ROAD TRIP!!!

I must have looked a prat, but I didn't care! It was great fun!

Sunday soon came around and I was again loading the car up ready for a festival of river pleasure! My destination for this adventure was that of a new venue to me. The Bristol Avon.....The kids had bought me a ticket for Amalgamated Anglers for Fathers Day and I was itching to go and try out the new waters.

I started off as early as I could and decided I'd make a start on the Wye up in Monmouthshire for the first few hours of the day. First light arrived and I had a pair of rods bang on the money in a spot I know produces all year round.....I sat and sat and sat....absolutely nothing to show for my efforts other than more bloody frustration and after numerous rows with rowing club members, who refused to give me more than an arms length of water. I decided that enough was enough! Off to the Avon I trundled.

A stunning Avon Chub, which loved the River Monster Paste!

I picked a venue out of the hat really and my first choice turned out to be a truly wonderful little piece of English Treasure! A bit of a hike from the car but the quiet farmland with only a few cows for company did me the world of good. The peace and tranquility was only occasionally broken by the odd noisy bike or car on the road a little way away. Every swim screamed out fish to me albeit I wasn't able to fish them all as there were a lot that would require a very long net handle! Mine being a 2M wasn't long enough.

Saying that I did find a good few swims that I could get right down to the waters edge in and made an effort to static fish each one throughout the Sunday afternoon in blistering heat and bright sunshine. Much to my surprise the place was brimmed with lovely quality Chub and I took 11 of them to just over 4lbs and a brown trout of a pound and a half on the first afternoon. No sign of a barbel though.

Another one of the 37 chub I managed in 2 days fishing!

I packed up as the light faded away and set up camp for the night in the back of the car! Being an Audi A4 estate, it has tons of room to put all your kit and sprawl out in the back with a duvet as well. I had to sleep with the windows open as it was muggy as hell, this meant I got eaten alive by the dreaded mozzies! After a fairly sleepless, painful night I arose around 6am to find the sun already blasting through the windows and cooking my head like a egg. Not good for someone with my lack of hair!

The chub were rampant feeders!

After sorting the sleeping tackle out and having a tidy up. Teeth were brushed and underwear changed. I made a jaunt to the nearest local store for some breakfast and drinks etc. I decided I'd have a look at a few other venues and after a sortie lasting a few hours. I settled back near where I'd started but slightly down stream. This was due to not really finding the sort of water I wanted as the majority had high banks and very limited access. Eventually I found myself parking near Lacock Abbey and strolling around the grounds of the ancient building to the banks of the River.

Some cracking chub sport on the Bristol Avon!

What a beautiful stretch it was and I could again see many good quality Chub to be had in numerous swims. I decided the only way to attack this section was with little amounts of kit and a single rod roving approach. I donned said rubber Croc shoes, removed socks and found a corker of a swim by a bridge. Here I could enter the water and attack the chub from down stream and cast up to them with some free lined River Monster paste. This worked incredibly well and from the first cast on I was into fish after fish......

Totally stunning and unspoilt!

I kept rotating swims and gently baiting each with a few small handfuls of hemp and casters. I finished the afternoon off at 5.30pm having caught no less than 26 chub to just over 5lbs and an eel too.

Great sport and thoroughly good fun. Really took me back to my childhood days of fishing on the Dorset Stour. I left the Avon around 5.45pm and made my way home via the Wye for an evening session. I was still in hope of a barbel to finish the session off!

I fished on into darkness and had to admit defeat in the end. I couldn't so much as buy a bite! What on earth is going on with our club section at present I'm totally confused!

Yet more frustration for me with the River Wye????

I can only guess that it's just a little early on for the barbel and chub in there yet and that they haven't as yet finished with their spawning rituals???? Anyway, I'll give it another go in a week or so after this little bit of rain.

Thursday morning saw me wake very early and after tossing and turning and failing to get comfortable, I decided to go out for dawn and see if I could catch a few of the really pretty old dark Tench that reside in another of my local club lakes. I arrived around 4.15am just as the sun was lighting up the sky and picked a nice little spot between two sets of lily pads. I baited each spot with a liberal helping of Casters, Hemp and Corn before sending a small lead with a hair rigged piece of the yellow stuff in after it all.

The Tench were really munching away down there, but again I was getting very little action for my efforts.....

I had to wait about 25 minutes before the fish moved in and then it was like sitting watching a cauldron! The swim was alive with plumes of bubbles in hundreds of different sizes as the fish got down to a hearty seed filled brekkie!

A stunning Tench to start off the day! Great stuff, mission accomplished!

It took about half an hour before the first one slipped up and after a spirited scrap on light specimen kit, I had a lovely old tench for the camera. I followed this up with a couple more of similar size and then lost a much better fish to a hook pull unfortunately.

The fishing just switched off around 8am and the bubbles dissipated! It was like nothing lived in the place after that. I packed up and got in around 9.30am. Great early morning fun!

Hope your all having a good few weeks in the lovely sun. Enjoy it as the rain is coming I believe!


Regards
Keith
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