An Old boy of the Avon.

With swims like this to offer it was no wonder that after a short trip to Cheltenham I was making my way back to the upper Warwickshire Avon. Last night I had replenished my cheese paste freezer stock and purchased two small baguettes from Meriden Co Op . I made up my medium feeder rod with the light 2oz glass tip and this time opted to go with a lighter business end of 3lb 6oz Drennan double strength.  Having checked the Environment Agency river level site I could see that the river level was below par again after last week. I also opted for size 10 drennan specimen hook. The only weight on the line was a single SSG on a paternoster of fluro carbon.


My plan was to drop in to the end swim that I had caught from Saturday morning and try and put a fish on the bank. Once I had caught again I would be off up stream to pre bait some spots on the way . More importantly a fish in the net would give my confidence a boost as well.

Arriving in the swim the river looked painfully clear and there was very little flow .The Sun was bright and as high in the sky as a Winter sun can get which made me slightly apprehensive. Also the river was like a sheet of glass. The swim offered a lot of bankside cover and the water was out of the suns glare. I attached a small piece of the crust from the bread hooking it through the tough outer skin so that the flake side would be exposed to the water. On to the remaining length of the hooks shank I wrapped a small piece of cheese paste and molded it to the bread crust forming a bread cheese pyramid  .

My confidence was low due to the condition of the river but I intended to fish and sit on the bait for at least half an hour before making my way upstream. The bait was cast down stream  tight to the near margin and I sat back to take in the glory of the still winters day. It seems that the old dead tree in the meadow opposite is the haunt of a pair of buzzards.  I listened again to them calling to one another as one flew whilst the other perched in the withered branches of the trees corpse.

The rod tip gave the smallest of movements that could of so easily been a dace or minnow or even loose leaf cascading downstream. The movement was enough to get my adrenaline surging though and I sat forward clasping the rod with concentrated menace . Again the rod rattled, this time very chub like . Then it went around in a series of pulls and I lifted in to the fish . All hell broke loose and the creature charged in to the reed bed down the swim forcing me to give line or risk breaking the fine nylon. I turned it and drew the fish upstream watching in the clear water as a reasonable chub twisted and turned under the rod tip intent on ridding itself of my hook . Eventually she gave in and was drawn in to the net .

Camera, scales and return upstream, in that order.

2lb 15oz and I'm chuffed with my cheese paste.













After returning the fish I decided to have one more cast . Last week I managed two fish in short succession.
The bait and casting ritual was performed again with the offering dropping in close to the margin a good distance down stream. I was elated at catching a fish within five minutes of settling down and decided to quickly text my long suffering partner who was at work . I new she would be as pleased as punch that I was sat by the river as she chored  away (NOT). As I completed the text the rod shot away again . My expectation  of a bite so quickly was very small and so I mistimed   the strike and the fish was gone with out even a hint of contact being made.

The phone was placed in to a pocket and out of harms way not to be seen again  until home time!!!!
As I always do in this situation I recast a fresh bait . My theory is that if the fish got away with the bait then they may of not been spooked so it can be worth a gamble just in case one is still present. Out went the bait rod in the rest and my full attention focused on the rod's tip .

After some five minutes or more the rod pulled around stopped and then pulled again . I struck setting the hook . A slow heavy weight moved across the river down stream and I dropped the rod low to the water so that it bent in to a fighting arc. The fish came to the surface and a large boil appeared followed by bow waves making for the far bank. This was a better fish and I turned it to mid river only for it to bore deep down and thud under the rod . The fish felt heavy and slowly but surely I gained line until I caught sight of its latticed broad back . HOLY SHIT !!! I declared . This was a good fish and a proper warrior eye balling me defiantly through the clear water . Please don't come off was muttered and the fish wallowed in to my net .

As I pulled the net towards me I could feel its weight and peeling back the mesh I was astonished as it lay their. A proper old school battle scarred Avon chub. Placing her in to the carrier bag I was convinced that it was my five. The needle flew around to the 5lb mark and then settled at 4lb 13oz just 2oz's and 8 drams off my personal best.

I went on to fish seven more swims today and didn't get another touch right up to dark and to  be honest I didn't care a bit . As the sun dropped the birds began to gather over the flats of the fields and I was treated to a fabulous display by a huge group of lapwings . Canada geese flew noisily over head and were illuminated by the reds and oranges of the setting winter sun against the purples and baby blues of the sky.

The quest for the five continues and I'm very glad too as I get to do and see all this again another day.

Thanks for listening.

Bazal Peck

The upper Avon at last!!!!!

On Saturday morning I had a few hours spare before watching my beloved Aston Villa in the FA cup . After my  little foray Friday afternoon on my local river Blythe I was very much in the Chub zone . So Friday night I began to conspire a plan and decided that the time may be right to venture on to a new stretch of water for which I had obtained a ticket this season.

I have spent a lot of the Summer watching and walking this river and to be honest not seen a lot of fish .The river has been so low and clear that it has been a huge drain on my confidence and likewise my wanting to wet a line on this particular stretch.

When making my way to Luton on Friday I took time to view the upper Avon and was enthralled to see it with some colour and even some movement  in it . I did not have the time to travel and fish Friday so opted to stay local and have a dabble in my local Blythe . I had an enjoyable couple of hours and it acted as a catalyst for the following morning and my first venture on to the new stretch.

I was out of bed for 6:00am and pleading with the clock to speed up so that I would have enough light to make my way to the river and get fishing. Eventually I was on the bank and set up in a peg at the far end of the stretch.The anticipation was absolutely electric and I was like the proverbial child on Christmas day . I had looked in to this stretches history and obtained some facts from a fellow member Danny Hale (Going with the flow ). The stretch held chub that went 5lb to 6lb for a fact, and in my scrap book at home I had a picture of a reputed 7lb fish from the river around that area. As I mentioned the river had colour and looked perfect for some action . I decided to go in first with the old faithful lobworm purely as a confidence thing as I believe that there is not a fish that swims that will not take a worm.

I cast far down the swim and let the bait swing around in to a deep eddy at the near bank. To say I was excited would be an understatement . The thought of would could happen if the tip went  round really got the fires burning . After another flick out due to some crap on the line the tip gave the wobble and twitch . I shot up and poised like a predatory animal over the rod . Chub are so obliging in the right conditions and even more so I feel with bite indication . In my experience there is always the warning twitch followed by the pull round, its as though you are being forewarned so as to prepare yourself for battle . I struck at the pull round and felt the kick of a hooked fish . My heart was in full flow now as I had hooked a fish of God knows what piportion. The fight didn't last long as I was using a 6lb hooklength not willing to pull any punches in the snaggy water should a big old dog chub fall foul to my bait. On the scales the fish went 2lb 12oz's, not huge as chub go but my first on the new stretch so more than welcome.

This small chub had succumbed fairly easily to my somewhat stout tackled and so I decided to stay in the swim for one more flick out. The swim was a long wide stretch and an end peg so I felt that one more cast was justified . For my second cast I opted try my new cheese paste along with a piece of crust to balance it out. The bottom of the river still has a lot of green coloured weed in place as light has been able to penetrate and keep it in reasonable health. I feel a very big flush through will benefit the angler and help give some swims a good clearing .
The savoury morsel was flicked down stream and I sat back feeling fantastic after catch my first chub on the new water. The air was mild and for the time being reasonably still as I listened to the shrills of a pair of Buzzards in the far off dead trees down the meadow  . I had found my Nirvana and the place was really starting to feel comfortable when again the 2oz glass tip rattled and pulled around to my left . Fantastic I was in again and on a bait my by my own fair hands making it even better. This fish felt heavier and held more in the current, moving upstream and in to my near bank it put up several lunges on my light feeder rod . Once on the surface I could see it was bigger fish, not particularly thick set but very long and empty looking . I slipped her in to the carrier bag and read the dial .3lb 6ozs and my second in half an hour. Also may I add the fish had the tail of a blue whale as the picture shows....

I headed upstream and was almost spoilt for choice as there were so many chubby looking swims to be had . However time was not on my side so I baited a few swims on the way up and then dropped in for fifteen minutes whilst making my way back to the car park end of the run.

I finished the day in one of the lovely pools at the lower end of the fishery and managed my best chub of the new year at 3lb 9oz's again to my home made paste and crust combination. I was really impressed with the new stretch and cannot wait to get back there when time see's fit for me to do so.

Thanks for listening.

Baz Peck

The Blythe

Friday morning found me up with the lark and thundering down the hateful M1 to the delightful town of Luton ??.

Once I'd completed the job I took half an hour to pop in to Leslie's of Luton . As tackles shops go Leslie's is my idea of paradise .I have been there four times all told and have yet to make it around the whole shop, you name it they have it .

3lb 4oz Chub my first of the day.


I was soon thankfully heading away from Luton and back up an unusually quiet M1. The plan was to pop into Kenilworth on the way back to get some vegetables, then head home and pop out for a few hours fishing . As time was at a premium I opted to head to my little free stretch of the River Blythe. Although not the most picturesque of swims I know the river well and I know that I can get some sport in quickish time.

Such was my confidence on this little pool that I set the camera up first. I really want to try and get some self take photos done this year as the obligatory fish and rod in landing net shots have become a bit bland .

A 2lb 10oz chub and a random dog!!!

On arrival the river was in perfect shape for a few  chub, there are some nice perch in this swim but with the water being coloured I felt they may not be first on the list. I set up my light feeder rod with a 2oz glass tip and a length of 3.6lb Preston hook length. I use a small length of fluro carbon attached to the hook length by 2 drennan float stops this enables me to adjust the length of line between shot and hook. The hook was a size ten drennan specimen and a lobworm with the head nipped off was the offering.


                                                                               The urban bridge pool at pack horse bridge.

After three quarters of an hour I had not received a touch which is very unusual for this stretch. To remedy this I decided to break the lobworm in to a small piece and drop it in to a big eddy in close to my bank. After a short while the tip rattled and then gently pulled forward .I struck and felt the jag jag of a non chub type fish . To my amazement I had connected with a roach of around 8oz's. This may seem over the top to some but in this stretch I catch predominantly chub and perch so to see a roach was a lovely start to my session.      
                                                         
The bites dried up and so I decided to move ten yards down stream and cast under the arch of the bridge. Having settled in again I cast and watched the tip as the line looped around in the current and bounced the worm around in to a drop off at the end of the swim. The tip rattled and and then pulled around with great intent. I lifted in to the bite and  a powerful fish shot of under the bridge causing me to lower the rod in to a fighting angle whilst trying to gain line.

The fish held midstream in the current then steadily plodded up in front of me . Then as chub do it came in to the deep water in my near margin as if offering me a toe to toe fight . It went mad in the margin but eventually  a thick head crowned by a pair of white lips arose form the murk and graced my awaiting net. On the scales she went 3lb 4oz, a  nice fish for this stretch.

I went on to catch another chub of 2lb 10oz and then the rod shot round and I connected with a much more powerful fish . The fight was very chub like, heavy and deliberate lunges and it felt larger but then don't they all when left to the imagination . The line fell slack and the fish was away, on inspection the line had been bitten off some where near to the hook. Maybe a pike had taken a liking to my worm or maybe it was the throat of a big dog chub. I re tackled, this time with a 6lb hook length, the light was fading and that coupled with the loss gave me a spurt of inspiration that maybe the big old boys and girls of this suburban swim were out on the feed . After recasting and awaiting in the fast fading light the tip swung around again and another fish was on. This time a chub of 2lb 12oz was netted and weighed before being put in front of the awaiting camera.

As I prepared for the picture out of the gloom and betwix the trees materialised a shape . I was startled to say the least and very nearly followed through!!!! . Gently forward came the hairy snout of an old hound.She ambled towards me cautiously but not fearfully . As I held the fish for the photo she gently moved in to shot in a non intimidating way .My fear eased and I agreed that she could be in the photo and that she could gently sniff at the fish. Once the posing was complete and the fish returned she gently ambled ofF in to the trees leaving me in fits of laughter and asking myself if what had just happened was true.

I left in great spirits and chuckled to myself all the way home .

Thanks for listening.

Baz Peck

Warwickshire whacked

Well a rubbish end to an excellent Christmas for me as I managed to blank for three consecutive mornings on the Avon at Wasperton.

I have now stripped back my gear to fish specifically for chub and keep mobile. I baited several swims along the bend of the BAA stretch and moved stealthily from swim to swim hoping to try and catch a big old chub . Sadly the two blokes who pulled up in the Renault Cleo just slightly down stream did not . Pulling up behind the swims to my left. Radio on doors open and wandering up and down the bank chatting and generally pissing me off. That is the only down side in fishing this stretch in that you can pull your car up behind the swims which straight away creates a shadow on the skyline . I always leave my car at the grassy area by the gate and walk across to the river keeping well back from the bank edge .  Watercraft and general manners doesn't come naturally to everyone though.


Any way moan over and on in to 2012 and hopefully a new bloggers challenge.

Barry Peck

Continuing to catch up .....

I prayed and prayed for rain but it never came, in fact it still hasn't arrived yet well I say that its raining as I type . As we all know we need alot of rain to replace the water that we have lost and the odd shower here and there simply will not suffice.





As I mentioned in my last post, the foot bridge that crosses the river at Saxon mill had been shut since spring and so I gave the river a miss . Not just because the bridge was closed but also due to the lack of rain, the abundance of weed and having little fishing time . There is only so much carp fishing I can do though and before long I found myself revisiting a little spot on my local river Blythe to investigate the river level .








The spot I fish is a free spot at the back of the barston lakes and golf club known as packhorse bridge. The river arc round and flows away under the west coast main line bridge . I describe the area as a spot as there are no set pegs and not much room to fish in and two people would make it crowded. The photo shows the river with water on it at the begining of the year and you can see that the current flows at a strange angle in to adeep pool under the bridge . I like to fish the pool with lobworms on a light one swan shot rig and bounce the worm around in the flow so that it settles in the deep hole. 1lb 9oz perch on an autumn eve.
During several very short sessions after work (literally an hour before dark) I managed some lovely perch and a chub of 3lbs. All the fish fell to worms in the pool and my best perch from there was 1lb 9oz's . I love this type of angling and the fact that bit is free and overlooked by everyone makes it even better.

A 1lb 30z perch from my pool swim.

A 3lb chub that also took a liking for my lobworms .

Every now and again I would pop by the mill and check the progress of the bridge. Each time however I was met with the same answer and even worse a note from the council saying that the bridge would be closed until December . One warm afternoon my better half and I popped down for a slurp at the mill pub and I was amazed to see gleaming in the sunshine a brand new bridge .... I could barely contain my excitement and whooped with joy ( much to the mrs embarressment ) and skipped off to inspect the craftsman ship of the wonderful bridge joiners.

I took the camera and crossed the new bridge to take a photo as she shone in the golden autumn sunshine . We decided to have a mooch on the upstream stretch and see how over grown it was. My happiness turned to shock horror when as we walked through the undergrowth I found my beloved stretch and been used as a bin by some shit for brains.

These pictures show the worst of the litter I found and as I looked further there had been fires and god knows what else going on. I drove home a very ngry man . I had not been able to get in to my stretch of river but some one had been getting on it fro the old milverton side. They had picked a specific tree as a dumping ground and when I returned the next day I filled two black bags with lager cans, barbeques and crisp packets.

As an angler and nature lover I find it hard to comprehend how or why any one could do this to such a beautifull historic place . The cans must of built up over time which showed it was a habit of the prats to throw them in to the same place on each visit. They had even tied bags full of cans to tree branches which could of been a death trap to wildlife .Why oh why!!!!!

Now a new beautifull bridge was in I was free to fish my little heart out back on my wonderful stretch of river . I had so many plans for this place this year and so much bank clearing I wanted to do . Next year I will be cutting a path up to th top meadows and making the bank more accessible to anglers .

The river barely see's any anglers as far as Im aware yet offers such beauty and so many fish. As far as big fish go I am not sure what its potential is as I have not had enogh time to fish it with any kind of plan . There are shoals of dace and roach and plenty of chub as well , also I have seen some large carp in both the up and down stream stretches.

We shall see what it has soon I hope........

Barry Peck

Catching up....

Well what a non starter of a year it has been for me personally. You name it, it has happened at some point this year . Angling time has been at a premium until the last couple of months as things settle down and normal service is resumed .



Blue bells in the woods of stoneleigh.



As time has been limited through the summer most of my fishing has been short carp sessions either stalking or surface fishing . As a member of the Leamington Angling Association I have access to some decent carp waters . I chose to concentrate on jubilee pools at ryton . The back pool or horseshoe as it is known is a prolific surface and margin fishing pool and it offers very good sport.

A margin caught mirror of 17lb 9oz from Holt pool worcestershire.




The horseshoe lake on a Summers morning.

The water clarity on this pool is extremley good and it can make for some very exciting fishing , in fact quite regularly very large carp can be seen cruising up and down the margins. Every time I fished the pool this summer I caught carp sometimes quite a few. The bait of choice this summer for me was mini marshmallows with a little betaine on them to add sweetness. The use of the sweets as bait came about after my daughter bought me some as a joke to try and and I caught five carp in a morning on them. As well as being very easy to hide a hook in they are also very easy to see at range which I find helps my confidence.










A margin caught common from the point on horseshoe.

I like the point swim on horseshoe (so does every other bugger) as the water shallows in the margins and the carp come past very frequently. I set a trap in the margin and had several carp up 13lb . The lack of rain this summer has been a real pain and water levels at the pools is down consdierably which has not helped with the margin fishing but not made it too much of a chore.




Peg 23 in 'No carp corner'



As well as my exploits on the horseshoe pool I also had a plan to set a margin trap on the Island pool. My peg of choice on this lake was number 23 in the area known as no carp bay . I had noticed some carp of a large size feeding in the margin next to the platform on this peg several times. Each time I visited the pools I would sneak up to the peg and trickle in a handful of micro pellets and a couple of prawns . One warm dull Wednesday morning I decided the time was right and went around to try my plan . As I crept around to the back of the peg I noticed three large carp slurping away at the surface next to the bush to the right of the peg . Two of the fish were very large commons and possibly pushing twenty ponds in weight. The third of the fish was a light coloured mirror. I hastily stripped the margin rig off the line and tied on a hook to free line. The bait was the afforementioned marshmallow and I crawled in to postition so that I may dap the bait on to the surface film .

No sooner had the bait touched the suface than it was engulfed and a strong fish bored of deep in to the lake . I had no idea which fish I was attached to but it felt heavy and powerful as it plodded off purposely. I was just thinking what a cunning bastard I was when the rod sprung back and the fish was gone .Ho hum I said !!!!!. On inspection the line had parted and when I checked it was quite worn along its length which I put down to the battering it had been receiving on the back pool by the tiger like small commons.

I retreated behind the bramble bush at the top of the bank and waited to see if the fish would return to the sanctuary of the overhanging bush to the right of the swim . As I waited I stripped back several metres of line and checked for damage then tied on another hook. Within minutes the carp were back and feeding on the surface again . This time just two, a common and a mirror . A mini mallow was attched and the dapping proccess repeated . This time the bait was taken by the light coloured mirror and after a spirited unrushed fight I had her on the mat.


13lb 6oz and a sweet tooth.

I returned her and then decided not to push my look with the fish and to head off to the horsehoe for some surface sport. Before I left I spread a couple of handfuls of pellet and some king prawns in to the margin for another look may be later in the day.

On the way back to the car I dropped back in to peg 23 and was amazed to see the margin well and trully clouded as carp were tearing up the bottom. Tails broke the surface as they fed a foot from the bank. I attached a piece of peacock quill with a float rubber and moulded a lump of tungsten putty 2 feet from the hook to keep the line down . The air crackled with anticipation as I lowered the whole contraption down in to the mucky water and crept on my knees in to a waiting position . I had hooked a large chunk of king prawn as bait and sat back to wait. After around ten minutes the quill twitched then snaked across the surfce and out of site .I set the hook and bent in to a heavy fish . Again the fight was slow and heavy and I new I had hooked a good carp . After I while she was ready for the net and when she finally gave up I slipped the net under a lovely thick dark common . The fish was one of the three I had spotted earlier that day and on the scales she went 18lb 12oz . Fantastic and what a splendid looking fish.

I left a happy man and as I drove home I looked longingly to the sky . I craved to be on the river at my beloved mill but due to the footbridge being shut I was stumped . I also prayed for rain and for barbel and chub..........

To be continued

Tight lines for now.

Barry Peck

April the 1st

Just a quick line to say that I managed an afternoon on April fools day and caught a steady string of tench. The venue again was ryton pool in search of the big carp .The pool was empty and there were a few carp showing however they once again eluded me ,may be I need to try harder!!! I had six tench in a fairly short spell all between 3lb and 4lb 2oz . Two of the 3lbers were grabbed on the way in by an enormous pike certainly over 20lb in weight.The first tench was very damaged and I unhooked it in the water and wished it all the best .The second was only scuffed slightly so I took a picture to show the bite mark of the fearsome beast. All the best Baz 4lb 2oz and my first self take !!! hahaha!!!