H.Avon and a barbel at last.

Guiding on the river Wye had been particularly busy again this year.

I did manage a few visits to the H.Avon trying to find the elusive barbel. I went down one day with Andy (you should have been here yesterday) Cowley to a stretch at the far end of the fishery. Well he didn’t venture down I did. The weather had been warm and the river still clear. There was plenty of cloud around so sight fishing was a challenge.

I walked down a fair ways looking at the river and spotted a few barbel. I dropped a few pellets in and straight away they came on the feed. Both were good doubles. There were a few chub in the swim too, nothing too large though.

Well I waited for the barbel to leave the swim before placing the bait where they had been feeding. They came up again after 15 mins or so and didn’t come near the baited hook.

After another 10 mins a suicide chub belted off downstream after hooking it’s self. It was a good chub of 5lbs plus however the barbel did the normal disappearing act and didn’t return.

I wandered back upstream feeling dejected from not being able to catch one of those big barbel.

Andy hadn’t caught anything either so I wasn’t alone.

I stopped in another swim and saw a few barbel and put a few pellets in and sure enough they came out to feed. Andy wandered down to see the barbel feeding and stayed a while. It must have been lunch time by now. So I allowed Andy to stand by the rods while I walked back and picked up lunch. I was just 10 yds away on returning when Andy lifted the rod into a barbel. I nearly knocked him over the hedge such was the speed I wrestled the rod away from him. To be fair he just gave the rod I think knowing it wasn’t a monster. The fight wasn’t spectacular as it was indeed a smaller one of the 4 that were in there.

Soon it was in the net and weighed in at 8lbs 14oz.

8lbs 14oz barbel

Probably the smallest of the lot. Never mind it’s a barbel.

I wandered off downstream again to fish a very deep pool which I thought might have a fish or two in it. However after 3 hrs in there I didn’t think anyone was at home.

Andy phoned me to say that the barbel had returned to the swim where I had caught before and to come up and try again. I said no you have a go. It’s your turn.

So I packed in my tackle and wandered back up to where the barbel were. Sure enough they were there feeding again. It started to rain which made sight fishing more difficult however we could still see into the river, just.

The barbel were mooching around Andy’s bait but wouldn’t take. We fished until dark without a touch which was very disappointing.

We stopped off for a pint to reflect on the day. And a dreadful detour with roads closed saw us drive around most of Wiltshire.