Warwickshire Stour - Fannies and Fanfaronades

The other week I was hypnotising the cat. Like you do. When it occurred to me that my amazing power over animals could be put to better use. (Ever tried that, hypnotising the cat? What you do is to wait until it is settled on the back of the settee, and then stare deep into its eyes. You say, 'Daft cat, you are completely in my power. You are going to sleep. A deep... deep... sleep...'

Anyway, what I thought was that instead of wasting time on the cat, I could try my hypnotic powers on fish. And transmit them by telepathy, at which I am also a master. So there I was, down by the river. At a spot where some PB roach can be had. If you know what you're about. Like what I do.

Bait up. Cast out. All systems go. Now for the telepathy.

You are a roach of about 2 lb. in weight. You are very hungry and totally unafraid. You are approaching a maggie of gigantic proportions and irresistible seasoning. You are sucking in the bait. You are-

By gum. That gudgeon must have nipped in a bit smartish. Try again.

You have been shoved aside this time, roach. By big brother. Who weighs all of 3 lb., and who needs plenty of nourishment. Now, big brother, your little beadies have spotted that delicious anattoed maggie... You are moving in for the kill... Forgetting your manners and going, 'Slurrrp' . . .

Another bloody gudgeon. Gerroff.

I realise now why the roach are being so shy. It's that 7lb.Chub which is putting them off.

Come here, ol' Chub... To where the maggie is... Mick's here... Have no fear... Now... One... two... three...

If I see another gudgeon, I'll scream.

All of which proves that gudgeon are much more receptive to telepathy than 3lb. roach and 7lb. chub.

So receptive, so completely in my power, that they elbow the monster fish out of the way to get at the bait first. I wonder if Alwyne Wheeler knows about this?

Meanwhile, perhaps I should keep in practice.

Come here, daft cat. Look deep into my eyes... You are going to sleep... A deep... deep... sleep...

Anyway I need as much help as I can at the minute because after catching 5 chub on the Warwickshire Stour a few days ago, this short 2.5 hour session I caught absolutely naff all. Not even a bite either, well I might have done, but the wind was so strong it was blowing the 1 ounce quivertip all over the gaff.

Not enjoyable I can tell thee !!!

Now I did intend to float fish because I knew the river would be much clearer when I fished it last but stupid me when leaving in a rush to get to Ben's Xmas concert in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-Upon-Avon I left it in the garage 🙈. I thought I'd bank at least a couple of fish, how wrong was I.

So another blank, anyway on a more positive note on one of our families early Xmas Do's (Father-In-Law and Step MIL) is off on a cruise AGAIN !! I came away with some festive treats that were on the table next to the crackers and scratch cards. Despite knowing the Wife and kids don't particularly like Terry's chocolate orange I managed to come away with theirs after the meal. 

Bob's your uncle. And Fanny's your aunt.

Oh and Jack Daniels 😬 there was a disappointing end to the tale.

Warwickshire Avon - Mud Pits and Malapropisms

With the Warwickshire Avon dropping nicely and with literally 2.5 hours to fish, or two hours if I went further afield I decided that I'd try for a chub at the stretch of convenience. I arrived at dawn where as I was approaching the parking area another car was already parked there, and an angler was out the car and all ready to go. 

For a split second I did think about another stretch as I wanted to rove about but having driven past I made my decision and double backed on myself. What I didn't expect was that angler ready to go was fellow blogger Baz Peck who like me, has fished this stretch for many a year and comes back to it, because well, it's just a nice bit of water to fish. 

After a quick natter Baz headed off to the lower end of the stretch and I turned left and headed up towards the middle and upper reaches. The river to be honest looked a little higher than expected but as I'd concentrate on some slacks the 1 ounce tip fitted should be sufficient.

Now a bankstick had fallen out my bag last time I was here, and what I didn't expect was that the bankstick was in plain sight when I battled through the thick and claggy mud and got to the first swim. It's one of my favorite ones and also one of the most costly ones I have. Happy days !!!

Anyway I primed a few swims with mash and got on with the fishing. I gave the banker swim a good forty minutes or so before deciding to get on the move, because it's a small and intimate stretch this and bites usually come with fifteen minutes or so if there is any fish in the vicinity.

It was a decent colour for a bite or two and I'm sure it was the case of just dropping on to a fish and I'd be holding up one of the nice chub that reside here for a trophy shot. 

Swim after swim, though, mud pit after mud pit the fish just didn't seem to want to play ball. I changed to bread at one point but like the cheesepaste I was biteless, just one of those days. Baz was on the rove too and he at least had hooked in to a fish however sadly lost it when it did him in the dead reeds I believe. There is plenty of that here to be honest and I've lost fish exactly the same way.

Anyway after a half hour chat with Baz in one of the swims we both went on the rove again. With the diarymakers curfew forty-five minutes away I fished another two swims without even a nibble and sadly headed home with a blank.

That's fishing for you though because if you asked me whether or not I'd catch a fish looking at the river initially, I'd have said "YES" it looked perfect colour for a bite, but it just goes to show doesn't it, we cannot have it our own way. I've plenty of fishing time now so lets hope I can winkle a few more fish before Santa pops his head down the chimney. 

There is more rain on the way sadly, I'm just hoping it's not as bad as it has been of late. The ground is saturated, you only have to look at the muddy banks for that so it might get worse before it gets better. I hope Baz banked a fish in the end, because he was closer to one than me when we were both bankside. 

Warwickshire Stour - Garlic Goo and Gastrophilanthropists

One of mate Nic's videos seems to be getting a lot a attention of late, the views over >30k as I type this which is fantastic going, the drone thumbnail ? who knows, but making great content helps I'm sure, as his channel stands out from the humdrum. 

I wish there were more YouTubers creating content on small rivers because I love fishing these small waterways even though the quarry isn't particular big compared to the larger rivers.

The Warwickshire Stour is home to my PB river roach though so this is gems to be had from this little river which basically winds it way through farmers fields. The chub don't go massive, a 3lber a good'un but if there is anywhere locally to catch a few chub, this river can often deliver that. 

Nic had been fishing it of late and when he said it was 'bang on !!' I sorted the gear and wanted to try out a newly purchased rod from Angling Direct, their Advanta Specimen Twin Tip. I wanted a rod compliment my TFG River and Stream rod for small river fishing and this looked a nice budget alternative. It's 11ft 1.25TC, with an Avon top and also a quiver section with 1, 2 and 3 ounce tips. 

I liked the slightly bigger and minimalised guides very similar to the TFG rod I must admit, but I needed to catch a fish on it to see what it was like. For this session I fitted the 1 ounce tip because I've found that the lighter the tip you can get away with the better for chub. They certainly are not stupid when mouthing baits so to get less resistance only helps. 

I also wanted to try an impulse purchase which was some garlic goo because I had some krill goo, that I used to good effect before, when pepping up bread and cheese paste and this looked just the ticket. An edge ? maybe, maybe not but you know me I like experimenting with baits and conconctions, got to be worth a go.

So simple roving tactics for this short morning session, with a small cage feeder of liquidised bread and I'd alternate between bread and cheesepaste for the hook. Thankfully the weather looks a little more settled going forward and I've broken up early now so I can start to rack the sessions up. 

Many of the fellow bloggers have been saying the same, what an awful period of weather we have been having, it really has been rubbish.  Anyway for some reason the club match on here tomorrow had been cancelled, prematurely I believe, as it was bob on.

In-fact I'd have liked it a little higher to be honest. Anyway I got there just before sunrise and walked the stretch and baited a few spots and would fish then in rotation. Some of the swims looked perfect for trotting to be honest but fishing the slacks away from the main flow can often bring some quick bites.

And I was right on the money because it didn't talk long to get the first bite where after some tentative pulls on the tip it confidently went round and I struck in to a solid fish. It actually made a jump for freedom when it felt the hook and launched itself out of the water 😀

 

A lovely Stour chub indeed and after a spirited battle where the rod coped admirably it was soon in the net. The cheesepaste again doing the business, when you have such confidence in a bait it is hard to change isn't it.

I didn't expect another bite so quick but after the paste went out again with the fish retained in the landing net and some more mash went out , this time an unmissable bite where I'm hooked up to another chub within about 10 minutes or so from the last fish.

A smaller fish this one but welcome all the same. As the morning progressed the wind picked up and the sun came out for a good hour or two. The bites dried up when that happened but over the 3 and a bit hours I was there I managed to catch another 3 chub making it 5 chub in total.

In one of the swims I missed two bites where after some loud cursing I managed to get the bait right under the middle of the raft where 5 minutes later this time I managed to hook up. These small river chub don't half fight for their size and this newly christened rod perfect for the quarry.

Was the added garlic goo making the difference ? probably not, but the cheesepaste did the business once again and and enjoyable morning indeed. The Avon is getting back to more settled conditions now so I'll hopefully be able to start targeting those again and try to catch some of a better stamp.

With plenty of fishing opportunity before the year ends hopefully I can start racking up the sessions now. Where next ? decisions decisions !!!