Warwickshire Avon – Elips and Eleutherophobia

Like many of us busy Dads with young kids my life’s diary is generally dictated to me, no harm in that, that’s what I signed up to after all, but unless there is some freedom in one’s life to do what ‘you’ want to do, life can get on top of you very quickly.

If you think about it, deprivation of freedom is a type of criminal punishment, ok I know its compulsory isolation of the criminal from society but unless you sort your work-life balance out you might as well be watching your back when picking up the soap.

The problem is the work-life balance is not a one-size fits all type of deal, so you have to find what “size” fits you best on any given day. In order to find balance in your everyday life, your best bet is not to focus on what worked yesterday, but rather what will work today. When there is a sense of routine, organization, and consistency in your life, balance just happens naturally. A great deal of learning how to balance your life and work lies within knowing how to prioritise, delegate, and create efficiency wherever possible.

Sounds easy doesn’t it….

Thing is I’ve heard the saying ‘choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’ but modern life generally dictates that is unlikely to happen, well not if you have many dependents like I and many have. At the end of the day for me it’s what is needed in my pocket at the end of the month that puts pay to that. I've experience and skills that people want to pay pretty well for, and change and uncertainty for someone who likes some planning in his life, would be difficult to throw that completely out the window and change what I do, what I earn.

What has worked for me working in the automotive industry all my working life is the lunchtime finish on a Friday. As the kids are back at school now me and her indoors generally have a lunch out, meet for a swim at her gym, or we go separate ways and I go fishing and she meets up with friends.

The real secret behind balancing work and life is having the freedom to run your own life. I welcome the increase in flexible working, with employers letting colleagues do their work whenever, wherever and, sometimes, however they want. Being trusted with the freedom to do your job in your own way is, in itself, good for an individual's confidence and well-being.

So I find myself on the banks of the Warwickshire Avon when most people are still at work.

You see as a contracting jobber and an early starter I burned through my hours last week pretty quickly because two unplanned and impromptu meetings took place, both around the clay model I’m providing feasibility on. One was with the MD, so no chance I could get out of it.

So a quick chat with the client, yeap, a couple of hours time in lieu.

It’s 2017 remember, flexibility in the work place, especially as for many both parents work, surely must be a given.

This fishing lark for me gives me something that I dictate in my life, and I’ve said before it’s what keeps me sane I’m sure, well that and a dram from time to time.

So this after work midweek session I planned to do what I don’t usually and that is to sit behind ones rods in to dusk.

Oily Elips hardened hookbaits on one rod with a matching paste wrap and the other, a krill wafter with a PVA bag of freebies.

Having not had ones string pulled properly for a long time, I was hoping for a Barbel. They are here in numbers but as it sees some pressure, from time to time they can just switch and for the uninitiated you’d might not ever fish the stretch again.

So the session….

Well I had the pick of the swims so I settled in one that recently had some reeds removed, the flow looked great the colour a little better too, weirdly levels looked more or less the same.

Within 5 minutes of one of the baits being out the rod tops starts to bang and a Barbel is on. It was giving a good account for itself too, giving a couple of powerful runs.Rested in the net it was a fish with a lovely colour, probably because it's been so clear of late.I noticed a little damage to the fish, otter, cormorant, keepnet, who knows but one of his Whiskers was visibly marked too.

Not the biggest at an oz under 6 lb, but a lovely proud fish all the same.

Martin had turned up not long after and he settled in the swim down from me, oddly he was geared up for carp having spotted one here the other day. So small boilies were swapped for ones twice the size, PVA freebies and some hand fed ones too. After a natter and a catch up with an hour to go before dusk the wind really started to pick up and my rods were bouncing all over the shop, the rain came down too, not exactly pleasant.  A couple of small chub, but no more Barbel but then headed in to dusk, Martin's upstream rod starts to get some attention and he is eventually in to a fish.

"Mick, I've got one"

I was on landing net duties and the fish was giving a good account for itself, at first I thought it was a decent eel the way it was going but after it was persuaded away from the reeds it's flanks and mouth were visible, yeap, the intended target a carp.

In cracking condition too, a lovely common.

8lb 4oz, not the giants that we know are in the Warwickshire Avon but heck, it's a river carp after all, and the first one on the bloggers challenge board.

There is probably a small head of carp here because another challenge competitor has had one down this neck of the woods too.

When this is a bit more colour, I'm on it.

Warwickshire Avon - Irma and Ichthyophiles

After 2 weeks sailing a Lagoon 440 catamaran with two other couples in the British Virgin Islands I was fishless, ok some small fish caught on bread whilst moored up at Jost Van Dyke after frequenting the soggy dollar bar and some whilst taking a dingy over to a sand bar for lunch overlooking Richard Branson’s Necker Island.

but nothing of note….

But then on route to Anegada having just left Virgin Gorda some bait fish started to jump out the water and as soon as the lure hit the disturbed surface a fish was on.

This was bending the rod like no other fish had done before, I wouldn’t say I was disappointed when it finally surfaced because it gave me utter respect for what I caught, but yeah the Tuna was pretty small.

God only know what anything half decent would feel like….

The barracuda sitting there just like Pike, the turtles, like basking carp.

So I’m hoping once Hurricane Irma has past and done its worst the people can get back on their feet again, unlike the US Virgin Islands lots of it still unspoilt, a fantastic part of the world.

Other memories, well freshly caught huge Lobster at the Big Bamboo, flamingos, rock iguanas and rare plant species like sea lavender. Horseshoe Reef with its rich marine life and shipwrecks. Mosquito and Prickly Pear Island with its isolation.

I want to go back….

Sadly my suitcase was lost on the way back which contained some souvenirs but was easily my favourite holiday.

Now talking of nothing of note, up till now on this blogger challenge hasn’t gone that well, ok quite a few species have been crossed off the list but all of relatively average size, so for this session I wanted to try and up the bream size and also maybe try and bank another species, yeap a mud sucker.

Sam was with me for this session to practice his casting so my rods would be left to sort themselves, both on alarms and bobbins, yes I know I’m a heathen, but needs must and all that.

It’s not about me, I’ve the tangle King to contend with, but like me, he is becoming a lover of all things fishy.

The problem became evident quite early on, you see the river was clear very clear and the swims where the bream and patrolling carp would likely to see were small fishless. Sam was becoming impatient with the lack of fish action so after switching swims once and fishing a couple of hours without even a bite on maggot, we were weir bound.

Luckily some fish were found and it gave same some unhooking practice

With the odd nudge on my boilie set-up it was time to head to Lucy's Mill, you see it's nice and open here so he could get some practice casting in without much to get tangled with.

Well apart from my eyebrow that is, yes somehow when de lidding the maggot box he managed to dangle the line over my head and try to cast it.

"Sam, don't move the rod, you've hooked me"

Barbless for obvious reasons, so easy to remove, but noted for future session, stay clear.

He went away relatively happy, I not so.

With some time off in lieu this week, hopefully a Barbel session, fancy a proper bend in the rod.

Warwickshire Avon – Righyni’s and Rumpots

I was sat outside the other day, Wife with some American rubbish on the TV, feet up, patio heater taking the chill off, Buck Corner Mix from Mika Dutsch on the Bluetooth speaker , and a big glass of an impulsive purchase whist in Sainsbury’s.

Yeap, another Whisky to add to the collection….

And to be honest the Balvenie Caribbean Cask ain’t a bad Whisky for £40 odd quid, matured for 14 years in traditional oak casks before being transferred to Caribbean rum casks to impart some extra flavour, so nose of passion fruit, and creamy toffee, palate, well, sweet vanilla and notes of apples, mangoes with a hint of orange in the background, the finish creamy and lingers.

Not my favoured cask strength, but at 43% a reasonable kick and makes a palatable nightcap….

The rum cask gives it a subtle sweetness you see, but it’s the creaminess I was impressed with, certainly made it very quaffable, dare I say it with a big fat cigar.

I did make quite a dent in it, come morning, simple pleasures, nothing like it.It maybe even become a default go to Whisky such the impression it gave and after trying many a dram now, if you find something you like, stick with it.

Talking about sticking with it, I used this Righyni grayling float both times when I’d visited the Lower Itchen Fishery and loved the way it presented itself, for long trotting in pacey and the pedestrian, it just looked and felt right.

It’s a self cocking jobbie (more or less) just needing a couple of BB shot to sink the bait and to ensure that the tip sits correctly, also as the majority of the weight is at the float end, it was much easier to cast compared to a big loafer for example where the bulk shot is at the business end.

Grayling after grayling fell for the presentation as did the odd brownie, and even after a good 50 or 60 yard trot the tip was visible and hence why it’s fitted to my heavy trotting set-up for use on the Warwickshire Avon.

I don't trot enough as it's a great way to catch fish.

So the session....

Well it didn't help that the stretch I intended to fish was sadly unavailable due to a match on there but luckily I'm close to many a water so it was off down the brook.

The water was clear, shallow and quite snaggy in places but I still managed to find some fish.

Mainly Perch but chublets and eventually a Chub that probably wouldn't even make a few pounds, quite enjoyable mind you, fishing close to cover would have been the better option but still nice to be out.

Back out in the morning, this time with the 'king of tangles'