Time flies by so quickly these days. It seems like only yesterday we had our first ever trip to the Wye Valley in search of those legendary barbel. It proved to be pretty productive and I think we were all captivated by the beauty of the area. I’m pleased to say nothing has changed and even when the fishing is a bit slow, the scenery and wildlife of the Wye Valley never fails to leave you in awe.
It was that time of the year again and after a slow start to the season, the upcoming trip to Hereford was a much needed confidence boost. The Wye has consistently produced good quality barbel over the years and although generally not big fish they make up for that in their fighting qualities and appearance. They are exquisite fish to behold and I feel very privileged to be able to fish for them.
Summer on the Wye
Geoff, Kevin and I headed up to the Wye via that car park known as the M25 but eventually arrived at our destination, despite the highways maintenance program trying to make it as hard as possible to get there. The final hurdle was the closing of the A40 which involved a diversion through Gloucester. It was mind numbing to say the least but we finally overcame these almost Satanic setbacks and arrived pretty much unscathed at our destination for the next 5 nights.
Swanee, how I love you, how I love you
My dear old Swanee
The caravan and awning were soon sorted and we were keen to get down to the river for a recce. The levels were very low, probably as low as we’ve ever seen them. However the river looked stunning as always. We were soon heading off to our preferred areas to fish, wishing each other good luck as we went. I opted to start at the lower end of this particular stretch, fishing in amongst some weed beds. Sadly in 2 1/2 hours I never had a bite. I opted to move to a fast, deep gravel run. Again after a similar amount of time no bites materialized. My final move was early evening and again no barbel showed themselves but a few chub put in an appearance and we packed up at about 10.30pm. Geoff had managed to entice 4 barbel whilst Kevin and I remained barbelless. So ended the first session.
The following day we headed to Middle Ballingham. We had fished here once before and had fared pretty well. I think I caught 16 barbel here previously. This is one of the prettiest stretches that we fish. As usual we were not disappointed by our surroundings. Between us we spotted the usual buzzards plus willow tits, chiffchaffs, willow warblers, yellowhammers and peregrine falcons to name but a few. They offer a pleasant distraction from the fishing, which was just as well as it was proving very difficult. I started at the extreme top end, which is a tough walk on a hot day and then slowly worked my way back. Yet again no barbel showed for me but I did manage a few nice chub. Kevin was the only one to secure a barbel and so we ended another day feeling it was going to be a very challenging week ahead of us.
Middle Ballingham
The river was very low and rain had been forecast, which we hoped would breath a new lease of life into the river with a good flush through. We at least got the rain, fairly heavy overnight and for some of the next day. It did push the levels up and made a massive difference to the fishing. On our third day we experienced another stunning beat. This was a day ticket stretch and although it entailed a long walk to get to the water, it was well worth the effort. Yet again the surrounding scenery was absolutely stunning and I found myself soaking up the sights, often oblivious to the fishing itself. I found a perfect looking swim to fish; it was a deep run just off of a bend with trees to my left overhanging the water. Below me the level became much shallower and led to a weedy gravel run. In front of me there was around 4ft of water and it looked ideal. The other two guys headed upstream for a recce.
Buzzards on the Thermals
Within only minutes of casting out the rod top started to dance. I had a feeling that this was going to be one of those hectic days and I wasn’t wrong. The rod top was barely motionless. I had mixed up some of the Lone Angler groundbait and packed it with 6mm and 8mm Caviar pellets. I wanted a nice stodgy consistency that wouldn’t drop the bait out immediately. The flow was pretty pacey here and so a firmer mixture would help to keep the groundbait and pellets in the swim. I switched hook baits on a regular basis to keep the fish occupied. I was using both 8mm and 12mm Caviar pellets and the new John Baker 10mm Ocean Pride dumbbells. I swapped from single to double baits on the hair and kept changing sizes. The chub were particularly active today and I ended up with 19. Fortunately the barbel managed to get a look in occasionally and I ended up with 7 beautiful specimens. I kept things simple with just a 2oz cage feeder and a 3ft coated braid hooklink. Regular casting kept the swim fed and the fish active. Geoff and Kevin managed to find a few more barbel than me ending up with 11 apiece to 9lb 7oz (I think). A great day on a magical beat.
Lone Angler Caviar Pellets
The last two days were spent on one beat that we fished last year. It’s a long stretch of around 2-3 miles and had some really good mixed water to go at. There are lots of gravel runs and streamer weed, as well as some deeper areas to target. Sadly Kevin was taken ill and stayed in the caravan all day on Thursday. His condition didn’t improve and so he headed home on Friday morning.
X marks the spot?
So which is better; man made or the real thing? There’s only one way to find out…..FIIIGHT!
Geoff and I explored a lot of the river. The levels were up and the river had a tinge of colour. I opted for a fast gravel run with a far bank deep gulley. There were lots of trees on the far bank offering plenty of cover for the fish. Geoff headed upstream to a croy to start with. Due to the increase in water levels, there was a great deal of weed coming down the river. There is a very simple fix for this, swim permitting. Rather than stick your rod top skywards as we so often do, cast out, leave slightly less bow in the line than you would perhaps normally do and sink the line as quickly as possible, keeping the tip of the rod just under the water. Then touch leger. You will find as the line sinks to the bottom the pressure eases on it and the rod tip will spring back. You will also find that you can hold with even less weight than normal and most importantly of all you will not be bothered by any weed. Obviously this is swim dependent but it is a highly effective way of fishing in these conditions and you may well prefer to fish like this when there isn’t a weed problem. You will feel every pluck at the bait, the feeder bumping downstream and anything touching the line. It is a very organic way to fish and far more rewarding than just staring at the tip. You have the added bonus of being able to dislodge the feeder with a slight flick of the rod tip and send it trundling downstream a bit. This often provokes a bite from the feeding fish.
Another immaculate barbel from Angling Dream’s Lower Hill Court
Over the next two days I was treated to some quite amazing wildlife sights and sounds. I watched in amazement 3 peregrine falcons overhead and remarkably close, certainly the closest I’ve ever seen them. There seemed to be either 2 adults and 1 juvenile or 2 juveniles, I’m not sure. They are quite noisy birds. They were screeching pretty much all day and kept putting in an appearance over the 2 days we were there. I was also treated to the sounds of the ravens. There were two on the opposite bank. They would occasionally fly over head, sometimes circling their way up and gliding on the thermals a bit like the buzzards. Ravens are huge birds, certainly as big if not bigger than a buzzard. Best of all are the noises. They are quite difficult to describe and unique to a raven. You can listen to them here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/common_raven/sounds Well worth a listen. Fascinating to hear them up so close and see them soaring up on high.
The fishing proved to be as excellent as the wildlife here. I was soon into fish; both barbel and chub. Some were good size barbel too. Again I was swapping baits to ring the changes and kept plenty of feed going in, although again a slightly stodgy mixture to try and hold the bait in the swim. The barbel and chub seemed to love the caviar pellets and when bites dropped off a switch to Ocean Pride dumbbells proved fruitful. I ended up with 34 barbel over the two days and probably 25+ chub. The barbel ranged in weight from just a few ounces (a rare sight but one of the best in barbel angling; a sign of healthy reproduction) to 9lb 1oz. Both Geoff and I caught quite a few barbel around 1lb-2lb which again is very positive to see and makes me hopeful that the Wye’s barbel population are thriving well when it seems apparent that many rivers are not.
9lb 1oz
I think over those last two days between Geoff and myself we had 63 barbel and about 40 chub. The last few days had offered some of the best scenery, wildlife and fishing we’ve ever experienced on the Wye and I certainly hope to re-visit this area again in the future. A big thank you to Adam Fisher of Angling Dreams for 2 really well run stretches of the Wye. They certainly set a high standard on how the Wye can be run, in terms of both the excellent sport that they offer and how controlling numbers really does keep the fishing at its very best. So after a lackluster start to my week I never thought that I would end the week with over 40 barbel and around 60 chub. The saddest part was Kevin wasn’t there to share in our enjoyment. Get well soon Kevin.
Perfection in miniature
Kev’s Wye 9
The River Angler 
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