| It has become a bit of a joke between myself and my fishing mates and acquaintances that if I book any time off work to go fishing, then rest assured the weather or some other disaster will conspire against me. So much so that anyone who knows me will NOT book leave off work at the same time as me. (I’m starting to get paranoid!). January 1996 was a good example of what I mean; easterly winds blowing in from the Russian Steppes, wind chill down to minus 30 degrees C. A week’s carping in Canada, flood levels recorded at an all time high the same week we arrived. And last year, a week booked off coincided with nearly every river fishery in the country closing down due to Foot and Mouth.
And sometimes, things work out as planned…… Whenever I’ve got a week off I like to fish somewhere different from my usual weekend venues. For the last four years or so I’ve spent a great deal of my winter fishing on my local river, the Ribble. And not without good reason, because for chub especially, there aren’t many venues to match it for the quality of fish it produces. This year in particular it has fished its socks off with a regular succession of 5lb-plus fish falling to my rods and those of other anglers. These are superb fish by any standards and that is why it has been so hard to look away from the Ribble, such has been the consistency of the fishing. But that long held ambition and much sought-after 6lb-plus fish has continued to elude me. Wonderful stretches of the upper Severn
I first started fishing for chub about 7 or 8 years ago, and before the Ribble came along most of my time was spent in total seclusion fishing some wonderful stretches on the upper reaches of the River Severn. Anybody who has ever fished up there will know that it is very rewarding fishing, but at the same time can be very frustrating, and could never be described as prolific. A full day fishing for myself and Gary Knowles would often produce just one or two bites between us, and we sometimes used to fish three different stretches in a day, never mind however many individual swims on each stretch. We took many good fish from the Severn, but also suffered many heartaches. Then the Ribble came along So when the Ribble came along, the quality of the fishing, both numbers and size of fish, was in stark contrast to the struggles we had on the Upper Severn. So the Ribble came to the fore and the Severn was pushed more and more to the back of our minds. There is more to fishing, however, than just the fish themselves. I have always loved the Upper Severn. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and I knew this year I wanted to return to a few of my favourite stretches to reacquaint myself with the ‘chevins’ of the Severn. A few sessions on a favourite stretch of river around the turn of the year produced an encouraging number of fish, with a number of good four pounders, and also my first ‘five’ from this area at 5lbs 4oz. Being an area of slower and much deeper water, I have always liked the look of it for a big fish. My recent successes convinced me that an end of season trip just might produce a beast. However, the best laid plans etc….. As I sat there on the first of my planned two days, fishing various known productive swims, and without a bite to show for my efforts, I was continuously casting my mind back to when I’d fished there in years gone by. Without doubt it had always fished best there in December and January. By the time March arrived the fish seemed to totally disappear. Where to? Who knows. Maybe they move to their spawning sites in shallower water. I don’t know, but any ideas on this would be welcomed. It has happened each year I’ve fished there. I now did not fancy a second day on the same stretch – the river was totally dead and lifeless.
Then I headed for Welshpool But due to Gary’s struggle, stay on the Severn I did. After a night in the B&B I headed much further upstream to another favourite reach above Welshpool, a stretch we’d spent some time after barbel a few years ago. Much shallower & pacier here, it is one of the few places on the Severn that you can spot fish and watch them in their natural environment. We had certainly seen some large fish here on our previous visits, mainly barbel, but these had mostly been in the summer and on only a few occasions had we fished for the chub there in winter. Never enough time to do everything you see. When I arrived the level was higher than what I was hoping for and at first I didn’t like the look of it. But as I walked downstream the extra water meant that the slack areas behind trees and obstructions, and the crease swims they then created, were much more obvious. The more I looked at the river, the better the river looked.
Right on the nose! In the end I managed to find and fish fourteen separate swims, some better looking than others, over about a mile and a half of river. Walking up and down, baiting with mashed bread and cheese paste, then fishing each swim in turn, I covered a lot of water and felt as though I fished well. I managed one bite, one fish. This came in my third swim of the day, after about a half hour of fishing. I’m glad it came early on, because the gale force wind & driving rain that continuously battered me throughout the day would have had me packing up early had I not been ‘inspired’ early doors. The chub was a new personal best of 6lbs 1oz, taking a Campbell’s meatball on a size 2 hook to 6lb line and just lowered off the end of the rod top in a slack behind a sunken tree. The bite came about five seconds after the line had tightened, obviously I’d put the bait right on the big chub’s nose. I felt absolutely elated, on cloud nine. I still do, and not just with the size of the fish. So many times when things are not going exactly according to plan it only takes a few seconds to turn full circle. A bait in the right place and at the right time can turn a struggle into a Red Letter Day. Now then, next season, Ribble or Severn, Severn or Ribble????? |
Welcome!Log into your account
