A week away with the family and grandkiddies in Menorca , very very nice but the only fishing I could enjoy was on my five year old grandaughters mini fishing game that tho fun was'nt good for my ego as the end result was three two that cost me a big ice cream-- far far easier on the Witham and Trent when I was a little younger and it was only grown ups to beat.
So, back home and a day filling up the larder at the supermarket and I was chomping at the bit to arrive on the Trent yesterday morning to try for a barbel or two on the float gear.
I was in luck, only one angler some little way above me on the opposte bank left me with an open run of water that I could take advantage of, any fluff ups would be down to me.
My rod was already made up, 8 to 7 mainline to hooklink with a home made swan and balsa avon float that was loaded with 6 bb in bulk some three feet above the hook with two number six shot evenly spaced out between and set at some ten feet in depth was all that was needed.
Bait was three or four maggots with a tin of sweetcorn just in case as a back up change bait ( not needed).
I never feed any freebies at the start of a float session, just a sideways stickfloat cast and let the float tell me if I have the depth set ok on its first few runs thro, not hard to fathom out and amazing how many times a barbel comes to the very first trot downriver, yesterday it was on the fourth run ---- float gone--- wallop--- and I'm playing a very difficult, not the usual struggle from a barbel kind of fight.
It was longer than usual after the fish was under the rod tip that I had the idea that the fish may be foulhooked, it was, which confirmed my earlier suspicians. Gladly the hook came adrift before I had to use my landing net but sadly my gear flew back into a huge bed of chest high nettles and stray mature rape that was a pain to free myself of.
Not long afterwards my float dissapeared and I was in again, initially the fish was coming upstream with little worry or bother but waking up it went off like a train downstream before stopping well down from thebottom of my swim (45/50 yards) , Thinking it was done with the histrionics I applied some pressure but this fish wasnt having any of it-- it started up again and after another steaming run settled a rather unsettling distance from where I had made first contact.
Fresh pressure made no discernable differance to what had become stalemate but the odd knock suggested we were still connected but only just. Figuring the fish was laying behind an obstruction I had no choice but to walk downriver with rod and landing net in the hope of gaining some advantage from a little below where it was sulking.
No chance, it was gone leaving me with little choice but to pull for a break but save for a slightly widened hook my luck held.My walk back to where I was stationed was 63 strides-- a long way-- but I did suspect that it may have been another fish where the hook allowed the fish to have its head.
A break for a cuppa and a sandwhich after my next fish thatwas maybe around eight pound max, a phone call to a friend and I was back to the task. My back was just beginning to feel the effects about then, trotting is hard work, maybe why heavy feeder fishing is more popular but it certainly has its advantages so a dose of lower back pain is small change weighed up against the rewards but needs must so musnt complain.
Second run thro and and the floats gone, a dour struggle and my net goes under a really long barbel, unusually long and deserving of a weighing--- surprise surprise-- I reckoned on a low double but it went a a very pleasing 11-6.
Two more fish , the best 8-12 completed my number for the day but prior to the last I was playing a fish which suddenly felt "differant" half way back upstream, something wrong for sure and at the very limit of my straining there was a distinct mini juddering before things came to a halt and with the fish up in the water I knew then that my fish hed run foul of some sunken line.
I let everything go loose in the hope things would come good but no, it didnt but my fish hade come a little nearer the bank and I could see the offending line trailing back downriver from my float --- I was left with no choice but tset my rod on its rest pointing skywards on a tight line and get my old ready set up carp rod out and cast over the offending line trailing downstream in the hope of pulling it to where I was stood, success first throw .
The line must have been 18 or 20 lb bs at least, why for gods sake!!.
Iwas able to dissentangle my now fishless gear ( grrrr) from the newly retrieved stuff and having done so began to attempt to clear it from the river--- not easy, it was jammed good and proper but more alarmingly there was a fish tethered on the other end!!!. I had the impression that the rig was jammed between some bedrock with a fraction of movement that allowed me to feel the hooked fish .
I had no choice but attemp a heave to try and free the thing, maybe a break on a swivel would allow freedom at the other end but no, the mainline broke above it, no telltale pigtail or curly ended line to show an advantages break which made me think that the guy responsible was using a hooklink as strong as his mainline-- tottally unaceptable-- and so much mainline sort of gave me the inpression it was some numpty off his rods or fast asleep .
Very sad, I hope he's reading this----- mate, you need to do a bit better !
Coming to the gate homewards I witnessed a "birding first" for me at least-- a buzzard lazily beating his way oer the field in front of me with a woodpidgeon chasing after him, catching up level then doing a 90 degree turn so close in front of the raptor that he could have grabbed it no bother but all he did was continue on his way.
All told an interesting day.
Am sendind Binka a few piks, one of em has my digi scales on it in the "off" position.
Pound to a penny they aint if he puts them up like last time. Lol.
