Warwickshire Avon - Jitterbugs and Jobbernowls

In the world of cryptozoology, that is the search and study of unknown or unidentified animals, one of the things that is highly prized is photographic evidence.

In the absence of any sort of body or physical evidence of these mysterious creatures the next best thing we can hope for is pictures taken of our quarry, but the sad case is that this rarely goes far to really proving anything at all, and considering all of the hoaxes and fakers in this day and age such photographic “proof” is becoming of less and less use in our quest to get to the bottom of these mysteries.

For every promising picture there seem to be a dozen fakes, and it seems only natural that such photographs should generate plenty of discussion, scepticism, and controversy, no matter how clear the images may be.

Now the legendary Albuttbarbelbutt, Warwickshire Avon’s largest Barbel is known to me and one other (I think) it’s eluded me thus far but the conditions have to be right to even consider trying for it. My PB of 12lb 14oz’s came in conditions where I knew if I didn’t seize the opportunity it would pass me by and the next available weather window could be a while off. I fancied easing myself in to it though and get some practice in before hopefully getting a selfie with the lumbering lunker.

So let’s get fishing, a large open swim with some depth close in, a swim, where in the past I’ve caught Chub surface lures where other methods were fruitless.

Also like the barn owls here they Chevin seem to patrol this area and when the light starts to go, things big start to move. But Mr Barbus is here as well, in-fact this area provided me with the first fish with whiskers I’d even caught. Their fighting power experienced right down to the butt, and like many, I’ve appreciated them as a species ever since.

Only a short session this and again one of two parts, the first a spot of surface lure fishing and the second part two rods for Barbel headed in to dusk. Krill wafters on the hair and PVA bags of mixed pellets for feed.

One bite required, fingers and toes crossed to register one as a species for the challenge board. To be honest I rarely fish for Barbel, if I do it is usually in the winter where the banks are quieter, the fish a tad tubbier and when the rivers are coloured, the fish more likely to bite.

Twilight though at this time of year brings twitches, you see like carp actively feeding in the margins of their mud puddle post whistle, you know that time soon after the seat box frequenters have dumped in their leftover bait and emptying out their keepnets.

A clear river can be very much like that. Forget fishing during the day, just turn up an hour before dusk with the minimum of tackle, Bob’s your uncle, Fanny’s your aunt.

Well lets just say it didn't quite go to plan, before I settled down for the Barbel I went roving to try and find some Chub. They were quite easy to find to be honest with the water as low and clear as it was.

Their dark shadows appearing and disappearing from among the thick streamer weed. They were as cautious as I'd ever seen them to be honest, not even bothering to come up to look at the lure.

A change to a tiny plug in an oxygenated swim I hooked a Perch that managed to get free of the hooks by launching itself high in to the air.

With the sun setting with it's kaleidoscope of colours it was just nice to be out bit now was the time. With the rods now out as expected the Chub started to move, a tentative pull then a more confident bite there was fish milling around. I use long hairs though because I'd rather a Barbel than a small chub and headed in to dusk that's all that seemed to be biting. Some proper whacking bites in the end before I left but I did't connect in to any fish, the Barbel as elusive as ever at this time of year.

Warwickshire Avon - Freeloaders and Famgrasps

So as a taxpayer I was prepared to join the orderly queue down at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Frogmore Cottage to try out their newly installed £5,000 William Holland copper bath. Part of the £2.4 million refurbishment the bath apparently takes around 120 man hours and hand beaten in to its unique shape. Now where do I sign, I’m good at wielding hammers and sounds a half decent hourly rate to me, and it means I can ditch the job that means sitting on one derriere for a stupid amount of time.

I used to suffer quite badly with sciatica you see, in-fact 6 mths of hell where I had to use a kneeling chair for work and experiment with all manner of drugs and treatments to keep the pain manageable. At the time in those dark days I certainly couldn’t have hopped in and out of Megan’s and Harry’s deep bath mind you.

I remembered one particular day where I’d managed to get in to my B&Q effort to try and get some relief. When I’d had enough, I carefully teased myself out and was headed to the bedroom when my nerve got trapped like I’d never felt pain like I’d never had before. I collapsed in to a heap on the floor and it took me a good half an hour to get up from it. Young James Denison is suffering with this ailment at the minute and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Luckily following a recommendation I discovered the wonderful hands, arms and elbows of a buxom Australian chiropractor. After a few sessions her rather physical manipulation, pulling, prodding and pain put me on the straight and narrow, and touch wood I’ve kept sciatica at bay ever since. But there is a reason for that, I’m far more active these days, fishing helps certainly because I prefer roving and I rarely take a seat for my fishing sessions.

This planned short session in to dusk was like that, some double dipping, in-fact three different set-ups where I’d try to increase my Gudgeon weight, try for Barbel in an area where I’d not seen one for ages but was once home to my PB, before I beat in recently, oh and also a Zander. Now Zander, you say, well yes, this was from a location I’d not even tried for them, but two different sources gave me the same information despite those hush hush words being shared at least 3 years apart.

The last conversation was in Martyn’s tackle shop just down the road. You see over a cup of coffee a local angler was sharing his best spots that could aid my species challenge after Martyn asked for his advice to help with the dilemma I was in. A river Tench ? where can I catch a decent Rudd ?.

“If you’re after Zander, you need to try ********* the second swim by the ________, always fish there, well there was last year, some good’un too”

“Errr, ok, yeah I’ve heard rumours of fish there before, thanks I’ll give it a go, ta”

So enough of the preamble how did it go ?

What an odd session it was, for the first part of the session I was roving to find some Gudgeon to try ad increase the weight recorded for the Bloggers challenge. That part of it went quite well with a whole variety of small fish caught. The gonks were obliging as well and I increased the weight for the chart of 0.84 ounces. 

The last swim before moving on is mainly shallow, not much more than a foot deep but there is a nice overhanging tree where it is a bit deeper and darker. The link ledger with a couple of red maggots went out and within seconds something was on to it.

After receiving a couple of plucks then a pull on the quiver tip I struck. I initially thought I had hooked a decent Chub because the drag was being tested, but then it was a weird fight and eventually I could see the fish, a Zander, a reasonable one as well, maybe 3lb or so, but it was foul hooked in the bottom of the dorsal fin.

Now I’d dumped my tackle off at the final peg before just taking bait and my rod so I didn’t have a landing net with me, damn. I teased the fish in and manged to get it to the margin but then as I went to grab it after holding the line, and it went on one last run and the hook pulled out from the fin. A bit of an eye opener though, an area that has Zander after albeit not where I told it was, just goes to show, I wasn’t being told porkies and yet I thought I knew this area intimately.

The last hour in to dusk was in the swim I’d been told about but sadly nothing doing, nothing took the deadbait and one quite powerful bite on the chunk of spam that took some line and the ratchet activated. It didn’t connect though, I assume it was a gluttonous bait snatching Chevin. 

Since the rain we’d had temporary boosted the levels the river here is now back to being summer levels, very shallow in most areas and also not much happening. The ground is also back to being bone dry again, encouraging signs for a healthy river though, its chock full of small fish. I’ll be back in the autumn no doubt, when the Zander start hunting properly.

The Tiny River Alne – Spotties and Sockdolagers

Now the tangleator Sam is fast becoming a great little angler, he's not usually a good listener but ones interest in fishing is certainly knocking off on him, which is very encouraging. He can recognise and identify nearly all the fish species we catch, even the tiny fish which at that size, even I need a second glance.

The sight of a kingfisher, the hovering of a bird of prey, the owl on patrol, all part and parcel of the pastime he shares with me, not the novelty it used to be. Sessions were initially frustrating when I started to take him from when he 4 years old, 3 years on, apart from the unhooking I generally have to do,he can almost fish independently now.

He also can identify likely holding spots for fish but also what species could be in those swims, not only that but he appears to prefer the small diminutive rivers and streams I do. So for this short morning session we were going to visit the "bullhead" swim down the "Alne Brook" not the "Brook Brook". Sam caught the biggest bullhead I'd ever seen in the winter and it's always been on our radar ever since.

Simple tactics I had my tiny sensitive wand rod and Sam had his float rod. Double red maggot on size 18 hook.

Now recent floods the Alne back to being shallow again was looking a little out of sorts, the fish not in their usual spots so it took a while to catch the first one. A chublet that came to Sam fishing close to the bank on red maggot, then he caught a trout and perch from the same swim, "wow, we just need a Gonk now" not quite, but a chunky Gudgeon was caught soon after.

We had to move around but sadly no bullheads were caught, we managed 4 trout in the end, 4 or 5 chublets, perch, dace as well as 2 more small gudgeon it was a cracking little session. Sam couldn't wait to tell his mum and brother what he had caught when he got back, especially as he had caught more fish than me.