A delayed report of yesterday's outing on a river far, far away from my normal stomping grounds. A phone call on Thursday meant that my day was going to be somewhat curtailed due to a pub meal in the evening. Knowing that, I set my alarm for just after 0500 and was out of the door just after 0600. By about 0800 I was buying my day ticket. Knowing that I had a long walk, after a bumpy drive down a track, I'd taken a risk in just taking a single float rod and centrepin, newly loaded with braid. The walk took me a good half hour and I ended up in a place that I doubt too many venture to, though plenty fish the other side.
After finding a peg that I was happy with, noting a bit of fish activity, I set about setting up. I was fishing by about 0930 and very little happened for the first half hour. Eventually, the bits turned up, with a series of roach, dace, perch, bleak, gudgeon and chublets. Unfortunately, I'd attracted the attention of the resident pike. That meant that the bits seemed to come and go, dropping well down the swim or out into the middle of the river beyonf my reach. Intermittently, it was very quiet down my trotting track. During one of these lulls, at around 1030, I found one of the bigger residents. It set off like a steam train for the middle of the river. After what seemed an eternity, I was making inroads and actually began to think about readying the landing net when a sharp tug saw me lose contact. A returning pigtail of hooklink showed up the danger of tying spade end hooks with reasonably heavy line. I was pretty gutted, thinking that might have been my one and only chance.
For the next few hours, the sun got very high and very bright. I got quite burnt and the bits came and went. Knowing that I had to be away by around 1700, I was getting a little concerned as 1500 came and went with nothing but hard won bits to show for it. The best I'd managed were a few half decent roach and perch, and a chublet approaching a pound. Regardless, and knowing that I couldn't take any maggots back with me, I upped the feed rate. At 1545 I finally hit something that offered decent resistance. However, It didn't feel like a barbel. When, at the end of the fight, it made hell for leather for the marginal weed growth, I knew it must be a chub.
The next hour saw a few more bits and a lot more bait go in. The sun dropping a bit had me hopeful of some further action. Not much happened until 1645 when I latched into something that went a bit harder than any chub. Braid through rod rings make a god awful sound, especially when connected to a decent fish. Just to make things a little more interesting, I saw my first wasp of the summer. Unfortunately, it's presence was indicated by a bit of pain in the crook of my left elbow. I'm playing a decent fish on a centrepin with my right hand. The wasp is doing a strange jig on my left arm with its sharp bits stuck in my arm. I managed to contort myself in such a way as to allow me the flick the wasp off my arm and into the water whilst still maintaining control of the fish. With a bit of bleeding and swelling, I managed to land a nice little barbel around the six pound mark. Far too hot a day to muck about weighing as well a photographing.
By the time that one went back, I was really pushing my luck for time. However, I had an inkling that I wasn't quite done. Lashing the last of my bait in, so I couldn't push time too far, I was proved right. At about 1715 I latched into another decent fish. This one lead me a right merry dance. It found every last bit of previously unfound weed in front of me. Twice things went solid and several times I could feel line grating. Luckily, braid tends to cut through weed quite nicely. It ended up being another barbel, a smidge bigger than the first and a lot more feisty.
Time for a sharp exit, at least as sharp as a half hour hike can be, and a quick shower before hitting the pub. I was very tempted to stay longer, but I'd have got a right telling off If I had. I got the distinct feeling that I might have snaffled a few more barbel if I had. If only this river wasn't quite so far away.
