Warwickshire Avon - Redfins and Ruffmans

I'd not been down to this area of the Warwickshire Avon for a good while. I used to fish it after work and as it gave me an in to dark option, but we've a stretch above it on our syndicate now however a quick reccy that was up and motoring through. 

I fancied a dangle for roach that I was hoping would be obliging, so back in the car and 5 minutes later I'm bankside again, you see there is a nice bay I know where despite the river level, usually it's fishable.

I used to do quite well around here for roach and fished quite a few sessions where liquidised bread in the feeder and a dendrobena or lob tail, bread or maggot on the hook brought plenty of bites. When the weather was brass monkey's like it was for this mornings session fishing static baits seemed to bring out the better stamp of roach. 

Now this area also has some half decent Pike because the dace and appeared in big shoals during the winter months but I always found the roach were in good numbers here too.

I've always found it similar to one of Jeff Hatt's favourite haunts when he was a purveyor of the Warburtons Blue and when the levels settle a little more and it gets colder I fancy revisiting the area, albeit the section above it to see if there is anything decent to be caught. 

You see since Warwick Angling Association gave it up, it went from lawless to I dread to think.  

When I drove us down to the Lower Itchen 5 years ago 😶 I have fond memories of the conversations over Roach and it was one of the reasons worms featured in my roach sessions such Jeff's enthusiasm over a subject he was very passionate about . 

As soon as the water has a tinge of colour worms are a fantastic bait, they really are. If there are roach in the area they will find it.

Some of those sessions it literally was a bit a chuck for 5 hours such the biomass of the roach at the time and I didn't mess around with gear either, no fine diameter lines to be seen here, a decent size hook to match the bait and a hooklink a decent Chevin wouldn't have got the better of. 

I did think about double dipping and having a pike sleeper rod out but this was a roach only session. I prefer to travel light and be mobile, so tackle would be a minimum so if one swim wasn't producing after a good go, I could nip to another likely looking swim to see if that would fair better.

Hemp and a few maggots were mixed in with the liquidised bread and I'd alternate between bread and maggot on the hook. Now I've found don't be too despondent if there are not fish in the swim right away, because as with dace I've found an area devoid of fish can all of a sudden be alive with them.

Keep the feed going in little and often and after a fish has had a belly full the carrier pigeons are sent on their way and the army prepares for a battle.  Often a trojan horse Chub can turn up but stick with it, the shoals will eventually arrive when you least expect it.

Were they still here ? !!!!

There were indeed, a fantastic sunrise greeted me and throughout the short session bites were initially forthcoming from small roach, but then the bigger stamp turned up. The swim was like a washing machine though so not exactly easy fishing because there was lots of debris catching the line.

Frequent casting was required but after a visit to two other swims the bay seemed the most productive. In the end an inch of worm and a couple of maggots on a size 14 Kamasan B983 seem to do the trick.

I'm sure there are much better fish here to be caught, and fishing in to dusk may bring the bigger fish out to feed. Still an enjoyable session though especially as the wildlife is so varied here and the traffic noise not intrusive.

No chub showed though neither did the dace but I'm not complaining I do like catching plump roach like they are at this time of the year. Talking of which, with 3 weeks to go to Christmas once the tackle was unloaded the Jimny did a grand job of ferrying the Tree, happy Wife, happy life and all that.

Warwickshire Avon - Blue Famines and Blennophobia

Now Stilton producers have moved to reassure enough of the blue cheese will be available for the “hugely important” Christmas sales period.

You see despite warnings in a recent Sunday Times report that pandemic-linked production shortages could lead to a “blue famine”, the Stilton Cheese Makers Association stressed there would be enough product on shelf to meet demand. 

The report suggested some retailers were anticipating having to ration out stilton due to production stoppages this year.

Really ? it's one of the main ingredients in my cheesepaste, although to be fair this batch will last me a while, although I need to keep ones eyes on things, because I did like to make another batch this time of year, get ahead of the game and all that. 

Paxton and Whitfield are my default supplier, because their stilton is so darn good. So so creamy and the stuff you get in the supermarket nothing like a half decent stilton. 

It's like you can taste the care taken in its making in every bite, a glass or port or two sipped to accompany one of England's finest exports. Heck those small pleasure in life need to grasped at every opportunity these days. 

Now talking about being ahead of the game these chub the other evening really were on the cheesepaste. In that short two and a bit hour session despite catching 4 fish and a one of them over 5lb I missed quite a few bites too.

These were proper no messing pull rounds of the quiver tip where I struck in to nothing and the crafty chub had pulled the paste completely away from the cage, mugged off, yeap most definitely.  

 I fished a few swims in that short session settled in to a swim where the fish were confident to be out in open water once dusk had been and gone.

So I was back to try and find the glove I misplaced, but not only that I was back with a rig change.

You see we all know that hair rig for chub are not a brilliant idea because of the way the nibblers feed. So I retied a hooklength with the cage tighter to the shank of the hook. The hook would then be 'part' of the paste offering rather than be independent of it. 

Again another short after work (Still WFH 😕) session but I was hoping this small change would bank me another nice fish. 

As I said before ones target now is a Warwickshire Avon 6lber which I know do exist because I've seen them. 

This is a good a place as any to snare a good'un, and it helps I can fish in to dark, heck the whole night if I wanted to, no queuing for Primark to be seen here. I've been using these 'Depth Bombs' I designed for a while now and they really have been a great little design of mine if I say so myself.

I've not even tired the others I've knocked up either, these have worked so well. Ok a gluttonous chub can remove it sometime but remain unhindered the paste grips really well and stays on just as well or even better than the other offerings on the market. 

I though the 3D printed material might not be up for submerging but thus far for some sessions I've used it session after session with no degradation of the part whatsoever.  The paste as well sticks to the protrusions like poop to a blanket. 

Anyway to the session, I found the glove pretty quick which was a positive start, but then as I was setting up the rod and rod rest I turned around to see a huge wake and the head of the resident Otter clean out the water. He was working itself downstream and popped up a couple of times during my time bankside.

In complete contrast to the session here a couple of days ago I was biteless after nearly 2 hours, not even a pull, a nibble or an enquiry. I felt much milder despite the mercury level and gloves were not needed. The river was on the up as well with rain throughout the day and I just wasn't feeling it. Once the rain picked up and I wasn't exactly geared up for it, I decided to cut my losses and cut the trip out a little short. 

Still it was nice to be out however with more rain on the way I fancy something different and I might give the canal a go for Zander and if the weather is kind take Sam to the gonk swim as I've some maggots to use up. 

Fishing can bite you in the backside sometimes especially when you have such high expectations, the battery's recharged though and I bet I've seen more otters in the wild this year than the whole of the Countryfile team combined. Ellie Harrison if you see this and fancy getting a one up on your workmates I'm your man.

Warwickshire Avon - Scotch Eggs and Scrotiforms

Now the Coach and Horses at Weatheroak used to be a watering hole of choice when I'd worked out of the Longbridge car factory site various time over the years. The Weatheroak Hill Icknield Pale Ale brewed onsite really was a fantastic beer and my favourite from the other good'uns that were brewed at this historic pub. 

A twice weekly visit often the norm to break up the monotonous day designing bits for cars I'd not spend my own hard money on. The pub is situated on the Roman Road Icknield Street, which was the first stop from Birmingham to London on the ancient stagecoach route. 

The building that is now the Weatheroak Hill Brewery was originally the stabling for horses while their passengers enjoyed the hospitality of the Inn. 

Despite the beer garden feeling a world away from 'Longbridge' even at this time of year when you walk in the pub and your foot falls in to the well trodden hole in the flagstone floor and you've a roaring fire to greet you. 

The countryside setting unbefitting from what faces you 10 minutes down the road. 

It was a proper pub too, freshly made cheese or ham crusty rolls or 'cobs' stacked up behind the bar, with real ales naturally out numbering the other offerings. 

With the proper gammon ham and the cheese 10mm thick, the bowl of onions on the bar and a pot of mustard, lunch was enjoyed time after time in this traditional watering hole.  

Not many places where a fiver you'd be fed and watered and be ready for an afternoon nap. The clarity and quality of the beer really was unrivalled and it's just kept so well, they really do know what they are doing. 

And the stilton chips, my God, those stilton chips really were to die happily for. You'd feel an onset of gout by just looking at them. Proper hand cut chips, none of this frozen humdrum fodder many a pub serves up these days. 

Huge freshly made pork pies and sausage rolls, yeap a substantial meal right there, shame they cannot open with these draconian tier restrictions. 

So why the post Mick, well you see I wanted to try and order myself some polypins for Christmas and hopefully I'll get to do that because with all the restrictions going on they have sadly decided to close the doors throughout December, but the brewery is still doing what they do best luckily. 

What I didn't expect to see however when browsing their Facebook page though was Bill the bar manager  / landlord that used to serve us over those many enjoyable years sadly passed away recently.

Pubs are all about the staff and Bill was a proper old school barman. Always up for some banter and every pint was poured to perfection such the pride in his work. A top fella and the pub and the many regulars will miss him big time no doubt. 

I've always been a frequent pub frequenter and our adopted 'local' so to speak is luckily owned by the village now as I'd fear that would struggle to get through this nightmare that is hitting the industry at the minute. 

Lets pray we are over that hurdle and better times are on the way for the sake and sanity of the people that work in hospitality, we need them back stronger than ever come the restrictions end. I for one cannot wait for that first proper pint poured from being stood behind the bar. 

Seems mad doesn't it, who would have thought that at the start of the year, pubs offer so much to the community, some elderly people with that pint of bitter and a packet of pork scratchings the only contact they get all week with others, without the pub, they don't get to see anyone. If offers some familiar faces and boosts the wellbeing no end.

Anyway as a tribute to Bill and the stilton chips he recommended to us those many years ago, it was out with ones stupidly pungent cheese paste. It's easily the best batch I've concocted, the pungency off the scale.

I planned to fish in to dark which seems the best bet for a bigger fish these days, the wise big Chub seem to move come sundown probably because with this clear water they are having to tuck themselves out of the way of the predation they are under and the back watching they have to do.

I'm not talking Nibbles the Otter who frequents this and many other stretches of river I fish, but I'm talking Colin the cormorant. 

I've noticed of late an influx of him and his cronies over the last few weeks and the skies seem to be awash with them at the minute, so much so I've started to count how many I see each session.

The last trip here in three hours there were two in the water just downstream of me I disturbed and 21 overhead. 

The biggest group was 8-10 strong, and it's only when you see them close up you realise just how big they are, and how much the fish must fear them. 

They really are top dogs for sure, they don't mess around when they are on the hunt, as underwaters performers they are very impressive indeed, heck I've seen them.

Now I've really struggled for big Chub of late and yet last season and in to the New Year I managed some really nice fish. After struggling to catch a Warwickshire Avon 5lber eventually I found some decent fish and I bettered 5lb quite a few times if I look back at ones blog. A 6lber is now my target and that's why I was here.

Anyway enough of the preamble, how did I get on ?

Well what a cracking session. I only fished a couple of hours and within 5 minutes had already lost a decent fish to a snag, but the fish were well up for a feed. The cheesepaste not left alone throughout the session and 4 fish were banked in a bit of a mad feeding spell. The best fish went 5lb 4oz and the smallest looked around 3.5lb. 

I missed 4 or 5 proper decent bites too where the manky cheesepaste was removed from the depth bomb in spectacular fashion. The bites were frankly ridiculous and amplified because of the light quiver tip but they proved difficult to hook at times.

I leave a slack line from time to time as I'm sure the lack of resistance they are more confident in engulfing it. The moon illuminating the water for most of the session and as it started to rise straight in-front of me and I watched it turn from an almost orange colour in to a super bright vibrant white.

I loved it so much, might give it another go Thursday evening, well I need to retrace my steps anyway, I've lost one of my neoprene gloves !!!