Warwickshire Stour - Absinthe and Absorptiometers

When Sam said to me the evening before "Daddy can I come fishing with you in the morning" in the back of my mind I knew what the eventual outcome would be. It's still pretty cold for little Sam so 7.30am when he comes bundling in to the bedroom, "you still up for fishing ?"

"Sure" 🤯

Now I didn't expect that reaction !! So his fishing clothing sorted, then maggots from the bait fridge in the garage, his new float rod strapped to the car, to the little stream we go !!!

Then when I'm in the garage the door starts to open slowly and a little head appears from behind the door

"Errrrr, I've just had a runny poo and I've a bit of a stomach ache"

"So you're not coming with me then ?"

"No, I'd rather stop here, you can go yourself if you want"

"You sure it's not because you think you'd be cold ? I've got the handwarmer in the car by the way"

"No, it's not, Weeellllll ok, yeah does feel cold doesn't it, can you do me some Nutella toast before you go" !!!

So to plan B it was then off to the green waters of the river Stour !!!

With the Avon clear unless you want to use 3 pints of maggots and lucky enough to stumble upon a group of chub bites can be hard to achieve. Here though on the Stour especially this snag fest stretch, roving is the key to winkle out a few fish. The absinthe coloured waters really are very different to the other rivers I fish in this neck of the woods and I don't know why.

It runs through open farmland predominately and maybe it's the run off from the fields, the bed it's sits on  ? it's quite a bit different though. In-fact the colour reminds me of the Hallowed canal stretch where having fished the usual turbid waters of the South Stratford or The Grand Union, it was a bit of an eye opener how different it can be. 

So some mash as feed and bread for the hook, were the fish willing participants ?

Bites were forthcoming in most swims I fished (easily 10+) but I was using rather large pieces of bread I’d imagine if I’d a size 18 with some maggots my fish count would have been quite a bit larger.

I stuck to my guns though and it’s didn’t take long to get the first chub. They are not the biggest chub in the world but they give some of the most acrobatic fights for some reason. I suppose with it being full of snags and cover they are well conveyed in their escaping possibilities. 

I managed 5 in the end over a few hours so not exactly prolific especially with the number of swims I fished but you know within a few minutes if there is a chub in the swim, they were on it quick smartish.

The biggest a 3lber, these rivers really are my bread and butter. Complete solitude, only sheep to keep me company and the whole river to myself. What is not to like ?

Warwickshire Avon - Scamps and Scalpriforms

A score to settle, a chub did me over good and proper when it wolfed down the sucker fish and did me in a snag in the process, it felt a good fish too and despite me giving all the side strain I could muster up, it got away with a raised middle finger. 

So with dusk approaching, the head torch donned, the bait out, all ready to go !!!

Now this torch has been in my tackle box for a while now, and despite being the price of a couple of pints of beer, the battery lasts a long time and the offers various modes. 

The floodlight mode with the large strip really is quite ridiculous and the focussing beam with two light levels perfect for illuminating the rod tip when it's dark, so much so I don't bring the dedicated torch anymore. 

The bigger fish had other ideas though, naff all at dusk but an hour in to dark two small chub caught within the space of ten minutes. 

Eerily quiet, with not a breathe of wind, the 3/4oz tip working wonders again, the first almost hook themselves now, the really haven't a clue what's going on... 

Warwickshire Avon - Minions and Mirabiliary

Rump cap of dry aged Herefordshire beef, sticky cheek, sweet and sour onions, Hook Norton ale and smoked ox tongue jus...

La-di-da I hear you cry !!!

Apart from "sounds expensive" (my brother) this sort of food you either love or hate I suppose, you get or you don't . The reality is I love this sort of food as a treat once in a while because let's be honest every feelgood thing in life in these times needs to be grabbed with both hands.

 

For many fishing is for the select few, those that love to sit on their backsides in the cold and the rain catching naff all, but lets keep it that way I would rather have quieter banks keeping what we know to ourselves. Fishing gives me the feel good factor in spades as you know, so with a lure rod in my left hand and a quiver rod in my right hand I was off the Warwickshire Avon to try and winkle out a chub or a perch. 

The conditions would be pretty pants to be honest and a word from Nic who fished not far away went home early because on a usually productive stretch, he failed to even get a single bite, and that was on maggot under a float.

Still I decided to venture out and prepared to blank but you cannot catch something if you haven't a bait in the water. The water as expected was gin clear, so clean in-fact you could see the bottom in almost all of the swims. Where the heck do the fish disappear off too ?

God only knows but still I thought the lure rod would get the fish out from under their hiding places even if it was just a small perch or something. 

But sadly not, swim after swim and nearly two hours without a bite and a couple of those I prebaited with mash, and sadly the bread was still there when I returned, there was nothing doing whatsoever. 

One swim though always delivers, well ok, more often than not and this was a swim I left to prime right at the start of the session. Anyway I settled in to that swim and was looking for my hand warmer in my bag when I stumbled upon the Minion Squashies Sam gave me. 

You see a purchase on a whim neither of the kids liked them so they ended up in my fishing bag for emergency purposes if as often happens I've forgotten to bring bait or ran out of ir. You only have to look at my blog to see why I love to try new baits. This blog post one of many over the years. 

The squashie went out over the pieces of bread and expecting nothing to happen, but happen it did because out of the blue the tip jumps in to life and the rod pulled round violently almost pulling it off the rest. That happened in a split second but with the reactions of a star-nosed mole (8ms apparently 🤯) I lifted the rod and I was in to a hard fighting chub.

A pretty brutal fight ensued and it was taking line at a fast rate of knots initially before turning it, I also managed to steer it way from a sunken stump because that would have been game over but it was certainly giving a good account for itself.

Anyway a quick weigh it went 4lb and 10oz on the scales. A very nice fish indeed and made the trip out worthwhile. I could have stayed longer just in to dusk before I had to make haste but I decided to call the session early and head back to the car with a smile on my face.