#1
“Red Letter Day “

By Chris Tribe​

All anglers have had one… a special fishing session that makes all the cold,wet,blank session worth every second of misery! And as an Ouse regular I know a thing or two about blanking and misery!

07/01/2005 a date in my diary I will never forget… Mark my fishing buddy was seated in last seasons hot-spot but had not tackled up when I arrived around 14.00hrs.Being the gentleman that he is he was waiting to see if I wanted the swim. Although we had both taken a few fish from this swim during the last couple of months it was nowhere near as proficient as it had been in the past, due to more anglers fishing the area this winter compared to the previous one.
I declined his kind offer as I had another area ear marked for this trip. On my previous session I had heard/seen some fish rolling a short distance upstream of where we stood talking.

By around 14.45 I was set up and had made my first cast. Last season Mark and myself had done quite well with soft boilies but we had both found the fish were not as keen this term, so I had decided to try a change of bait. For the last month or so I had been using trigger ice pellets so far they had accounted for five barbel up-to 12Ib 11oz and numerous chub for me.

Mark fancied trying a swim around a quarter of a mile upstream so taking a few items of tackle with him trotted off to his favourite Ouse swim, a swim that has been very kind to us both in the past.

It was one of those lovely mild overcast winter days when a tee shirt and jumper was all that was required to keep you warm. My favourite kind of winter weather! I guess Mark had been gone around 20 minutes when the tip of my Chimera was pulled around and I found myself doing battle with a powerful fish, adrenalin pumping she was in the net after giving a good account of herself after around five minutes. Out with the mobile… “Hello mukka are you any good with a camera m8†is how we like to let each other know that the other is required for camera duties. As this is a family site I’m not able to say exactly what Mark called me but evidently it’s not only Becks who has golden balls!

Mark arrived some 5-10 minutes later well out of puff… lol
Onto the unhooking mat and onto the scales 12Ib 5oz lovely-chubbly.
“So are you going back upstream then Mark?â€, “no way bert†was his reply lol. After sorting myself out, another hair banded 8mm pellet was attached to a small bag of 4mm & 8mm pellets and cast to mid-river. Around an hour later we both saw a good fish roll around 5 yards downstream of where my hookbait was nestled. We both looked at each other, words were not required. Five minutes later the line tightened on my finger and the rod just folded over. Straight away I new this was big, taking line from the drag she swam downstream and up at will, as this area is quite snag free I was quite happy to let her fight herself out in this way. Once in the net we both new that this one was indeed bigger than the first and so she proved at 13Ib 1oz we were both made up.

After a few more choice comments about my anatomy Mark returned to his swim downstream of me while I sat there with a warm glow and a silly grin on my face. No further action was had until around 19.00 when after a few knocks the line tightened on my finger and I was doing battle with a decent feeling chub, I soon had the fish in the net and onto the mat a good fish of over 5Ibs.This fish had taken a paste wrapped pellet so rebaiting I once again cast to mid-river and settled back in my chair.

Earlier Mark had received a call from his wife and was going to have to pack-up earlier than planned, poor lad was gutted as he new the fish were having it. Before he departed he came down for a chat “should I stay or pack-up†was the question I asked. “I know what I would do if I was you m8†he replied, so I was staying on for a while longer!

The chub continued to show a liking for my paste wrapped pellet hookbait and another two graced my net over the next hour the first another good 5Ib+ fish the other a new pb of 6Ib 15oz a really beautiful scale perfect fish, I was floating.

Like many anglers I like to set myself a challenge for each new season and mine this season had been to up my pb and catch three doubles in a session, at 21.00 the second part of my season’s target was completed as my head torch recorded a weight of 11Ib 6oz another fin perfect beauty. I unshamefully let out a shout of pleasure yeeesss….what a river.

Arms aching I packed up and made my way back across the fields to the car, time for a large whisky and too nudge the misses!

Chris Tribe