Lazy Barbel

Arriving at the parking area on Thursday afternoon to find it empty was not a good omen. Normally I don't mind empty car parks at fisheries, but at a noted barbel hotspot this is generally not good. I know the river was falling, but there was still plenty of colour in it. Was it the wrong moon phase or the temperature. Any way I had a good wander up and down the stretch, which I hadn't fished for some years. As I was going to fish into dark I picked a good looking swim that I could get out of easily. It had a bit of a slack on the inside with a nice crease and down stream I could get a bait under some over hanging trees.

Tactics were, again, blockend feeders with well dosed pellets with Peperami on one rod and double pellet on the other. The meat went upstream into the crease and the pellets downstream under the trees. I didn't have to wait long before the upstream rod tip sprung back and started bouncing. What ever I'd contacted with shot out into the main stream then gave up. Very quickly I had a barbel in the net. It looked perfectly healthy at 6lb 10oz. No marks or damage on it. May have been caught before a few time and knows the routine, After a rest it swam back strongly.

I had to wait for another three hours before the next bite, this time on the down stream rod. After an initial thump everything went soggy. I assumed I'd lost what ever had given the bite especially as the feeder was covered in weed. As went to swing the rig in something started splashing on the surface. flinging weed everywhere. A nice little barbel of 2-3lb was quickly netted.

I sat it out for another couple of hours for nothing, although it did get exciting for a little while with the rods tops bouncing about. But it turned out to be bats fluttering about. I really should have brought the big coat as well, as it is starting to get chilly after dark.

If barbel fought like tonight's fish there'd be very few barbel fisherman, but like humans there's always the odd lazy one. Not really sure why I didn't take many photos, although everything seems a bit dull at the moment waiting for autumn.