It all started with an e-mail. Paul Williams and Stewart Bloor (Sedge) were talking of setting up their specimen group and they said come up for the meeting and couple it with a session on the river. 
I couldn’t make the date of the meeting, but we arranged an evening session on the river anyway.
The river in question is the Lower Severn, if you’ve never seen it or fished it before, you’ll be stunned by its sheer size, power and depth. If you have fished it before you’ll know exactly what an autumnal Severn in flood is all about.So I did a quick bit of research on the area and gleaned some info from the lads and I was ready for it.
Now, living in Hampshire, the Severn is not exactly on my doorstep and a 240 mile roundtrip for an evening session might seem a bit excessive or strange, but “fortune favours the clinically insane”, as they say.
I met with Paul at our chosen spot at about 2pm on the Friday and we had a good look at the river, pointing out features and the like. Sedge eventually turned up at about 4pm clad in some fantastic red trousers and we all settled down to fish.
At about 6pm Dave Cooper (Cooperman) and Paul Hiom (Wurzel) turned up and started to fish downstream. 
I rigged up with 10lb mainline, 1.75lb TC rods, baitrunner reels, 3oz leads on feeder booms and 10lb fluorocarbon mono to a size 6 hook. I baited with clonking great big lumps of flavoured meat on a hair rig.
I won’t bore you with any more waffle and cut to the chase.
At 10.20pm, the tip wraps around and the baitrunner screams. My first Lower Severn barbel is hooked, into the net first time – nice.
Onto the scales and the needle settles at 12lb, Sedge does the honours with the camera and I’m a happy bunny.
Buoyed by this success I want more, so I’m back on the river on the Tuesday, at about 4pm. 
It’s raining heavily and the river is rising.
At 5.20pm, whack, in she comes, another barbel that pulls the scales to 9lb.
At 6.15pm and the mobile rings. It’s Paul.
“How you doing maaaaate?” He asks in his unmistakeable Brummy twang.
“Not bad, one at 9lb”. I answer.
“Nice”
“Paul, listen….” I hold the phone to my reel as the clutch screams in defiance to the hooked barbel taking line. 
“I’ll call you back in a minute.” I say, and get back to the business of playing the fish, which eventually comes to the net and weighs 9lb 14oz.
On the stroke of 9pm I get a strange bite, which I put down to eels, but results in a barbel of about 1lb.
Fifteen minutes later and here we go again. This one weighs in at 10lb 6oz. Now it’s raining really heavily and the banks are very slippery, it’s a bit too treacherous so I call it a day. 
Back up there on the Friday and just the one this time, but at 9lb 15oz, I’m more than happy.
Three trips and six barbel, three at 9lb and two doubles. Truly a week to remember.
I must say a big thank you to Paul and Sedge for all the help and info and the genuine smiles when I caught.
I’m sat here penning this whilst blanking at a carp lake. Mmmmmmm time for another trip methinks.
Now where did I put that camera?
