After a fantastic family holiday in a cottage by the sea in Wales, with not a soul around.
I thought it was about time to start investigating the river a bit more, as I had not really done very much (I got carried away with the lakes). There’s just not enough time for fishing.
As I am still quite green where it comes to river fishing and after a good look round (on a rainy overcast day). I was unable to find any fish. I settled for a very large bend, with what I hoped gave me plenty of options and looked a likely holding area for Barbel.
Rod 1 was cast over the far bank, where I could see a nice clear gravel/sandy run. With a Bait-tech Hybrid Barbel hook bait and a few pouches of Poloni boilies scattered around.
Rod 2 was lowered on to a lovely clear run of gravel, just along the bank from me. I was using a large feeder with Bait-tech Poloni groundbait mixed with krill and Tuna oil (no water), with a couple of handfuls of their Mixed Marine Halibut Pellets scattered along the margin.
A bit of peace a quite on the Avon today.
The sun has finally arrived, well for a couple of minutes.
This is most definitely my last night out before our holiday, thanks to all for letting me out for 24 hrs.
The weather is a far cry from my last trip and to be honest, it has been quite a pleasurable afternoon and evening so far.
With the wind not doing much, other than changing direction all over the place, and with plenty of sunshine, I thought that the best option would be one of the point swims. Thus, giving me access to a lot of open water and some nice tree lined margins.
And a island directly in front of me.
With one rod wad under the right hand side with a few spombs of poloni boilies (I was happy with that rod).
I was not sure weather to stick the other rod to the left of the island, or risk a bait along the margins for the night.
I was a bit surprised that by the time I got my head down, I had only had a couple of tench.
20lb 7oz common
However, I was very pleased to see this nice fish in the net sometime after midnight.
With a recast back along the margins, needless to say I was fishing about 6 ft off and only about 8 ft along from my swim and had the rod butts just a few feet away. I was happy that there was a good chance the fish would never make the snags before I was in control of it. Always safety of the fish should come first when snag fishing,
With yet more bream between midnight and 0200 hrs, all went quiet and I woke up to a very hot summers day.
As I sit roasting in the door of my bivvy, I am thinking that some floating fishing may be in order for a couple of hours. I don’t need to be home until this afternoon and it’s 0830 at the moment, I will have a brew and a bit to eat and see how it pan’s out.
At around 1100, I decided that it would be best to head home.
I have managed to get an overnight in, before the weekend. This is great news as the conditions are perfect – nice pressure with all the thunder storms off the South coast and with a nice drizzly night ahead, I can’t complain.
The swim I have chosen is a bit of a squeeze, as they are currently doing a bit of landscaping to improve the water flow and fish movement between the lakes. Which is not a bad thing and probably well over due!
So with a little effort I was fixed in for the night.
The rod’s have both been cast to the normal spots I fish to in this swim. With half a kilo of poloni boilies over each rod.
Oh boy, did it rain last night? and I got soaked for one take, which then proceeded to fall off at the net! Glad it was dark and I didn’t get to see the fish. Felt OK, but you never know. I am a bit gutted this morning. Oh well, there is always next time and the rain was a lot lighter when I packed up.
I’ve had to put a lot of effort into this trip. I was supposed to be meeting up with a friend, but he was stuck working and I just did not fancy the long drive after spending five days away with the kid’s driving up and back to Wales. If it was not for the wife going away for the weekend (with the kids) I would have stayed at home. However, I have pushed myself a bit into this as it could be the last trip for two weeks. As we are all away this time, for the annual family holiday in a cottage on our own beach, back in Wales!
I just made it, before darkness fell.
I had spent a good hour spombing out a good load of poloni boilies, as I planned to sit on a baited area for a couple of nights.
In front of me, I have a very large 3ft plateau, however at around 70 yards there is a drop off down to 5 ft of silt. This is the area I have filled with bait. This time, I am only using boilies, as there are an incredible number of roach and rudd in here. They will hoover up the small pellets that I love to use, all too fast and probably disturb the hook bait.
The other rods are being fished on the opposite end of this large plateau in 4 ft of water, which is leading up to the margin itself. This has also only been baited with poloni boilies.
The first night drew a blank on the carp front, I thought this may happen. It is going to be a hot one today, so I may have to sit the day out as well. But, as I have never really fished this middle lake before, you just never know with fish.
After a very uneventful day (other then a load of liners to keep me up – expecting a take at any minute), my first run of the trip happen at 0800 the following morning (after I had fallen asleep again). I was wondering if my plan would pay off, as I have found that these fish will get on the bait, but do need 24 hrs sometimes.
16-8 – Common
After a couple of heart stopping moments – when the line went slack, as it pinged off the small gravel boulders which litter this place and I thought the hook had pulled or the line had been cut. I finally had the fish under control and slowly but surely, headed for the net. These fish never give up and it amazing how hard they fight, which is why I just love this complex.
At this point I decided to put all my eggs in one basket, because if the fished had moved on the bait, it would be a good idea to have both rod’s in this area. Which I have found in the past to be very effective.
17-2 – Common
Sometime later, the same rod was off again, attached to another very unhappy ‘Airfield Lake’ carp. Luckily, no heart stopping moments this time and after another good fight another fish was in the net.
Around an hour later the other rod was off, so well worth the recast move to the large baited area and a quicker battle. Well, apart from the fact, the fish nipped around the corner into the bay behind me and nearly got snagged up. I was very happy to get my third fish in the net an nice 15-2 common.
My good future has been helped by the weather today as well. A nice overcast day, with a good S/W breeze blowing.
At about 1315, the right hand was buzzed into life and whizzed of the spool, attached to a very unhappy 12 lb common. This also tried to go into the bay and lose itself in the snags. Unfortunately, the fish were getting smaller (which was a shame), however, still feeding which was a plus.
The weather also staying perfect, with the wife and kids not home till later this evening, I was looking forward to staying on for the afternoon.
I ended up staying till around 1730, unfortunately I had no more fish.
Despite the bad weather (being a bucket load of rain), I stuck to my plan of fishing Sunday afternoon onwards until Monday morning.
I was I bit tempted to stay at home and muck around with the kid’s. They had new nurf gun’s and were having fun with them! However, the pull of fishing got the better of me as always.
When I arrived, I had the choice of any swim on the lake. Oh, don’t you love it when that happens? It’s impossible to make your mind up, anyway after a quick look about and I do mean quick. I headed for another of my Winter swim choices, which would give me an opportunity to lead around and check the depth with a marker float.
Just as I was just finishing getting set up, the rain hit hard again and as it was only 1230. I though that I would put both rod’s along the margin tree line.
Just for a few hours and to give me time to find another spot in open water.
Pva mesh bag full of micro pellet, soaked in Krill &Tuna Oil, with a Poloni pop up on.
I sat back and watched the lake for any fishy signs.
At around 1600 hrs (as the weather man promised) there was a break in the weather. This gave me a bit of time to find that open water spot. I was happily spombing away and suddenly the right hand rod was off. I was into yet another hard fighting fish, who was not very happy. However, after what felt like a lifetime and a few near misses with the snags and overhanging trees, a nice 22 lb 7 oz Common was in the net.
I re-baited that rod and cast it out to the open water spot and I would leave the left hand rod for a few hours more. I would then move that to the right hand spot. I didn’t fancy my chances of getting a fish in at night from the right hand spot (as we all know, you can be a bit slow on to the rods at night).
And by now it was brew and grub time.
With a very moody morning, it was time to be off and with only bream in the night. That was the only carp of the trip.
