Ousing with Barbel

As I arrived at the Ouse on Wednesday teatime a gentleman was just leaving having spent the best part of eight hours angling he'd managed ONE bleak. Not that it bothered me as I was after barbel. After a bit of a wander i picked a swim with a nice crease. Blockend feeders with well dosed pellets and Peperami or pellets on the hook were the order of the day. The meat was dropped downstream at the edge of the crease and under a tree. Double pellet went in upstream, again at the edge of the crease.

It wasn't long before the upstream rod  top dropped back and I was in to something odd. After a bit of a faff a fine stick-fish came to the bank. Some three hours later the downstream rod went over. After an initial short run whatever was on the end came in easily until it was under the rod tip. Then all hell broke loose. At first I thought a pike had grabbed whatever I'd hooked, but after a bit of to and fro a fair sized barbel thrashed about on the surface before trying to hide under the landing net. A bit more heave, though, and it was in the net. A deep set fish of 8lb 14oz.

The next bite came just after I'd taken the downstream rod out and was getting ready to pack up. I'm not a great fan of fishing in the dark on steep river banks any more. Apart from which it was getting chilly and I haven't broken out the big coat yet. As I lifted into the bite a willow branch turned in the river. It would have been the best stick fish of the day, but worse it had dragged the hook into a snag. Definitely time to go.

The nights a drawing in and the summer jacket isn't keeping the chill away any more. The next thing you know the rivers will be full of leaves and it'll be pike fishing time.