It`s All Gone Quiet………..No Longer!!

Posted on by July 24, 2013
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It has been a while since writing anything in this section, I have been out only a few times so far this season, and – I am glad to say – there have been Barbel!! In fact on each occassion there has been, but the time to get out has been hard to find due to other things happening. Now with the school holiday`s beginning, I hope to get out more! It is indeed a wonderful time to be on the banks of our rivers, the warm sun and life all around, make it a pleasure to be a part of.

The catches so far have been from the Wye, Teme, Warks Avon, and Bristol Avon. There have been – on average – more smaller Barbel taken, with a few around the nine pound mark! I am pleased with the start mainly, because looking at the rivers I am fishing, they seem to be holding less and less fish. It is probably due mostly to the yearly cycles of weather we have, and recruitment of smaller fish and predation, we shall see.

It would be great to hear how everyone else is getting along with their catches, so by all means, please feel free to leave replies and catch reports on here!! It is always good to hear from others, their opinions on their own rivers, and even the way the weather is affecting things, Good and Bad…

As I say, please do add all your stories and opinions, and I shall be back with more accounts and pictures very soon.

A Fine Time On The Teme…

Posted on by July 24, 2013
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This was one of 5 taken during a scorching afternoon on the Teme, the pictures are not great as I am trying to get the fish back in the water and recovering as soon as possible!! The evenings fishing was followed up with some nice Chub and a feisty Barbel taken from the Warks Avon. (And an Eel).

The Business End!!

A Start On the Teme and Bristol Avon

Posted on by July 24, 2013
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A lot of walking was required to find this fish on the Bristol Avon, but very satisfying when – at last – the silt started to puff up in this paticular swim!!

A very nice “nine”. Not as dark as it seems!!


Yes I really am as tired as I look in this shot, again an afternoon of walking to find this Teme fish, and a few Chub and a Teme P.b. Bream for me of 7lb 2oz!!

A “Tiger” after lots of leg work!!

The Season has Begun….

Posted on by June 27, 2013

Some pic`s of friend`s fish for your viewing…..The story of our start will follow shortly….

A Happy Start!

A Lovely man with a Lovely fish!!

“Net….Meet the fish”

My mate`s got “safe hands”!!

Here We Go, Here We Go………

Posted on by June 14, 2013

Yes the time is nearly upon us for getting back on the rivers!! And of course for me to regale you all with tales from the beautiful banks…
Just a matter of getting those last odds and ends together before the off, and a matter of having to delay my start of season by a day due to other commitments, but I cant wait to get out there.
I hope its the same for all of you, and wish you all the very best of health and luck, and perhaps a “big bite” or two!
There will be plenty more news and views from me very soon, so keep in touch….

The Need To Feed…..(and a long gone Esox)

Posted on by April 26, 2013
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Who`s got a big head??


The weather had warmed slightly – and there was even a feeling of Spring along the banks – as I walked and looked for signs of piscatorial life. The many different birds were making the most, singing and making nests, and taking to the blue skies with great enthusiasm.
Meanwhile amidst this, I found our friend (pictured above) in what seemed an improbable place to be, in the field quite a way from the river. It had probably been dragged there by a fox or something, I would say it was the head of a Pike (Esox) of 15lbs or maybe more! How it came to be killed we cannot know, but coincidentally, I found the remains of a Pike of a very similar size only yards from the same spot, at the same time of year, 4 years ago!!
The main reason for being out though, was to see if any Barbel could be found and thankfully there were a few to be seen, even though the water is not yet really warm enough for them to start thinking about Spawning. I covered a lot of river and the numbers of fish will hopefully rise because they are – at the moment – down on last year and the year before.
It was nice to be able to find the ones I could, and especially in one area where they used to live, but have not showed for a while. I was going to walk by, but decided to throw a few pellets in, “just in case”. I had not finished my banana before I saw the white of a tail bone of a decent sized Barbel, unfortunately this is now often what you can see of the Barbel, Chub and even Roach in this area. These fish live with Otters very close by, so this damage is always around as I have mentioned before on any previous Bristol Avon diary reports!
The afternoon was a joy to be out and I only hope I can get the chance to have a few more previews before the season opens for 2013/14!!

Smile!!

A Happy End…

Posted on by March 25, 2013
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Indeed there were a few SAS missions to get out before the close of season and one particular trip saw the capture of this lovely fish of nearly 10lbs. The rain poured for the whole time and sleeping in the car to fish next day in dry clothes was a highlight!!

A nice fish while the rain poured! 9lb15oz.

I also met more like-minded individuals than usual and had a good chat and catch up, everyone trying to get a last Barbel before their river fishing would be scuppered for another long three months.
The very last trip I made, was to the Wye, the very river we all started from 9 months prior. I had committments until tea time, and it was then that I made my last dash for the river before Sunset, and a lovely one it was too. The river was a cold 5degrees but I was still sure of a chance in the right spot… The first area proved to be occupied – just into dark – by an Otter, who was not over pleased to meet me, I could tell as it hissed and made all sorts of fuss right at me. Once it settled it decided to dive several times over the area I had baited, so I moved off to the next area, thinking this may hold a chance before the midnight chimes!
Lucky for me I had done this, as it was one of the swims in that new area that produced my last Barbel of the 2012/13 season! It was 22.20 and the rod was poised before a tap and pull and a long fit Wye fish was fighting to the net. It was cold and very long for it`s weight of 7lb, a nice finish to a challenging season, though I did have that one more cast to take me till midnight, and – not to be outdone – had a chub of 3lb in pristine condition.
Roll on June 16th……