After Sundays dace debacle I was feeling a little lost for words as to what had gone wrong . So many good anglers on the bank and yet barely a bite between them . If it wasn't for Andy's pike and the chaps smattering of bits I would of been suicidal . I truly believe that the poor fishing was down to the weather and not cormorants . There have been cormorants on the stretch for a couple of years now and the fishing has not been dented by them . The fish get pushed down in to the mill race by the birds and use it as a sanctuary as the amount of people around the stretch and the tree canopy puts the winged menace off.
As a hopeful remedy to the rock hard Sunday I decided a chub trip may help and went for my upper Avon banker swims . I decided to fish a size 2 hook with crust and a dollop of cheesepaste , it was shit or bust tactics and I hoped the big bait may snare a big fish ( rubbish theory I know ) but I wanted to do something positive and see what happened.
I wont bore you with all the ins and outs of the session as I have given the same descriptions before form this stretch. I managed three fish all chub and had a great day !!!
First fish of the day 4lb 14oz 8drams and one I caught a couple of weeks ago at 4lb 13oz ....It has a red scar on its undercarriage !!
A 4lb on the nose chub from the next pool up from my banker and it very nearly pulled the rod in !!!!
Then lastly I had this one out of the very end of my banker swim from close in to a snag . I enjoyed it very much as it was real hit and hold close in . The fish went 3lb 15oz and had a peculiar orange blemish on its flank above the anal fin almost like a gold fish.
I may have one more go for my 5lb Avon chub before the gloomy 15th but for now I will be looking to develop my pike angling not to mention a little trip to the Itchen for some roach and grayling !!!1
Tight lines .
Bazal Peck
I tend to agree. Sunday, weather it was what done it in, too warm too quickly, and though it looked perfect, it weren't good at all. Normally it's a bite (or ten!) a chuck, the tip twitching before it hits bottom. The cormorants? seen em down the Rock Mill end, but they don't like tree cover, do they?
ReplyDeleteBaz, Went upstream for a look about and loads of swims are cut back in the wilds. Was that your work?
Im afraid not old chap it seems there may be a greater force at work or some one else with the same enthusiasm as us ......
DeleteUnless the stretch is being prepared for a match of some sort of which I have no idea or wish to know.
That upper stretch is going to do a barbel of some sorts this year mate I convinced ....and a 5Lb chub . That is why I have the place under my skin as it just looks ready to shock ( again !!!!) .
Baz
I think it's a pike angler then. Seen him about up there. There's a little path opening up too. They won't be wilds much longer! And this coming summer I want to find out one way or the other about those barbel that we suspect the presence of, but have never seen yet! Polaroids at dawn, methinks.
DeleteThere's some good chub up there though. Best four pounds or so, but they're all but completely wild - lobworms I reckon, for a five!
Some very nice Chub there Baz.
ReplyDeleteI blanked on Sunday, but don't feel quite as bad now that I've read other exploits. It looked bang on too, but I couldn't get anything to bite. I even reverted to my old faithful Pike tactics and they drew a blank. I'm more than happy to blame the weather rather than my own ability!
I've seen your comments on the Mill stretch. I'm up for doing some work up there. I haven't held a Warwick book for the past couple of years, but that's one stretch I do miss and would return for. It has potential to throw up surprises of various species.
I will put you in the e-mail Sean. I've got to speak to the secretary first but last time I did he was very happy for the place to have a tidy up.
DeleteThanks
Baz