Early March and the end is in sight.
Last year I decided to go on holiday for the last 2 weeks of the season and regretted it as most of my mates caught some special fish. The weather warmed up and they came on the feed. So this season I wasn’t going to be fooled. Well that’s what I thought.
Mark Woodage (Woody) has been fishing the Avon a little more than I have and has had some fantastic chub catches. One that stands out is 3x 6lbers. I’ve had a few session where I have caught 2 but never 3 so a fantastic result.
He contacted me to say that he found one of my hooks in the head of a 6lbs 12oz chub!
I’m please for both Andy (you should have been here yesterday) Cowley and Mark for their consistency and persistence of float fishing for the chub. I had been feeder fishing mostly this year trying to sort one or two rigs out and probably missed some good chub fishing. They have enjoyed some great well deserved results.
The weather had been hit and miss. Sometimes it was mild with rain and the river flooded and then returning to normal winter levels. Then we had the beast from the east with temps going down to minus 7 degrees during the day. Then the snow arrived and had the country in chaos with villages cut off for days. Hampshire was not hit so hard with the snow whereas the West Country was given a red snow warning by the MET office.
So the beast came dumped it’s snow and chilly winds for about 1 week that saw most of us head for cover.
Mark was one of the first to be on the river and started to catch plenty of chub on the float and some monsters for sure.
Mark and one of his 6lb chub
Andy was also joining in the fun and landed a monster of 6lbs 15oz which is the 4th chub of this weight from the river and so so close to our goal of a 7lber. I did the honours with the camera duties.
6lbs 15oz
Mark continued to plug away catching some superb chub. So many between 4-6lbs that’s it’s unbelievable that the river could hold so many. It must the best river for big chub outside the Thames at the moment.
Mark had a special day when he was fishing for chub and the wind became so strong he had to revert back to feeder fishing. His normal 4lb line and size 18 hook was tested to the limit when he hooked a fish that took him upstream where he had no alternative to go through a hedge and then over a style. The fish was obviously not a chub. He continued to play the fish for a long period and with advice and words of encouragement from Jim his fishing partner for the day Jim eventually netted it for him. What a fish 14lbs 7oz.
14lbs 7oz
Andy and I had arrange to meet again in early March after the floods and snow. The conditions looked good for float fishing. I stupidly chose to feeder fish and after Andy had 5 fish and lost a couple more so I changed tactics to the float fishing. I fished one swim just above Andy and was trotting a lovely far side crease. I hooked one large chub that unfortunately got away with a hook pull. Stupid me!
The snow showers still came and went I even had a rainbow over me, but my luck didn’t change.
Under the rainbow
The wind was from the west making it just right to float fish a few swims as I moved below Andy. He was fishing a great swim and had a few 5lbers from it during the day. I then got a phone call from him to say that I might want to see a chub. “Is it” I asked he said yes 7lbs 3oz.
Well dreams do come true then. I walked back up to his swim and we got all the camera stuff out and then he lifted the chub from the water and what a monster.
With the photo’s taken and the fish returned we had a big man hug and a congratulation to him. I didn’t mind whether it was me, Andy or Mark that caught the first 7lber. We had achieved a milestone of seeing our first 7lb H. Avon chub.
7lbs 3oz chub for Andy
The snow showers continued and I moved further downstream again. Nothing came along and I thought I would return to Andy. He had moved downstream to another far side crease. He stopped fishing for a chat, so I picked up the rod and cast to the far side slack down the float when and I struck into a fish that came straight to the surface and I just couldn’t stop it from taking me downstream. We went as far as we dare then bingo the hook popped out. Bugger! That rainbow did me no favours. We decided it was a bream, and that made me feel releived.
I carried on fishing finally losing the float in a far side willow. We packed up then and there and I suggested we call in the pub on the way home for me to buy him a well-deserved pint to celebrate his fantastic chub.
When he got home he confirmed that it was the same chub he had previously at 6lbs 15oz.
