Warwickshire Avon - Rain Dances and Radiometeorographs

Sam is as keen as ever at the moment which is probably because the weather has been good. That good weather though has meant that without any rain the river is very low indeed, and that means that the fishing is very tough indeed on the Warwickshire Avon.

It's always like this to be honest and that is probably why there doesn't seem to be that many anglers about, apart from those that are fishing the matches where that diary entry forces them to go fishing. 

Sam is a dab hand at fishing for chub off the top and that is often the way to get a bite in these conditions. I wanted to fish in to dusk and half an hour beyond whilst we were there, because I'd spotted a barbel in one particular swim the other day that look a double at least.

From an elevated swim out the corner of my eye I noticed it milling around some streamer weed where it ignored the bread going past its noggin and proceeded to swim upstream, where it tucked itself out of the way under some cover.

After baiting up the swim we'd fish in to dusk we went on the rove to try and catch some chub off the top but they were having other ideas. Well the bigger ones anyway because we caught a few smaller chub in different swims.

The last swim before we settled down to fish static area we had a good head of chub taking bread off the top and slow sinking but they were not stupid at all. We had a few opportunities where twice decent sized chub had inhaled the bread and it disappeared from view but we both failed to hook up. 

Then another failure when another decent chub was lost when it carted right under the cover and was never seen again.

Eventually I managed a small chub that took some slow sinking bread but that scuppered that swim because we never saw the chub again.

The sun was setting though so it was time to try for a barbel and I couldn't get anywhere near the rod because Sam was insistent he would man the rod.

A long fluorocarbon hook length with a size 12 hook and a small robin red pellet went out half an hour before dusk and we sat back waited.

A PVA bag of freebies went on the end of the hook to hopefully get the barbel to home in on the hookbait. 

The odd chublet pull started was the light went but to be honest it was very quiet indeed because I fully expected at least a chub from this swim.

We had a curfew time because otherwise Sam who loves his sleep wouldn't be up till late morning. With literally two minutes to go the classic bang bang, on the rod tip and then a classic 3 foot twitch where Sam struck in to nothing !!! 

"Oh, for flips sake, !!what happened there, there's no fish on ? !! "

"God knows, you should have hooked up if that was a barbel, it looked like a barbel bite to me"

I cast out again with another PVA bag on but despite past curfew he didn't get another chance. 

Sam donned the head torch on the way back to the car thankfully because the amount of insects really was quite ridiculous.  

So a disappointing session because of the outcome, however it's nice to fish with a keen young angler who is actually thinking like a fisherman and how to out smart those bigger fish in testing conditions. I'm sure it will come good in the end, fingers crossed anyway. On to the next one !! 

Warwickshire Avon - Backlash and Baitcasters

 Sam has been watching YouTube videos of largemouth bass for a quite a while now and has asked quite a few times why haven't we got a baitcaster reel ? Where can we go to catch them by the way, they look a wicked fish to catch. 

To be honest I've never really felt the need to get one, but then out of the blue an offer from Temu meant I could get one for the price of a pint of beer. So missing a trick ?

Well 7 days later, hopefully we'd find you !!!

After it arrive Sam had been pestering me to take him after exhausting the new lego he'd been bought to give him a break from playing online on the PS5 with his mates. When the reel arrived it looked pretty easy to put some line on and we found the spool release pretty easily, but the other controls ?, well I needed to consult YouTube for that

Well you have a spool tension knob which is effectively a drag for the spool when it's in free spool, then you have the star drag nex to the handle which is self explanatory, then the brake system on the end of the reel controls the speed of the spool when it is unlocked. It helps prevents backlash, which would result in knots. It is located internally but can be controlled by the dial on the side plate of the baitcaster

Now the dreaded backlash seems to be huge bird nest tangles that can be a nightmare, however the spool tension knob controls how easily your spool spins, and apparently to avoid backlash largely depends on ensuring your spool and your line spin at the same rate, controlled via the spool tension knob. Backlash occurs when the spool spins faster than the line coming through the guide.

You can loosen the spool tension knob off and use your thumb when you cast to limit that happening, or tighten it up and get the reel to do the tensioning.

Anyway to the fishing we decided to drive up to an area that it open and wide and where I've had some nice Zander and Pike in the past and give it a go. It seems heavier lures are the way to go, so I rigged up a 50g crankbait which dives to a decent depth, because it's quite deep here.

So with the settings tweaked to those we'd found online we got casting !!!. Sam got the hang of it pretty easily to be honest, probably because he's watched so many videos of people using them I suppose and he we doing well until the first backlash happened. It came after 30 casts maybe where all of a sudden the lure stopped mid flight and dive-bombed into the drink. 😁

Hmmm ok, need to learn what happened there then. Luckily it was sorted pretty quickly but the fact that the lure was a decent weight meant that the braid really dug into the spooled line, however on this occasion it wasn't too bad.

Anyway we decided to move to the weir where on my first cast nearing the staging a decent pike came from our right out of the blue for an aborted take, making us both jump at the same time. It looked a decent fish as well, definitely well worth catching. A good 30 plus casts between us and it was looking good on the baitcasting front as we both got the hang of it 

"Daddy, I'm liking this, seems to be more accurate to me, what do you think ?"

"I don't see what the fuss is about !! 😆!

We'd loosened off the spool tension knob slightly and used out thumb to caress the line when the lure was launched, however we'd spook too soon, because the next cast we were looking at the world's biggest backlash tangle where even the top Krypton Factor contestants would be scratching their heads !!!

I certainly couldn't sort it there and then, so we retraced out steps to get the float rod and maggots out of the car where we managed to catch quite a few maggot munchers that were queuing up to get the grubs, till the fish stamp and the choppy surface called time. Ok the first outing didn't go that well admittedly, however it's a steep learning curve with a new reel like this, practice is the key, so we will give it another go soon hopefully. 

Warwickshire Avon - Seladoria and Selenography

Just shy of a week off from fishing, that's not happened for a while, even when I've been on holiday when I've needed to keep up the wellbeing fixer. The truth is the Wife had been away from Thursday through to the Monday in Edinburgh and I'd be responsible for the kids. If Ben wasn't Ben I'd have planned to do a couple of fishing sessions as Sam is a keen as ever, especially in the summer school holidays, but he's have to wait for a while, like I would have to.

Not a problem because I had lots planned for the kids despite having to work as per normal. A trip into Brum on the train to play some crazy Golf in the Bullring, some lunch, and a trip to the park. A banana loaf made by Sam to take to his Nan, the Wife's Volvo given a good wash and vac. A couple of lego models constructed and a climbing wall, well climbed !!!

Some dinner in the kids favorite curry house, Korma and garlic rice and naan for them, a mixed madras balti for me with the aforementioned and some pistachio kulfi to finish, the time went pretty quick to be fair. Having left to my own devices in the evening when the kids were in bed. Some movies watched including a horrors and the old but still funny and mood boosting cornetto trilogy.

The day the Wife returned was actually her birthday so after picking her up from the airport late afternoon rather than go fishing (she said why not go for a few hours peace) I lit the charcoal chimney and made some Moo Ping instead with some jasmine rice, cucumber and some birds eye chilli ladened thai dipping sauce.

It's one of my favorite foods on the BBQ I would say because so simple to make and paired with a cold bottle of Reisling with a couple of ciders, it was nice to have the Wife back. It's only when she is gone for a bit you realise how much she does at home, I've always said that to be honest, although she did appreciated I'd empted the washing basket, and made good the stinky clothes from the teenagers the day before she got back.

Anyway a small window of opportunity before she went to Yoga the following day I again decided to forgo the fishing and rig up a baitcaster (Temu special) a setup that Sam wanted to try with a heavier lure to see if we'd been missing anything. The one I've bought definitely doesn't seem to suit the lighter lures (I tried it) but a quick google, they definitely are better suited to lugging the bigger head turners.

I was working from the office for some much need peace and adult conversation the following day 😊 and with it being overcast decided to have a couple of hours afterwards to try and winkle out a chub off the top. The conditions really are pretty pants at the minute as you can actually see the fish and they can see you on many of the stretches I fish.

However this searching method can get those fish out from the cover where a static bait would often big ignored. They do wise up to this method however it does increase the probability of getting a decent bend in the rod.

I love this stretch for good reason though because under those polarised sunglasses you can literally see everything even in the deeper swims, so those dark shadows all of a sudden start moving when that piece of crust gets within the chubs eyeline.

The 2 hour session wasn't that successful to be honest because after the first cast a small chub graced the net after a decent battle I peaked too soon. You see after that fish I roved around where I lost one fish in the reeds, one came off mid fight, another after a huge bow wave where the chub went for the bread, I failed to hook up.  

Not a blank though so I wasn't complaining and I love the summer colours chub get when the rivers are gin clear and the sun does it's thing. As I was nearing the end of the session moving from swim to swim I spotted a decent barbel milling around the streamer weed in an elevated swim. After ignoring the slow sinking bread that literally went straight past its nose, it proceeded upstream and took itself under a canopy of cover.

Certainly a fish which catching so now I know where it lives I'm going to give it a go over the weekend in to dusk obviously because that will no doubt be my best chance I feel. So I'm back and yes it felt good especially when the weather has been nice of late. 

So much to look forward to in the next few months, two seperate week long family holidays where some lake and some sea fishing will be on the cards, just shy of a week in mate Ward's villa in Spain for catch-up without the kids in tow, with a whistle stop night out in Benidorm, The Fat Boy Slim long weekender where we have a decent turn out from the guys. (12 at the last count)

Then unlike Nic from Avon Angling who was invited by Fishing Republic to spend last weekend fishing the Catch Of The Day charity event in aid of The Willow Foundation fishing, where he was fishing again with England goalkeeping legend David Seaman, I had to make do with someone less well known, unless you're an old raver like me. 

You see the Wife's trip coincided with the charity match sadly as Nic said I could tag along, so being disappointed I'm off to see another Dave Seaman , none other than DJ royalty himself from Selador records who will be part of a brilliant line-up (12pm to 1.00am) from the Skybar in Glasgow. 

A cracking smaller venue with a great sound system and an older crowd, where Haanes Bieger will be twiddling his knobs on his Roland TB-303 amongst his other electronic hardware.   

I've seen Dave Seaman and Steve Parry for that matter many times over the years, they really do play my kind of repetitive beats that test the subwoofers to their limitations, so I'm really looking forward to that especially when the rubbish flight times on the Sunday meant, it would be better to have the Saturday in Glasgow too 😃. So a tour at the Clydeside Distillery booked to pass the time as well as a couple of other time fillers to sort out in the countdown.