Best Ever on the Float

You have probably though perhaps Martin had packed up fishing as I hadn't posted anything. It was all down to being in bed ill for over a week with a throat and kidney infection, I was then stuck in the house for another week. I'm certainly not the best patient, I was wanting to fish, but conditions over the weekend were horrid heavy frost and bright sunny weather. I refused to go out in these conditions, as I have never found the fish want to eat until near darkness. Monday morning the same weather conditions. At noon a dramatic change to the weather. The sun and bright clear blue sky were gone within an hour replaced by thick clouds.

Around 2 o'clock in the afternoon I drove down to the River Ribble in the hope I might find a few roach, Tackle was 15 foot float rod, centre pin reel with 4lb line to which I attached with double rubbers, a yellow topped fluted float with a size 10 hook this completed the set up. Having plumbed the depth and finding about eight feet of water, I moved the float up to ten feet, then pinched 4 AA shot 15 inches from the hook. Having put in half a dozen free offering of bread flake I baited the hook then cast out into the flow allowing the float to swing round and lay half cocked down stream from the rod tip.

After about thirty minutes the float moved out into the flow then disappeared. Soon a chub about 2lbs was netted. I put in another three pieces of flake then followed the same pattern of casting into the flow then allowing the float to settle. Within minutes I had another chub about the size of the first. In the next hour I had three more chub then all went quiete. For thirty minutes the float was motionless. I then added a tangerine size ball of fine mashed bread, watching it slowly sink sending out an attractive milky cloud with I suppose a million tiny pieces of bread. I then went off and made a brew and a fried egg sandwich.

Back at the swim the light was a now fading quite fast, baiting with a piece of flake, I cast out. Very quickly I hooked a nice roach about 12 ounces, followed by three more roach of a similar size. Baiting with a slightly larger bit of flake in the hope it might attempt a better roach, I cast out into the stream allowing the float to settle downstream of the rod tip. I was now straining to see the float, thankfully the water was glass like, otherwise I would have had no chance to see the float. Ten minutes later the float slowly submerged. Lifting the rod slowly and smoothly I found myself attached to something heavy. "This isn't a roach" I said to myself as a powerful fish slowly moved out towards the middle of the river. I then realised I'd hooked a barbel or a carp.

For ten minutes or more all I could really do was keep on as much pressure as possible, but slowly that pressure told on the fish as I started to gain some line. Played the fish I said to myself "Its a good job I have a centre pin reel" I reckon you have far better control over a fish than with a fixed spool where you go through a set of gears. By now the darkness had enveloped me but slowly I was winning the contest, no way did I reckon I would't get the fish into the net. Though it took some 20 minutes to land the fish which weighed in at 10-6-0 neatly hooked in the scissors. Not my target fish the roach but still a great fish to catch. In fact my best ever barbel caught float fishing. I celebrated with a mug of tea, then changed over to legering for the roach using a dough bobbin as a bite indicator catching perhaps a dozen roach to around the pound mark before I packed up about 8 o'clock.