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On the Kennet for the Charity Auction

August 18, 2008

The Kennet

Steve’s Story

When I first noticed the James Farrow charity event on FishingMagic and the days being offered by quality anglers in the auction, it crossed my mind about doing the same? I had recently joined the Reading and District Anglers Association after falling in love with the river following a guided day with Graham Elliot. It occurred to me that many anglers would never get the chance to fish this beautiful river, so I plucked up the courage to offer a day’s fishing with me on the Kennet. I was amazed at the response, the eventual winners were Gary Lark (Grumpy Git) and Mark Hewitt and a fine amount was raised for the very worthy charity.

After a few emails, texts and phone calls we met up at 7am on August 6th at Lower Benyons. After the usual pleasantries and jokes (a guided day on the Kennet with Steve Spiller….Yeah right!) we made our way to the river. The word on the grapevine was that the river was fishing very poorly indeed. luckily Graham Elliot had taken me under his wing, so armed with his mobile phone number and a couple of “banker” swims I was feeling quite confident of showing the guys the beauty of the river and maybe putting them on a few fish too.

I suggested two swims to Gary and Mark to start in that I felt sure would yield some fish, I set up in between them full of great expectations. An hour and a half later, biteless and having hung one up in the submerged branches it was time for me to move. I told the guys I was heading to the weirpool (after a phone call from Graham) and set off. The pressure was on, I really wanted the guys to get a bend in their rods and wanted Gary to smash his barbel PB. Luckily there was no one in the weir pool, so I set up and had control of the pool in case anyone else turned up.

Mark made his way up to me a while later and at 9.30am it hit a monster bite which resulted in a 1lb barbel! Hmmm? Where were the huge barbel that go to 15lb+?

Mark impressed me with a fine display of accurate distance casting, which resulted in nothing. The time passed by fruitless, Mark made his way back downstream to some swims he had dropped some bait in, Gary had a “rap” earlier, but it wasn’t to be. Right, it’s “banker swim” time I thought to myself, I’d been up to it an hour earlier and dropped a bit of bait in, now it was time to put Gary in my guaranteed barbel swim!

We made our way to the “banker” and I showed Gary exactly where to drop it, right under a bush to the left, sit back and wait for the “two foot tap”! Gary composed himself gave it a little swing and hung it up in the bush! He managed to free his tackle, but hung it all up in the tree above him when it pinged out from the bush! Oh dear I thought to myself and consoled him on his first chuck. Never mind I said next chuck will be better, it was, straight under the bush right in the barbel’s lair. Full of anticipation I crouched down and sparked a fag up, my eyes stayed fixed on his tip. I must admit I chuckled a bit when you stuck your hand in the nettles, sorry mate hehe. I just knew his rod was going to pulled towards the water any second now……..any second now……..yep we’re ready now……..any second now!!! Fifteen minutes passed and nothing! “Call yourself a bloody guide?” Gary then enjoyed five minutes of piss taking until I could stand it no more and headed back to the weir pool with head hung low. Of course Gary was only kidding and we had a right old laugh, but deep down I was gutted. I stayed in the pool nailing the “spot” every cast hoping the barbel would move in on the bait at some stage.

At around 3.30pm Gary rang me “I’ll let you off” he said, YES, I was made up for him, “how big I asked?” “three and a half pound” he replied, “a three and a half pound CHUB!” Ah well, at least he managed to winkle a fish out on a hard a day, not the intended quarry, but never mind it was a nice chub. Half an hour later Mark rang me with some good news too, a 4lb barbel on casters……..Phew! The pressure on Spillers guiding day was easing. Gary then joined me at the weir pool at 6pm and dived into the swim next to me. I was totally gobsmacked when two minutes later Gary was standing up rod hooped over and holding his landing net towards the water, “got a camera Steve?” Yeehaa!…….Gary was into a barbel, I reeled my rods in and legged it to his swim armed with the camera, unhooking mat and scales. Gary was beaming! He knew he had a new pb in the net, he rested the fish in the water for a few minutes while I was preparing things and then lifted it onto the mat. At this point I should say that Gary hasn’t targetted barbel before, infact his pb was about 3lb caught about fifty years ago at the age of sixteen. So on the scales she went, 5lb 12oz of prime river Kennet barbel. I don’t know who was more pleased? I was absolutely chuffed to bits for Gary, we rested the barbel again, then after a couple of pictures returned her to her home. Mission accomplished I thought to myself, both my guests had caught barbel and thoughts of Spiller’s guiding days on the river Kennet started to take shape in my mind……Yeah right!

At 7pm I got a call from Mark to say he was some way downstream and was going to call it a day. Understandably with a one and a half hour drive in front of him and also being on earlies the next day Mark had to leave. We thanked each other for a great day and I settled down for some serious fishing, the witching hour was approaching and I felt sure the big barbel were going to switch on soon. At 9pm it happened! My rod nodded then slammed over and sprung back, I was in! A lovely 4lb barbel graced my net, but that was it for the day. Gary and I were going to stick it out until 10pm, but with the sight of lightning approaching us from all around we decided to call it a day and get back to our cars a bit sharpish before it started raining.

We all had a great day despite the lack of fish, we also caught more than anyone else on the river that day too. My thanks go out to Mark and Gary for being great company and also a big thanks to them for adding some serious dosh to the charity pot.

Last but not least a very big thank you to Graham Elliot for putting up with my continual texts during the day, how was I to know you had gone to the cinema to watch Mamamia?

Grumpy’s Story

It all started back in May, the 8th to be precise, just six days after my 51st birthday. Steve Spiller was offering a day on the Kennet for two lucky bidders on Cakey’s charity auction. I had already pushed the boat out and won a day out with Mark Wintle but I jumped in and placed my bid. Maybe everyone else was all ‘charidee’d’ out or maybe the credit crunch had hit earlier than the rest of us realised but hey, I won another day out.

I assume that these events are pretty common to all who have taken part before but the banter and emails started to fly back and forth. A barbel was my target but a gudgeon would do to prevent a blank. A specific date was set and plans were made. ‘Travel light’ was Steve’s advice. Having warned Steve that my last barbel was caught some 37 years ago from the Lee at Waltham Cross at 3lb, I had added just a modicum of pressure on the poor chap. Steve, to give him his due, took up the challenge and put money on a new PB for me.

Our day arrived and at 7.15am after the usual greetings and introductions Steve, Mark Hewitt and myself left the car-park and with eager strides set off for the river. I have sped over the Kennet by junction 12 of the M4 on far too many occasions and dreamed of the day I would fish it. My first glimpse of the river, through the bushes only heightened the expectation. It’s a gem of a stretch. Great looking swims with features galore every 20 yds. The weather was perfect, overcast, a gentle breeze and the water had enough colour in to shout fish, or so I’ve read.

Steve was marching along with real purpose passing some nice looking spots, ‘he has a plan’ I reminded myself. After a while Steve set Mark into a nice swim with firm instructions on how to get the best from it. Cool, I thought, he knows his stuff. Two swims down and it’s my turn. ‘Aim for the purple flowers on the far bank’ he says. Having read the night before that Steve is colour blind I just smiled and aimed at the pink ones. Steve dropped in between us and the day had begun. I asked Steve if he had any Esterberry boilies I could try. ‘They wound I roight up with they esterberries at Sywell’. Them bait box boys eh?

I have been fishing the Bristol Avon for the last couple of years and I was surprised at the pace of the Kennet but I stuck with what I know best, light legering a pellet with a funnel web bag of small mixed pellets. After a couple of casts I had a definite knock but that was it. Steve and then Mark moved upstream to the weir having not had a bite. I moved slowly up towards the other two, dropping into three other swims along the way, still blanking. News that Steve had had a small barbel of a pound lifted the spirits again.

Arriving at the weir Steve asked the inevitable ‘anything’? I wound him up about his PB promise. We chatted for a while and then he announced he had a ‘banker swim’ I would definitely catch in. It was the self same swim that Wendy had caught her 9lb+ barbel in, a week or so before. As we trudged off to the ‘banker’ Mark rang through to say that he’d had a barbel of around 31/2 lb on hemp and caster. Even better news, I had some hemp with me to liven up my swim. Eventually we came to a real snag swim. A bush to the left and an overhanging tree on the right. ‘Swing ‘er in under that there bursh’. So into the bush went the first cast, which when flicked out went up into the tree, great start. Another bag on and in it went. ‘Foive minutes max’ said Steve ‘it’ll be quick’. True to his word my tip started to tap, and tap, and tap. Ten minutes passed and another bag went in. Tap tap tap but nothing positive to hit. Steve sighed and headed back to the weir. About an hour or so later, 4pm, my first ‘bite’ of the day and a slightly hollow looking chub of about 3-31/2 lb was bullied into the net. Hooray another non-blanker. Another hour or so of tree, bush, tree, water, tree, water, bush and I was running out of leads. I decided to head back to the weir and try my luck in the white water. Mark had hit the road off on his long drive back to the midlands for an early morning start at work. That left Steve and myself to see the day out in the weirpool.

After my last snap off a nice 2oz gripper was stuck on and a change of bait resulted in an inch cube of luncheon meat hitting the fast water dropping over the weir. The flow took it down about ten yards where it settled into a little area with a nice eddy. Thirty seconds later I struck into what I first thought was only a rather tentative bite, but hey it had been a long day and I was getting desperate. As I wound in, the 2oz lead fluttered about in the strong flow and felt quite normal. Then at about fifteen yards out I saw her. ‘ You got that camera ready Steve’? He thought I was winding him up again but there she was my first barbel in 37 years! At sight of the net she was off again, and not wanting to spoil Steve’s promise of a new PB I let her have her head. Eventually I had her in the net. Yes! What a nice feeling, after all that waiting I had done it. Before the pictures she was rested in the net and after some time she was looking fit. Weighed in at 5