Northumberland - Slobs and Slumlords

A rather large epic fail on the fishing front up at Northumberland, I'd packed the rods but just wasn't feeling it really. I should have done some more research because we were not far from Seahouses and Beadnall where some decent Wrasse reside apparently, but the gear I packed wasn't really what I needed really. Oh well, not all about the fishing is it !!

The weather didn't help, where the first few days were really windy and not exactly good fishing weather. On route we stopped off at Colmans Seafood Restaurant in South Shields for a fish and chip lunch, which was rather nice I must admit. 

We rarely have fish and chips these days so it was a nice treat especially when the curry sauce that went with it, really was Soooooooo nice, a decent heat, consistency and full of flavour. The chips hard to fault and the batter, thin and crispy just how I like it.

I can count on one hand the amount of times I've been up this neck of the woods, but the areas can vary quite quite considerably, from rundown seaside towns and villages, to some really affluent areas with some stunning architecture and history for that matter. Houses from 50k (yes really) 150k for one with a sea view, to multi-million pound properties, plenty for all budgets. 

Bamburgh Castle and the village is an example of one of those more affluent areas, after passing between the Britons and the Anglo-Saxons three times, the fort came under Anglo-Saxon control in 590. The fort was destroyed by Vikings in 993, and the Normans later built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one. After a revolt in 1095 supported by the castle's owner, it became the property of the English monarch.

In the 17th century, financial difficulties led to the castle deteriorating, but it was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian era industrialist William Armstrong, who completed its restoration. The castle still belongs to the Armstrong family and is open to the public.

You could if you wanted from the beach at Bamburgh walk all the way to Seahorses and beyond, and I would have done it if the Wife and kids were not in tow. But the wind was kicking up the sand which wasn't ideal, but a nice ramble in a rather nice area I must admit followed by a pub lunch and a decent pint of Alnwick Ale was enjoyable enough. 

Holy Island or Lindisfarne is well worth a visit if you're in this area, where you can travel across the causeway to the Island (make sure you check the crossing times as you don't want to have to use the refuse hut !!) and discover this magical place despite the rip-off carpark. One of the most iconic landmarks in the UK, Lindisfarne Castle was converted by famed architect Sir Edwin Lutyens into a private holiday home for Edward Hudson, founder of Country Life magazine.

Outside, the garden designed by Gertrude Jekyll, and the unexpected grandeur of the 19th-century industrial lime kilns, shoreline walks and a National Trust shop in the village. There is also Lindisfarne Mead which is produced using traditional methods at the St. Aidan's winery where you can sample the different types and mead, and also purchase, local gin, wine and beers. 

Avoid the Ship Inn, as it had the world's most miserable landlord, the pub would likely shut if it wasn't for the tourists they need to think about that, at least the beer was ok. 😆

You cannot complain about the castle though, what a landmark. There were plans by Defra to ban fishing on the island a couple of years ago, however that was retracted last year apparently. There were a few fishing boats moored up the harbour during our visit, which was an encouraging sign. 

 

Now ever since 635, when King Oswald gave the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to St. Aidan to establish his monastery, the island has been a place of pilgrimage. The road was not constructed until 1954 and until then the vertical poles (The Pilgrim's Way) were the only indicators of the safe route between the mainland and island.

The sight of the poles stretching across the sand and mud is one of the most iconic views in Northumberland (that I forgot to take a picture off ) and to walk the route away from the road and follow in the footsteps of our medieval ancestors is well worth a go, we managed a good section of the 3 miles walk, but the rain and wind stopped play.

The iconic Alnwick Castle the location for Harry Potter, Downton Abbey and more is well worth a visit, the market town, really is very nice indeed and there is Sooooo many pubs and eateries to spend your pennies, the Ale Gate is my sort of place, and felt instantly welcome and a nice atmosphere. 

Anyway, this was about all we could muster up fishing wise, there is so much to go at up at this area and we barely touched it, but one thing I did notice was the percentage of those 'not shy round the buffet' did seem to increase once we got up past Newcastle 😋 happy with life I’d imagine !!. The road works 👀 almost constant on the A1M and various other main roads, a long old 290 mile slog back, thankfully a comfortable car to do it in, with the Wife doing all the driving. 

We averaged something like 17k steps a day, and yet a couple of those days I felt we didn't actually do a fat lot mainly due to the weather. Still a nice break away from the CAD screen, some wind swept walks, and a nice chilled week away with the family, now need to sort those fishing rods after a spicy concocted curry. 

Warwickshire Avon - Chubsters and Chthonophagia

With a week off work next week I thought I'd try and cram in a short session to try and catch a barbel. The Warwickshire Avon is gin clear at the moment however the witching hour things can often change and the angler can often be rewarded.

When I arrived at the carpark via the bumpy track Jon Pinfold and his son were just getting out the van and they were going to do exactly what I was going to do. There was also another couple of anglers sharing one of the convient swims. 

Jon's son hot-footed it up to the weir and Jon and I headed to the middle of the river and got fishing. In my swim ping in pellets there was already plenty of fish in the swim. They seemed like decent roach with the odd big chub in and amongst them. 

For a good hour and a half I only had chub pulls with the fish trying to pull the small pellet from the hair. The roach were still milling around and I actually scaled down to an 18 hook and a rubber maggot but they actively ignored it when cast in to the swim.

I switched back to pellet headed in to dusk thinking how I could fish for them in a future session and 10 minutes later a barbel esk bite and a fish was on. I really did think it was a small barbel at first because it was taking line but when it was heading to cover I knew what the culprit was.

A really nice chub, not that long but proper stocky it was and would go around 4lb I'd imagine. A really deep body and a fish that was likely to have been on the munch.

Anyway to cut a long story short, no more fish only more chub pulls before curfew. Jon's son blanked which is rare and Jon had an eel. The anglers sharing a swim, only chub pulls too. Tough going and I was lucky to actually get to land a fish. 

Warwickshire Avon - Braunschweiger and Brachymetropia

I really wasn't that bothered about going fishing, however to be fair I had promised Sam I'd take him again. The weather wasn't brilliant with a cold-ish wind that would bump the quiver tip all over the place but in the end I gave in to Sam's wimper.

He wanted to fish the same peg we had caught some chub from the other day but upon arriving at the secure car-park we knew those cars would be in the peg(s) we wanted to fish, we just knew it.

And we were right on our assumption, as a couple of matchman with enough gear to start a tackle shop of their own were in our intended pegs. But the two next to each other have always been some of the favoured pegs on this section.

A chat with one of them, he'd managed a few chublets and also a small barbel but was struggling with anything decent to put a bend in the rod. He said the river isn't fishing that well of late and many anglers are struggling. They'd be off before dusk I know that just when the big fish start to venture out for a mosey about.

We left them to it and headed to another swim that holds some decent fish which was only a 5 minute walk away. We were out of bread however on-route I could stop off at the shop and get some, well that's what I thought because they'd sold out of literally everything, thankfully I'd had a back-up plan, some lambs liver left over from a lunchtime cook-up. 

If you're a reader of my blog you'd know I've been experimenting with liver to catch chub for a good while now. It does seem to single out the bigger fish so I was looking forward to see what we could catch once the light went.

It really is a like a switch on the Warwickshire Avon where as soon as the bats appears the bigger fish do to. That was an hour away so Sam got catching minnows using some bread in a cup where sadly he didn't manage to catch any of the bigger ones.

It kept him occupied though, because apart from the odd rattle the liver was doing naff all in the fairly deep swim. If we didn't know any different we might have moved, but then Sam who now wanted in on the quiver rod was all set-up ready to go. 

I've mentioned before there is a strict curfew here where you need to be off half an hour past official dusk so you need to connect to any bites you get if possible. Sam missed three really powerful bites where he hooked in to nothing when dusk was with us, and the chub were really on to the bait. We'd primed the swim with some pellets when we got there, helped I think.

I decided to have a go and the same thing happened to me, an unmissable bite missed where literally the 1 ounce tip bent all the way to where it connects to the rod and then some more.

With curfew approaching Sam let me have another chance at it where this time I managed to connect to a chub that didn't actually put up much of a fight. A 4lber I say because when I lifted it out the net for a quick photo it weighed more than I thought. So at least we'd not blanked, Sam had another 5 mins but no more bites sadly but the good thing about travelling light is that you can be eek the last dregs of the fishing session out and be off within a minute or so.

I'm sure the more visible bread had been the better option but still it just goes to show that chub really will eat anything in order to quell their hunger.