December 6th Bristol Avon

It’s been a while since I’ve been out fishing mainly to do with something to do with helping out the other half with shopping for Xmas.

It didn’t stop there either as I dismantled my old summer house and put a log cabin in the garden. So the electrics had to be done plus moving all the stuff around it took long than I thought.

However I hadn’t missed too much as there still hasn’t been rain and the river is still the lowest I’ve seen it.

I’ve been busy writing a few fishing articles for magazines and web sites. It’s difficult when writing in deciding how much detail to go into methods rigs and thoughts of why you use them. You can describe something to death or talk about something that the readers know about already. To pitch it just right is difficult.

I’ve got a couple of articles coming out in the next two Coarse Angling Today, one on chub fishing and the other on roach fishing at Linch Hill. Talking of which after Christmas I’m starting my campaign up there for the roach. I think this will be my last season on there as I’ve been thinking of doing something different next year. I’ve got a few idea’s of a big pike and carp from another lake that I fish.

I’m thinking that this year if it stays relatively mild might just see a 4lb roach from Willow Lake on Linch Hill. There are going to be some very good anglers fishing there again this year. After all it’s the best place in the UK where you stand a good chance to break the record.

I have just bought myself a really nice travel rod. It’s a 9ft Greys Missionary 6 section rod which casts 40-100g which should be perfect for light beach fishing. I’ll christen it early next year when I’m in Cape Verde (off the west African coast). I’ve previously used a telescopic rod but found it wanting when fishing it in heavy sea’s.

Anyhow I’m rambling along now. With the river low and clear it has been pointless fishing for anything other than pike and chub. I’ve not had time to go down to the H.Avon as I normally like to go for a few days. My thoughts turned to pike and a swim where I had seen a large fish of over 20lbs on the B.Avon.

7th December and still no floods

I arrived to find the place to myself, perfect for roving around. My thoughts though were to fish the swim for a while to see if the big one was at home. I was using two rods with a dead roach fished under a float on each. First cast out soon saw one of the floats start to move back to me being towed by a pike. I gave it a good few seconds and struck into a fish, unfortunately it wasn’t the big fish but a smaller one and worst still the bait came back after a short fight. I put the bait back again however nothing came out to play.

I moved to another few swims without a touch, then at 12.00 noon I had 3 pike from a much larger pool. The largest just over 8lbs.

The sun was out and it had been a bright day so to catch these at such a time was surprising.

As the evening approached I sat quietly by a very nice little swim expectations were very high, as the dusk approaches normally your chances improve the pike become more active and on the prowl for food.

Another angler whom I’d met during the summer barbel fishing came along for a chat. It was getting progressively darker and I was thinking of packing away when this huge bow wave came upstream circle and then went back downstream. Fish launched themselves from the water as the bow wave moved away. I’ve seen a really big pike do this in the summer in the shallows after the chub, could it have been the same fish. We both gasped at the sight which just lasted a few seconds.

Nothing else happened as darkness neared and I packed up for the day. Although I will return for that fish.