Evening on the Thames

I managed to get out this week for a few hours on Thursday evening.
I headed for a new spot that I had discovered earlier that day, there was a guy fishing it in the morning, who had caught some nice roach from there.
He informed me that there had been some nice bream and Barbel caught from the swim in the past. It looked a good spot as there is no far bank swims for at least 400 yards one way and 100yards the other. So a good spot that is quite out of the way.
Anyway I decided to spend the evening fishing here, that was until I was driving up the road to the swim and some pikeys had very kindly set up shop just behind it!!! Not wanting to be chucked in and have my gear nicked for no reason, I chose to drive off and find somewhere else to fish.

I headed for another spot a couple of miles away, this area has boat moorings all along the stretch, and very limited swims for fishing, which surprise surprise were all taken! Well it was no surprise really as the area is very popular.

So thinking cap on, I decided to drive to yet another spot, which was empty aside from a couple of anglers a few hundred yards away. I unloaded my gear into my swim and wandered up to talk to one of the guys to see how he was getting on. He was fishing waggler and maggot and catching roach a couple of rod lengths out.

Deciding to stick to my chosen spot, I set up the rods and marker/spod rod. Setting up a marker rod is alien to me as its not something I do, or spodding for that matter, but I decided to pack an 8ft 2lb tc stalking rod I have into my barbel rod sleeve for exactly the reason.
It will comfortably chuck a 2 oz lead across that thames, and will also easily cast a fox pocket spod which weighs next to nothing even when full across the thames. As well as doubling up as a stalking rod if the need arises.
Anyway I set the rod up with a lead and made a few casts around, soon I discovered a gravel run three quarters of the way across. I clipped up the rod, and attatched the spod. after about 10 casts I had deposited half a kilo of sweetcorn on the gravel run.

I set up the sweetcorn rod with a 2oz running lead, 2ft 10lb hooklength, size 10 hook and for bait I used 2 real grains and one fake pop up piece of corn. I small piece of rig putty placed a few inches from the hook would keep it on the bottom.

The second rod was cast upstream, halfway across, with a glugged DBTS boilie and a small bag of mixed halibuts.
Both rods remained motionless for the 3 hours I was there, although there was fish topping everywhere and a few bigger fish crashing out of the water.

Highlight of the evening has to be seeing a barn owl glide silently from one side of the river over my head into the trees behind me. Something I have not seen before.

I left at just after 23:00, but I will return soon and plumb the rest of the stretch I think to locate the fish, as one of the guys I was speaking to said there has been alot of barbel caught from along it in the past month. So I may concentrate my next few sessions here.