A quick chance of a fish?

free lined prawns were the winning
tactic for the carp today!

I had a couple of free hours this afternoon so I thought I'd go and have a try for one of the big Perch again at my local club water....I got down the pool around 2pm and set up 2 rods with freelined prawns dipped in CBS Krill and DMPT dip. I dropped the baits into a couple of likely spots and started to feed up the swims gently with a few handfuls of mixed maggots.

I fished these on one of our CBS Trident size 4 hooks. I sat for about 20 minutes before the first fish took the hook bait on the right hand rod. A good pull round and a quick fight saw a nice little half pound perch in the net. Send mummy or daddy back!

18lb 14oz of stonking mirror carp!

A few minutes later and the same rod was again torn around....I was really hoping it was a huge perch but to my surprise a large mirror had sucked up the bait meant for a stripey. I can't say I was disappointed with catching such a nice carp considering the cold weather. A really good scrap ensued as I was using only 6lb main line! A nice fish of 18lb 14oz ....I grabbed a few quick pics and put her back.

12lb 6oz bar of gold

Another take around half an hour later saw a 4lb bream in the net....It seemed that everything bar the perch liked my prawns! Amazing! I can almost imagine that had I gone out after the carp I probably wouldn't have caught one??? Typical! Next cast produced a missed take, but minutes later as the light was fading, a belting take on my left hand rod signaled.....yep, another carp!

This one a common, went 12lb 6oz. I couldn't believe my eyes. Everything other than perch! A few minutes later I was starting to pack away the odd and sods of kit ready to make a move home when the same rod belted off again. I knew it was a carp before I'd got hold of the rod. Off it went at silly miles an hour, leaving me hanging on for grim death! A few sharp lunges and a couple of minutes later and she was all mine. Another pristine common of 14lb 3oz.

It was starting to get quite dark and after a chat with another chap who was just leaving, I decided to call it a day. The perch hadn't showed like i'd hoped but the 3 carp, all doubles, had really made up for it! I went to pick up the left hand rod and as I grabbed the butt of the rod off she flew again with yet another chunky common on the end!

My final of the day at a tad over 16lbs!

This was really turning into a cracking little mini session, albeit not catching the intended species....but who cares when it goes off like this! A great scrap under the rod tip on lightweight kit and a feeder rod. The net was almost too small for the common. A brutish fish of 16lb 2oz!

Well, there you go.....Just goes to show that you don't need all the gear to catch some nice carp. You just need to be on the fish and use a bait they like....

Prawns wouldn't have been my first choice for catching winter carp by far, but it appears they rather like them.....A lot!

How Caple Court trip

Joel and I decided it was about time we met up again and did another one of our little adventures to pastures new! A quick decision was made on the phone on Thursday night and the next thing you know we're booked in on How Caple Court Fishery on the wonderful River Wye for Sunday!

The stunning Rock Pool Swim!

The days passed quickly and before you know it Sunday is upon us and Joel and I are making our way up the A48 towards Ross on Wye. We arrived there around 7am to find the river looking in perfect condition.

A little over 2 feet above it's summer levels, a touch of colour and relatively mild conditions. It looked spot on for a few chub and maybe even a barbel!

Keeping them peeled for a bite!

We settled for a large famous swim called the Rock Pool. A gorgeous old salmon pool that back eddies on itself at the tail end of a wide corner in the river.

All looked bang on but we sat there for a good 4 hours without so much as a tremble on the rod tips??? I scaled right down to a size 20 hook and lightweight fluorocarbon hook length but to no avail....The fish just didn't seem to be interested whatsoever...

We tried another swim at the opposite end of the beat from just after lunch time, but again 3 hours more of fruitless activity despite regular casts with the feeders. We felt the time was vast approaching to try out a new prototype oil we have been working on for our future predator range.

Joel's awesome PB Pike from the River Wye!

We placed the oil drenched dead baits into the swim and we sat back to await the results.....Joel decided he'd drop his rig out a little further into the flow and as he lifted the rig up in the water column, a big pike smashed the bait and came clear of the water! Joel looked so shocked that I thought he'd seen a ghost! After a spirited battle we netted the beauty and a few pics were taken. A new PB for Joel! Well done matey!

Even I managed s nice little snapper!

I was next to catch one and just as the day was coming to an end the float dropped away and I hung on feeling for the bite on my rod.....a couple of seconds passed and a few inches of line started to pull free of the spool. I struck and was met with a solid resistance! A good sized pike was netted and a fish each saved us from a very quiet day! Thank god the Pike took a liking to the new Oils!

This week should be fairly mild by the looks of it, so i'm going to try and grab a few hours at my local club water again in search of a big old stripey!

Long days out!

This weeks adventure saw me having a very early start on Wednesday morning...In fact I had a poor night sleep or lack of sleep I should say. I set the alarm for 4am but in reality I hadn't actually switched off all night. I was up around 3.30am and making fresh coffee for my flasks and eating my 4 weetabix! Yes 4! What a man!!! I eventually left the house around 4.30 and started the journey North up the M50 to Worcester. I got to the venue around 6.30 am after stopping for a Mcdonalds Mcmuffin and a coffee.

My first swim on the beautiful River Teme

 The light was just coming round and I parked in the field next to the river at the bottom of the syndicate on the River Teme. The section in question run by the Barbel Society. A stunning venue with a private drive and very secluded stretch. I had a walk along the lower beat and found a rousing number of gorgeous swims that i really fancied trying out.

Typical jungle warfare swim on the Teme

I got back to the car and unloaded my kit....took a gentle walk to my first choice swim on the back end of some fast water where the water seemed to drop off and become less turbulent. I started with a rod on the straight lead (3oz) with a pellet hook bait and the other rod with a 100gm blockend feeder and maggots on it. The first 2 hours or so passed with no action at all, so i decided to move down the river a little to my next choice swim.

This swim had a lovely section of deepish slack water after a tree that entered the water. I decided to put out about 6-8 dropper fulls of maggots and 2/4mm halibut pellets and fish a single rod with the feeder and maggots on it. I sat for about 40 minutes and around 5-6 casts into the swim before I was taken quite by surprise by a good bite. A quick strike saw the hook home and it was a good battle that ensued. After a couple of minutes of tussling for the advantage, I was in control and guiding a nice plump 4lb 2oz winter chub to the net. I grabbed a couple of nice pics and put her back.

My first ever fish from the Teme at 4lb 2oz

I fished the swim a while longer but to no avail....It was a case of moving around a little to try and find a few odd fish here and there....I tried a few other likely spots but nothing...Eventually i decided to go back to the car and drive up to the top end of the beat in search of other hidden treasures. I read the parking details on the permit and followed them a bit too precisely as I found myself very very stuck in deep mud in the car park/cow field! After about 30 minutes of rolling the car, digging around the tires etc, I decided I really did need to get a little help from the nearby farm. I trundled over to find 2 fellas loading up a 4x4 and I asked them sheepishly for some help....

Loving using the center pin these days!

They were more than obliging and got me out by pulling the car with a long tow rope. What a mare and highly embarrassing! After about 2 hours of messing around I got back on the bank on the top stretch of the river. I found a couple of swims that took my fancy. I tried a big deep hole on the bend of a wide section,but I just couldn't get myself comfortable and confident. I finally opted to end the day in a slightly faster shallower swim near the car. This produced another nice small chub and a handful of missed bites and unfortunately a lost fish too. I got home around 8.30pm after a long 110 mile drive home tired but happy!

Earning my stripes!

Cold day, margin swim!

A few hours free time jumped up at me today, so I thought that with the cold snap well and truly here, I'd grab the perching equipment and head down my local pool for a few hours chasing stripey's! Now, there's a few special one's in our club water and i'm bloody determined to get one this winter! So, with some red maggots, lobs, dendras and prawns, I ventured down the lake around 1pm in an attempt to earn my stripes!

My good pal Gary was already fishing and with pretty much all the flyer pegs taken, it was just a case of dropping in a likely looking spot for a while. I fed a concoction of CBS fishmeal groundbait, scalded CBS 2mm Halibut pellets, Krill amino compound, shellfish flavour, prawns, sea mussels, worms and red maggots into the margins either side of my swim.

bite time!!!!

The left hand rod fishing with a float rig and lobworm set up, the right hand ledgering a 1/4oz weight free running set up, size 10 CBS Trident hook and a prawn smothered in CBS Krill Amino Compound.

The going was tough and both Gary and I struggled to get the fish going to start with.... We both eventually started to get bites. Gary on mixed bats on the pole catching some roach and skimmers. I wanted to just catch perch so I stuck it out on the prawns for the majority of the afternoon.

My first of the season at 2lb 5oz

My first fish took the ledgered prawn around 2pm and after a great scrap, I was sat admiring a stunning 2lb 5oz Perch! I had a few other very viscous takes that somehow I missed??? Things then died a death!

Gary called it a day around 3.30pm and I was left on the lake by myself. My target margin swim to the right hand side seemed to be the pro active area, so I concentrated my efforts there for the last 2 hours of fishing time.

no 2 at 1lb 9oz

I took a couple of nice skimmers and a roach on the prawns before at last another perch of 1lb 9oz took the bait.

I know there are some much bigger specimens lurking around in there so i'll be back down in the week for another go at the striped monsters!

Post flood sessions!

Following on from the trips down Hampshire to see the family, I decided this week that I was well over due a trip up my beloved river Wye for the day.....I spent a couple of days keeping an eye on the River Cameras and the EA water levels etc and Sunday looked bang on for a fish with the river sitting around 2-3 feet above normal level. Perfect!

chilly start on the Wye

I decided an early start was in order and the alarm was set for stupid o'clock! I got to the river around 6 am to find it looking great, but still very pacy! My first choice swim was still a bit too heavy flowing to hold bottom and I opted to go back to the car and head over the opposite bank, to fish on the tail of the tree line in some of the slacker waters.

Tough day again but a 3lb 13oz chub and two
other 2's made up for the dire day!

I sat for about 3 hours without as much as a nibble and by 12.30pm i'd had enough....another move was on the cards! A quick drive further upstream and i located 2 possible swims to target. The first was a large slack full of snags but a local chap followed me along and he fancied a go for the pike that supposedly lived in there. I obliged and headed to my 2nd choice spot where I'd had an 8lb 15oz barbel from in flood water conditions a few weeks back.

Another 3 hours passed without any action at all. I was beginning to doubt my sanity as darkness fell and the crisp cold air descended on the river bank. I held my nerve a little longer and I was rewarded with 3 chub in succession. 3lb 13oz, 2lb 8oz and 2lb 5oz. Not the intended barbel but in all honesty after such a tough day I was happy with anything!

Hants trip

A bit of free time suddenly became available to me and in light of the wife and kids wanting to visit family down south, I thought it'd be rude not to dip a line in my favorite river the Hampshire Avon. I got down the river around 10.30am after popping in to see my big bro Stuart and having coffee and cuddles with his lovely little daughter. The river was up very slightly but quite fish-able to start with. I decided to fish a swim just below the piles and boat pool and things looked rather good with overcast conditions and a little rain in the air.

The piles swim....wonderful view but it just didn't happen!

I baited up with the usual River Monster Boilie and 4 oz leads etc....I put around 10 droppers full of pellets, hemp and crushed boilies in the dropper and baited up around 10m upstream to compensate a little for the flow. I sat it out in the swim for about 3 hours but all i could muster up was two small eels! I decided a move was on the cards and I headed round the back of my swim into the piles swim and started fishing the large crease/slack in front.

Another 3 hours passed with out so much as a tremble on the tip....I was starting to think things were rather slower than i'd known before when i got a nice pull on the left hand rod. A firm strike saw the hook home and a cracking fight ensued!

The strangest of boilie captures I've ever had!!!!

I thought at last i'd got the Barbel i'd wanted or even a nice Chub but as the fish hit the surface I was gob smacked to see it was a trout of all things! On a boilie???? Got to be the strangest thing I've ever hooked on a boilie!

At just over 7lbs a reasonable one too! I took a quick snap of her next to the rod and reel and slipped her back. I sat it out until about 2 hours into darkness but to no avail. The fish just weren't playing ball.

The next morning I got around to Stueys about 8am for coffee and by 9am we were setting up in the wonderful Compound, great weir. Stuey had treated me to the day out for my birthday, which was a real treat!

The compound swim

We've had some incredible days in the compound in the past but with the amounts of weed, twigs and general rubbish coming down it was going to be a real hard day! We plugged away with feeders, straight leads etc and it just didn't happen....

Very disappointing as Stu was the only one to see a decent bite all day in the form of a typical small compound bream, a couple of dace and a small ST on the maggot feeder.

A typical compound bream on the maggot feeder

I sat it out all day for a barbel, but the fish just didn't seem to be there??? All the same, it was wonderful to see Stuey and spend a day on one of my favourite old haunts. After the heavy days fishing in strong winds and rain, we thought the only way forward was to grab the girls, get a baby sitter in for the kids and go out for a superb curry!!!!

Wye not?

Well, I couldn't think of a better way to finish off the summer season than to go and catch yet more of those awesome Wye Chub & Barbel! I set about another trip up with my good friend Colin 'Taffy' Farnham. Colin's a general coarse fisherman and bailiff for the club and I thought it was about time he felt the pleasures of that barbel pull! We ventured down the river late afternoon and settled in a swim i'd fished a few times now....

Colin's first Barbel of 8lbs

I set Colin up with a basic running 2oz lead rig, 2 foot hooklength and a CBS gravel Leader and CBS Trident size 10 hook with hair rig and one of our 14mm dumbell River Monster Boilies for bait. Colin sat back to await the feeding activity and within 5 minutes of casting in, he was into his first barbel and at 8lbs a reasonable fish to boot!

Not happy with just bagging the one, Colin went on to grab another fine specimen and a cracking fish of 10lb 7oz as well! To top the evening off I even caught a couple and topped it off with a new PB of 11lb 4oz!

Colin and his new pb of 10lb 7oz!

My next session out with Gary proved fruitless and we didn't get so much as a bite! The water was still very low and clear and a good bit of rain was needed to improve matters we felt! I ventured up again with Colin and managed a small chub of around 4lb 15oz and again another blank a few days later....It seemed that things had got a lot tougher in the course of just a few days!

I decided late on the next Monday afternoon to head up and give it a bash as we'd had a little of the wet stuff for 2 days....The river was about 2-3 inches up and carrying a very slight tinge of colour. I set up on a beautiful wooden pontoon with great river access.

9lb 9oz and 10lb 1oz! Get in!

The boat traffic was particularly hard core this evening and i couldn't effectively fish it like i wanted too..... I had to place my rods on the floor and use back leads to keep the whole lot clear of the ever increasingly close rowers who seemed hell bent on pulling my kit in! Anyhow, the traffic slowed up around 7.30pm and just as the first bit of light was failing, my right hand rod sprung into action and proceeded to deliver a nice 8lb 15oz barbel to the net!

Well chuffed, I set the rods up on their rests and within seconds I was into another of just over 9lbs! This looked like it could well be a good night for it! It was! I managed 7 barbel in total and even managed a 9lb 9oz fish and a 10lb 1oz barbel at the same time! Epic fishing!

Joel with his first barbel of 7lb 4oz! 

Gary and I ventured up a few days later to fish the same swim and couldn't buy a bite! Very strange set of circumstances! What was even stranger was what happened behind us in the fields! The electricity mains box attached to a post on the main carriageway down to Monmouth decided to explode around 10pm and huge flashes and explosions filled the air around us! It was incredible to say the least! The bangs were intense and you could feel the pressure in the air from the blasts!

My next trip was with another newbie to Barbel.....Joel Biddle, a good pal and regular carper had shown an interest in wanting to have a go at some barbel too. I took him down mid week for an evening session and he was first up to bag a fish with a lovely 7lb 4oz barbel and then a stunning 9lb 9oz....I had another nice double and a few other fish too!

Well done Joel!!! No2 @ 9lb 9oz!

I followed up the great sessions with even more and by the end of my 12th trip up to the Wye I was sat on 37 barbel and 8 over the magic 10lb barrier! Topped off by a new PB of 11lb 4oz! A great two and a half months fishing  by anyone's standard.

Joel and I decided we'd try a new venue one Sunday and booked in with The Wye and Usk foundation for a day on Sugwas Court near Hereford. The river was up up very slightly and after the long drive up, we walked through the fields to find a lovely swim surrounded by overhanging trees.

New PB of 11lb 4oz!

With it being a one rod each water we decided to fish together for a bit. I went upstream and Joel dropped in at the tail end. He was first to get some action but unfortunately lost his first one to a hook link snapping on a powerful fish.....I was next and bagged a wonderful 7lb 5oz barbel on the center pin, which was a real delight! The fishing was a little slow and despite numerous moves I was the only one to catch with a small 4lb 15oz barbel and a little 2 pounder!

As the light was failing I suggested we tried one last spot by the car, which we had baited earlier that day....Joel made a cast out upstream and mine went under arm just in front on the crease line. In seconds of casting I was into a good Barbel and as I was playing it Joel had a bite as well! Both of us were playing fish at the same time! Hilarity followed for a few minutes but eventually we had a pair of beautiful fish on the bank and some great photos to show for our efforts! Mine went 7lb 4oz and Joel's just under 7lb! A great result.

So much fun!!!

My most recent trip up was a little more intense and I really struggled to be honest! I set up just after first light on a river in full on rage mode! At 14 feet above the norm, it was racing through and pretty much unfishable. I tried a couple of swims on the Monmouth side only to be washed off after a few casts due to debris and inability to hold bottom....

I tried a few hours on the little River Trothy, a tributary of the Wye....No bites whatsoever so I opted to try just the last hour over the far side bank of the Wye. I found a slight slack about mid way along the section and dropped a lead in to see if I could still get myself a fish. I had to use 2 leads on the line, totaling 10oz just to grip the deck less than a rod length or so out!

Time for some water??? you bet!!!

I sat through, trees coming down, weed, dead sheep, a badger, more weed and yet more trees! Unbelievable the stuff that comes down that river when its up a bit! Well, the best part of nearly 3 hours passed and I had pretty much come to grips with the fact I was more than likely going home empty handed when all of a sudden I saw a slight deviation in my left hand rod....when I say deviation i mean something a little different in the rod movement.

Absolute magic! 8lb 15oz of flood water gold!

It was a tough call as the tips were bent double from the flow, but there was just something slightly different about the movement??? I decided to strike...what did i have to loose?

Glad I did though as hanging on the end was an awesome barbel of 8lb 15oz! What a surprise and what a scrap in the amazing flow! Just goes to show that if you stick it out, it can still happen even in the worst conditions!

Continued Wye success!

A week or so later I found myself desperate for the buzz I'd had on the River Wye a week earlier! I just couldn't shake off the buzz that I'd now got stuck with. Another trip had to be on the cards and I was determined to get back up the river and bag a few more bars of Wye Gold!

my first of the 2nd session at 5lb 15oz

The second trip up saw me try a new swim a few fields up from my previous visit and I settled in for what I hoped was going to be a repeat of the previous week. Things started fairly well with a nice 5lb 15oz barbel finding the spreader block before darkness fell. I was feeling exceptionally confident about the evening and after spending the whole of the last week ensuring I had got my tackle and bait as good as I could possibly get it, I felt a red letter evening may again be on the cards?

It was a strange evening if i'm honest and not quite as good as I had hoped albeit I did bag 3 fish including a nice 7lb 7oz barbel and a lovely chub all falling to the River Monster Boilie.

7lb 7oz barbel

The fish were a little bit more spasmodic than the previous week and I put it down to angling pressure as it was a Monday evening and I felt that with the levels of litter that had suddenly appeared on the bank side, it was likely that the place had been heavily fished over the weekend by some less than decent people....God I hate to see litter! Why not just shove it in your bag and take it home?

The third trip up the river was a little more than 48 hours later and my son Thomas had showed interest in wanting to have a go at river fishing and catching his first ever Barbel. Tom is 14 and has caught a few wonderful carp in the past up to 25lb 8oz but he's not an avid angler and usually only comes out a few times a year when the mood finds him. Well, we arrived on the Wednesday night just as it was getting dusk'ish and got set up with a rod each.

Thomas Supple with his first ever Barbel of 6lb 2oz

We fished the same spot as I had on the Monday evening and I put Tom upstream to the place i'd had the 3 from on the previous session. It was some time into darkness before we had our first inquiry. Tom's rod was twitching away and then violently sprung over signalling a vicious take! Tom was quite taken back with the bite and the ensuing battle which wrenched him all over the bank side! After a good few minutes of tussling he was the proud captor of his first Wye Barbel and a prize specimen of 6lb 2oz! Great result and he was ecstatic to be holding such a beautiful fish. He was even more ecstatic when the same rod hooped over again some 15 minutes later and this time he had the fight of his life with an incredible 8lb 12oz barbel! After doing the photos and weighing the fish I let Tom put the fish back correctly upstream facing and you could see how much it meant to him by the look on his face! Great!

Tom with his new PB 8lb 12oz barbel! Well done pal x

I struggled all evening with just a few trembles on the right hand rod to talk about! It didn't matter to me though as I had done what I had set out to do and that was to get my lad into his first Barbel. We packed up enthusiastically and headed for home with lots of talk about coming up together again soon and how much we'd enjoyed each others company.

My forth trip up the following week, was with a good friend of mine Gary Brooks. Gary is an excellent, well accomplished coarse fisherman who's happy to put his hand to any aspect of the sport with very good success! Gary had to date though never caught or seen a barbel on the bank! Well I'd promised him that would change tonight, so I had to deliver! We arrived with plenty of light left and I gave Gary a guided tour of the river and the likely looking spots. A quick chit chat about techniques and swims and we were setting up in a nice wide double swim that would accommodate the pair of us.

Gary made his first cast around 7pm just after a rowing boat had gone through our swim and as soon as his rod hit the water he was into the first fish of the evening! To say the bloke was shocked was an understatement....he just couldn't believe he'd landed on top of a big barbel quite like that?

Gary Brooks with his first ever barbel of 9lb 6oz!

A cracking scrap on his light 1.5lb tc rod and after a few minutes we were looking at the golden flanks of another wonderful Wye specimen and Gary's first ever of the species at a cracking 9lb 6oz! What a way to start proceedings!

Things went decidedly quiet and it wasn't until almost last knockings that my rod eventually got snaffled and I hooked into what felt like a very big fish...

She ripped of downstream at a serious rate of knots and before I knew it I was hanging on for grim death just to insure I'd was still in touch with the fish. I managed to gain some of the 50+ yards of line back onto the spool and eventually she succumbed to tiredness and I netted a fantastic new PB of 10lb 8oz! I was over the moon and it was magic to have my good pal Gary with me to enjoy the moment too.

Another new PB for Keith at 10lb 8oz!

My first session on the Wye!

My first Wye Barbel at 7lb 2oz

The River Wye has given me some of the best river fishing of my life this last few months! It's such a shame that it took me the near ten years of living in Wales before I found it's wonderful inspiring delights! I eventually succumbed to its allure on the 20th August, a Tuesday evening after work to be exact! I'd been in the unit all day rolling copious amounts of boilies and I just had to get out there and wet a line! The river had been calling me since the start of the season yet I just hadn't found the time or the stimulation to do the required 55 mile drive to the water!

 I'm so glad I eventually got around to it though and after the hour long drive up the motorway I was parked up and removing my kit from the car. The short walk down to the river bank left me with tons of ideas running through my head about how I was going to approach the place and after much research on the river I thought I knew just what to expect, albeit as far as other club members and officials were aware the fishing was pretty tough and very few large fish were present???

The stunning river Wye

Well, I had a point to prove to both them and myself and with a PB just shy of 10lbs, I had a realistic goal in mind of a 10lb + barbel by the end of the summer season....I arrived in the first field and instantly fell in love with the river. A wide expanse of dark brown water surrounded by the most glorious bankside flora and fauna!

I opted for the first swim I came to as it just looked too dam good to walk by! A short drop down the bank and about 6 feet up from the waters edge. I set up a pair of rods with 10lb main line, a running lead rig with 2oz of lead and a medium length hook link made up of our latest coated braid material and one of our size 10 trident hooks. Bait was to be a new boilie (The River Monster Boilie) which I had spent the summer developing for just such an occasion. I made up a small pva mesh bag with some halves of boilies and some mixed size halibut pellets and made my first cast into the middle of the river.

CBS Boilies and Halibuts

The sun was just starting to drop and it's warmth was wicking away behind me...The first 15 minutes passed by slowly as I sat taking in the incredible scenery and before I knew it the left hand rod was bent double with a very powerful fish attached to it! Could I be into my very first Wye Barbel?? Yes, I was! And after a spirited battle I was the proud captor of my first Wye Barbel of 7lb 2oz! I couldn't believe my luck! First outing and I'd got one already on my first cast as well!

Happy as a pig in the proverbial I made a re-cast back to the same position and awaited possible fish activity.....It wasn't too long before things started to again happen. Just as the light was fading and the nuisance canoeists had dissipated, I started to receive small trembles on the rod tip indicating the presence of said barbel!

second fish of 8lb 5oz!

Nothing came of the trembles and after about quarter of an hour I opted for a fresh bait and a recast slightly further out towards the middle of the river. I set the rod down on the rest and just as I let go of the butt, it flew almost clear of the rod rest! I was into yet another incredible Wye Barbel and within 5 secs of the lead hitting the water too!

This was amazing sport! After an awesome fight and nearly loosing her in a weed bed, I netted another incredible Gold Bar!

This fish went 8lb 5oz! I thought that this was probably my lot for the night but I couldn't have been more wrong! The tips were alive all evening and by 11pm I'd taken 5 Barbel to 9lb 6oz and a chub of 6lb 2oz to boot!

Another one found the net! 9lb 6oz

What an incredible evenings fishing and one I'd remember for the rest of my life! I thought I ought to start packing away and head for home, so I started with my chair and rucksack followed by lids on buckets etc.....The last thing standing was the rod, rests and net. I'd just finished all the bits and I was about to pick up the rod to reel in and over the tip went in grand style!

Yes, one more for the session I thought. This fish was hell bent on disappearing down stream and went hell for leather down into the next field!  I hung on and let her have a little line before she eventually stopped and I managed to start gaining back a little line. I took ages to get her back up level with me and eventually I was battling an unseen monster under the rod tip. Suddenly she broke the surface and my headlamp caught the side of what looked to me to be a very large barbel!

10lb 4oz! A new PB 

My heart was in my mouth and I prayed that it would just stay on! After a couple more heart wrenching pulls, I eventually sunk the net under a big bar of gold. I prepped the unhooking mat and scales etc and set up the camera on it's tripod for a photo. I couldn't believe my luck when I weighed her....10lb 4oz!

At last I'd managed to catch a double figure Barbel after 20+ years of trying! I was ecstatic! The fish went back easily and after a brief few minutes holding her upright in the margins, she was off and away at a rate of knots.

What an amazing start to my new water adventure! 6 barbel of 7lb 2oz, 8lb 5oz, 7lb 1oz, 9lb 6oz, 7lb 9oz, 10lb 4oz and the awesome chub of 6lb 2oz as well!

What a chub at 6lb 2oz!
Not what i expected from the Wye!

My fascination with the Wye had commenced and what had started as a relatively basic unplanned trip had turned into the best few hours river fishing I'd ever experienced!

2013 A fresh start in many ways!

Hi all and welcome to my new Blog...... Well, as many of you know I have spent the last 6-7 years chasing shadows around a few of the countries famous pools in search of their famous and tough specimen carp that inhabit them. I've had a tough time and a wonderful time too. I can honestly say that my time spent on the bank has taught me so much that it has not only improved my angling skills but also improved me as a person all round. The highs were obviously the amazing captures and making some life long friendships too but the lows were beyond bearable at times.....The driving long distances (380 mile round trips) to and from my chosen venues was the real killer and the obvious expense involved with running a car to get there and back. Where I live in the valleys of South Wales there is very little quality carp fishing that would excite someone who grew up in the mecca of carp angling, Jurassic Carp Ringwood!

The inspiring and wonderful Crayfish Pool

This meant that i'd have to travel if i wanted to find that kind of fishing again. Well, I have to say it was worth it for the best part and my favourite adventures were up to Horton Complex near Heathrow and the very lovely CrayFish Pool. A 3 acre pool steeped in angling history, containing just 30 or so carp to 38lb+. I spent a couple of seasons on there and after a rather quiet first season with just 4 fish to my name after 46 nights of fishing, I figured I'd have to up my game to start catching a few more of the lovely inhabitants! This I managed to do in my second season on there after having a years break from the place. In that year I put around 100 nights down on the bank at 2 other well known waters for very little in return! I managed just 4 Tench and an eel in all that time and started to question my sanity and of course my angling skills too!

The awesome 'Bulla' from the Cray at 38lb 2oz.
My second capture of the fish in a
3 year period and this time a new PB!

When I returned to the Cray I had around 3 months to get things right before winter stepped in to knacker my angling....I managed to get among the fish fairly quickly on this time though and within tens nights I was started to locate and catch on a regular basis, sometimes multiple captures were on the cards! In short I had one of my best carp seasons to date with 15 fish finding the bank including 7 over the magic thirty pounds and a new PB of 38lb 2oz. I left the venue late October as the water temps dropped and the fishing slowed up to the point of non existence and decided for the first year in ages that I'd hang up the rods through the major part of the winter.

It wasn't until the middle of February and after the majority of the snow and storms had past that I eventually succumbed to the need to get out and dangle a line in the wet stuff! I decided that the long distance angling should take a brief respite as my wallet just couldn't keep up with the expenses involved with the long distance angling! This left just one option open to me and to join a local fishing club near my home....I'd looked into it before but there was very little for a guy with such high expectations of his fishing....what to do?

I spent the colder months fishing for alternative
species from roach and perch to carp on light gear!

Well, I thought long and hard and decided i'd spend this year doing some fishing  for alternative species or targeting the carp in other ways, such as floater fishing or even pole fishing etc...some of the dark arts I felt that i may have forgotten how to do??? It didn't take me long to find my feet and within just 2 trips to a local still water, I had already made some really good friends and started to get a feel for the kind of angling that this year would hold for me. The first part of 2013 was spent doing some very basic match fishing techniques and relearning the finer arts of float, pole and feeder fishing which I had all but forgotten about whilst engulfing myself in the carp fishing over the 10 year period past. This I have to say was extremely enjoyable and reminded me that it's all about much more than just sitting behind my buzzers waiting for the fish to come to me! I could at last start to make things happen in the swim again with practical feeding patterns and using lightweight gear felt so nice after using 3.5lb tc rods and 15lb main lines!

I caught shed loads of carp off the top, pole, float rod, center pin etc and even enjoyed having a dabble at fishing for silvers on really light kit too! It was just heavenly to be just enjoying angling again and not feeling under pressure to catch or being after specific big fish too! Come July I was gagging to venture onto the rivers again after such a massive break away from them and after finding out my club ran a stretch or two of the Wye and the Taff, I just had to choose one to spend a bit of time on. I decided this year I would concentrate on the River Wye from Monmouthshire upstream. This turned out to be one of the best things I've ever done and you'll see from my coming reports how good the rivers been to both myself and numerous friends Iv'e taken to sample it's delights!