Warwickshire Avon - Cannibals and Canophilia

A cannibal movie with a difference ? Okay, saying the main character has morals might be going a bit too far, but still. 

I mean, he is very honest about wanting to eat a person. And he doesn’t do anything until the person has signed a contract. 

So there’s that !!!
 

You see Feed Me I watched the other day when I couldn't sleep begins when Jed finds himself desperate to escape this world. 

His life was shattered when his wife, Olivia who dies very suddenly and Jed feels directly responsible. 

Unfortunately for Jed , he finds himself in a bar with Lionel Flack  just when his depression is at its worst. 

Lionel Flack is a truly deranged cannibal, who convinces Jed that he can redeem himself of his guilt. All he has to do is go through the glorious act of letting himself be eaten to death. Slowly! Now many horror movies when they have to choose between holding back or moving forward into the really uncomfortable moments, they throw themselves (and the story) deep into the uncomfortable.

However, since comedy and dark humour is also key part of their storytelling, it just works. Well, for me anyway. Just don’t try to eat anything while watching this horror comedy!

Anyway to the fishing, best laid plans and all that !!!!

I should read the river levels before venturing out next time shouldn't I 🙈

You see I hatched a plan the evening before and the gear sorted in anticipation was a waggler for some dace or roach where Eric bagged up recently, and also have a pike float out in the margin for some double dipping.

Eric was fishing bread punch and managed a net full of a nice stamp of roach and I wanted in on it, the problem was the river had risen considerably overnight and not only was it motoring through, which meant no chance of getting the pike rod out, but after an hour fruitless trotting it was clear the fish were having none of it. 

 

So on to the next venue just down the road where at least I knew there would be a couple of slack swims I could fish for the pike.

One of the swims I had no choice to get in to the drink to get anywhere the slack but after an hour I headed back upstream to another swim where I caught a nice fish a few months back. 

This swim was perfect with the float as you can see to the left of the picture was sat perfectly in the fairly deep swim.

Now I fully expected a bite from a Pike, but that bite never materialised. Even the bait fish that are here in numbers didn't show up with the odd fish right over at the far side topping occasionally. 

One of those wasted sessions really as the canal would have been a far better option, or sitting and chilling in ones fishing armchair waiting for that 3ft twitch from a barbel, or even have a lie in dread the thought !!

Oh, well you live and learn !!, can we have some stable conditions, please, pretty please

The Tiny River Alne - Acrobats and Aphrodisiomania

Working (mostly) from the home office again now like many anglers the gaze out the window our minds go on to all things fishing related, even though I do reminisce to the work pre COVID times. 

Back in the jobbing days I remember one particular night out with an agent I used to work for after a few drinks Louise, who I secretly had a thing for, out of the blue, dropped to her knees and proceeded to do the 'worm'. 

All very surreal really and I still remember it to this day because we were in a random mediocre pub in Leamington and probably the likes of tipsy Louise and her busted moves never likely to be seen again. 

 

Now for those that don't know the worm is a dance motion associated with breakdancing, also referred to as the centipede, the caterpillar or the dolphin, or also erroneously the snake or the wave (names of other breakdance moves). 

In this move as shown the subject lies prone position and forms a rippling motion through their body, creating a wave reminiscent of earthworm locomotion.

Talking of worms UNDOUBTEDLY, the best all-round bait for small river and stream fishing is the humble worm. It is one of the deadliest baits for chub, perch, and trout; most other species will also take it, and even pike are sometimes tempted by a large worm. The big lobworm can be found in most gardens, as long as the soil is damp; but the best places to find it are on bowling- greens, tennis-courts, cricket-pitches-or anywhere where the grass is short enough to permit the worm to be seen. 

During the day it is rarely seen on the surface, but at night large quantities can often be picked up with the aid of a torch. The light should never be shone directly on to the worm though, or it will quickly retreat into its hole. The best time to seek lobworms is after a long period of heavy rain, when the ground has been thoroughly soaked. 

They can also be bought from suppliers such as Willy Worms or your local tackle shop. Once obtained, they should be placed in a large receptacle, such as a discarded bath, or a large bowl, half-filled with a mixture of damp soil and vegetation. 

Leaf mould, or grass tussocks are ideal. Never fill the receptacle to the brim, or the worms will escape. If the soil in the container is dampened by periodic sprinkling with water, the worms can be kept indefinitely. 

Some anglers use only the tail of the lobworm, others, like myself, prefer to use the whole worm. Because of its size, this type of worm should always be fished on a large hook, preferably a size 4, or 6, and certainly no smaller than a size 10. The hook should be inserted once only, and closer to the head than the tail.

It is a mistake to thread the worm on the hook as this reduces its liveliness and makes it less attractive to the fish. The smaller red-worms, or brandlings, which can be found abundantly in rotted-down manure heaps, are also useful. Al though they lack the size and weight of the lobworm, they are an excellent bait for most species of fish-especially for perch. 

Unfortunately, they are also very attractive to minnows, and when these nuisance fish are troublesome the bigger lobworm should be used. Brandlings should be fished on a smaller hook than the lobworm-a size 10 or 12 is about right-or a bunch of them can be fished on a larger hook, when required. Two other types of worm are also worth mentioning. 

One is a tough, pinkish-coloured worm that can often be found in gardens, but is more plentiful in chicken-runs, or anywhere where poultry are allowed to run free. This worm is smaller than the lobworm, but larger than the brandling, and can be a deadly bait when upstreaming for trout. The other is a big worm with a characteristic bluish-red sheen on its body, which can be found along the banks of some rivers after a flood. 

It lies beneath tussocks of grass and debris and, if used in the river beside which it is found, is often irresistible to all fish-probably because they have become accustomed to eating it after the floods have washed it into the river. 

Worms of all types can be used in most water conditions, but are most effective during and after a spate, when the water is high and coloured. The Alne was chocolate brown as expected but the colour was dropping out and it looked a perfect colour for a bite.

It was clear though as soon as the pungent groundbait and worm hit the deck that minnows would be an issue because in a few swims literally within a split second of the bait going out there were on it. 

Still plenty of swims to fish and the swims with cover I'm sure would hold the bigger fish. What I didn't expect though was that the only fish caught other than minnows were trout, 4 of them in-fact and 3 came from this swim.

One even grabbed the worm on the retrieve but dropped off before I landed it, but at least they provided some fun on light gear when the dace and chub didn't seem to get the invite. 

This the biggest decided to jump clear of the water like he'd had a rocket up its jacksie. The rain was on and off during the session so when it decided to bucket it down it was time for the off, because as much as I don't mind fishing in the rain, I'm sure if I continued on fishing trout would be the only species I'd manage.

I love this little river and considering I've been a member for quite a few years now, I can count on one hand how many other anglers I've seen, it's on my doorstep though it makes a big difference.

Warwickshire Avon - Mud Pluggers and Multarticulate

When I setting up yesterday for the in to dusk barbel session the water clarity and colour really did look perfect for chub. It was that grey / green colour you often see in new born's nappies and I just knew the fish would be up for a bite. Back at work now though, those sessions are hard to come by.  

So to the Jimny forthwith !!!, I need that chevin fix, especially when I've caught a 6lb 2 ounce PB recently on the Warwickshire Avon where the chub just seem to be getting bigger and bigger year on year. Bit like me I suppose, but then it is winter after all. 

As I was ploughing my way through the deep rutted tracks through the farmers field without a care in the world, the thin tyres, the light gross vehicle weight and the fact that once things get a little tricky, switch it in to 4x4 mode and then to low ratio if things get even more tough.

It does get washed from time to time, usually with the jet wash underneath the wheel arches and the old school ladder chassis, the proper clean is usually done by the Suzuki dealer, where the last time they laughed about how dirty it was. This ain't no new Land Rover Defender or garage queen, it sees mud and lots of it. 

It gets used like it should be used and that is off road. Where over the Christmas break I had a couple of weeks worth of mud plugging. It's basically unstoppable where other car drivers would be scratching their chins I'm sure whether or not to brave it or not. 

I suppose you get confidence in the cars ability and having owned it since new and 25k miles in that time, I certainly know it's capabilities where for what I need it for, it suits my lifestyle perfectly. I'm still learning though because when we had a load of snow recently, everything was fine, the car was coping well on the snow covered roads however when I got to the steep downhill track down to the syndicate stretch even I was wondering if it was a little dicey, and if I should turn back or not. 

It didn't help that before I started on the track up to the river, Derek the 80 year old farmer had an Audi A3 that he had lifted out of its crash scene via some straps and the rather large picker on his tractor. 

So after that event with ones mind already being overly active I remembered it had hill decent control where like the Land Rover it first appeared on, simply press a button, point the car downhill and take you foot off the pedals and the cars electronics and abs does the rest, jobs a good'un. It worked so well, that I patted the bonnet of the car when I finally arrived river side. 

Drama, what drama ?

I certainly couldn't do what I do in my car in the Wife's XC90, for starters as that weighs more than twice as much, but even the new one that turned up the other day that has more tyre wall than her previous T8 version (20" wheels verses 22") it is still not enough when blatting down the pot hole riddled single track roads I do, the wheels would be ruined in no time. To be fair the 18k miles she did in the last one, they were not without some tarmac trauma. 

There is a reason I have seat covers in mine, because often my backside is covered in mud or damp but covers would look ridiculous in the Volvo, can you even get them ?  But its the fact that I have a couple of stretches now I can venture where the Jimny is it home, and the fact I'm fishing more than ever its here to stay. 

But there is a 5 door hybrid version coming out this year apparently I certainly could do with a little more space that's for sure and the fact my SZ5 is still worth way more than I paid for it, I'm tempted to put my name down again, but I need to see it first as I'm not sure it will look as nice. 

Bored yet ? I'm just saying it's the perfect tool for the job !!!

Which for chub fishing I cannot look past the 11ft 1.2 oz TC TFG river and stream as the perfect tool for the job, the problem is that the river has been well up of late and the 1 ounce tip that is fitted to it (I like to keep my rods made up) basically isn't man enough to deal with the flow. That is where the Angling Direct John Wilson Avon Quiver fills that gap, fitted with a large feeder for bread and a more robust tip it suits the conditions perfectly it really does. 

When you compare them side by side you can see just how much slimmer the blank is on the TF Gear rod and when conditions are favourable for it, it's the River and Stream rod I'd be taking every time. The hardest fighting chub I ever come across succumbed to the John Wilson rod though and I must admit it coped admirably where I'm not sure the same could be same about my favourite rod from my ever growing collection.  

Anyway on to the fishing, I thought I was on for a good session but two and a half hours in without a bite I wondered where the hell the fish were or what I was doing wrong. I fished probably 6 or 7 swims in that time and a few of those primed with bread mash too. The water was a lovely colour as I said before but the fish were having other ideas.

You have to think outside the box in these situations and I had to dig out the emergency raspberry nipples, I'd caught on these before you see and always have a couple of bags stashed in the car for something different. So I returned to the same swim and got out the head turners. It didn't take long for a bite either when a short sharp pull turned in to the quiver tip pulling round nicely.

A nice chub was on the end too and after a spirited scrap it was eventually in the landing net and only lightly hooked too so I was glad to get it in. 

Not a bad fish either going 4lb exactly so at least I'd caught a fish in this session. As soon as the light went things picked up when in the final swim I fished after missing 4 or 5 unmissable bites (🙈) eventually I hooked in to whatever was putting its middle finger up at me. Another chub this one of similar size that tried in vein to get under my feet.

Quite distinctive with its orange marking but then I've caught quite a few on the Avon now with these markings.

 

I could have stayed a little longer after that fish, but after unhooking the fish and dropping the rig back in the drink when I picked up the rod the end tackle was stuck solid and sadly I had to pull for a break. I could have set-up again I suppose but decided to call it a day on a couple of nice chevin.