have known a 4lb rotund chub, whose age should have given him wisdom, to be caught in 1 ft. of water, when half a dozen split, shot, a good-sized float, tipped with red, and a part of the running line, were all visible to him. But he saw no harm in those things, and took the bait. 

Had he known a dreaded human being was about, I could no more have hoped to catch that chub than I can hope to make a careless person a good fisherman. So with the sky mostly blue and the water still clear, what the heck was I doing down the Warwickshire Avon.

Well to be fair I fancied a couple of hours roving after being sat in ones home office for seemingly far too long. I just HAD to get out no matter what. The problem was I had to be back for a certain time as the Wife was meeting some friends for dinner (yes all tier 1) and I had to look after the reprobates.

Still I know this intimate section of the Warwickshire Avon rather well so I was hoping I could at least winkle a Chub out. I tend to fish the same way here, try and spot where the fish are first, so that could be by allowing some bits of bread to float on the surface to see if any would come up and take the freebee. Or creep around low and try and spot any dark silhouettes under ones polarised sunglasses before offering a bait.

Float fishing big baits can work but the problem is it's not that wide here so when I'm stood upright especially in bright conditions I can easily be spotted. Hunkering down with a light link ledger setup is the way I tend to fish for them, and with a lobworm or breadflake as bait the trick is try and get the bait to move in-front of a waiting Chevin.

You see a seemingly fishless swim can also of a sudden be transformed in to Chub soup (don't bother) when chub hiding up in snags and undercut banks and the like can appear out of nowhere and reveal their whereabouts out of no fault of their own.They basically cannot help themselves, the greedy bugger and won't pass a meal up if they feel safe enough to wolf it down. 

Chub are sociable fish, and, for the most part make up a little family parties and reside together in hones, but stray, good-for-nothing fish, the outcasts of scaly society, are to be found scattered about the river, either on the shallows, among the weeds or along the banks, in water from 1ft to 15ft in depth. These pariah fall victim to the surface angler in particular.  

Anyway a short session this, better get fishing !!!!

I session I'd rather forgot you see, a carton of milk I had in my pocket burst quite early on and not only my clothes were wet but my phone too. It seemed fine throughout the session but then when I got home the phone switched off and I couldn't turn it back on again.

Now I need it for work for various security apps just to logon and I cannot restore the back up to my iPhone 5 as the phone that is now in the airing cupboard sat in rice is an iPhone 7. The session didn't go that well either, the fish were as cagey as anything and having the chub surfacing in two swims taking bread off the top, well I say take, they came up and nudged it around a bit bit didn't properly take it.

I eventually bumped one fish off but that spooked the best swim and once a gardener upstream was blowing the leaves from his rather large grounds straight in to the river, that put the kibosh on that !!!!

So I had to venture in to enemy territory in to the secret banker swim and I managed to catch one eventually. I had to put on a huge piece of bread though and leave the line slack as any resistance whatsoever, any small pull on the tip or if a fish felt the lead on the link ledger nothing materialised but this small change was the downfall of this hard fighting Warwickshire Avon chub.

Warwickshire Avon - Fire-Breaks and Frawdoliaeths

As expected as there is no smoke without fire as expect our half term holiday to Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire was kyboshed due to Wales going in to a 17 day 'fire-break'. This will kerb or delay the spread of infection to allow the NHS to keep up with those being admitted to hospital because of the pandemic.

Now the fire-break will start at 6pm on Friday 23 October and end on Monday 9 November where residents of Wales are expected to stay at home, except for very limited purposes, such as for exercise and they must work from home wherever possible.

So more or less back to the original lockdown in the UK the 16th of March where all non-essential businesses must also close as well, and yes that does mean the pub, Goddamn it. 

I was looking forward to the break from work, however at the moment we in England and being in a 'Tier 1' area the restrictions our civil liberties haven't been effected as badly so I feel for my Welsh frawdoliaeths.

Well I am half Welsh after all as my Mum was born and bred in Port-Talbot, but plenty of finger pointing has been going on for those that have ignored the rules in Wales and it's come to a head with a rather large hammer blow.

I'm lucky that I've stayed in work to put the chicken nuggets on the table, because many haven't that luxury and are having to rob Peter to pay Paul in this damn COVID times, where it seems that democratic debate has all but been drowned out by ubiquitous Central Govt fear-mongering that has gone unchallenged in the mainstream since March. 

I'm sure if there was such a debate it would uncover a completely different narrative of what's really going on and would ease people's fears considerably. Once fear has subsided, perhaps better decisions will be made as to how to care for vulnerable citizens this winter, rather than having the wellbeing of the masses about to be kicked in the kahunas again with the virus that is here to stay and it certainly ain't going anywhere any time soon. 

Bojo certainly has seemed to lost his Mojo, he looks a shadowy figure of his former self from the snippets I've seen. Now I like many are beginning to feel like that too, it ain't good is it, 2020 can go and do one, haven't we had enough of it all, it's getting me down just typing it. 

Now talking about not going away any time soon. Zander that frequent ones local waterways are well established now and I like many love fishing for them despite the bad rap they get for no fault of their own.

I'd can count on one hand the amount of times I've tried for them on the river but after a heads up from a fellow blogger for this two hour session, I wanted to go for a reccy for maybe an extended session next week where all being well I'd fish just deadbaits 

There was a match you see, up at this deep and sluggish stretch of the Avon and there was some decent bags of roach taken in the 5 hours match. 16 of them in double figures by all accounts. 

That's a heck of a lot of bait fish for Zander to plunder, so I wanted in on it. A two rod approach, a lure rod and then under a float set-up I'd fish a smelt. Half an hour'ish in each swim I'd have around 4 or 5 swims to fish before the rules put an end to the session. 

Still it should give me at least a chance to try and bag a predator at least. Travelling light and a roving approach I was hoping would do the business. 

I don't mess around with small lures for Zander, decent sized jobbies and green seems to work very well as head turners to these fascinating species now in these England's 'troubled waters'.

As you know I love fishing for them and despite losing two certain doubles on the river, a canal fish of 9lb remains my PB.

Anyway, enough of the guff, better get fishing....

A bit of an odd session you see the water was far clearer than I thought and for Zander I like a bit of colour. Still some of the swims are very deep indeed so when a bait is 14ft down it probably wouldn't matter so much. A fallen tree in my favourite swims too, that ain't coming out anytime soon.

Anyway after the third swim with half an hour in each without a bite on deadbait or lure the last swim I'd sit it out. A change of lure brought a small perch and then after ten minutes the float bobs and starts to move. A good bite too, no messing around which usually means a pike.

I wasn't wrong either a tell-tale fight a reasonable fish was on the end. After a few runs it new the game was up and I had a decent fish on the end. I didn't weigh it but just about a double I think hooked nicely in the scissors. 

I moved swims again because of the carnage in the swim and as dusk was approaching I had two dropped runs from Zander, the soft flesh of the smelt showing the Zed's vampire like puncture wounds. The lure had hardly any interest apart from small perch and an aborted hit from a jack pike close in. 

With some rain on the rain though I fancy an extended session next week to give me more of a chance in banking one.

The River Leam - Dingbats and Defecators

A post of disgust, a post of defecation....

To give his new wellies a decent outing Sam and I were enjoying a short session on the float down the river Leam when I noticed a man in a bright orange t-shirt trying to negotiate the fallen tree that leads to the large swim we were fishing. He saw us, we saw him so he double backed on himself and I was going back to where he came.

I didn't think much of it, was probably a jogger wanting a look at the river but then Sam piped up...

"Daddy, what's that man doing ?"

I look behind me and cannot believe what I was seeing, he had removed his t-shirt, and was squatting with his trousers round his ankles and was yes, you've guessed it taking a sh*t

Literally in plain sight of Sam and I and he clearly couldn't give two hoots that we were in the vicinity.

"OYE !!!!, what the hell are you doing ? "

"Sorry, really needed to go"

"There is a pub there FFS, they've a toilet you know" "Disgusting , right in front of us, I hope you're going to clean it up.

"Yeah I've got a plastic bag"

A few more choice words went his way, as he was outed and embarrassed hopefully so there was nothing in return, well how could he respond to his actions. Luckily with Sam there I was quite reserved because there might have been a different outcome altogether. 

His mess removed thankfully, I can only assume it's a regular occurrence as he goes jogging equipped knowing that he will need to poo. It was the fact he knew we were there and still carried on with his act, just typing it now it's got me wound up, what kind of person thinks that is acceptable, doesn't bare thinking about.

On a more positive note it was almost a bite a chuck over the 4 swims with fished. Simple tactics a light float set-up and a pint of maggots. Nothing big, roach and dace the main quarry and some of the fattest minnows we'd ever seen.

The river is clearing so the larger fish didn't show, but to keep Sam entertained a bite a chuck is most welcome especially as I was worried we'd need to venture in to the field with the bull in residence and after a scary encounter down the river Leam, that wouldn't have been a good idea.