Monday 22nd August Hampshire Avon

This was to be my first visit for the year on the middle reaches of the river. My plan was to fish for 3 days in an effort to locate some of the large chub that swim in those beautiful crystal clear waters. The weather forecast was for plenty of rain on the Tuesday and Wednesday so perhaps luck wasn’t going to be on my side.

Arriving at the fishery there were 5 padlocks on the gate indicating that there must be plenty of different people using the area where the river runs through. I hadn’t visited the venue since last year and was frustrated to be trying to find the correct key etc, however the lock soon clicked and I was in.

The weather was perfect for spotting chub on the clear clean gravel glides. Droppers of hemp where soon put into several swims, hoping that while I tackled up the chub would arrive. The fields were still very wet under foot from the flooding of the previous week and I was pleased to be wearing wellies.

In the first swim I baited showed promise as there were about 8 chub feeding on the hemp. I put in a few boilies and they fed on these too.

I quickly dropped the rig into the swim and I didn’t need long to wait as a chub grabbed the bait. The fight wasn’t spectacular and I soon had it ready to land. It looked an old fish and it was knocked around a little but still a very good start.

A good start to the day a chub of 5lbs 3oz

The first chub off the H. Avon and 5lbs 3oz. Not a chub that would win the “Miss World Chub competition” but a good enough start.

There were other chub on the shoal that would go over 6lbs in weight but none were anything like the 7lb target I’ve set. So it was time for a move.

I walked to almost the other end of the fishery to the next swim. Here I found a few chub with a couple of really big lumps of fish. They were feeding on the hemp. The swim was very deep under my bank with the river bed slopping up to the opposite bank with rafts of weed waving in the flow. This weed was where the chub would go when spooked. They really liked the hemp and boilies that I was using. The tricky part was getting them to take the hook bait. It was still bright and sunny and they really were suspicious of the line and hook bait. I stayed for about 1 hour observing where they were going and watching them avoiding my bait but taking the freebies.

In all the other swims I fed there were chub but none like the big ones in this swim. I think as the evening came I would perhaps have a much better chance of hooking one. In view of the poor weather forecast for the next 2 days I needed to go to another stretch and walk and feed to see if there were large chub present.

I arrived and put some hemp into a swim where I’ve had some great chub trotting with maggot and casters in the autumn, but today I would try boilies. I think if I used casters then I would get plagued by small fish. I rested the swim and walked around a little looking at the beautiful stretch of water. In the 2 area’s where I expected to see salmon sure enough there was one holding up in each. they were not huge fish but into double figures I should imagine.

So after about 30 minutes I returned to the swim and cast out to some willow branches on the far side of the river. This is where the chub hold out during the winter when there is less weed in the river.

For the first 1.5 hrs nothing much happened, then the rod tip bounced a few times and the chub was on. I was using my normal barbel/chub bolt rigs so they self hook. The chub fought very well in the current but didn’t try for the willow snags. It wasn’t the biggest chub I’ve had from the swim but beautifully coloured.

So another nice Hampshire Avon chub but not the fish I’m after. I’ve got a feeling that this swim does produce chub over 7lbs but I need to wait until the winter to perhaps fulfill my dreams of a 7lber.

I recast and stayed until I need to be off the fishery, and didn’t have another touch.

So it was off to Ringwood for a chicken and chip supper and a can of coke.