Too Much Mud

You've just got to love people that go for a walk in the country and complain that the riverside path is very muddy, while wearing white canvas shoes, and that somebody should cut the nettles back. These are probably the same people that want dual-carriageways to all their favourite destinations, so they can admire the view.

 











The river was at a reasonable level, but somewhat coloured.  I'd selected one of the shallower swims in the hope of doing a bit of float fishing. This, though, proved futile as the weed extended further than I thought and there wasn't a straight path through it. So it was back to the leger. As usual I chucked a big bit of garlic Spam upstream and a straight leger with halibut pellet downstream. I loose fed copious quantities of 4,6 & 8mm pellets. The first bites was to the Spam rod. A real three foot twitch, but no contact. I assume it was a chub as they're quite good at this. The first fish came after an hour, on the pellet. A chub of 2lb 5oz. This was quickly followed by a physically larger fish of the same weight. A little while later a lees than subtle bite, again on the pellet, provided another chub of 3lb 2oz. A rather tatty specimen with a bit of a chunk taken out of it near the anal fin and a size 14 Kamasan animal hook in it's lip. I was using the same hook, that's why I recognised it. Another slightly tatty specimen of the same weight followed on the next cast. Two four pounders next, hopefully.

 
 



















As I retrieved the pellet rod after some debris hit the line a large pike swirled on the surface. A good double by the looks of it. After half an hour with no bites I upped the feed in the hope the chub might come back and had a wander downstream to see how the angler there was doing. He'd had a few dace and loads of minnows on float. He'd also lost a chub, and no he wasn't using size 14 hooks. I had another tug on the Spam, with no contact before a big twitch on the pellet produced a near 3lb chub. The Spam went again. This time I contacted and a barbel of 7-8lb quickly surfaced before going ballistic and hurtling upstream. I managed to drag it out of three different weed beds before the hook length parted right at the hook. I have enough trouble breaking that stuff when snagged, so was a bit miffed to say the least.

 








While the jets were hurtling about overhead a cormorant worked it's way downstream, along the far bank. Again everything went quiet for a while, apart from the military jets. Same for the chap downstream, as it had surfaced in his swim before flying back well upstream. With time running out before I had to be away I piled in the loose feed and was rewarded with a couple more chub. One of 2lb 10oz and one at 2lb 12oz.

 

 Still a bit miffed with the lost barbel and the cormorant. I packed up. The chap downstream had packed up as well, after eventually catching a chub albeit only 8oz. To actually hook three barbel on consecutive trips on the Derwent, though, is rather good going. I probably won't see one now until the end of July.