Paul Collins
Senior Member
Last Saturday evening I went to fish a small backwater attached to one of my club's upper Lea fisheries, this unstocked little water is very unusual in that apart from a good head of smallish Tench and some good Roach, Rudd and Perch it also has quite a few Barbel and occasionally some Carp which find their way in from the river. I floatfish with a centerpin for whatever turns up, fine tackle for the silvers and heavier gear for the Barbel and occasional Carp. The fishing was brilliant and by the time the light was going I'd had about 20 Tench and the swim was beginning to look a bit like a jacuzzi with the Barbel and Carp tearing up the bottom and as a precaution I changed my hooklink to 8lb 'normal' nylon and a size 6 strong hook, this is a very weedy water. Just as I was about to sort out my starlights to fish into darkness I discovered I didn't have my head torch! With that the float sailed away and I found myself attached to either a Carp or Barbel which was heading for the far bank at a rate of knots, the pin however refused to turn and the resounding crack from the 8lb nylon was, I'm sure, heard some miles away. I then discovered that my braid mainline had wrapped itself around the rod tip. Feeling more than a little pee'd off I reluctantly packed up and resolved to return for revenge as soon as possible.
I returned last evening, the river had risen considerably due to a thunderstorm the previous evening and the backwater had a lovely colour and was up about a foot. I got into a swim near the 'scene of the crime' with a new headtorch and batteries and a new packet of starlights. As expected around 7.00pm the Tench started feeding and by about 9.30 I'd had around a dozen, then, the bite I'd been waiting for and I was attached to a Carp, after a spirited battle I finally slipped the net under a mint conditioned dark common about 8 or 9lb, the commotion brought me some spectators, including a young lad there with his dad, who took this picture for me :-
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ne0u85px9d1tt97/2015-07-04 21.29.48.jpg?dl=0
Understandably the swim went a bit quiet for a while. As it was nearly dark I put on a starlight and was discussing them with the young lad, who'd come down for a chat, I was pointing out that in fact you see 2 images and as the float goes down it appears to go twice as fast as normal, right on cue the float sunk a little and stayed there. I struck, and all hell broke loose, the fish made a determined very fast run of at least 40 yds down to my left and the screaming of the reel once again attracted an audience. The fish, after a few more bursts, allowed itself to be winched back to the swim, together with a Canadian pondweed blindfold, and the lads father netted it for me and took this picture. https://www.dropbox.com/s/m4l8iawr3tbduo7/2015-07-04 22.14.56.jpg?dl=0
It was a beautiful orangey colour common in fin perfect condition again and bottomed out my 14lb spring balance with a thump. Some digital scales gave a reading of 14lbs but what the hell, what a fish!!
Once on the bank it was still very lively and I think without the pondweed blindfold I'd have been playing it for another 1/2 hour!
Still not had a Barbel from there yet this year so I will return.
I returned last evening, the river had risen considerably due to a thunderstorm the previous evening and the backwater had a lovely colour and was up about a foot. I got into a swim near the 'scene of the crime' with a new headtorch and batteries and a new packet of starlights. As expected around 7.00pm the Tench started feeding and by about 9.30 I'd had around a dozen, then, the bite I'd been waiting for and I was attached to a Carp, after a spirited battle I finally slipped the net under a mint conditioned dark common about 8 or 9lb, the commotion brought me some spectators, including a young lad there with his dad, who took this picture for me :-
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ne0u85px9d1tt97/2015-07-04 21.29.48.jpg?dl=0
Understandably the swim went a bit quiet for a while. As it was nearly dark I put on a starlight and was discussing them with the young lad, who'd come down for a chat, I was pointing out that in fact you see 2 images and as the float goes down it appears to go twice as fast as normal, right on cue the float sunk a little and stayed there. I struck, and all hell broke loose, the fish made a determined very fast run of at least 40 yds down to my left and the screaming of the reel once again attracted an audience. The fish, after a few more bursts, allowed itself to be winched back to the swim, together with a Canadian pondweed blindfold, and the lads father netted it for me and took this picture. https://www.dropbox.com/s/m4l8iawr3tbduo7/2015-07-04 22.14.56.jpg?dl=0
It was a beautiful orangey colour common in fin perfect condition again and bottomed out my 14lb spring balance with a thump. Some digital scales gave a reading of 14lbs but what the hell, what a fish!!
Once on the bank it was still very lively and I think without the pondweed blindfold I'd have been playing it for another 1/2 hour!
Still not had a Barbel from there yet this year so I will return.
