Old haunts

Hi guys...so another week goes past us and it finally feels like a bit of summer is here! The last month or two honestly felt like winter was coming fast but at least we have this nice little spell of hot weather before it all goes shit shape. I decided it was about bloody time to crack out the river fishing kit as well as this season has so far been devoid of river fishing action. 

I like many of you have been feeling the pinch in my financials and I've not renewed any of my tickets to date. I've got a couple running up until Feb next year but local wise just my little club lake has stayed on my ticket list. Last Saturday I decided to make the most of the winter permit available for the River Wye and shed out the £60 for it so I could have a few trips up there before it gets too cold. Saturday arrived and 

I set the alarm for 5.30am. Not something I've done in a long time....I confess to getting rather lazy in recent times and staying in bed later than I used to only venturing out late morning for a few hours. 

I got to the river just after 6.30am and had a brief walk along to some familiar spots I haven't fished in 3-4 years! They hadn't changed a lot apart from a severe lack of any weed....a now very common problem in a polluted River Wye. 

I dropped my gear into a spot that I could sit out in the water and fish to the back of a stone crwy that projects into the main mid flow. The water gets diverted here and speeds up to give a nice aeriated channel mid river and fluctuating currents. The fish love to hold up in these areas and this spot is no different.

I opted to fish my trusty Drennan Acolyte in 14ft distance guise. I feel this rod with the 5oz tip is perfect for controlling medium weight feeders and keeping line up out of the flow of water. Open ended feeder of 2.5oz was packed with pellets and blocked off with halibut groundbait, a 3 ft fluorocarbon hook link and a trimmed down Rod Hutchinson Infusion boilie on the hook end. 

It took around 40 mins of regular casting into the spot before I got my first bite and a very quick slack line bite signalled a hooked fish. It was apparent straight away that his was a barbel and after a cracking scrap I landed a nice 8lb 2oz fish. 

The day progressed beautifully and by lunch I had caught 7 fish in a mixture of sizes...In true form things then died a death until the sun dropped behind the hill and off we went again with another 4 barbel finding the net to 8lb 14oz. 

It was a very lovely day spent in the valley with the river to myself for the best part. 

Sunday I decided to head up the local urban lake to pick up some pole sections I had lent to a mate and have a couple of hours chasing the remaining 3 carp I have still to catch in there. Things started shit from the off with a rod tip catching in the entry gate and snapping clear off! I then proceeded to fish like an absolute clown! 

My casting was shite, my pole use was shite, I lost a fish, it was too hot, poor swim choice etc etc etc.....Well, I managed to land 2 for my efforts but to be honest I just wasn't feeling the love for it that day and I think I should have just stayed at home. Sometimes you just have days like that and have to say sod it and just leave your gear in the garage and do something else!. Not sure what i'm up to this weekend as I'm working half of it but I have the inkling to want to get the Kayak out and have a dabble off shore somewhere???? Watch this space!