Messing about on the river (Monnow)

[Pross]

As the water levels had finally started to drop off after a couple of nearly dry days I decided to spend my afternoon on the free stretch of the River Monnow from the old town bridge to the confluence with the Wye.

I got to the river at about 1.30pm and had a quick chat with another angler who had only recently set up but was already into the chub on meat and bread. The river level looked about perfect to my novice eyes with plenty of colour and I went to find a reasonably accessible swim. Having chosen a swim on the steep banks that would enable me to net any fish I started catapulting in maggots and caster, which would be my main bait for the day, about a third of the way across the river. I then set up my 'hopeful' rod which was baited with a large halibut pellet on the off chance it would intercept a passing barbel or large chub and was just setting up my match rod when some idiot family decided throwing things into my carefully prepared swim would be a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon but they soon moved on when I emerged from the grass to vent my anger!!!

I decided to give the swim a go despite the disturbance and started trotting a stick float baited with maggot and caster and got some bites early on but I'm still struggling with hitting bites while trotting (has anyone got any advice? It seems that there is too much drag on the line to get a decent strike ) but after about 10 minutes I had my first fish of the day, this little brownie which gave a reasonable account of itself and showed the acrobatics I'd forgotten about as it is 20 odd years since I last fished for them



After a few more trots I picked up my next fish which was also my first ever chub. Not a monster by any means but at least it gives me chance to improve my PB and it's still worth 1.5 points!!



I then had groundhog day as another small trout and small chub followed which could have been the same fish as above and I went on to take a few more chub, the biggest being about half a pound. I also got what I think was a minnow but it fell off the hook and got lost in the long grass before I could get a good look

After a couple of hours my eyes were getting strained from following the float through shadow and bright sunshine so I switched to a maggot feeder and after a while took a few more chub. Having packed up my 'hopeful' rod which hadn't had a sniff all day and had 5 "last casts" I was just about to reel in my rod to call it a day when I hooked into a final fish which gave a bit of a scrap and I was surprised to see just another small chublet coming in but just as I was unhooking it and about to put it back I noticed it had a few barbules and realised I had my first ever barbel.



I remember seeing Matt Hayes saying that it is rare to catch small barbel so I must be an angling genius as this must have been about 2 or 3 ounces (I had to count the barbules to make sure it wasn't a funny coloured gudgeon ) but having felt the scrap it gave for its size I'm now scared to fish for barbel in case I hook a double

All in all it was a great 5 or 6 hours which gave me about 10 chub up to half a pound including my first one ever, my first ever barbel and my 2 small brownies, my first for 20+ years and, most importantly, 4.5 points for the species hunt. I can't wait to go back at my first opportunity armed with a greater variety of bait (meat and bread) to give the bigger chub a go as they go to 6lb plus in there and also to try to improve my PB barbel (that will take some doing lol). Might also take a dead bait for the big pike that are in there.

[wellyfish]

nice one mark ,great pics and your begining to rake in the points too

[BaggieRich]

Well done mate... A good report bursting with first and hunt points..

Gotta love that haven't you?

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Great read mate

[pingu]

top little session there mark
3 fish i have yet too find there

dave

[Pross]

This will sound odd but can someone with a bit more experience than me confirm that that is a baby brownie? The reason for asking is it looks identical to pictures I just saw of a salmon par???

[Pross]

Decide here

Think it's a trout but some of the features like the number of spots seem more in common with a salmon parr. It was caught in slack water and I had two quickly so probably shoaling which suggests trout as well.

[perch_king]

great little session you had there mate well done and on the points

[Twiddler]

Sounds like you had a great little session, well done on the 3 species Mark

Barbel is one species I haven't had yet

[Vagabond]

Yep, nice report, and as Wellyfish says, they all count for points.