Stu Morgan
Member
Thought I would share this funny event that happened this morning
I popped to the river to have a crack at a group of barbel that I have found.
Got there, put out a little bait and only waited 15 minutes before the first fish showed up and started to feed. Very spooky fish ( I suspected they had been fished for of late as the swim showed signs of others before me, even though its a real pain to get into as the bank is very steep.
Still fish were eating so I had a go.
The order of happenings:
10.8, nice start, I'll put it in the landing net to rest for a bit, wait a minute, there are fish back in the swim (feeding right under the landing net), i'll have another cast.
9.10, great, I'll put it in the landing net with the other one whilst I get sorted, hang on, the fish are back......
a nice big dark one 12.14, hell of a good scrap, bugger the landing nets still got fish in it but I have to use it so I, unhook her in the net and turn around to get the camera gear out of my rucksack. Before I had unzipped the rucksack, the baited rig that i had just taken out of the fish and thrown in the margin was taken and the rod was being pulled through the reeds, got to rod to find another good fish on.
Landed it using the landing net that still had 3 large barbel in it, so i left it unhooked in the net while I got my head straight and the camera ready.
Camera all ready, climb down into the swim and..."wheres the net?...no net...and wheres the rod....no rod. Fish had obviously swam and pulled net off reeds and hooked fish had taken the rod with it. Climeded out of swim and ran downstream, couldn't see anything.
Can't see the river through all these reeds and stingers, running out of time and panicking a bit ,I pushed through the norfolks and found the edge of the bank. I know this as one foot stood on only rushes and I forward rolled into the river ! it is chest deep by the way and undercut, which is handy to know! Completely soaked, I Look under the near bank overhanging reeds and saw 3" of landing net handle sticking up, so I push in and grab it and pull the handle, hoping to find that by some miracle, all the fish may be still in the net, instead I pull too hard and the net cord snaps, the arms pull out of the spreader block, I am left holding a nice esp landing net handle! I wade downstream and manage to see the submerged net so hook it with the handle and grab the mesh.
One fish still in the net !, not the big one, but the 10.8. Still no rod, walk down stream to find a place to get out and feel taught line across my legs, pull it up and follow it to my rod, fish still on!, play it, again, and land it using just the net arms. an upper 10. 4 fish landed, but only had to release 2, what a result.
Cheers
Stuart
I popped to the river to have a crack at a group of barbel that I have found.
Got there, put out a little bait and only waited 15 minutes before the first fish showed up and started to feed. Very spooky fish ( I suspected they had been fished for of late as the swim showed signs of others before me, even though its a real pain to get into as the bank is very steep.
Still fish were eating so I had a go.
The order of happenings:
10.8, nice start, I'll put it in the landing net to rest for a bit, wait a minute, there are fish back in the swim (feeding right under the landing net), i'll have another cast.
9.10, great, I'll put it in the landing net with the other one whilst I get sorted, hang on, the fish are back......
a nice big dark one 12.14, hell of a good scrap, bugger the landing nets still got fish in it but I have to use it so I, unhook her in the net and turn around to get the camera gear out of my rucksack. Before I had unzipped the rucksack, the baited rig that i had just taken out of the fish and thrown in the margin was taken and the rod was being pulled through the reeds, got to rod to find another good fish on.
Landed it using the landing net that still had 3 large barbel in it, so i left it unhooked in the net while I got my head straight and the camera ready.
Camera all ready, climb down into the swim and..."wheres the net?...no net...and wheres the rod....no rod. Fish had obviously swam and pulled net off reeds and hooked fish had taken the rod with it. Climeded out of swim and ran downstream, couldn't see anything.
Can't see the river through all these reeds and stingers, running out of time and panicking a bit ,I pushed through the norfolks and found the edge of the bank. I know this as one foot stood on only rushes and I forward rolled into the river ! it is chest deep by the way and undercut, which is handy to know! Completely soaked, I Look under the near bank overhanging reeds and saw 3" of landing net handle sticking up, so I push in and grab it and pull the handle, hoping to find that by some miracle, all the fish may be still in the net, instead I pull too hard and the net cord snaps, the arms pull out of the spreader block, I am left holding a nice esp landing net handle! I wade downstream and manage to see the submerged net so hook it with the handle and grab the mesh.
One fish still in the net !, not the big one, but the 10.8. Still no rod, walk down stream to find a place to get out and feel taught line across my legs, pull it up and follow it to my rod, fish still on!, play it, again, and land it using just the net arms. an upper 10. 4 fish landed, but only had to release 2, what a result.
Cheers
Stuart
Last edited:
