14 Days in Barbel Heaven
by Jon Callan
I’ve wanted to write this for a bit now. But, have never been sure how to do it or if anyone wanted to really read it. But, have decided to give it a go anyway!
It was a rather special time for me, in the fact that I caught a fish I had dreamed of, then when I wasn’t too concerned about the size of what came along next, it all seemed to click in a big way!
I think the best way to start with is, to give a little back round history of how my season had been going and what I really wanted from it…
Up until December, I had been catching on average 5 fish a session, with 20 doubles to just under 12lbs. But what I really craved was a fish over 13lbs, something very special to crown the amazing season I’d been having. But no matter where I went, the bigger fish seemed to elude me with amazing regularity. It’s not that they were caught while I was there, they just didn’t seem to appear at all when I was on the bank! Always the day before, or the day after.
Not sure really how to do the next bit, so I think I’ll cop out and do it the way I would write it in a diary…(well kind of!)
1st March 2003
A trip to an area of the Kennet, I had been concentrating on since the start of the New Year, only 2 days previously it had thrown up the biggest Barbel of my season so far. A cracker of 12lb 1oz, caught at the unearthly hour of 2.15am!
Anyway, back to the 1st…
I arrived early evening to fish with my Dad, a rare pleasure that normally results in a stuffing for me!
After dithering about, I was finally all in around 5pm; in a swim I’d never fished, but always fancied a go in!
It was also close enough by, so I could reel in and take a short stroll to take the pee out of the old man at regular intervals!
I’d been sat there for around an hour without any indication, when the call of "fish on" echoed around the Kennet Valley!
Better stroll down or I’ll be walking home…
I arrive at the scene to see his rod hoped over and the fish crashing on the surface mid river, after a few hectic minutes a nice barbel was approaching the net inch by inch. First attempt, in she went. Looks like a good ‘un…
A quick check over on the mat and she was hoisted up onto the scales to reveal a weight of 10lb 6oz. What a lovely way to start the session, unfortunately I’d had a mishap with the camera a short time before. So it went back with only an admiring glance and without a photo for posterity!
After much piss taking I skulked of back to my swim, to plot my revenge!
2 hours later and still not a tap, Mmmm things weren’t looking good!
Over the course of the next 20 minutes I started to get a few small taps and rustles on the downstream rod. These didn’t develop in to anything hittable until the tip just keeled over, a strike wasn’t required, more a frantic grab for a disappearing rod!
The fish didn’t react like a Barbel at all, much more like a Carp; charging off downstream at a great rate of knots. It wasn’t until it was under the tip, it started to plod about and try to dictate the fight.
After what seemed an age and is more likely a few minutes, it rolled on the surface tight to the bank a few yards downstream. Slowly guiding what was obviously a big fish gingerly to the waiting net, the nerves were tingling. But, in she went at the second heart-stopping attempt.
As I lifted her onto the mat, my heart jumped a beat or two, was this the one I craved?
By now my Dad had arrived and was admiring her with me, she was quite short, not to deep and had a great big pair of shoulders on her.
But, what would the scales read?
My dad wetted and zeroed the scales, ‘cause by then I was a gibbering wreck!
In and up she went!
Round they went 11, 12, 13lbs, then after they finished bouncing about and settled, a weight of 13lb 3oz was agreed on. YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!
Now, I had a throw away camera in the glove box, brought for emergencies like this…
After placing the fish back in the net and in deep margin and left in the more than capable hands of my dad to look after, I sprinted back to the car to get the disposable, all the time praying it would be OK and the pictures would come out!
Arriving back a few minutes later and sourcing all the extra light sources we could, 4 shots were rattled off in the hope that just one would be reasonable.
After ten minutes of rattling on and recounting every detail to my Dad, he made his escape back to his swim.
Right, where my phone! I had to ring everybody!
Nick C on the Loddon, he was going to be with us, but decided against it! But his day was coming…
Dick told me get another! Graham said I’d catch another now the pressure was off…
Simon, Neil HD, Andy T, the Rasta and a few others!
Believe it or not, I didn’t get cast out again till 11.30pm!
Not in the same swim, but I moved on one of those gut feeling, about 600 yards upstream; to the swim that had produced the 12.01 a couple of nights ago.
15 minutes later and after the tiniest of bites that pulled the tip around an inch and held it there, I had this…
After the shortest fight I’d ever had from a big fish, it must have been all of a minute!
But I shouldn’t of been wholly surprised when I looked at the size of it’s belly!
I called my Dad straight away and the star traipsed all the way up for the weighing and photos.
I never recast and packed up while I waited for him to appear, more than happy with how the night had gone!
To give my Dad his dues, he was as pleased for me, as I have been for him in the past when he’s had big fish. When we fish together we do so as a team and if one catches, we’ve both had a result. And if we both have a result; as we had that night, brilliant! One to savour.
Just a note about the lengths of each fish;
13lb 3oz – 30¼" in length. 18¼" Girth.
12lb 15oz – 28" in length. 20½" Girth.
9th March 2003
First trip out again since my dream brace, the joys of shift work!
A quick phone call when I arrived at the river, to Tim to see if he was coming out to play!
The reply was positive, so I decided to wait for him to appear!
When he turned up; off we set, dreaming of what was going to come our way!
Tim a couple of months before had upped his PB to 13lb 7oz from the same venue, so we were both buzzing and dreaming of what lurked in the murky depths.
Not that I was overly bothered if I even had a bite!
Tim decided to drop in area he’d fished many times that season, but was yet to have a Barbel out of, but believed a monster was lurking down there!
Me, I plumped to fish another new swim, a couple of hundred yards below where the 13 had come from.
Casting in around 5.30pm, conditions seemed less than ideal. The river was running very clear and seemed to be charging through at a great weight of knots. Not what I would have chosen for a short evening session.
Two rods again, one tucked in within inches of the bank and the other fish out to mid river, with a 5oz gripper needed to hold bottom in the fast clear water.
For an hour it was deathly quiet, when a fish rolled a few yards below the downstream bait. Not 30 seconds later the tip bounced a few times and a speculative strike met with spirited resistance. After a game fight a nice porky end of season Barbel resided in the bottom of the net.
Quickly guesstimated at between 8 and 9lbs and back she went.
On went a PVA bag of goodies and recast to the same spot, I sat back and just grinned!
Still grinning 20 minutes later, I found myself attached to a fish that just hugged the bottom and didn’t really want to budge. But once I got it moving, it stubbornly came towards me. After a minute plodding around under the tip, it suddenly appeared side on, on the surface, god it looks big!
A quick scoop of the net and she was mine!
The next bit is all a bit blurry, but involved calling Tim and leaving the weighing of her to him.
Oh and I told him to bring his camera!
When he told me the weighed of 13lb 13ozs I was gob smacked, another new PB and an absolute cracker!
We carefully checked her over and there wasn’t a mark on her at all, it looked like it had just come out of mint.
We measured her at 31½ inches with an 18 inch Girth, so the potential of her growing some more yet is a very real possibility.
How I would like to meet her again!
Again phone calls all round, with first and most important to my Dad who was as sick as pig he wasn’t there!
A move later in the evening produced a 9lb 4oz Barbel, to cap another brilliant night.
10th March 2003
First day of my holiday and the first of my sessions with Nick!
We had agreed to fish a venue neither of us had fish for a very long time, but had been threatening to return to...
I arrived a bit earlier than Nick, so had the chance to get the pick of the swim and have a really good look about. Finally selecting an area I though may give me a chance to ambush one or two in tricky conditions.
To cut what could be a very long story short, the evening was unbelievable…
After an hour I’d had 3 to 10lb 5oz, whilst Nick decided to do a bit of exploring on another venue. Unfortunately without any success, before succumbing and joining the fray.
A short time after he finally cast out I’d had another one, around 6lbs.
Not long later, I’d just had the fight of my life with a Barbel, which charged up and down the river and refuse to come up off the bottom. After much huffing and puffing, it turned out to be a cracker of 13lb 5oz.
Making it 3 13s in 3 trips!
By this point I was living in dreamland!
Nick the star, responded to my pleas over the phone and did the honours with the camera, but only after walking about 800 yards!
After slipping her back, Nick kindly helped me pack up my gear and carry it down to him. We’d planned to fish together and hadn’t realised how far apart we were, so a move for me was more prudent!
Not to be out done, a short time after I’d got cast out again; Nick was in with a cracker, which turned the scales round to 13lb 1oz.
What a nights this was turning out to be!
After retiring to my chair, it wasn’t long until the tip hammered round again. After a good short fight and quick weighing, a weight of 10lb 13oz was registered, could it get any better? 3 doubles that night already!
It could and it did…
A couple of hours later and without any further activity to report, we decided to leap frog our way along the bank. Eventually getting as far as we wanted to go; without a tap I might add!
Nick wandered down to have a chat before we set off back, we’d been chatting for a couple of minutes when I struck at a little pull. After a fight that mirrored the 13 from earlier in the night and left my arm aching, a lovely plump Barbel of 11lb 9oz was returned to the depths.
We fished on for another hour, but the fish seemed to have shut up shop.
Home called for the both of us, exhausted, but very happy!
11th March 2003
Back again with Nick to the seen of last nights triumph.
A lot quieter but, a fish apiece after a lot of hard work. A 10lb 1oz Barbel for me and one of 9lbs for Nick
12th March 2003
A session I’d been planning for a long time with Roger C of the boards or more a gauntlet picked up!
Tim; joined me for morale support and a shoulder to cry on if things went wrong!
Conditions were pretty dire and not a lot was moving at all.
But one ‘lucky’ fish graced my net! Another cracker of 12lb 1oz (different fish from my last 12.01), which stupidly we never even took a picture of, it never dawned on me till after I had put her back!
But a nice evening was had and a friendship was formed!
The last couple of days of the season produced a couple more fish, but nothing of any great size. But very enjoyable sessions they were!
Don’t think I’ll ever repeat a 14 days like it again, but it won’t stop me trying!
Jon Callan
