More Barbel Fishing For Pike

As the river had risen slightly from Tuesday's rain I thought another go for barbel would be a good idea on Wednesday. Several other anglers appeared to have the same idea as there were several cars parked up when I got to the river. They must have been down the bottom end though as I passed nobody as I wandered along the top section. Two anglers were setting up on the opposite bank just downstream of me.

I choose a swim with a nice slack just upstream and a distinct crease downstream. Cheese paste and a feeder full of crumb was dropped into the slack and Peperami into the crease. The one thing the rain had done was dislodge a lot of debris. To start with it missed my lines. I sat watching a red kite performing acrobatics in the distance. A bit later what I thought to be a rather gaudy robin shot past in to the willow to my right. After several attempts to get a picture of it as it bobbed around the branches I realised it wasn't a robin. The only thing I could think it looked like was a redstart. Later on I got a brief glimpse of a heron as it flow towards the woods.

Eventually I got a bite on the cheese. At first I thought it was some debris that had hit the line, but the clatter of the 'pin told me otherwise. A little jack which bit me off just as I got the net near it. Just after I got a new hook length on and had cast out the meat rod started to bend over. Contact was made with something then all went tight. Moving downstream I managed to free it. Up came a branch and another little jack which shook itself off as it came to the surface. Unlike Tuesdays jack it didn't dislodge the branch for me.

I had intended to stay well into dark but the debris was becoming an increasing menace. I gave up when a very large branch came floating past just. I didn't want to spend my time in the dark pulling weed etc. from the line. Quite why the pike are taking the baits they are I don't know, but my next trip is with a lure rod.