An Interesting Week with Chub and Barbel

I’ve had an interesting weeks fishing which started when I left my Lancashire home at around 4 o’clock in the morning for the long drive to Ross-on-Wye, The previous week I had left my rods in a local pub car park in Ross not realising this until I arrived back home. Thankfully after getting through to David at the White Lion he located my rods still in the place where I had left them. After collecting my rods, some pasties and bread from the Crusty Cob in Ross which I can recommend. I then filled up with cheap petrol from Morrison’s before I made my way to Berkshire. The first few miles were along the twisting A40 a rather horrid road to drive on with lots of crazy drivers who insist in doing 60 mph in a 30 mph limit.

About 11 o’clock I arrived in Newbury after sorting out accommodation for the week I went of to Tadly Angling for some lobworms and bits of pieces of tackle that I didn’t really need, but we anglers are like magpies always collecting things. After lunch in a local pub I then went off to Aldermaston beat on the Wasing estate to put some wire on the stiles, and then check permits on the Newbury AC and Wasing Syndicate waters. We have to be so careful these days with so many East Europeans wanting to steal our fish. With two hours of daylight left I had to make the decision Do I fish the Kennet, Loddon or one of several lakes. I chose the former deciding to fish the Dalston / Woolhampton beats.

Tiny knocks were all I got

I chose an area just upstream of some over head cables, on the far bank I had a small clear area under some trees and bushes, and with a good Wallis cast I could easily drop the bait in the area. As the river was low and clear I felt any fish would be in cover, not roaming all over the river until darkness. My experience from my visit two weeks previously, told me to fish one rod, then feel for the bites, a wise decision as it proved later in the session. Tackle was an old Greys 12 foot Barbel rod I helped design with their senior rod builder back in the 1990’s. It has a powerful Avon action designed for lines of 8-12lbs. I matched it with a centre pin reel and 12lb Gamma line. I cannot fault this product having now used it for some six years. I was given a few spools by Ron Carr at The Denver Fly Fishing show and told “Give this a tough work out” Knot strength and abrasion qualities are second to none. I cannot fault it in any way. Having tied on a size 4 barbless hook, I lightly pinched on 2 LG shot two foot from the hook. Bait was sausage meat paste, yes chub will take this bait, but it’s not as attractive as bread baits in the low clear water.

In the first couple of hours I had three small twitches, I say small, more like a signal crayfish lightly touching the bait. Striking at all three I missed the first, connecting with the other two twitches, both barbels were about 7- 8lbs. No way would those fish have been caught with the rod in the rest. Some anglers tell me they couldn’t be bothered holding the rod all the time. That’s OK but I go too catch fish not watch a couple of motionless rod tips. Recently I was talking to Len Arbery who also agreed with me that many fish are lost through anglers not holding the rod.

A Powerful Adversary

An hour into the darkness I felt a light tap as something gingerly picked up or moved the bait. A sixth sense told me to strike. Immediately the rod hooped over as the reel grudgingly gave line. Something big and powerful was hooked up to my line, it went off downstream not wanting to stop, but eventually the pressure exerted by well balanced tackle had the fish slowing down. Suddenly it changed direction moving upstream I gained line as quickly as possible. Suddenly the fish kited to my right diving towards some tree roots in the margins. I thought “If it gets in that tangle of branches all will be lost”. Swinging the rod to my left I cramped on the pressure moving downstream at the same time which pulled the fish of course. Suddenly it was out in the open water. A minute later the prize was mine, as it went into my landing net. Dropping the rod, I gripped the arms of the landing net then dragged the fish up the bank and onto the weigh net. In my head lamp I quickly realised it was a double. I thought 11lbs plus the scales said 12-11-0.

I called Will Carter at home to see if he could come out on a night of gale force wind and rain, the answer was an immediate Yes. Half an hour later I spotted the red glow of his headlamp as he walked up the river bank. After weighing the fish again he shot a couple of pictures then we watched it swim off strongly, hopefully to grow into a fifteen pounder.Sadly the pictures in the darkness didn’t do it justice.


Launch of the Angling Trust

Sunday Will Carter and I made our way up to Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire for the launch of the Angling Trust where Mark Lloyd gave an excellent presentation; this was followed by questions from the press and angling organisations. After the launch I got to record interviews with chief executive designate Mark Lloyd, Martin Read Chairman of NAFAC and Richard Ferr Chairman of the NFSA. These can be heard on BBC Radio Lancashire on 4th December at 19-05 hrs or via the internet www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire click on listen again then At The Waters Edge. I was impressed with Mark Lloyd and let us not forget it was Mark who rescued the ACA after the debacle and resignation of the previous director.

Mark has done an excellent job; also I feel he is the right person to take the helm of the new organisation speaking with one voice for all anglers. Something I have written and spoken about for the past forty odd years. In fact I have already sent off my £20-00 membership fee. Following the launch of the Angling Trust, I paid a visit to the Tackle and Guns show where I was able to see the new Grauvell barbel rod with an estimated one and three quarter pound test curve. I was impressed and can’t wait to put the rod through its paces.

Matthew Fisher told me they should be available in December with a price tag less than £70-00 available from local tackle shops or J&K TACKLE 62-64 SHEEP ST BICESTER OXFORDSHIRE OX26 6LG TEL 01869 242589.
Back in Berkshire I fished an evening session on the bottom end of the Warren beat on Wasing water below the Salmon Hut, catching some barbel but no big fish, the average about five pounds all on crust. Only one fish moved the tip about two inches the other bites were small twitches.

Meeting the Editor of Barbel Fisher Magazine

Monday and Tuesday I hosted Fred Bonney editor of the Barbel Fisher the twice yearly magazine of the Barbel Society and a top quality product, having just read issue number 26 I was impressed with the quality and the contents, certainly something for all the members. Fred travelled from the Wolds of Lincolnshire an area I know well having fished and shot pheasants ducks and rabbits on many occasions. On the Wash I was one of those wildfowlers who spent days and sometimes nights waiting for the geese to flight. I met up with Fred in Woolhampton then took him off for lunch and a well earned mug of tea. About three o’clock we set off for the river Kennet which was low and clear with many floating leaves; I put Fred on a swim that would allow him to drift a bait under a small overhanging bank-side willow, bait was bread on a size 4 hook with four LSG shot attached direct to the line, despite what we thought were one or two promising tugs, nothing got hooked. In the meantime it started to rain, not heavy rain, at first but the type that soaks in slowly, soon Fred was wet through as he wasn’t wearing waterproof trousers.

Half an hour later we moved off to a downstream swim, that often produced the goods it looked good holding spot, we used the same method, still not catching any fish. By now Fred was totally wet through in the trouser department, so we decided to go back for some dry clothes and some dinner of cottage pie. Fred has a bottle of Rioja, which was very pleasant. To cut a long story short, the evening session in continuous rain, on a different stretch lasted about an hour without a bite, so we called it a day. Tuesday we fished another stretch of the river Kennet still we were fishless. Its not often I have a guest who doesn’t return home with a good fish or two, often a personal best. Though I did enjoy Fred’s company immensely. About 9 o’clock in the evening Chris Bates turned up from Essex for a couple of days fishing. After chatting and drinking tea for about three hours we all went off to bed.

Specimen Chub

I suppose it was about 9 o’clock on Wednesday morning when we woke up to be greeted by a heavy overnight frost with bright sunshine, it looked as if I would be having another tough day on the river with Chris, while Fred would be traveling back to the Lincolnshire Wolds. After breakfast of porridge tea and toast it was out of the door and off to the river. As I expected the river was even clearer today than yesterday, I could virtually count the pebbles on the bottom. I needed to put Chris in swim with lots of cover as that’s where the fish would be, not in the open water. We walked the bank of the Kennet for quite some time until I came across an area of bushes; where one large bush was growing out from the bank with many of its branches on or under the surface. Just downstream was a big old tree trunk that had been in the river for a few years. Apart from the riverside bushes there were several alder and willow trees. Just the area I thought that might hold a few fish.

Chris put together a 12 foot rod with a 1.4 lb test curve rod, Rolling Pin reel with 10lb line and a few feet of six pound line to which he tied on a size 4 hook I suggested 4 LG shot pinched six inches from the hook. Bait was crust for a start if nothing forthcoming we would try some meat paste. Half an hour into the session the rod whacked round. The bite was missed as Chris through chatting to me and not watching or holding his rod. Fifteen minutes later I suggested he try meat paste. Within minutes the rod pulled round in what can only be described as the perfect bite. A good fish was hooked. I told Chris to stick the rod tip under the water so the line would stay clear of the submerged branches. A few minutes later a big chub went into the net. As I heaved the fish ashore I new I had got Chris a big fish. It weighed 5-14-0 He was a happy angler. Thankfully we had a good result as Chris had paid £350-00 to the Anglers Conservation Association in their recent auction for this days fishing with me.

About 3 o’clock we went off for dinner, after a good feed and a couple of mugs of tea, it was back on the river, I chose to fish this time, it was a tale of missed bites and lost fish, I shouldn’t have bothered. Ten minutes after fishing I hooked a good fish on two lobworms after some minutes it threw the hook. I was gutted, as I thought it was a big perch by the head shaking. During the evening I missed six or seven good bites even though I was holding my rod. Chris also missed a good bite. Half an hour before midnight with no fish we called it a day and returned to our quarters where we enjoyed tea and toast followed by some Sloe Gin. I suppose it was nearly two in the morning when we went off to bed.

Roving the Warren on the Wasing Water

The next day Thursday I took Chris onto another stretch of the Kennet conditions were quite tough, I suggested Chris use the same tackle set up as he used when chub fishing the day before, I also chose to fish using a similar tackle set up. Today our bait choice was bread crust, I reckon when the river is low and clear bread crust is often my top bait. This has be learnt after many years of fishing in fact going back to the 1950’s crust has been a top bait for me and other anglers. Though fishing was tough I did get a brace of barbel averaging 6lbs and Chris some chub but no big ones. I tried my hardest to get Chris a barbel but failed miserable. At about 4 o’clock as we got back to the Warren car park as we did so Colin Colley dashed across the road from the Brimpton beat to ask if I could take a picture of a 12-14 barbel? I was more than willing to do this for an old friend and a good angler. After the fish was returned Colin said” I got that fish on a piece of your sausage meat, and as you pointed out last week about fish giving slight touches thats all I got when I set the hook”

I needed some food which was soon sorted out, followed by a mug of tea. While Chris headed off back to Essex. I then went off fishing with Will Carter and by the time we arrived on the river the wind had increased to gale force, Thirty minutes into the session I got a bream about 3lbs an hour later I felt a slight tap on the rod, striking I set the hook into a good fish. Following a good scrap Will Carter netted a nice barbel. When weighed the scales said 11lbs, but what shook Will and I was the braided line coming from its mouth which was attached to a hook the fish had swallowed, in fact so deeply was the fish hooked we just couldn’t reach it. Worried about doing damage to the fish we cut the line as close to the hook as possible. Thankfully the fish looked in great condition and very plump so it had been feeding OK.

Catching the Impossible - it’s a great book as is the DVD

Friday morning Will Carter and I traveled down to Hampshire to meet up with Hugh Miles where I recorded a full thirty minute interview in which Hugh tells the listener of At The Waters Edge programme on BBC Radio Lancashire about some of his filming exploits worldwide and the Herculean task of filming of Catching the Impossible which has taken 4 years in the making. In the interview he discusses the writing, including his latest book written in conjunction with Martin James Bowler. The book and DVD titled Catching the Impossible are now available. I can say with all honesty, put these two items on your Christmas wish list. You can order online www.calmproductions.com the cost is £24-95 plus p&p e-mail [email protected] or tel 0845-4082606

When we arrived Hugh was fishing a delightful stillwater for roach catching fish over the pound mark. Roach so beautiful they looked like jewels, scale and fin perfect. After about three hours in Hugh’s delightful company, Will and I went off to Ringwood his home town where he enjoyed many adventures during his boyhood days. I first visited this delightful market town in the 1950’s, though its changes a lot since those days. Situated in West Street you will find two tackle shops, a few yards further down the street you will find the Art of Angling owned by John Searl author of A Brush with Nature a delightful read and well worth £35-00 another good Christmas present. As you enter another shop and go back in time. It’s a place where anglers gather to admire and sometimes buy some of the nice tackle from the past. The shop carries an excellent selection of secondhand books, nice paintings and old tackle. It was about 5 o’clock when we got back to Newbury, and we decided on an hours fishing. At 6 o’clock we packed up not a bite or sign of a fish. Will went off home; I went off to Martin and Jan Porters house for dinner and a good nights sleep. Early Saturday morning I left for home, a horrendous journey taking over six hours. Sunday morning I’m in the BBC Radio Lancashire studio about 4 o’clock, my fishing was over for a few days.