Pilgrim’s Progress – read it everyThursday!
A winter barbel in Derbyshire, a confused bream in Staffordshire, and chasing the ladies in Shropshire
The weather during December was at least consistent. For most of the month it was very cold and rainfall was at a minimum. What a difference a year makes, who will ever forget the same period twelve months ago. Still, as anglers, flexibility is a key word that we need to put into practice if we are to stay one step ahead of the British weather.
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I have managed just one barbel session this winter so far. I took advantage of a slight rise in temperature to visit the River Dove in Derbyshire. I was very confident, and this was repaid when a couple of hours into the session I connected with a fish of 8 lb 8 oz.
It really let the side down, as far as the reputation of the Dove barbel go though. In fact, the only time it kicked against being hooked was when it came to the net. A couple of lunging runs then followed, but at that point I had the fish well into the open away from any snags. The odds were very heavily stacked in my favour, so it was no surprise when the fish finally yielded.
I was anticipating a good night, as I had come prepared to fish right through till the next morning. However, heavy rains upstream meant that debris made fishing impossible. It was rather frustrating because I was certain that I’d have had a great night. Still, it wasn’t to be, and after all the fish I had caught was a good one, so I went home happy.
A slab from the Sow
On the run-in to Christmas, with temperatures falling below zero once the sun set, there was only one thing on my mind. No, not a warm fire, settled in at home for the night. I’m talking about chub. Fishing the River Sow in Staffordshire, I was glad to do the necessaries such as baiting up and casting out, so that I could slip my hands into the warmth and comfort of the neoprene gloves that are an essential part of winter fishing. Then it was a case of positioning myself into a foetal position, trying to make my body area as small as possible, so that the biting north wind could do as little damage as possible.
I did hook into a fish, but it wasn’t a chub. I knew that from the moment I connected with it. But in the arctic conditions I was fishing I couldn’t work out what had taken the bait. Until it broke the surface that is. Then I saw that a bream was making its way towards the landing net. Weighing in at 4 lb 14 oz, I was pleasantly surprised.
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So, as the title of this week’s Pilgrim’s Progress suggests, it was a confused bream. Not only did it think it was a chub, responding to mashed bread tactics in sub-zero temperatures, but its body clock was also not functioning properly. Still, I’m not complaining in any way, shape or form. It helped me to avoid a blank, and for that I was truly grateful. Sometimes as anglers we have to be thankful for what comes along.
The lady loves……. cold water
The third session I am writing about saw me chasing the ladies in Shropshire. What am I about to reveal? I hear you ask yourself. Am I about to spill the beans on my night club antics in Shrewsbury? Or am I about to let you into some juicy news about what I got up to when womanising in Telford? Have I been doing my Benny Hill impersonations in Oswestry?
Well, actually, it’s nothing to do with any of the previous possibilities. For a start, I don’t visit night clubs, and I may be old fashioned in this day and age, but the only females I’m interested in, apart from my good wife and two daughters, have been Meisje and Beitje. They’re my pet ferrets, by the way, who recently made their debuts on FISHINGmagic.
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And the day in question (three days before Christmas Day) was very cold. The banks were hard and frost encrusted. It was very much the same as my previous tale about the bream on the River Sow, except it was even colder. Still, it beats Christmas shopping any day of the week. The best thing I ever did was to get my wife a credit card. That means she can go out shopping without me having to be there to sign the slip. Mind, the down side is I have to pay the bill…..
Anyway, back to the session in question. Although the Teme is a well known barbel river, the barbel, and certainly the bigger specimens, are to be found in the Worcestershire sections of the river, as it works its way towards union with its big sister, the Severn. I was fishing what is the middle to upper reaches of the river. This is where grayling are to be found, along with brown trout, plus of course, the usual coarse species associated with the Teme.
I fished a stretch of the river that looks as if it hasn’t seen another angler in years. Off the beaten track, and run by a club that has far more attractive venues for its members, this is a piece of water that I’ve fished a couple of times and never seen another soul. But I like it that way, to be honest. I’m definitely a solitary angler, the more remote a venue is, the better it is as far as I’m concerned.
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Now, of course, many anglers enjoy the company of a fellow fisherman, or even a group of friends when fishing. Are they wrong to want to fish in company? Am I wrong to want to fish alone? The answers are no, and no. The great thing about fishing is that we can make it what we want it to be. Whether we fish alone, with others, or even do both as the mood takes us or the situation dictates, is really the choice for the individual.
And let me say, at this point, so as not to create the wrong impression, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the times I’ve been fishing with other anglers. Indeed, many of the fishing trips that I have made in the company of others have been with FISHINGmagic members. And memorable times indeed they have been. And may there be many more of them too.
I decided on this session to fish with a cage feeder filled with mashed bread and dead maggots. Even though I was after grayling, I was also ready to switch for chub, should they appear. And as I was intending to fish into dark I was indeed hoping that Mr Chevin would put in an appearance. However, it wasn’t to be. But the ever reliable grayling obliged. I had a lot of bites, from start to finish.
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On the other hand, maybe it’s to the advantage of fish such as grayling that it doesn’t have that same popular appeal. Just a thought, that’s all…..
Until next week, tight lines. I’ll be back on Thursday, as usual, with another offering of Pilgrim’s Progress. Next week’s article is entitled ‘Leaves on the canal, but no snow on the Sow’. I’m sure you can work out where I’ve been, without too much engaging of the brain. As for the details, log on and read for yourself.
The Reverend Stewart R Bloor
Sedgley International Christian Ministries
PO Box 1216, Dudley. DY3 1GW.
Telephone : 01384 – 828033
Web site : www.sicm.org
e-mail : missionscentre@sicm.org
