This weeks session was an evening one, both Dad and I were going to fish into dark
With the river still up, coloured, and pushing through, I decided to stick with my heavier set up as used last week.
I let Dad choose which swim he wanted first, as he still has to catch a barbel!!! He chose upstream of a large overhanging bush, so I settled in the swim below. The bush created a large slack area behind it, which I thought would be an ideal place to locate a river carp or barbel.
Rigs were exactly the same as last week, with 12lb hook lengths, and size 8 owner hooks, 3 oz leads held bottom with no problem at all in the slack margins about a rod length out. In fact, I had my lines slack from the rod tip to the 1 oz backlead. I was using the backlead so that I could keep the angle of line down, and keep the line behind the lead pinned to the bottom. This is another one of my thoughts for this year, and although in the coloured water it probably wouldn't make much difference i'm sure it will when the river clears up.
I checked the hook points while baiting up, as I had left the hooklengths attatched from last weeks session, they were fine, so on went 2 x 15 mm Spicy fresh prawn boilies on one rod, and 3 on the other.
One rod went straight out in front of me on the edge of the flow, followed by a handful of free samples slightly upstream. The second rod was positioned downstream about 20yrds, again followed by a handful of free samples.
As the sun went down, as is so usual on the Thames, the water came alive with fish surfacing all over. even out in the main flow! Most of them were behind the bush under my rod tips, probably feeding on the surface scum that had gathered. Every now and again there was a bigger swirl, which at first I thought were bigger fish feeding on the surface, but after a while I started to think that they were probably perch feeding on the smaller fish as there were some really big swirls and splashes.
After a while of this I decided to reel in the barbel rods and get the lure rod out of the car and see if I could catch one, if indeed they were perch.
whilst reeling in the downstream rod, it was now that I realised I had cast over a snag and then with the back lead pulled the line down into it!! so with not a lot of pull at all I tried to free the snagged rig and the line frayed above the rig, losing the whole lot in the process!! That will teach me, lesson learned.
The second rod also snagged slightly before coming free and bring with it a load of weed and cabbage roots.
So after around 20 minutes of casting small mepps spinners around the swim to no avail, I decided to put the barbel rods back out.
I re baited the rod which was still set up and put this straight out on the edge of the flow, followed by a handful of freebies. I then re rigged up the second rod, this time using a size 6 owner curved hook. This rod was placed upstream, away from the snag, again another handful of free bait went out over the rig.
A little while later I had a knock on the rod tip on the right hand rod, followed a minute or so later by another. Then nothing, thinking about what to do, do I reel in and rebait or leave it and wait??
About ten minutes later I decided to move the left hand rod closer in, after having recast it out into the main flow with 5 oz of lead. As I went to pick up the rod, the right hand rod shot off, grabbing it and striking I felt a weight the slack! Damn I had missed it, upon checking the rig I could clearly see why. When I had snagged the rig earlier, I had not checked the hook point, and it was as blunt as anything. In fact, whilst testing the hook, it would not even break the skin on my finger with alot of pressure. Lesson learned again!!! I cant believe that I had been so stupid to not check and replace the hook!! Still at least I know I will NEVER do it again.
In the mean time Dad had missed a whacking bite on garlic flavoured meat.
Nothing else happened during the session. Whilst I am enjoying getting out and fishing, I wish the flow would calm down to normal conditions so I can get fishing properly without needing 6 oz to hold bottom anywhere other than the margins!!
I have been given a tip about Rivermead Island in sunbury in my bid for a double figure barbel, however on my first drive past there were 4 bivvies pitched up along there, so maybe a little too busy for me. I might still give it a go though, one morning on an early session.
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