River severn again - why do I break my own resolutions?

[barbelblanker]

OK just like when you say you aren't going to eat chocolate , then you have a nibble then a bar then you are a fat Welsh git. Oh ,sorry , that only applies to porker here (and it's beer not chocolate).

Last year I resolved to travel light this year.

I also decided that I was going to let the barbel spread out a bit and not fish for them till August.

I am supposed to be trying to catch my first crucian carp from Himley .

So why did I end up down the severn again ?

Firstly I am on standby in work this week (six and a half hours to go then I am FREE!!! for a few weeks anyway). SO I didn't want to get in the car and drive for an hour or turn up at a day ticket water where I built up the swim only to have to leave to stop the universe imploding, terrorists capturing the Queen (God Bless her) or some leccy bills not getting sent out. OK the first two were pure fantasy, the last a sort of kinky nightmare (though true).

So just as I am limbering up for the second session on a river today (went to the Stour first light) , the phone goes and for once my paranoia was well placed as there was indeed a problem that needed my flailing around a key board for a bit.

Now back to the fishing .

So I set off with two rods (light see), my beach fishing tripod and enough bait to empty all the water out of the Severn. SO there went the "travel light" idea.

I fished one rod with a maggot feeder and the other with an SBS hook bait and a pellet feeder.

One good thing was that it is evident that there are loads of small silver fish on the BAA Eardington/Brook section. It also seems to attract it's fair share of numpties too as for the second time on the trot it appeared people felt it necessary to light fires on the bank. Though I suppose they were at least sensible enough to do it on the bare sandy bank and it would struggle to spread.

I'm waffling because I did catch some nice lean river roach on the maggot feeder and yet again completely failed to catch on the barbel gear , even though I did move, but only the once.

So what did I learn?

The sea tripod was a revelation. The bank where I fished was bedrock. It also occured to me that it would be useful should I find myself fishing on big rocks. I'll take that again.

Two rods, although flexible is no good for roving.

Same goes for the rucksack.

The seat is really confortable and much better than that folding stool thing. Therein lies the problem so it's the folding stool next time.

Why take two feeders to the bank when you can take twenty. Hmm! Lighten up there too.

So next time it'll be rod, reel, landing net, unhooking mat, tripod, bank stick, stool and a selection of gear not all the gear. Fish half an hour with a fishmeal cage feeder and then either move or catch.

I've been making my own cage feeders too and sat on one today, I then bent it back square instead of round and it held much better.

Ah well, it's the annual migration to the lovely Isle of Wight next week so you might just see some posts on me not catching barbel there either .




Tight lines all.

[blackwater]

You had some day! unlucky there, better luck next time.


Justin.

[barbelblanker]

You can talk about sessions mate. You've been having some crackers lately, well done!

[longi]

no barbel then im goin to shropshire end ov month for a week. We usually fish harley and stamford bridge on teme