A Day With The Pons

A Day with the Pons

As soon as the auction ended, Chris got in touch to congratulate me and set the ball rolling for our day’s fishing. Originally, the idea was to go to Maver Larford for a day’s bream and carp fishing. As June the 16th approached, and knowing of Chris’s barbel fishing pedigree, I tentatively suggested a river trip instead. Chris agreed and a date was set. It was obvious from the onset that Chris loves his fishing, his enthusiasm was infectious.

The day before our trip to the Teme I had a delivery to make in London. What with the unexpected and brutal rise in diesel prices, combining the two ventures had become a necessity. Chris had kindly agreed to put me up, to make sure of an early start.

After a good few hours talking about fishing I retired to my bedchair in Chris’s lounge. The next Morning I was woken by a steaming cup of tea and the smell of sizzling bacon. As promised, Chris’s other half cooked us a cracking fry-up. Chris’s pal Adam joined us and off we went.

It was a short drive to the syndicate stretch of the Teme that was to be our venue for the day. However, It wasn’t without drama. On our way into Martley, the dangers of the narrow country lanes became all too apparent. Two cars had collided head on. We jumped out to offer assistance. Nobody was in mortal danger and an ambulance was on its way, so we carried on with our journey, albeit a little slower. As the road gently petered out, we arrived at the fishery. An idyllic valley, lush with trees, not a manmade sound to be heard, and no mobile phone signal, perfect.

We unloaded our gear and I was chomping at the bit. The first thing Chris did was to banish my comfy fishing chair to the back of the car. The reasoning was that a comfortable angler is less likely to move and therefore will catch less, the only comfort for me that day was provided by my unhooking mat.

The tactics that Chris employed on the day were simple, but effective. A short (8″) hooklength, a couple of Elips pellets superglued to the hair and a small pebble as a weight. The Teme still had a little colour to it and the level was spot on. Stealth and guile were the order of the day as we approached the first swim.

The hookbait was given a glug of a claggy and pungent dip before being cast underarm into the nearside margin. The mainline was left slack and a few small pellets were scattered around the hookbait. The theory was to wait for small plucks on the rod tip that indicated fish were present, and to wait for the rod tip to pull round. It didn’t take long! The culprit was a small chub. The swim went dead and Chris suggested a move.

Every swim on the stretch screamed fish. The second peg had a small bush just downstream, the rig was gently flicked out, and a few pellets were scattered nearby. Ten minutes later, the line started to move upstream. I picked up the rod and felt a powerful barbel surge upstream. Keeping her out of the many snags was no mean feat, as Chris encouraged me from higher up the bank. After what seemed like an age, all 9lb 15 oz of her slipped into the net. Agonisingly near to a double, and not bad for my first Teme Barbel!

Over the course of the day I ventured off on my own to search out likely looking spots. Chris would appear to see how I was getting on and offer valuable advice. Most swims produced fish, all fighting fit, Teme Tigers. Adam had his fair share of fish as well. Chris’s other passion, photography, was also put to good use.

Eventually it was time to head back up north, exhausted but very satisfied. I’d caught fish, but more importantly I had learnt things that will stand me in good stead for my future fishing, and had met a couple of mates that it was a pleasure to share the bank with.

Many thanks to Chris and his lovely wife for their hospitality. Tidy!