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End of an era, for me

Anthony Pearson said:
On a different note, I was almost fifty before I had the opportunity to fish for barbel. Think of the all the years I lost in comparison to your exploits, Paul.
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That makes three of us! I was 52 when I first attempted barbel fishing. I'm an ex river and canal match angler and didn't know how to tie a hair rig. Realised that I shouldn't let the opportunity of living near the best barbel river in the country go. Now, barbel fishing has caught me!

I can fully understand your decision, Paul, as I also like short sessions into darkness, including throughout the winter. I hope you continue to occasionally visit my river, the mighty Trent.
 
Paul Whiteing said:
End of an era :

With some sadness I have decided to give up fishing for barbel, not a decision made on the spur of the moment, it's been coming for a while.

Several factors influenced my decision : age and safety, that I liked fishing alone and in darkness it just doesn't seem sensible any more, even though my health is (lucky me) pretty good and my knee replacement I had last year went well but am a bit unsteady at times, not ideal on river banks, and can't walk far with gear; distance I need to travel; Covid and its restrictions, which has taken away such a long period from our lives, I've not fished a river since around October 2020; and lastly, but not the main reason, is that there are just not the numbers of barbel about these days, I never minded blanking as such but so many sessions of recent years seemed like I was flogging a dead horse.

I fished for barbel for nearly 50 years, have enjoyed the best times but I feel the peak has passed. I caught a fair few barbel, a fair few big barbel, and made lots of good friends, but alas I won't renew my club permits.

However, I will still have the odd session, probably up on the Trent, and will continue my pursuit of crucians and tench that I started again a couple of years back.

Will still be here on BFW though :)
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Well Paul I haven’t given up yet and decided today would be a scouting mission for a few visits to the river when the season starts.
The criteria is thus…..it has to be safe ( well ‘ish’ as nowhere is 100% safe’.)
Access to parking has to be non four by four friendly ( I have a ‘normal saloon’)
less than hours drive.
Pegs must be relatively old person friendly.

Decided on the Middle Warwickshire Avon ( 30 minutes drive ).
The 1st venue was one where I had an ‘arrangement’ with the farmer. This used to be an ‘armchair ‘ swim with a reasonable walk. Parking was good and I set off down a narrow bridalway that got increasingly overgrown. Where I had to branch left to drop down to the river was now an impenetrable jungle of stingers and bramble. I decided that ‘inpenetrable’ had to be challenged. I managed about a foot, got ‘scared for life’ and turned back….bloody but still alive.
Venue 2 was nearby but I had forgotten the ‘ five bar gate’ ( locked , of course ). As my new knee is still’ a work in progress’ my brain finally started working and I simply leaned on it and reminisced of days gone by when I leapt over five bar gates and caught a few nice fish here. Still a possibility if my knee improves.
Third venue was another short drive away. Good parking, only one stile to gingerly manoeuvre myself over but with a longish walk but manageable. Frankly the river here is beautiful, five foot deep and pulling through, I haven’t fished here for donkeys years but it was always good for a fish or two. The pegs are a little steep and a bit slippy. Not ideal but by now I am already dreaming of monster Barbel so inch my way down the bank and come to no harm. Getting back up is more difficult but I manage it. Definitely not swims to be fished at night but I am smitten.
On a practical note I decide I will take my wife next week so that she knows where to find my body if I don’t return one day! I also stopped at the village pub which was how it should be, friendly and comfortable. I shall take ‘her indoors’ here as well in case she needs pursuading ( spending money on her always works).
If I don’t survive , look out for my obituary in theTelegraph….If will start…who?
Well Paul, maybe my enthusiasm will be contagious? Take it easy mate,
G.T.
 
I have got my strimmer and dog spike c/w rope at the ready. The middle Avon is indeed a beautiful setting ...perhaps will see you there Graham?
 
Neil Smart said:
I have got my strimmer and dog spike c/w rope at the ready. The middle Avon is indeed a beautiful setting ...perhaps will see you there Graham?
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Yes, the last swim looked amazing, absolutely screamed ’FISH ME’ 🎣. Would love to ‘hook up ‘ ( sorry’) but will just make sure that my knee’s are up to job first. Stay safe Neil and enjoy the river. I will let you know how I get on…..
G.T.
 
Neil Smart said:
I have got my strimmer and dog spike c/w rope at the ready. The middle Avon is indeed a beautiful setting ...perhaps will see you there Graham?
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Ive fished a few stretches of the baa avon neil but never had much luck to be honest, any tips mate👍
 
Mark Pevy said:
Ive fished a few stretches of the baa avon neil but never had much luck to be honest, any tips mate👍
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Not easy compared to previous years, but there are still some big old females to be had, end of last season the river record was broken...so hopeful. All I can say is to do what I find difficult, just bait and wait keeping recasts down to a minimum. Lots of potential within a couple of miles of Bidford on Avon ..BAA offer some great fishing here.
 
Graham Tremble said:
Yes, the last swim looked amazing, absolutely screamed ’FISH ME’ 🎣. Would love to ‘hook up ‘ ( sorry’) but will just make sure that my knee’s are up to job first. Stay safe Neil and enjoy the river. I will let you know how I get on…..
G.T.
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You take care. I value good health being the wrong end of things the last two years, so have to feel up to it to venture out..there is somewhere I have found that has a stretch of the Arrow and a meadow on the Avon that rarely gets fished, I was unable to fish much last season, but hopefully will this season. This meadow has a distinct gravel bar, and big Chub and barbel can be seen suspended over the gravel, never seen that before on the Avon.
Silly fuel prices will see me a bit more local say within 10 miles but that still gives me a lot to go at.
atb
 
I was beginning to despair myself, as I'd no idea whereabouts (on the Middle Severn) I fancied fishing in the early months of the season. My requirements for a few swims are different to some mentioned above, them being : at least 0.75mile / 1km from a car park, preferably heavily overgrown, no possibility of anyone fishing the opposite bank PLUS steady 3-4mph flow, 3-6ft deep, with some streamer weed if possible. And I found 3 within a 200m stretch!! I managed to get down to the river in all 3, did a bit of tidying, then just dug toe-holds on the way back up the steep bank, ensuring minimal disturbance of foliage up the top end. I doubt anyone else will find them without a load of luck (I'd not spotted them and I'd walked that stretch, looking, at least 10 times previously. Just hope my calf strains have recovered by the 16th :oops:
Up.jpg

Hill House E.jpg

A thing of beauty ....I'll be happy to blank there.
 
Terry Simner said:
I was beginning to despair myself, as I'd no idea whereabouts (on the Middle Severn) I fancied fishing in the early months of the season. My requirements for a few swims are different to some mentioned above, them being : at least 0.75mile / 1km from a car park, preferably heavily overgrown, no possibility of anyone fishing the opposite bank PLUS steady 3-4mph flow, 3-6ft deep, with some streamer weed if possible. And I found 3 within a 200m stretch!! I managed to get down to the river in all 3, did a bit of tidying, then just dug toe-holds on the way back up the steep bank, ensuring minimal disturbance of foliage up the top end. I doubt anyone else will find them without a load of luck (I'd not spotted them and I'd walked that stretch, looking, at least 10 times previously. Just hope my calf strains have recovered by the 16th :oops:
View attachment 19656
View attachment 19658
A thing of beauty ....I'll be happy to blank there.
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I know that swim😉
 
Graham Tremble said:
Well Paul I haven’t given up yet and decided today would be a scouting mission for a few visits to the river when the season starts.
The criteria is thus…..it has to be safe ( well ‘ish’ as nowhere is 100% safe’.)
Access to parking has to be non four by four friendly ( I have a ‘normal saloon’)
less than hours drive.
Pegs must be relatively old person friendly.

Decided on the Middle Warwickshire Avon ( 30 minutes drive ).
The 1st venue was one where I had an ‘arrangement’ with the farmer. This used to be an ‘armchair ‘ swim with a reasonable walk. Parking was good and I set off down a narrow bridalway that got increasingly overgrown. Where I had to branch left to drop down to the river was now an impenetrable jungle of stingers and bramble. I decided that ‘inpenetrable’ had to be challenged. I managed about a foot, got ‘scared for life’ and turned back….bloody but still alive.
Venue 2 was nearby but I had forgotten the ‘ five bar gate’ ( locked , of course ). As my new knee is still’ a work in progress’ my brain finally started working and I simply leaned on it and reminisced of days gone by when I leapt over five bar gates and caught a few nice fish here. Still a possibility if my knee improves.
Third venue was another short drive away. Good parking, only one stile to gingerly manoeuvre myself over but with a longish walk but manageable. Frankly the river here is beautiful, five foot deep and pulling through, I haven’t fished here for donkeys years but it was always good for a fish or two. The pegs are a little steep and a bit slippy. Not ideal but by now I am already dreaming of monster Barbel so inch my way down the bank and come to no harm. Getting back up is more difficult but I manage it. Definitely not swims to be fished at night but I am smitten.
On a practical note I decide I will take my wife next week so that she knows where to find my body if I don’t return one day! I also stopped at the village pub which was how it should be, friendly and comfortable. I shall take ‘her indoors’ here as well in case she needs pursuading ( spending money on her always works).
If I don’t survive , look out for my obituary in theTelegraph….If will start…who?
Well Paul, maybe my enthusiasm will be contagious? Take it easy mate,
G.T.
Click to expand...
Certainly big changes for me Graham :oops:

No 1.75lb barbel rods, no c'pins (well not quite), no braid, no made-up rods, no isotopes, no 36" landing net

1. 14ft float rod, pointy red things, plummety doo-dahs, c'pin reels (thank god), 15" round pan net, 'ooks smaller than no.6s

2. 2 x feeder rods, 2 x small Shimano bait-runners (shhhhhh!), 2 x bite alarms (equally shhhhhh!)

No desire to visit my old barbel rivers, and especially as some over-zealous strimmer-mad do-gooders have changed intimate banksides into canalised snag-free blah blah blah - but best don't go there :rolleyes:
 
Good luck Paul, fully understand your decision.
I am lucky in that my legs haven't given up yet but age is catching up, now choose swims near to where I park. Has anybody else noticed that the best swims are always the furthest ones. I don't go fishing anywhere near as many times as I used to do but still enjoy it whether I catch or not, as soon as that changes I will stop, hopefully never happens.
 
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