Sabrina can be harsh

[Twiddler]

I had an early start yesterday, 5am get up, 6am set off, 7.30am arrival, cricky I must be mad and all that just to try to catch my first barbel.

Dicky and Paul just arrived just after me, soon we were on our way, loaded with farrrrrr to much kit as per usual.

We still had a 20 mins hike to the chosen swims, were we going to meet Steve and Wendi who got there from Bristol at first light.

This would be the second time for me to fish the River Severn and I was looking forward to it, hoping to get my first bertie this time.

The river looked in great condition, the rain had put some colour in to it and the flow was just right, not running through like a steam train, as it did last November when we fished there.

Trying to keep up with Dicky (who was leading the way) wasn't easy, he must have had 2 bowls of witabix for brekki lol, as Paul and me fell back quite a bit, huffing and paffing.

20 Mins later and we finally arrived at our swims, greeted by Steve and Wendi.

I chose the swim to the left from them and Dicky the one to the right from Steve and Wendi.

No idea were Paul went, I think he fished a couple of swims down from me.

My swim is announced for some cracking double figured barbel

1) a deep slope to get down or shall I say slight down after rain.
2) Only a Master of an under arm cast could get the led/feeder out, as the swim has trees on both sides overgrowing the whole swim. No chance of any kind of casting.
3) After rain the swim was a very slippy mud bed, the chair sunk deep in to it and so did I, a few times my feet were stuck so deep it that I thought I couldn't get back out.

Wendi brought me 2 wooden planks to at least support my chair from sinking deeper in to the mud.

Now you may think this is madness and indeed it was but I wasn't going to be beaten by this. I was going to fish this swim and not be beaten by it.

Originally I was going to fish 2 rods but it was impossible under those conditions, so I only tackled up one with a 3oz maggot feeder, filled with some halibut groundbait, casters and hemp, size14 hook and maggots as bait.
Later I changed to 8ml S-Pellets

Lucky there was no need of trying to get the rod out very far, I aimed for the crease where the fast running water meets the slow water, about 2.5 rod length out.

Still my under arm cast couldn't get quite to the spot I had in mind, so I was fishing about a foot out.

Once I had the rod out I sorted my gear in the muddy swim, so I had everything handy and didn't have to move about a lot.

Dicky came over to see how I settled in and was quite amused about my slippy muddy sliding swim.

We had a talk about the difficulty to cast in this swim and that it would be a task of hell trying to get the feeder to were I wanted it to be.

We then came to the conclusion that to my right there was a gab between to branches of a bout 5-6 inch, to hold the rod tip in there and slightly to a side cast to the left, about 1-2 foot in front of an overhanging tree.

Easier said then done, a few times I managed to get the hook caught in the branches or/and I ended up in the overhanging tree.

Sorry for no pics today...2 reasons I forgot to charge my phone up so I was saving it in case I get a fish and secondly I promised our host Dicky to keep the location under my belt, as it took him a couple of years intensive fishing to find these spots.

Anyway, to cut a long story short.....I blanked!!!, in fact, only Dicky managed about 3 barbel and 1 bream....the rest of us went home without a fish.

I started to pack up around 6pm before darkness made it impossible, I yet had to figure out how to get all my kit back up that steep slidy bank.

Needless to say I fell flat on my backside a few times lol...covered in mud top til bottom.....makes me think maybe it wasn't a fish in but a mud wrestling comp lol

Wendi and I started walking back about 6.30am while the guys stayed another 30 mins.

Dicky booked a table for us all at his favourite Indian restaurant for a superb meal and a good old fashion banter about our fishing day, where I learnt that Paul had 2 break offs and Wendi missed a bite on her Zander rod.

Sabrina (river Severn) can be a harsh river but once she is kind to you, you guaranteed some cracking fish.

No doubt I will be back there after the close season, I'm not giving in until I succeed to catch my first Severn barbel and not to forget the zander too.

Thanks to Dicky for sharing such a superb river with us, after spending many years fishing and getting to know the river himself.

[Fishing Forum Admin]

Cracking read and hard luck but I just know there will be a photo of you and a barbel sometime this year

[mithrandir]

Unlucky Claudia, we will return when I am fitter, I still want Barbel and Zander, so a trip in the autumn might be on the cards.

And no Photos of you and Wendi mudwrestling, I am disappointed

[cuckoo]

Originally Posted by mithrandir

Unlucky Claudia, we will return when I am fitter, I still want Barbel and Zander, so a trip in the autumn might be on the cards.

And no Photos of you and Wendi mudwrestling, I am disappointed

Unlucky blanker lol , looks like a great day out though as usual , as for slipping in the mud pmsl , would have paid to see that ,,, i think you need a few trips with mike so he can show you how to catch fish

lee.

[fishypaul]

shame about the blank claudia,i'm sure you will get bertie next time

[Norfolkboy]

Good read Claudia. Hope you have more luck with the Barbel next time.

[Catfish Virgin (Still!)]

Tough day Claudia, but I'll bet the "afters" were fun.

I reckon we need to "have a word" with Dicky, he obviously fished the best swim and left you lot to splash around in the mud!

With only a few days left before the season ends, I reckon we'll have to save the barbel until the summer. I can find 'em but I can't land 'em! Not been a good couple of weeks on that front.

[Twiddler]

Originally Posted by Catfish Virgin (Still!)

Tough day Claudia, but I'll bet the "afters" were fun.

I reckon we need to "have a word" with Dicky, he obviously fished the best swim and left you lot to splash around in the mud!

With only a few days left before the season ends, I reckon we'll have to save the barbel until the summer. I can find 'em but I can't land 'em! Not been a good couple of weeks on that front.

Dicky offered me to fish his swim but I wanted to do it on my own this time. He fished your swim, which he only recently found out that from there the stretch comes under another club which he just joined.

Anyway, I got a good excuse to go back there after close season.

I'll be at Throop next Sunday, last chance to do some river fishing

[pingu]

nice repport twiddls
sure will see you with barbel soon
sounded a good social though

dave

[BoldBear]

Sorry that you had a blank after the Pigs Claudia,
I hope your duck is broken soon and you get your first of many.
Roll on the new season when you will stand a lot more chance of one.