Gwyn Jeffs
No Longer a Member
Arrived at one of my stretches on the Wye today to find it heaving - 6 anglers on a mile and a half, busiest I've ever seen it - and both sections with aerated water were sewn up.
Crap, left permit for alternate stretch at home, as did my old man. Rest of stretch is slower than walking pace.
Chub in the margins it is then. Fished float nearside for 2 hours, not a sniff. Did feeder tight to far side trees in 2 feet of water for last 2 hours.
2nd cast, and here's where it gets strange. The tip slowly arced over in the same way as weed on the line does. A quick glance and there is indeed weed on the line. Tip straightens, then very, very slowly arcs over again, then straightens, then starts another arc.
I pickup with a sigh and start reeling in a massive ball of weed.
Halfway in the weed suddenly comes alive, albeit with one kick. WTF is a polite abbreviation of what I actually said.
Knowing and worrying about the swim I'm in I keep reeling and spot a barbel. It kicked once more as I simply guided it into the net.
In this instance, it was straight out pop the hook out and straight back as the margins were chewed up by cows, shallow and warm with no resting opportunities.
She woke up on the mat and went ballistic in the less than 15 seconds she was out. I held her in the net with extendable handle out in the flow, fully expecting and willing to wade out and get wet neck deep if any signs of issues.
But, she ended up nearly tearing the net out of my hands with the lunges for freedom she made and went back super strong.
What alarmed me was the fact the head belonged on an 8 or 9lb fish, yet the fish mat have made 6lb and the body was slim to the point of emaciation. Couple that with the poor bite and fight and the alarm bells started ringing.
Have they been feeding as normal in these slower stretches? You'd think they'd move. Or did I get one that maybe has a tapeworm or a throat sealed with a hook stopping it eating? I've had bream bite and fight better.
Anyway, long story short, myself and my old man have both independently decided that stretch can no longer be fished in these current conditions.
And bear in mind we both fished for chub today, we did not want barbel.
So ya see Neil? I will not fish for them at all costs. I also insisted we packed up before it was fully dark in case I hooked another one, which I couldn't have been sure of going back ok in the dark.
I did get a 4-04 chub to salvage the evening.
The river dropped 2 inches in the 7 hours I was there. But there are still many areas with depth and flow, we already have next week lined up.
But the stretch we pay megabucks for - we probably won't fish until September now unless August gives us some rain - should do, my birthday falls in that month. 39 years of raining on Aug 11th, why change now lol?
Crap, left permit for alternate stretch at home, as did my old man. Rest of stretch is slower than walking pace.
Chub in the margins it is then. Fished float nearside for 2 hours, not a sniff. Did feeder tight to far side trees in 2 feet of water for last 2 hours.
2nd cast, and here's where it gets strange. The tip slowly arced over in the same way as weed on the line does. A quick glance and there is indeed weed on the line. Tip straightens, then very, very slowly arcs over again, then straightens, then starts another arc.
I pickup with a sigh and start reeling in a massive ball of weed.
Halfway in the weed suddenly comes alive, albeit with one kick. WTF is a polite abbreviation of what I actually said.
Knowing and worrying about the swim I'm in I keep reeling and spot a barbel. It kicked once more as I simply guided it into the net.
In this instance, it was straight out pop the hook out and straight back as the margins were chewed up by cows, shallow and warm with no resting opportunities.
She woke up on the mat and went ballistic in the less than 15 seconds she was out. I held her in the net with extendable handle out in the flow, fully expecting and willing to wade out and get wet neck deep if any signs of issues.
But, she ended up nearly tearing the net out of my hands with the lunges for freedom she made and went back super strong.
What alarmed me was the fact the head belonged on an 8 or 9lb fish, yet the fish mat have made 6lb and the body was slim to the point of emaciation. Couple that with the poor bite and fight and the alarm bells started ringing.
Have they been feeding as normal in these slower stretches? You'd think they'd move. Or did I get one that maybe has a tapeworm or a throat sealed with a hook stopping it eating? I've had bream bite and fight better.
Anyway, long story short, myself and my old man have both independently decided that stretch can no longer be fished in these current conditions.
And bear in mind we both fished for chub today, we did not want barbel.
So ya see Neil? I will not fish for them at all costs. I also insisted we packed up before it was fully dark in case I hooked another one, which I couldn't have been sure of going back ok in the dark.
I did get a 4-04 chub to salvage the evening.
The river dropped 2 inches in the 7 hours I was there. But there are still many areas with depth and flow, we already have next week lined up.
But the stretch we pay megabucks for - we probably won't fish until September now unless August gives us some rain - should do, my birthday falls in that month. 39 years of raining on Aug 11th, why change now lol?
