I’ve been fishing for Barbel for about the last 4 years or so and I’ve spent a lot of that time on the Warwickshire Avon… its been a tough river to fish for me… partly because I’m pretty inept! Anyway, arrived yesterday early evening for a session… to find the river much higher that I had expected – it was about 6ft up and tanking through. The water column was full of leaves etc and so at the first stretch I fished I only tried one spot before packing up and driving a few miles upstream to a place I love to fish in the floods.

Arrived there in the dark so headed for a spot that I knew well – no point taking risks in these conditions. Had a nice 6lb Barbel first cast which buoyed the confidence. Moved to another spot but didn’t have a touch. In the third swim after about 15-20mins I had a good bite and struck into a decent fish that I just couldn’t keep out of a bush downstream… I tried hard but it kept taking line and in the end the hook pulled out. Gutted. Felt like a decent fish.

Rested that swim for about half an hour and then came back. Within 10mins the rod tip slammed round again and I was into another Barbel. This one did the same thing, but I plunged the rod into the water to try to turn its head… it worked! After a really hard scrap I landed the fish… it didn’t look as big as it weighed but it was a new PB from the Avon. 9lb 11oz… not quite a double but a great fish nonetheless. And plenty of the season left for me to get one. Weather’s getting cold now so the Pike gear will be out next. Oh the joys of being at college and having long holidays!!

Back out last Sunday evening on the Lower Severn… arrived as it was getting dark and so got set up and cast out as fast as possible. Set up the Kelly Kettle and got comfy. Felt very positive as I know that a few Barbel had been showing over the weekend and the spot I’d chosen had been fished a couple of times over the weekend with a bit of success.

Anyway… rods were indicating that there were a few fish interested as well so waited expectantly for the first fish. The right hand rod went off about 90mins after I arrived and I quickly landed a good Bream. Not the fish I wanted but welcome none the less. About 45mins later the left hand rod nodded a bit which was enough for me to strike into a fish. Didn’t feel like much, but after a minute or so of slowly bringing the fish in, it suddenly came alive and I realised I had a better fish on this time!

After a good scrap I landed it and realised that this is a good fish…

I realised that I had forgotten my camera so called a friend who also fishes the same stretch who drove out and took some great photos. It weighed in at 11lb 1oz – smashing my previous best of 10lb 4oz and making it the third double figure Barbel from three rivers this year. It’s been a cracking run.

Had another smaller fish of 6lb 12oz later in the session and packed up a happy chap.

Sweet.

Back onto a really great stretch of the Lower Severn just above Tewkesbury… went with the intention of catching Pike and Zander because the conditions weren’t the best for Barbel… arrived a bit later than intended at 515pm after spending time with some lovely Tewkesbury peeps. Got the Pike rod out first with a big dead roach on and then the Barbel rods were sorted. Didn’t have any interest for ages so enjoyed the sunset and spent loads of time trying to get my kelly kettle to boil so I could have a cuppa.

At about 730pm the Pike rod alarm indicated that something had picked up the roach so I picked it up, wound down and struck… into nothing. Which was a good thing as the same time I picked up the Pike rod, the Barbel rod wrenched down and the alarm went into meltdown. I chucked the pike rod to one side and grabbed the Barbel rod. It turned out to be a really nice Barbel. I had forgotten my scales so guessed the fish to be between 7.5-8lbs which is a new best for me on the Lower Severn! Really chuffed. Couple of dodgy pics below.

Just as I was leaving a car drove past me and parked at the bottom of the field. They weren’t fishing. The lights in the car went out and no-one left it.

Hmm.

Didn’t feel I should go and disturb the happy couple really…

Out last Thursday afternoon/evening on the Bristol Avon. River was about 6ins higher due to the rain, but I could still spot fish (if they had been there!!).

Fished several spots with very little indication that there were any fish feeding. Dropped back into a nice little swim that I had already fished and within a minute the rod tip slammed round and after a good scrap I got this nice Barbel into the net. Weighed just over 10lbs. Absolute cracker. My second double of the season and first from the Bristol Avon. It was a long and lean fish too so has the potential to put on a good bit of weight. Would love to catch her again in the winter!

Two things though…

I’m entering this photo into the national gurning competition

I need to remember the case for my polaroids next time

Fished the Bristol Avon again yesterday afternoon for a few hours. The river was a bit too high and coloured to spot fish so it was a matter of fishing in areas that looked “fishy”.

As it was so warm, there were swimmers in a few shallow bits of the river so they were to be avoided. Lost two fish in quick succession and struggled for anything other than a small chub.

Dropped back into a swim that I had lost a fish in a bit earlier – waited a bit longer than I would normally and the rod flew round and I brought a very lively 7lb Barbel to the net. Really pleased with that fish.

Moved into the other swim that I’d lost a fish earlier, and sure enough the rod went round very quickly and I landed a slightly bigger Barbel of about 7.5lbs. Another move saw a small chub grab my bait and then just as light was fading I had another 7lb Barbel. All the fish were in great condition and swam off strongly. Could have had more if I didn’t need to get back on the M4 and home.

Fished a private stretch of the Bristol Avon yesterday afternoon. What a stunning bit of river! Could have spent the day simply watching fish feeding.

Saw this one take my bait – VERY exciting.

First Bristol Avon Barbel – 8lb.

Terrible photo.

Very happy.

I’ve joined the stretch so will be down there quite a bit in the autumn!

Been out a couple of times recently for Barbel…

Done OK as well. Fished an EARLY (5am) session on the Teme at Broadwas and had a lovely Barbel that I guessed at about 5-6lb Nearly pulled my rod in though. There is something about early morning sessions that I love.

Out on the Teme again last Friday and got absolutely soaked. River rose about 18inches whilst I was there. Managed a cracking Chub – 4lb 40z and two small Barbel about 5lb each rolling spam under some far bank trees. Both came out of the same spot in the same swim.

Not caught a Barbel from the Warwickshire Avon yet but after all the rain we’ve had recently it’ll probably be a bit more worthwhile… as for the Severn – not even tried!

Will post some pictures later…

Had a great afternoon fishing on the River Teme near Worcester yesterday… a truly stunning river. And I caught this fab fish weighing 10lb 4oz (biggest every Barbel)… to say that I was chuffed would be the understatement of the year!!!

Truly dodgy photo of me though… looks like I’ve been in a dark room for 6 months!!!

Had a fantastic day fishing the Wye today. Only the second time that I’ve ever fished the river and both times I’ve caught great Barbel. This one is my new PB at 8lb 11oz. It was a very lean fish but had beautiful colouring and fought like a tiger!

Back on the Wye on the 12th March just before the season ends… can’t wait!

More photos on Flickr…

Catching the Impossible is a series of 9 hour long films about different aspects of fish and fishing. It is filmed by Hugh Miles, a superb cameraman and photographer – see more about him here. He is a passionate angler and this is his second mammoth fishing project after a Passion for Angling in the mid 90s. Martin Bowler and Bernard Cribbins do most of the fishing, with Bernard providing excellent narration. The challenge for Martin is to catch huge specimens of different species around the country, from trout and salmon to huge carp, barbel and pike. Which he does.

The quality of the films are nothing short of outstanding. This is “Blue Planet” standard from freshwater rivers and lakes. The underwater footage is particularly incredible. You can watch the trailer for the first film above. I’ve seen Passion for Angling and it is amazing. This is a totally different film and easily on the same level.

There really aren’t enough superlatives for this DVD.

Brilliant.

I was told by a mentor I once met with that fishing was a spiritual activity for me and something that I should do regularly. Music to my ears. He didn’t really unpack what he meant by that so here are some of my thoughts about it.

Fishing is solitude… as per my previous posts on Myers Briggs – I came out as a 61 on the extravert scale. I’m not supposed to like being on my own. But I do. In fact, it is absolutely crucial to me. If I don’t get time on my own I can’t hear God speak to me. I need to be on my own to make decisions. I don’t spend much time actively praying whilst I’m fishing, simply because I’m usually concentrating on what I’m doing (I don’t tend to sit still for long). Every human being needs solitude… Jesus went to the desert, escaped the crowds, climbed mountains so that he could have time alone with his Father. Sometimes exhaustion can only be solved through solitude rather than sleep. Perhaps you need to clear your head and get some space. You need solitude.

Fishing is challenging… I don’t fish for small fish (unless I’m going to use them as bait). I’m after big fish. The fish that I usually fish for are called Barbel. I fish for them in areas that don’t have a lot of them, but do have big ones. Big fish grow big because they’ve avoided being eaten by predators and caught much by anglers. This makes them hard to catch. I spend time thinking about how I might approach a particular session… I understand the weather better than most. I exercise my brain and my instinct when I’m fishing. That is a spiritual activity.

Fishing is really good fun… if it wasn’t I wouldn’t fish. I love nature, I love catching fish, I love fishing with others, I love it I love it I love it.

One of the biggest killers of Godly spirituality is boredom and monotony. God created us to enjoy life. “The glory of God is man or woman fully alive.” Fishing is one of the things that keep me fully alive. Fishing will help me not to be a workaholic. Fishing will keep me connected to the outdoors. Fishing is a gift from God.

The majority of people who know that I go fishing don’t understand why. The seem to think that I sit still, freeze, put maggots in my mouth, get bored, don’t catch anything (half right there), look miserable etc etc. As a result I wanted to start a little series on my blog about fishing, why I go, and why lots of people ask me if I’ll take them sometime…

Firstly, every fisherman wants to catch something. No-one goes fishing hoping that they are going to blank (not catch anything). However, for me fishing is SO much more than just catching fish, especially as I’m generally fishing for bigger fish (and there aren’t many of them) which means that I probably blank half the time at least. If fishing is just about the result of catching then you miss out on a whole lot more that you get from it. However, when you catch something, you can’t wait to do it again. If I’m taking someone out for the first time, I’ll make sure they’ll catch something… the excitement when they do is huge.

Fishing is full of anticipation. Every minute that I’m on the riverbank or by a lake, I’m expecting a bite. It’s why I am ALWAYS late home (just one more cast…). I fish mainly for a species of fish called Barbel (more about them another time) and when they take your bait you know about it so that anticipation is brilliant. It is rarely dull.

Fishing is done in beautiful places… I took the photo above on my phone just over a year ago. More to come…

Had a great day with my mate Rich over at the River Wye. Its the first time that I’ve fished it and I was excited about the possibilities.

Had a small roach early on and then caught my new PB Barbel of 8lb 8oz.

Very good day!

This is really amazing… you can hear the quack as the duck goes under. Make sure you’ve got the sound up loud though.

Didn’t catch anything…

Saw the sunrise and sunset over two rivers (Teme in the morning and Severn in the evening)

It’s good to be back out on those rivers again…

Starts tonight at midnight… we can fish rivers again from then. I’ll be up at 3am to fish the Teme for a few hours, then back for breakfast, off to work till mid afternoon, then back to the Severn to my new spot for the evening.

Can’t wait!

Really chuffed with this fish – 15lb Common Carp from Brockamin Pools near Worcester. Had a really nice afternoon there yesterday – had a few smaller fish and another bigger carp of 10lb 8oz.

Only a few days till the river fishing season starts now!!!

Had 3 Carp – biggest about 10lb. The carp were spawing as well which meant for lots of crashing about and jumping out of the water…

First time I’ve been since the end of the river season… out again this Friday with a friend’s brother.

I’ve not posted enough about fishing on this blog but that will change (cue many never reading again)…

I’ve joined a new small club for the next season with a nice stretch of the Lower Severn. Have walked it once already and its looks really good. Can’t wait to fish it. The glorious 16th is nearly here…

I’m going to be fishing that stretch and the River Teme this year before I move… then its on to find some good spots on the Brizzle Avon in the Autumn.

Oh, my lovely wife is going to join me fishing for the first month of the year… she’ll be converted by the end!

Aside from unpacking lots of boxes now that we’ve moved back in to our house (woo hoo!!) I did manage to find some river inside its banks. Had a really great few hours fishing and had one Barbel that weighed 6lbs. Conditions are spot on at the moment so really wish I could get out some more. However, responsibility calls…