Oh No, Not You!

Few days in The London - so back on the Small River for a few hours here and there - just to see if the barbel had missed me!


Looking back through my extensive records I know it's tough going in December - but just great to be back on my old stomping grounds...


Stalking fish - I was only fishing for the ones I could spot first - far more exciting - so mostly walking about staring at the river...


But did find a few - even with low light and overgrown swims working against me. Total of 7 December barbel & 2 chub - bloody lovely!


With the River Wye not treating me kindly this season I think I might be back next year - I really think they miss me..!


Oh, and my cancer scan was negative - great news. And had a new tooth put in - which is why I didn't have much time.


Wednesday 18 December (1 hour)
Barbel: 7lb 1oz & 5lb

Thursday 19 December (3 hours)
Barbel: 5lb, 5lb, 4½lb & 2½lb. Chub: 1½lb

Friday 20 December (2 hours)
Barbel: 5lb. Chub: 3lb

Mojo

Saturday: On the river at 7am, first task; catch some livebait - no takers - back in bed by 9.30! F*ck it - can't catch pike anyway. There have been some big perch & chub coming out - but I'm on a pike mission, just not catching any pike. Loosing my mojo - and my desire to keep going out - not going to bother on Sunday either.


Sunday: OK, I'll give it two hours wandering about with a lure. And I'm glad I did; one landed, one missed and 2 follows (different pike). I can work with that! The one that found the net (after a spectacular fight) went 12lb 3oz - second best of the season so far. She did break the lure (I fished the tail out of her throat) - but never mind - mojo charging...

November Skunk

Sometimes you have a run of good fortune in fishing - and that certainly wasn't the case in November! Blank after blank after blank, a lot of time on the river without a run on the pike gear.


Eventually managed a little jack on a lure during Storm Bert - and after not seeing a fish for weeks it was worth getting soaked for!! Let's hope the December pike are more forthcoming - fingers crossed!


Roger had a much better month - despite hardly fishing - managing his first six pound plus Wye chub. A quest that has taken decades was rewarded with a 6lb 1½oz beast - and he is rightly chuffed - nice one!

One On, One Off!

After a dawn to dusk blank - not a run all day - I was back on the riverbank the next morning (dragged myself out). Fortunately three runs; perch (first of the season), a pike and a pike lost to a hook-pull.


Six pike landed, and six lost this season (all hook-pulls, including lure & bait) - got to improve that ratio - not finding enough to keep losing them! Can't see anything wrong - might have just been unlucky so far.

Pike: Consolation Prize

Unusually for me I decided to sit it out in one swim all day - the spot where I lost the big pike before the flood. It took a while to catch a livebait - but once I had I watched him work around the slack all day. It looked perfect, and so did my bait when I set him free as it got dark!

No pike - I was expecting some blanks - but they're always disappointing. I did however stick a cube of meat out on a sleeper rod (this stretch is known for some big chub). The alarm screamed off twice; a 6lb barbel and a cracking 5lb 11oz chub - what a blank-saver!

Pike: Flood

Well it needed a good wash through, but no fishing this weekend. Lets hope it settles down now - and doesn't keep flooding - fingers crossed.

I did loose an upper double (possible twenty) on a lure earlier in the week & had one about 16lb keep following - need to get back to them...

Pike: Run!

I've said it before; the most exciting thing in fishing for me is a pike run. Sometimes you've been watching the float all day when suddenly it comes to life - then sails away - when it does it could signal a two pounder or it could be twenty. Not much over two in this case!

Pike: Chips

Chipping away at my River Wye pike target or just enjoying chasing pike! Less than ideal conditions, red and rising, but one fish lost to a hook-pull & one landed, 10lb 5oz - bleak livebait doing the trick.

Pike: Backflip

On the river in the rain - beating a flood? I found a massive shoal of bleak - and sat on them hoping a pike was keeping her eye on dinner. Just one run - a fantastic aerial fight - this thing pulled like a pike three times it's size! Brilliant, season number three.

---

And James has added The Fabulous River Wye to his 40 River Double Challenge. But he did it at night while I wasn't there to take the photo, perhaps he needs a daylight one?

Pike: Opener

Pike-Time - first day targeting pike on The Wye, sunrise to sunset. And I think it's going to be tough; I've seen a lot of otters over the summer and although the pike population does seem to be increasing overall on the river I wonder how many are still in the sections I'm fishing?

I expect a few blanks - so I was delighted when my float bobbed and slid under. A jack to start the season - not a big fish - but a pike is a pike and I love 'em! A lot of miles covered over the rest of the day but that was the only action - more to follow I hope...


I had the camera set up for dogfish in the dark and didn't check the photo until I had release the pike - at least it wasn't a thirty :-)