Warwickshire Avon - Raves and Ravanastrons

Now Nic has a DJI-Mini 2 drone which for the money looks a cracking bit of kit having seen it being operated and also, not only how controllable it is, but also just how good some of the drone shots are. 

Black Friday or January Sale maybe ?

I'm clumsy though, very clumsy and despite Nic saying "It has sensors in the bottom so you wont be able to crash it into the ground" I'd probably find a way !!! £300 nicker btw, hmmmmmm maybe I'll think about it once Christmas has been and gone !!!

Anyway this is Nic above sat in the swim where I've done well in recently and he like me had caught some nice chub(s). When the river is banging thorough those swims are limited and you can often locate those areas where the chub will likely to be laying up quite easily, this is one of those !!

Some fishing would be a welcome tonic with the tinnitus kicked in big time after a few days of partying, where countless old ravers like myself were living the bygone years, sadly albeit temporarily.

Can you spot him ?

I had a teapot (yes really) to give to Fat Boy Slim to add to his worlds biggest collection of 'smilies' and I pulled a few strings to hand it over whilst some of mates were on the site somewhere wondering where the heck I'd gone. 

I was probably the most compos mentis I was over the weekend, but then it was only 1.00pm on the 2nd day after all. !! 😁don't worry there was plenty of time for it to get messy !!

But yes the body was wondering what the hell was going on after a rather full on weekend. 

Fishing is the perfect tonic though isn't it !! because with bass loud enough to get the local military wondering if they might be called in to another war in these troubling times some solitude works wonders. 

A total contrast I suppose, but I think you need to do something different from time to time, those days are motoring by at my age I must admit, got try and keep young I say, but then looking in the mirror it tells a different story.

Sadly it was straight back in to work where the fishing time for me is limited during the week where the odd hour or two is about all I can muster up. 

But these short sessions are perfect because often a bite can come quick in these conditions as the fish are less mobile because who wants sit where you are likely to get knocked for six by the debris coming down. Like I mentioned those swims where the fish are likely to be sitting reveal themselves in these conditions. 

Talking of which Nic, thankfully removed a huge branch from the banker swim, when he got snagged up. I actually knew where it was having saw it when it was low and clear. Well I assume it was the same branch but it was one of the reasons I used a link ledger rather than a feeder, because of the potential of getting it snagged up. 

I did think about a barbel session on Friday but with lots of more rain on the way and cold rain at that, I'm not sure waiting for a bite behind a chunk of meat is worth even trying, the outcome might have already been realised. We will see anyway, fingers crossed it's not as bad as predicted. 

Anyway this is about the only fishable area on the whole stretch unless you want to chuck out a 4/5oz lead with some luncheon meat on. 

It didn't take long for the first bite thankfully, then the second, then the third then the forth which I all missed 

🙈🙈🙈🙈

"He's having your pants down" 

My thinking was not having changed the hooklink after a few big chub the 3D printed Depth Bomb had crept further away from the hair and they were removing it the last dregs of ice-cream from a stick.

I had the last laugh though as the 5th bite the fish had got too cocky and it slipped up this time, as I hooked in to something solid when the bite started all tentative and then properly pulled round. Not the fight I expected from a Warwickshire Avon chub especially when it weighed 4lb and 9oz.

It gave an initial powerful run leaving me to slacken off the clutch but after that it came in with hardly any drama. Not a bad fish and quite distinctive with a chunk out it's flank. And that was that, no more bites despite fishing it for another forty minutes or so. 

Warwickshire Avon - Molariforms and Molotov Cocktails

I first discovered the Godfather cocktail back in 2005 when the Wife and I were in Florida and I was umming and ahing over the cocktail menu and the Wife, pipped up, 

"Jesus, like watching paint dry" "You'd like this I'm sure"

Now The history around the drink is a little mysterious: no one knows who invented it. But it became popular in the 1970's when cocktails were strong and sweet (and often included amaretto). It's believed to be named after the Godfather movie with Marlon Brando, which came out in 1972. (the year I was born)

So soooooo simple really, Whisky and Ameretto, bob's your uncle fanny's your aunt, where it's a winter warmer especially when you ditch the ice.  

Anyway why bring it up, well it's a note to myself , as I need to get some for the weekend to reminisce over good times with mu mates, as it was often the tipple of choice before venturing out on the town.

So change of tact come January and February, you see looking at my blog those months seems to be when the bigger barbel turn up for me, probably because they are in a hungry mode and the banks are quieter. 

That easy meal of a 1/5 of tin of spam certainly a hunger-queller for a big old Barbus, and it's worked for me plenty of times when the brass monkeys are beating their drums. 

You see I'm lagging behind on the barbel front with the likeminded, my PB of 12lb and 14 ounces was caught back in 2019 and that is easily beatable now on the Warwickshire Avon where bites are scarce, but get one, it could be from a right old beast. 

Just this week Dave a fellow WBAS syndicate member caught a 14lb 10 fish not from now our waters, but waters a molotov cocktail chuck away. George, well we know just how big the fish he caught was, as it can be seen here. (take a look at the other videos, something different from the humdrum)

I'm convinced the fish I caught was heavier, but the Korum electronic scales couldn't lie could they ? well the battery was on the way out as I had to warm it up in my hands just to get a reading. I weighed some weight training cast pates I had in the garage afterwards and yeah they were as accurate as the weekly weather prediction from the Met Office. Not a millions miles out, but enough to get me thinking what it might have weighed. 

I'd never know that's the problem, still I didn't dwell on it 'that' much, however now I've some mechanical scales for a side by side comparison if another potential PB beater ever graced the net. Oh and some NGT electronic scales that upon testing look spot on. A schoolboy error on the battery state, but every day is a school day, blog readers. 

Anyway I've plenty of time to plan the next Barbel mission on the Warwickshire Avon so for this session I fancied trying for another chub again. This time though pastures familiar but I've not fished it for a good while now and its a club book I can fish in to dark, and not only that but it's a nice detour from whenever I'm working from the Coventry office.

I've mentioned before I need that fishing fix and at this time of year every opportunity needs to be seized to keep me on the straight and narrow. As anglers we know what such a great pastime it is, because it's a much needed departure from the troubles of the modern world, where your mind is on fishing and nought else. 

Something angling is to be praised for despite the negatively it gets from the finger pointers. So with the gear already in the car after work and before I had to pick a few things up from the shops I decided to try and winkle out another chub. 

Some of the cover isn't quite what it was here but with the river still a lovely colour and starting to drop, would a chevin be up for the manky cheesepaste headed in to dusk ?

I decided to bait another swim with freebies just in-case the first swim wasn't doing the business as often that can produce a quick bite when a blank looks like it's on the cards. I've caught some nice pike here so that's another quarry I could target and you never know, there could be some zander milling around too. 

Anyway the river was nicely up and looked perfect for a bite but nearly an hour in swapping between swims nothing whatsoever was happening.

A small 3 inch pull happened when the light was almost gone and I had to illuminate the rod tip with a torch. With a self-imposed curfew assigned literally on the final 30 second countdown a proper bite where after a couple of plucks the tip violently pulled round and sadly I struck in to nothing. 

An unmissable bite missed !!!

Damn it !!!, knowing that there was a fish in the swim I decided to give it another 10 minutes where almost the exactly the same thing happened. This time though I think I was premature on the strike, I should have left the bite develop more.

At least I know there are fish to be caught for a future session. I sadly had run out of time so I didn’t get to see what was up for eating the cheese paste. Oh well, I’m coming for you !!! watch this space !!!

Warwickshire Avon - Scorpios and Scoteography

You may think I get out fishing quite a bit looking at my blog, but the reality couldn't be further than the truth, especially at this time of year when the days are short. My sessions especially in the week are not much more than an hour or two where thankfully the weekends bring some relief, and allows an extended session or two.

These are rarely more than 3-4 hours which to be honest is often all I need, especially when sat behind motionless rods. I had to make this session count you see after work I had to get back for the Wife to go to Yoga and also had an errand that I'd been putting off that needed the box ticking. Not only that but with a 3 day rave weekend this coming Friday with some mates as a belated birthday celebration...

"are you not too old for that sh*t ?"

"well I don't feel old until I look in the mirror and wonder, what the f*ck happened"

...those fishing opportunities are dwindling this month I must admit !!! Especially with this horrible wet and damp weather we have been having of late, you can see why the banks are quiet of late. Look on the positives though at least the magic mushroom harvest is a fruitful one. 

Now born on November the 3rd I'm a Scorpio (October 23 - November 21), if you believe all that 💩, Scorpio derives its extraordinary courage from its psychic abilities, which is what makes this sign one of the most complicated, dynamic signs of the zodiac. 

Anyway other anglers find it easy to recognise Scorpio on the bank. He's the thickset bloke who turns up at your swim, looking as if he's been thrown out of the inner-city riot squad for brutality, and says:

 'Mornin'. I hope you don't think I'm being rude or anything, but I normally fish this stretch. I'd have been here earlier but for a row with the bus conductor. Bloody cheek. Telling me I couldn't take my tackle on board. Still, he'll be all right once they've taken the stitches out. 'Now then. My stretch, right? I'm sure you wouldn't mind moving further down. Nice gear you've got there. Must have cost a bob or two. Shame if anything were to happen to it. Know what I mean, John?'

 Life for Scorpio is a constant battle. And there's only one winner: him. He's always right, even when he's wrong. (He's always right especially when he's wrong.) He'll argue with anybody, and if there's nobody around he'll argue with himself. If everyone else is using maggots, he'll use worm and blame his lack of success on the swim, the weather, the cack-handed pillocks fishing either side of him... anything but his own bloody-mindedness.

At the weigh-in, he's the first to raise objections about the winner's catch, even though his own 2 oz 3 dms of gudgeon comes nowhere near it. When the winner's claim is finally upheld, he still won't give up. 'See you in the pub car park later, John,' he mutters darkly....

...breathing on his knuckleduster.

Scorpio takes everything to excess. Sitting at a shallow and silted-up stretch of canal, he'll sling in a half-hundredweight of groundbait for a four-hour match. 

Souring the swim for the next fortnight unless the ducks can clear it first. Not that the ducks get much encouragement at his swim, nor any form of animal life for that matter. 

Dogs he dissuades firmly, though perhaps only temporarily, with a swift clout from the landing net handle. Ducks he dissuades permanently with a swift 'ping!' from his catapult. Go nicely with orange sauce, ducks do.

It's a brave bailiff who books him for fishing without a ticket. And a suicidal one who attempts to confiscate his tackle. 'Here, John. Better take the rod rest first,' says Scorpio. Knotting it expertly around the bailiff's neck. He's always ready to give advice, asked for or not. He's also very scathing about other anglers' catches, while praising his own efforts to the skies.

'Call that a pike?' he snarls, looking disparagingly at a twenty-five pounder. 'I caught one of twenty inches last week.'

'But lots of people catch pike of twenty inches.'

'Between the eyes?'

Anyway switched off yet ? I was back for a session down at the 'banker' because I needed to make my short amount of fishing time pay. So I'd finished work slightly early (mouse jiggler enabled) Mick Newey Available  and hot footed it through the rotting pak choi to the swim to try and nick a bite before dusk and slightly beyond. 

The Warwickshite Avon, sorry Warwickshire Avon has been all over the shop of late and finally (fingers crossed) settling down to some more stable conditions, but at least I was in with a chance of banking something from the stretch of convenience. 

Well as you can see from the picture it didn't take long to catch a chub, a nice one too. 10 minutes or so after the stinky cheesepaste went out on the Depth Bombs a couple of tentative plucks and a fish was on. It immediately tried to get under my feet but after getting it out in to the main flow after a bit of a battle it was soon in the net.

4lb 9 ounces on the scales and in mint condition a really lovely chub indeed and the banker produced again where the rest of the river looked almost unfishable unless I had my barbel gear. And that was that, no more bites and curfew called the end of play.