Pilgrim’s Progress

He is also a very keen angler, having come back to the sport in 1995 following a break of several years. In this regular column he will tell us about his progress as an angler – his thoughts about the sport, what he learns, the fishing trips he makes, the anguish, the humour, in fact everything he experiences as his angling career develops.

Pilgrim’s Progress – read it everyThursday!

Barbel Bonanza On The Dove

It is said that one shouldn’t return to the scene of a previous victory as the inevitable disappointment that follows ultimately takes away from the sweet memories that one has. As I had caught three double-figure barbel from a particular stretch in the summer, a return visit in the winter, in the opinion of some anglers, may be more than tempting fate.

However, it felt right about returning to the same area of the river that had yielded such marvellous fish last year. So, car loaded, I set off for what was a very familiar route last summer, heading northwards on the A38. Although there had been heavy rain more or less non-stop for a couple of weeks, the Dove looked good. But then again, every river looks good to me, even when it’s over the banks and in the surrounding fields!

Digital degrees
I had come prepared to fish right through the night, although my contingency plan was that if the river suddenly became impossible to fish I’d call it a day (or night, depending on how you look at it!). My experience of the Dove, certainly on the peg I headed for, was that once the river rose, then the resultant debris coming down the river meant I needed to know when I was beat, and therefore to retire gracefully.

The first thing I did on arriving at my chosen swim was to test the water temperature to get an accurate reading. I’ve recently purchased a digital thermometer and this was its maiden voyage, so to speak. With the sensor at the end of a 3-metre cord, it’s a very simple operation to get a reading of the water temperature. With the readout a very positive 8 degrees C, I felt confident.

Once the thermometer was in the water I baited up. A combination of hemp and trout pellets together with a few broken boilies, grains of corn and pieces of meat went into the water to form an underwater smorgasbord that hopefully would attract a decent barbel or two.

The above average temperature gave me the confidence to put in an extra handful or two of particles. There are times, when the temperature is very low, when all I would fish with would be a single baited hook. But at 8 deg C, I was confident that barbel would be on the move and actively searching out food.

The snag is a magnet
Fishing by 1.00 pm I had the first bite just an hour and a quarter later. A tap, tap, tap of the rod tip alerted me to the fact that a fish was on the other end. Striking, I was into what was obviously a good Dove barbel. As usual, it headed straight for an overhanging group of trees that lined the far bank. Although not as dense as in the summer months, nevertheless they provide sufficient cover that any hooked fish will immediately make a beeline for. With root systems that had burst through the banks themselves, this was a natural snag that would act as a magnet for any barbel that found itself attached to an angler’s rod.

At one stage I thought I had lost the fish as I felt the line begin to grate on the first branches that hung in the water, but that was as far as it got. From then on the tide of the battle slowly ebbed in my favour. Once the fish was in mid-stream I was totally confident that the conflict was well and truly won.

A short time later and I was slipping the net under another big Dove barbel. Weighing in at 9 lb 2 oz, it was the second trip on the trot that I had landed a barbel in the 9 lb category, following on from my near double on the Severn as described in last week’s Pilgrim’s Progress.

Nine hours between fish but still full of confidence
Although I did miss a bite in between I had to wait nine hours before the next fish made the unhooking mat stage. A much smaller fish, this one was 5 lb 13 oz, it still put up a good fight. By now, as midnight approached, the air temperature had halved from its afternoon high of 12c to 6c. Yet the water was still a constant 8 deg C.

This is where a thermometer comes in handy. With the wind chill factor taken into account it felt quite nippy. But it’s not what the temperature is like this side of the surface of the water that affects the fish; it’s what it’s like beneath it that really counts.

So, with confidence still high, I fished on. Around midnight though, the weather took a turn for the worst. Without any warning whatsoever, a storm blew up. The trees on the far bank were almost bent double as the gale force winds bore down upon them. And the rain came down so powerfully that I drew as far back as I could into my Brotel to keep dry.

Yet, in spite of the abominable weather, and the air temperature dropping to 4 deg C, the water temperature continued to hold steady at 8 deg C. This more than anything prompted me to stay on in the hope that more fish would succumb to my bait. As the early hours of the morning wore on the river began to rise slowly. Although debris, mainly leaves, became a problem as they wrapped around the tackle in the water, they seemed to concentrate in the main, around the lead, leaving the hook bait free.

My fourth Dove Double
At 5.00am my faith was rewarded as another fish took the bait. By now I was fishing down the side, as even a 4 oz lead was insufficient to hold the far side. Striking into the fish I knew that a good barbel had taken the flavoured Peperami bait. As its instincts told it to, it made straight for the far bank trees, but I was able to keep it away, as I had done with the previous fish.

As I drew it over the net, I could see that potentially this fish was my fourth Dove double this season. As I lay it on the unhooking mat and removed the hook I was sure that it was such a fish. So it came as no surprise at all to see the digital readout on the scales show a weight of 10 lb 7 oz.

To say I was over the moon would be an understatement. In fact (although by now I was feeling very tired, as I had more or less been awake all night) this fish released adrenaline that suddenly dispersed any drowsiness I may have felt. Forget illicit drugs or endless cups of coffee, if you want to stay awake all night, catch a double-figure barbel from the Dove. It’s guaranteed to bring you back into the land of the living when you’re feeling tired.

A few photographs later and the fish is happily swimming into the rising water of the river. I celebrated with a mug of tea. The sense of contentment and satisfaction that I felt took a couple of days to ebb away. Although I was wet, tired and cold, suddenly that didn’t matter any longer. The pleasure of that fish had made it all worthwhile. Although it’s a rather limited illustration it is very much like childbirth. The pain and agony is soon forgotten when the mother holds the baby in her arms. And so it was with that fish.

Celebrating four doubles with the Four Tops
Driving home, I took the same route as I did when I caught my first double from the Dove, exactly five calendar months to the day. On that occasion I travelled home with some upbeat Northern Soul playing in the car. This time it was mellower, as it was the Four Tops that accompanied me on the journey.

But there’s no doubt about it, whichever way you look at it, ‘It’s the same old song’, as a double-figure Dove barbel is guaranteed to make me feel as if ‘I’m in a different world’… Sorry – ‘I can’t help myself’…And as the date for uploading this article is February 14, I can definitely say, as I looked my latest big fish capture in the eyes, my sentiments were ‘Loving you has made my life sweeter than ever’…

After my success on the Dove inthis week’s Pilgrim’s Progress, surely things can’t get any better?Well, believe me, they can, and they do! Join me next Thursday whenI tell you why ‘You can’t keep a Dove man down!’

And just to whet your appetite,I’ll tell you how I added 12 oz to my barbel personal best. Check outFISHINGmagic next week for all the details. See you then.

The Reverend Stewart R Bloor
Sedgley International Christian Ministries
PO Box 1216, Dudley. DY3 1GW.
Telephone : 01384 – 828033
Web site : www.sicm.org
e-mail : missionscentre@sicm.org