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Gone but not forgotten

July 12, 2012 by nathanwalter


Wednesday was going to be a strange sort of day but I think quite a fitting one. I had been due to go to London but that had been cancelled and so I opted to go to my beloved Kennet instead. Geoff and I arrived fairly early and parked up in the car park with the intention of taking a recce of another new stretch for us this season. We wandered downstream and then about 1/2 to 3/4 mile upstream. We were very impressed with the section. Loads of bankside cover, a good flow and plenty of gravel and snags. It looked perfect for barbel and we couldn’t wait to get going.

The Kennet

The Kennet

We had spotted numerous swims that we both fancied and I decided to start at the uppermost of these and work my way back towards the car. Initially the weather was pretty good, quite clear and the sun felt warm, however that was soon to change and seemed quite fitting for the day in question.

The first swim produced nothing so after a couple of hours I opted to move downstream, especially as the wind had now picked up and the odd threatening storm cloud had started to billow up in the sky. I tried another swim and then moved again into a deeper area where I had found a deep hole by a overhanging tree. I cast a block end feeder out with some pellet inside (they are too big to come out and are there just for the scent trail), held it back slightly so the whole lot swung in towards the tree and then dropped it down into the deeper water.

The Kennet

The Kennet

I hadn’t been there long when I started to get a few crayfish knocks but shortly after I had a real roach type bite, which I never struck at. Then a guy walked up past and we had a short chat, shortly followed by another chap. At this point the skies had blackened and I felt it sensible to get an umbrella ready, just in case. Then I felt the first spot of rain, so decided to just put the brolly up anyway. With that, the rain started and within a few minutes it was torrential. The rain was pounding on the brolly and water was cascading down the sides. Then I had a couple of taps on the rod tip. I thought “oh no, not now”. With that the rod top ripped round and the strike met with a powerful fish, barbel on. The fish took several yards of line before I stopped it. It then kited out towards mid river and took a few more yards of line and then nothing. The hook had pulled. Again I thought, well perhaps that’s how it’s meant to be today.

The previous day I had attended my brother David’s funeral. He was just 47. It’s fair to say that after a rather difficult period we had become estranged. Our parents both died young, my Mum at 44 and my Dad was 54 and they died just two years apart, both from cancer. I think I was 17 when Mum died and 19 when Dad did. David was 3 years older than me. I hadn’t seen Dave since I was 21, so 23 years. I was contacted just before I went on holiday to Hereford to say that he had terminal cancer. I had arranged with some family members to go and see him once I was back, but sadly after just a few days of that initial phone call, I was informed he had died.

At the service I had learned a few things about my brother that I wasn’t aware of, or perhaps had just forgotten. He loved fishing, the countryside, wildlife and in particular gardening. Some of this surprised me because of his history and none of that quite fitted his persona. But of course he couldn’t be all bad, he came from the same parents as me and we shared the same traits.

I also learned of his generosity and compassion, which again shouldn’t have surprised me because that was what our parents were like. I now wish I had tried to see him before the end and I only wish that we could have maybe spent a day by the banks of the Kennet together, just once. Although he was a carp angler, I know he would have reveled at the wildness of the river. Become enchanted by its magic, the beautiful array of trees, plants and wild flowers would have captivated him. To see the wild deer dart along the track and disappear into the tangle of undergrowth. He loved birdsong and as I sat there today I could hear a multitude of beautiful songs and calls from the resident bird life and it seemed so clear and loud. If only he could have seen the buzzards and Red Kites soaring overhead, a kestrel hovering above the field and that iridescent flash of blue as a beautiful kingfisher hurtled past. He would have fallen in love with the place, just as I have.

So today was not just about fishing. It was more about contemplation, for sparing a thought for the departed. Fishing has given me so much, not just the catching of amazing fish but everything that goes with it and I owe it a debt of gratitude, for without it, I too could have easily gone off the rails and led a very different life. Even the weather today resembled my brother’s life. At times bright and warm, at others dark, brooding, angry and violent. Perhaps just unpredictable would some it up well. But there was an underlying generosity and compassion to him that endured. The lost fish also seemed fitting. I was hoping to catch one for him but perhaps he remains the better angler and he had the last laugh today. And quite right too.

Out of the ashes of this sadness came a bright and burning phoenix too. For I met other members of my family that I hadn’t seen for 25 years. My two cousins Kim and Jackie from London, my Auntie Anna (on my Dad’s side) and friends from childhood. I also met my nephew Josh and Niece Natalie for the first time. They were fully grown now and both wonderful young adults, who did their Dad proud and it was an honour to meet them.

I also got to meet my sister again after many, many years and I was amazed at just how much she looked like our Mum. Most of all I was reunited with my youngest brother Tony. When my parents died I looked after him for a year or two, before he went to live with my sister. I wished that had never happened. We share a very strong bond and he means more to me than anyone alive. I’ve missed him and best of all he has become a caring, generous and decent man, one that I know our parents would have been incredibly proud of. He put’s me to shame, that’s for sure!

Anyway you must forgive my indulgence, but I hope that it highlights that fishing is not just about catching fish and keep it all in perspective.

Not long before packing up we heard a roar of engines and watched in childlike awe as a Spitfire and a Mustang roared past us overhead. They then commenced an aerial display which took our breaths away. As they soared high in the sky and then dropped, hurtling towards the ground and turned sharply into another flyover. It lasted about 5-10 minutes and was a fitting end to the day. A fly past for David…well why not eh. By the way Dave I hope we meet again somewhere better, but not for at least 50 years or so! 🙂

Awesome display

Awesome display

Needless to say, neither Geoff nor myself managed any more bites that day. We bumped into Trefor West in the car park and now we’re not sure who’s stalking who! It was great to meet him again as he’s such a nice bloke.

Tight lines.

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Barn Owls and Barbel

July 9, 2012 by nathanwalter


After spending a few days on the Wye, it was time to head back to the Kennet for a couple of days.  I started off with Geoff on a Newbury controlled stretch.  It was a deep, heavily overgrown area.  The top end was a little shallower but gradually deepened as it went downstream, ending up with 10-12 feet of water.  The average seemed to be 6-8 feet.  Despite finding some nice swims and managing to take a nice upper 4lb chub, very little else happened.  Personally I think that it’s a stretch that will come into it’s own from Autumn onwards, as the barbel look for deeper water.  Geoff only managed a bream and so we packed up around midnight.  We’ll definitely be back but not for a couple of months.

The following day I headed to a Reading section of the Kennet for the first time.  I was due to meet Micky Holtom, owner of the Barbel Angler website, to hand over the Association of Barbel Fisher’s ‘Beast’ centrepin reel.  Whilst there, Micky suggested we did a bit of rolling.  I haven’t done this method for a couple of seasons and even when I did,  it was with little aplomb, however I fancied giving it a go again.  Without a doubt it’s a tricky method to get right and therefore plenty of practice is required to get a feel for fishing this method.  Basically you fish a large lump of luncheon meat on a big hook (size 2) and if extra weight is required you can add a lump of plasticine 6-8 inches from the hook bait.  You can add a little weight to the hook too.  One way to do this was shown to me by rolling meat supremo Jez Brown.  You mold a little extra heavy tungsten putty around the shank of the hook and then encapsulate it in some industrial type shrink tube.  It works extremely well and I wished I had carried on with this method a couple of years a go, I might have been reasonable at it by now!

The Kennet

The Kennet

One of the other reasons for giving up on it was the reel I was using.  I opted for a fixed spool whereas the more accomplished meat rollers invariably use a Ray Walton rolling pin.  This is a centrepin that can be turned so that the drum faces up the rod and then switched back to it’s normal position after casting.  This means casting is easy and more importantly allowing line off the reel is efficient.  You need to create a bow in the line so that the meat will trundle downstream along the bottom of the river, in a straight line.  The use of braid allows you to quite literally feel the meat bouncing along the gravel.  You then need to keep feeding line off of the pin to allow the bait to continue downstream in a free manner.  When you feel a pluck, whack it.  Often bites are quite delicate and I can clearly remember Jez saying that you often sense a bite rather than feel it.  I can only concur with those sentiments, it’s hard to describe what you are striking at sometimes but you know its a fish.

Anyway Micky lost a fish early on and then wandered downstream after showing me a hot peg to feeder fish.  He soon phoned me to report that he had caught a couple of small barbel and a chub.  I decided to wander downstream and join him for a while.  He kindly allowed me to have another go.  I found the main difficulty was getting the bow in the line right, so that I could feel the bait trundling along the gravel.  I often felt nothing and therefore wasn’t in control.  Still with a little guidance I eventually had a few knocks and one good one which I whacked.  The fish was on but sadly not for long.  Still it was a fish on, so I was doing something right.  With more practice and the right equipment, I’m sure I’ll improve quite quickly and I’m really looking forward to another bash at this method.

I returned to my swim for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.  I was fishing a deep run under a tree.  I started with a block end feeder filled with pellet.  This is designed to just offer a scent trail rather than dump bait on the bottom.  It’s a method that I have used many times and it has been very successful in the past.  The idea is that the barbel pick up the scent trail and it triggers a feeding response, however the only bait there is the hookbait, so they don’t have a lot of choice in what they can eat.  It’s not a method which everyone is convinced by and often people look at you like you’ve just been let out of the looney bin but it has worked extremely well for me on occasions, so there!

The Kennet

The Kennet

Anyway it wasn’t too long before the rod top slammed round and a feisty little barbel was scooped out.  It was only about 4lbs but was my first Kennet fish of the season.  Sometime later and the rod tip whacked round again.  This time it was a slightly better fish of around 6lb+.  During a quiet moment in between bites I glanced up for some reason (maybe a shadow caught my eye) and a beautiful barn owl swooped silently by, just above my head, with a mouse clutched firmly in its talons.  What a stunning sight and just before that I watched a Kestrel swooping and hovering in the field opposite looking for a similar meal to the owl. I decided to call it a day about 9.45pm and headed home to Kent.

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If Carlsberg did Nursing Homes………

July 8, 2012 by nathanwalter


We arrived at our next venue quite excited having met an angler who had fished here the day before and said the river was in good sorts and he’d ‘had a few’.   However all expectations were soon dashed when we clapped eyes on the river.  Although only maybe 18″ up it was very coloured and pushing through a bit.

It was a stunning piece of river though and part of it ran through the National Trust property – Weir Garden.  There is also a magnificent white mansion that overlooks the stunning gardens and river and is now a care home.  As the title says ” If Carlsberg did Nursing Homes…….” it would look like Weir Garden.

Weir Garden

Weir Garden

I felt a good wander was in order.  First swim up and several casts equaled several lots of lost tackle.  So back on with the gear and I marched up to the end of the fishery.  It was much wider and slower here, with a clear bottom.  However after about 20 minutes I decided I didn’t like it for some reason, so opted to head back downstream nearer to where I had started.  So off I marched again and with sweat pouring off me in the heat of the summer sun, I finally found somewhere that looked more suitable.

I stumbled across a nice swim in amongst the trees.  Fast water dropped off into a deeper gully on a bend, offering a deep crease swim.  However this was a tackle graveyard.  After loosing several items of tackle I was close to giving in and moving, however the swim looked so good I had to just try once more.  I swapped to a lead and started to cast upstream slightly with a heavy lead so it wouldn’t move and then slip into another snag.  This seemed to work and suddenly the rod top slammed round and a very fit and healthy barbel was soon subdued.  This gave me renewed enthusiasm for the swim.  So again I cast slightly upstream and catapulted some bait out.  Very soon the rod top whacked round again and another very hard fighting barbel resulted.  I swapped to a feeder again to get some bait going in. I ended up with 6 or 7 good sized barbel, all ranging in weights from about 6lbs to nearly 8lbs.

Then casting in exactly the same spot I began to loose tackle again.  Numerous casts resulted in numerous lost feeders.  I swapped to a lead and ended up with the same result.  So this time I cast slightly downstream and further out.  Again I found a clear spot and this accounted for several more barbel.  Then, quite bizarrely I started to loose tackle here too.  I was close to moving but had one more trick up my sleeve.  If this worked I would stay put, otherwise I was off.  I used the same setup but instead of a feeder or lead, I used a string of the 3 x swan shots on a piece of line.  I used 8 of these shot, which held bottom nicely.  The reason was that if they were to slip into a crevice in the bedrock, they would just bend and pull straight back out.  It worked a treat and I lost no more tackle and ended up with 16 beautiful barbel.  I also had a run of good chub taking 3 different 5 pounders on the bounce at 5lb, 5lb 1oz and 5lb 6oz.  I was over the moon.

The other guys were struggling.  Geoff had 4, Dan 3 and Kevin just a couple.  It’s all about swim location and I got lucky finding this one before the others did.  Get it right and you can end up with a shed load, get it wrong and you can struggle for a bite.  However the conditions were tough and that had some bearing on results.  I’m certain we’ll return but hopefully in better, clearer conditions so that we can see what the make up of the river bottom is like.

So another week passed.  A pretty good result for me and I did genuinely feel bad for the other three guys.  It’s a bummer when you go all of that way and look forward to it so much, only for the fishing to be poor.  Still it was good company, great scenery and some amazing wildlife and you have to take that into account too.

 

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Double Trouble

July 8, 2012 by nathanwalter


After finally recovering from a touch of mountaineering the previous day, we managed to tackle a far more muscle friendly stretch. We headed just above Ross to fish a club water.  Initial appearances were good.  It was quite overgrown in the most part which would indicate a lightly fished stretch.   Obviously nearer the car park there were more signs of human activity but once you started to walk upstream a bit, that evidence grew less and less.

The Wye

The Wye

I wandered up to what appeared to be the upper limit of the beat and found a couple of very nice swims.  Access wasn’t too bad and I had soon cast a lead around the swim to see what the bottom was like.  It appeared to be pretty good, although I did get snagged a couple of times.  I was fishing just off of a bend and a nice crease went across from the nearside bank right over to the opposite bank.  I particularly enjoy these swims, especially if using two rods (which I very rarely do) as it gives you plenty of room to work with on these bigger rivers.

Using two decent sized open end feeders packed with pellet and plugged with groundbait, I started to build up the swim.  It didn’t take too long to get a response and I soon bumped a fish off but followed it up with a couple of nice barbel.  They put up a very spirited fight and were in tip top condition.

It was a very hot day and I needed to keep getting up and wandering about, otherwise I find myself just dozing off in the heat of the day.  Anyway another couple of fish quickly followed, including one just over 8lbs, plus a couple of small chub.  Then the swim just died.  So during a quiet spell I went for a walk with Geoff.  After a bit of investigative work we found that in fact the beat finished quite a bit further upstream.  We wandered up and found several really fishy areas.  By now it was getting a little late and due to the heat and near exhaustion from the previous day, I just couldn’t find the energy to carry my gear another 1/2 mile upstream to what looked like the best area on the river.  However it’s there to be explored another day.

The Wye

The Wye

So eventually we arrived back at our swims and said that the next day we would travel much lighter and visit this newly discovered Eden.  In the meantime it was back to the barbel.  For some strange reason my swim had completely died as I said previously.  I did manage two more barbel and a couple of chub but otherwise it was pretty quiet.  Geoff was not too far below me and struggled to find any fish.  Kevin also seemed to be having a difficult time with just one small barbel.  Hero of the day was without a doubt Danny.  He had setup lower downstream.  After taking a couple of chub we heard his somewhat excited voice on the walkie talkie.  He had caught a very big fish.  The first time he weighed it, it went 9lb 14oz and the second time it went 10lb 4oz but he needed some assistance to weigh the fish properly.  Kevin was the closest and he eventually confirmed the weight at 10lb 4oz.  Danny was over the moon and rightly so.  Doubles from the Wye and comparatively rare, when one considers just how many fish are caught from the river.  We must have had many hundreds of barbel and this was the first double.  So well done Dan.

Danny's 10lb 4oz

Danny’s 10lb 4oz

We decided enough was enough and grabbed some food from Ross before retiring for the night.  The next morning we awoke with the intention of fishing the same stretch.  However about 8am the skies became quite dark and a huge clap of thunder shook the caravan.  Then the skies quite literally opened and the rain came down in stair rods.  It was torrential and lasted nearly 3 hours.  This would ruin the fishing today.  The influx of coloured water would simply make fishing almost impossible.  So we resigned ourselves to a fishing free day and so decided to eat, drink and be merry, well almost.

After the storm had passed

After the storm had passed

We wandered down to the river once the rains abated.  Low and behold there was an angler!  We ventured along the rather soggy banks looking at the deep red/brown raging river.  As I approached the angler I realised it was Trefor West.  After a long chat, we left him in peace to carry on with his fishing.  Before the rain had started he had caught a couple of small barbel.  We saw him again much later and he had given up as the river conditions had worsened.  So at least we had made the right decision.  We were due to be on the river for our last session the following day but it was above Hereford.  After driving up to Hereford we saw that the river was in much better condition here and after talking to Woody, we felt much more confident that we would be able to fish on the last day.

 

 

 

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A Himalayan Adventure

July 5, 2012 by nathanwalter


So Sir Edmund Hilary thought climbing Everest was tough, did he?!  He had Sherpa Tensing to ably assist with lugging all of that gear.  Well he should have tried fishing the Wye at Aramstone, then he would have known difficulty, Human endurance and pain.  We arrived at our destination and descended down (and I mean down) into the Wye valley.  After the tricky decent and a walk along the river, it was apparent that we had ventured onto the wrong stretch.  So, back up the mountain to the car and eventually we found the right parking spot.  This time fully loaded with tackle and resembling a mountain ass (er, no comments please)  I again began the steep, slippery descent.  On finally arriving at ground zero, I was met by a rather angry and coloured looking  river.  So the walking began in earnest.  I traipsed from one end of the stretch to the other.  Then the heavy rain started again.  Things were looking really good!

Me arriving at Aramstone

Me arriving at Aramstone

After a long walk to the top end of the fishery I found several good looking swims, one of which looked particularly enticing.  With the river being up and coloured, this swim stood out amongst the others.  It had a overhanging bush to my right and after about 10 yards downstream, another bush to the left.  In between was an area of quieter water, with a crease running along the entire swim created by both the bush and the faster water slightly further out.  After chucking a lead around I discovered the bottom was gravel and clear, with the exception of the odd spot of weed but I felt that wouldn’t cause too much of a problem.

Due to the high colouration I wanted to get a good sent trail in the swim and try and pull the fish in and keep them there.  So large open cage feeders (cagefeeders.com) were the order of the day packed with mixed pellet and plugged both ends with the Hinders Barbel Bomb groundbait.  Initially I decided to use a couple of the large elips pellets but often in these coloured conditions I’ll use a longer hair and glue on 4 or even 6 large elips.  I was using a 3 oz feeder and casting it just onto the edge of the faster flow.  For the first hour or two I was casting fairly randomly along the crease, just to spread some bait throughout the swim.  Later I concentrated the cast into one spot and kept plenty of feed going in.

Aramstone

Aramstone

This certainly worked as the first bite came very quickly followed by several more.  The action continued right up until I stopped about 7pmish.  There would always be a short lull in between bites and often when the barbel went quiet, the chub would move in.  I ended the day on 13 barbel and 6 or 7 chub.  The barbel were mainly in the 6-7lb bracket and the chub fairly small.   They were all typical 3 foot twitches, which I love.

As part of the day I felt I needed to put the ‘beast‘ through it’s paces, especially after failing to catch a barbel with it towards the end of last season.  So this seemed like the ideal opportunity to give it a whirl.  It didn’t take long to hear that ear aching clicking that it gives off when giving line.  After a good fight, a feisty Wye barbel succumbed to the pressure and weighed in at 6lb 12oz and was about the smallest fish of the day.

The 'Beast' does battle

The ‘Beast’ does battle

It seemed silly to not make the most of this opportunity, so I stepped aside and invited Kevin and Geoff into the swim to also secure a barbel on the ‘beast’.  Geoff was soon in and he managed an even smaller fish of 5lb 6oz but sadly, as time was running out fast (we had promised Danny some food from somewhere), Kevin only managed a chub.  Still a 50% success rate.

6lb 12oz

6lb 12oz

Now all that was left to do was lug all of the gear about 1/2 mile along the bank and then climb Everest once again…… defibrillator anyone!

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Rain, Rain and More Rain

July 3, 2012 by nathanwalter


Monday 25th June dawned somewhat overcast but dry at least.  More heavy rain had fallen over the weekend and we wasn’t quite sure what to expect on arrival in Ross-on-Wye for our 5 days annual pilgrimage to this stunning part of the country.  We always look forward to our visits to the Wye both summer and winter but I do particularly enjoy the summer months here chasing barbel (the local girls are just too damn quick for me!)

After the usual tedious drive up, we finally arrived around lunchtime.  After setting up the caravan and awning and sorting out all of the paraphernalia that one seems to take on holiday, it was time to see the river.  It was as expected, up and coloured.  We were used to it, so it wasn’t going to be the end of the world.  We soon settled into some likely looking spots and after a few preliminary casts around to check on the river bed, we started to fish.

Spamalot ready for action

Spamalot ready for action

Things were a little slow but I felt I was in a good fish holding area.  It was just a few yards below a salmon croy, which was now submerged under the heavy, coloured waters of the Wye.  However after a couple of biteless hours, it was obvious that either no fish were present or they just were not interested.  I opted to move upstream and soon Kevin (who had headed upstream from the off) was reporting landed barbel.  Upstream the river is deeper and slower.  The margins offer enticing deep runs and it was to be these areas I was to target next.

Dan soon reported a barbel, shortly followed by Geoff.  I remained not only fishless but biteless too.   Still I was really happy with a new swim and decided to sit it out for the remainder of the session.  I was fishing a fairly standard Wye method: a 3oz open cage feeder (Andrew Witham’s from cagefeeders.com) packed with pellet and groundbait, a 3 foot Camfusion hook length, 10 hook and double elips pellet (either medium or large).  Mainline was 11lb Kryton Snide, which so far has proven to be very reliable.

Wye Barbel

Wye Barbel

It didn’t take too long for the rod top to whack round and the first Wye barbel of the new season graced the net.  Two more were to follow, but after receiving some rather sad news on the Sunday night, my heart wasn’t in it and so as the light was beginning to fade I opted for an early night.  So I packed up and wandered back to the caravan for a cuppa with Dan who had already called it a day.  Geoff and Kevin arrived back a short while later having had some pretty good results.  Kevin had 8 barbel and Geoff 7.  We enjoyed another cup of tea and a chat before tiredness overwhelmed me and I headed to the pit known as my bed.  “To die, to sleep.  To sleep, perchance to dream: ay there’s the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come……..”

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Flaming June

July 2, 2012 by nathanwalter


After a fairly tortuous wait for the new season to start, it finally arrived and soon the glorious 16th quickly passed .  Sadly I couldn’t get out until the following Tuesday and Wednesday.  I quite enjoy fishing the opening night.  The setting up of base camp, the anticipation and excitement and the company.  As night draws in you begin to feel the excitement grow, finally as the clock strikes midnight, out go the baits.  This year though, work prevented an opening night campaign.

However I arrived at my destination on the following Tuesday, eager to explore a new stretch.   After setting up base camp, eventually I managed to tackle up a rod and go in search of a few likely swims.  Prior to this we walked the whole stretch and I made a few mental notes of areas that looked interesting.  It was quite a warm day and the walk was about 3/4 of a mile,  luckily nothing too arduous though.

The weather of late has been decidedly wet, to say the least.  It does get a bit boring after a while, I have to say.  The upside though is that the river levels were excellent and the general countryside looks so green and healthy.  The bankside foliage is full and vibrant.  Life is sustained by water and when you get an abundance of the wet stuff at this time of the year, everything looks and feel so incredibly healthy.

The Kennet

The Kennet

It’s always great to see a few Buzzards and Red Kites wheel overhead but it’s also great to see the somewhat demure wildlife that abounds the riverbank environment.  I spotted a small bird which I then managed to identify as a Marsh Tit, a first for me and then a Green Finch.  Plus of course the humble Bumble Bee buzzing around.  I was already lost in a world of escapism and the stress and strains of the humdrum daily routine seem to dissolve away very quickly.

Marsh Tit

Marsh Tit

This was a new stretch for us and we were keen to explore.  The first half of the section appeared to be deeper and a little slower.  The levels were good and there was plenty of bankside features in the way of trees, bushes and reeds.  Despite fishing through to around 1am, we had only one lost fish between the 3 of us and that was sadly Kevin.  So the next day I grabbed a rod and started to plumb the river.  I just stuck to the lower half and soon found that a deep channel ran along the nearside margins.  The depth varied but in places dropped to 7 feet.  There seemed to be little depth from the middle to the far banks, so the margins seemed to offer the best opportunities.

The Kennet

The Kennet

It was tough going.  Only Geoff managed a fish, a small barbel of 5.8lbs.  Other than that nothing else really happened.  It was a scorching hot day and both Kevin and I were sporting rather nasty headaches and so we called it a day much earlier than expected.

Overall it was an informative first visit, but just somewhat lacklustre in terms of the actual fishing. Still in good old Arnie fashion and with heavy Austrian accent; “I’ll be back”. 🙂

 

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The Association of Barbel Fishers ~ Meet the Experts

June 1, 2012 by nathanwalter


I was delighted with the way the evening panned out.  The venue suited our needs but it’s a shame the bar was not in a separate room to the talk.

My thanks go to Paul Whiteing for all of his assistance and encouragement, to Geoff for his brilliant job as MC and to Kevin for being the Admin along with Paul and for his overall help.  My thanks also go to Conrad for making the effort to come down and say a few words, despite numerous hurdles and I do hope you are feeling better mate.

Thanks to all those that attended.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  A very big thank you to our guests:

Charlotte from the ARK gave us a superb presentation.  I will be getting back in touch with Charlotte to see what we as individuals and the Kennet angling clubs can do to help.  She mentioned that they need feedback from us anglers on the state of the river lower down, so I’ll be getting some more info to publish on that.

Dave from the TAC, once again provided a brilliant, professional and passionate presentation. I’ll also get a little more info from Dave so we can publish on not just our forum but on the other forums that allowed us to publicize and promote this event.

Len Arbery who I consider to be an angling legend.  I found myself hanging on his every word and enjoyed his company and sharing stories from his angling photo album.  To hear about his own successes and about the anglers that he not only fished with but learned from, was amazing. What an absolute gentleman. Len is the Tom Jones of angling. He’s not a wannabe legend, he’s the real deal.

Ray Walton.  What a great guy.  He’s very passionate, not only about fishing but conservation too.  Great to hear him and again share an insight into what makes him tick. The guy is a phenomenal angler and is not frightened to speak out about controversial conservation issues and to hell with the consequences. It’s very refreshing in this day and age.

Keith Speer.  Keith is a great speaker, with some wonderful tales to tell.  Keith is such a good angler, just brilliant at what he does.  Keith’s knowledge and passion for angling and the river environment is second to none.

So a tremendous line up of ‘experts’ but more importantly genuinely nice people that were happy to spare their time and share their incredible passion for what they do.

The Experts

The Experts

From left to right – Paul Whiteing, Dave Harvey, Bob Harrington, Geoff Parmenter, Len Arbery, Nathan Walter, Ray Walton, Keith Speer

Legends

Angling Legends

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A Pot of Gold

May 18, 2012 by nathanwalter


After some pretty dire conditions of late, I haven’t really felt like fishing.  I don’t mind the rain per se but with these miserable temperatures of late, I have never felt so less inclined to fish.  Work has also kept me off the banks for a while too.  I mean, how very dare you.  Of course it doesn’t help when you fish with three mates that are all retarded er I mean retired (well, I think that’s what I mean 🙂 ).  The water temperature has been kept unseasonably low due to numerous nighttime frosts and combine that with a very chilly wind at times and you can understand not only my reluctance to fish but the very reason why the fish themselves are so reluctant to feed at times.

Still at long last we have experienced a slight rise in those overnight temperatures.  We haven’t had a frost for at least a week and with the gauge not dropping below 6-8 most nights and daytime temps remaining around 13 or so, it was beginning to look a little more promising.  We opted not to fish on the Tuesday evening as the forecast was again for some very heavy rain with a significant drop in temperatures again.  However Wednesday’s forecast was pretty good, so we hoped that this blip wouldn’t spoil the fishing on Wednesday.

Geoff, Kevin and I set off, probably with limited expectations but I was certainly looking forward to being on the banks again after  my enforced hiatus from my so far unsuccessful attempt at a big crucian.  We headed to Godalming town centre for some lunch.  Godalming is a lovely town, with several good cafe’s to boast of and a couple that offer very good value for money.  So after a very healthy lunch (cottage pie and er chips…uhum!) we wandered along the river for an hour before heading off to Marsh Farm.

On arrival the lakes were showing the signs that spring was well and truly underway and that despite the weather’s best efforts to convince us otherwise, Summer was just around the corner.  The trees were in full bud, the reeds were tall and green and the bankside flora was showing signs of healthy, vibrant growth.  Perhaps this was not quite as much as it would normally be at this time of the year for obvious reasons but it was at least a sign that things were improving.

Showing signs of Summer at last.

Showing signs of Summer at last.

Very unusually there was no wind when we arrived.  So I opted for a swim in amongst some thick reed beds where close in the depth is around 3 feet.  With so much cover for the fish, I just felt it had to produce.  Geoff wandered off to my right and Kevin stayed in a very good area to my left.  The sun was out, albeit just at intervals due to the cloud cover and it actually felt very pleasant.  We all felt it was the best conditions we had experienced so far this Spring.

Geoff was in almost immediately; a tench.  I missed a couple of bites on paste and after missing a couple more opted to go back to worm bait.  Kevin was steadily catching some small roach.  This sort of action continued for some time.  My switch to worm elicited instant results, when after a really good fight I netted a beautiful looking tench weighing 6lb 5oz.

6lb 5oz

6lb 5oz

Then the wind sprung up and the action slowed a little.  Eventually the wind dropped and the action continued throughout the night.  Geoff seemed to be catching tench steadily whilst Kevin and I were somewhat slower in the action.  Then Geoff reported his first crucian. shortly followed by Kevin.  They ended up with 2 or 3 each, mostly over 2lbs and one dead on 3 for Kevin.  Despite catching 6 nice tench I felt a bit excluded from the action.  I was getting lots of interest on the float.  Lots of tiny dibs and dips, with the float moving slightly from side to side.  A sure indication that crucians were in the swim and mouthing the bait in only the frustratingly delicate way that crucians can.  I had plumbed the swim several times to check depth and so ended up whittling down the bait size.  I ended up with just about a quarter of a dendrobaena worm on.  I moved the float in towards the bank slightly, after seeing a few good crucians roll close in.  After probably 20 minutes of tiny movements on the float, there was a sufficient ‘bite’ to strike at.  This time I connected with something heavy.  The fight was dogged, with the odd dive, whilst the fish plodded around in a circle.  Eventually it broke surface and the magnificent buttery gold flank glistened in the torch light.  It looked like a really nice fish and after a couple of heart stopping dives, I eventually netted her.

I was looking at a perfect specimen crucian.  She was immaculate,  just so stunning.  They are truly a beautiful fish to behold.  I popped her in the weigh sling and recorded a weight of 3lb 9oz.  I was over the moon.  It’s the biggest crucian I have had for sometime and a just reward for all of those dismal sessions in the wet and cold weather of the last couple of months.

Well Geoff ended up with 12 tench (again, I think he had about 12 the last time we were here), including several 5s and 2 or 3 crucians, Kevin I think had 7 tench and 3 crucians to 3lb and I brought up the rear with 6 tench and the 1 crucian.  Still with the 6lb tench and the 3lb 9oz crucian, I felt I’d had the moral victory, they may of coarse disagree! We left at this point as the weather had got somewhat chilly and it was nearly midnight.  Enough is enough.

3lb 9oz

3lb 9oz

Now I know that Kevin’s brother Steve is a regular reader of my blog and for that I thank him and just wanted to say ‘hello’.  Steve enjoys his fishing with his brother up on the Wye once a year and due to family commitments doesn’t get to fish as much as he once did and that’s a small price to pay for having a wonderful family.  So I hope you enjoy the blog and when you do get to go again Steve, I hope you bag a few of those stunning Wye barbel.

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Association of Barbel Fishers – Join the Experts Evening

April 30, 2012 by nathanwalter


The Association of Barbel Fishers have organised a talk on the 30th May 2012.  If you would like to purchase a ticket please click on the link:  Buy a Ticket

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