With the rivers still calling, I though another day on the
River Severn was in order. I could go
every day, but I learned a long time ago to work on the idea that it is the
times you don’t go fishing, that makes the ones that you do so much better. Anyway, I checked the EA river line and found
that the Severn had dropped about another 6ft, no problem in one way but on the
Severn a big problem in another. In a
lot of areas of the Lower Severn where you may be fishing on natural banks
without the interference of anglers making steps and platforms, the height of
the river can be important. In high
flood you can sit on the top and with a long landing net handle still reach
fish perhaps 6ft or even 8ft below your position, once the level falls below
that you need to go down the bank. Any
angler that fishes spate rivers or those like the Severn with high banks that
get covered on a regular basis will know the problem, silt that gives a layer
of mud over everything in sight. On
steep banks where footing can be dicey at the best of times this adds an extra
danger since falling into a flood river is definitely not recommended.
All this means that I cannot return to my previous choice of
venue mentioned in the last blog and instead I chose one where I knew of a few
spots that would allow safe access the lower levels down the bank all be it
still covered with think mud. Once at the
venue I chose a swim and then from the field behind my choice I managed to
collect straw that the combine harvester had missed, then I used that to make
the swim just a little bit safer. It was
now mid-afternoon and whilst talking to another angler that had just arrived I
made my first cast with a boilie bait and the usual pellet loaded feeder. The lad went off to get his swim ready and
mentioned if I needed a photo just call, He was still cleaning the mud from his
pitch when I was there to ask for a photo.
I had been loading pellets into the second feeder and looked up to see
the rod just wrapping round in response to the usual violent barbel take, a definite
3ft twitch. In line with my usual
practice I had made the landing net safe to let the barbel recover after the
fight before I removed the hook so when I returned with my cameraman we weighed
the fish having both suggested a definite double. Wrong again, and the scales came in at
9lb-15oz a weight that was to deny me the brace of doubles on the session.
With a nice fish already in the bag I continued and the next
bite produced a different result. This
indication was almost an apology for a bite, just a gentle tug-tug that went on
to produce a 7lb-10oz bream one of two that I had before I finished the day. Normally I am inclined to dismiss the river
bream as they will fall between the 1lb and 4lb range, but this one just looked
big and only the lack of thickness in the body stopped it going into doubles
figures that I so prize off the stillwaters.
The afternoon was proceeding quite nicely and I was well
pleased with my catch already landed, but then it got even better. The rod went round
and I struck into solid resistance, my first thought was a big fish, but there
seemed no thump that you normally get and the pull was getting stronger by the
moment. I had almost convinced myself
that I had hooked into a passing log or tree branch when I felt that tell-tale
thump and now I got excited – this could be very big. Following an interesting fight that was
totally different to the first barbel in that this fish did not charge round,
just solid power, I landed a very pleasing barbel that was to turn the scales
to 11lb-10oz. The photographer was
equally impressed and although he had taken a couple of barbel as well they did
not need my photography aid being a best of 8lb plus.
It did seem a little strange that these fish had come in
daytime and although we both fished until 8pm there was no barbel caught in
twilight or darkness as is usually the case on this fishery, maybe next time.
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