Does The Earp Finally Yield One Of It's Elusive and Nomadic Barbel

Tried a different stretch of The Ure in search of it's elusive and nomadic barbel. It was only going to be a short evening session just to have a look at the water as I'd not fished it for years. Casting a lead about I was surprised how shallow it was. I was expecting around ten foot of water, instead it was around four to five foot. This prompted a change of plan. Instead of mesh bags of pellets I decided on balls of groundbait laced with pellets. Straight leger on the far line and float on the nearside. Despite been quite a distance from last week's swim I was joined, once again. by the swan family who popped over to hiss at me before heading down stream.

 








Trotting a 6mm pellet a rod length out soon produced a couple of 5-6oz dace before the roach moved in. I had about half a dozen before latching onto something heavy. After a minute or two a large pike surfaced holding onto a roach. After a bit of thrashing the roach was ripped from the hook. The roach obviously disappeared and no more bites were to be had on the inside line. I dropped a 12mm legered pellet onto that line. By now quite a bit of weed was drifting down occasionally dislodging the lead. I couldn't blame the swans as they were downstream, so not sure where it was coming from as it didn't look like it was dying off.

 








Around seven the far-side rod whacked over and the baitfeeder screamed. I was into something big, another pike? or maybe a double figure barbel. eventually I managed to turn it and started to haul it back upstream. Occasionally clouds of bubbles to appear as it hung close to the bottom. Eventually a barbel surface, no where near as big as I'd thought. Just as I started to pull it over the landing net the hook pulled. A bit of blind panic along with a lunge and lift had it tumble into the net. At 6lb 5oz it was half the weight the fight had suggested, but none the less it was a Ure barbel. I now had the five I'd set off after. I sat it out for another half hour, but the weed problem was making life hard work so gave up before it got dark.

 











Mission accomplished, a barbel from the 'Big Five'. I suppose the thing to do now is to get a double from the Ure so as to complete the collection. We'll see.