Wednesday 31 January 2018

Warwickshire Avon – Flummery and Frankenstein’s

I like it down this neck of the woods, I remain undisturbed on the most part, which for a solitude seeker is a must and I can also fish in to dark. Being a relatively new stretch to me I’m still on that learning curve though.The last session, 2 chub caught quickly, half decent, both over 4lb, the biggest going 7 ounces over, I was expecting something even bigger as dusk, it was going that well. It never came though, an hour in to dark, plucks and pulls but no more fish.

That was the end of that….

It wasn’t though, I was mulling something over, something I saw during that session that kept on troubling me.


You see, just prior to sun down the chub were active in the swim, nothing unusual in that you say, well no but a fish surfaced with his back out of the water, fins and all, no more than 6ft away and it had some really odd proportions. The body was stubby in length, in plan view its front half massive in width, the rear, well it looked like the humdrum, a normal Chevin.

'George' From Redditch
But its head didn't seem to be matched to his body. Definitely in the freak or unique category.

Ok spend an evening in Redditch town centre there are all manner of shapes and sizes to be seen, but we are talking fish here, they all look very much the same, ok the obese protein loaded boilie eating carp are recognisable from one to another, but Chub are a different matter.

Or are they….?

I had thought it could have been a carp at first but it was silver in colour with dark fins they rules that out, or maybe a Zander surfaced which would have been a first one seen down here, but then I’ve caught plenty of Zed’s to know what they look like. To be honest, I’m none the wiser….

A section of the Warwickshire Avon I used to fish I caught the same Chub multiple times so much so I named him ‘Bob’ now he had odd proportions I suppose but it was the badly Ottered tail that was his fishy fingerprint.

'Bob'
So for this quick after work session, dusk and an hour in to dark, I was hoping Frankenstein or 'Bob2' as he shall be known would make another appearance.

I was intrigued, can you tell….

Two rods one cheesepaste, one with a chunk of steak.

The wind was battering the rods for the whole duration of the trip so it wasn't exactly pleasant, I fished a few swims first after baiting the swim I intended to fish in to and past dusk with a few small balls of cheesepaste. Nothing came of those in the end sadly.


The water temperature was 6.7 degrees so a nats nadger lower than it was a couple of nights ago but would hopefully be fine for a Chub later. You see a cormorant came within feet of me when it was passing the middle of the river, and with the colour dropping out far more than I'd hoped I knew dusk is when tings would happen.

And what a difference the light made because as soon as dusk came and the moon poking it's head over the horizon the fish became active.

Within an hour I had four proper bites on the steak rod, I mean proper foot, foot and a half pulls that never materialised in to anything weirdly.


All very frustrating having to strike in to thin air, for some reason a paste cage on a hair with the hook free I never seem to have that issue, the mechanics must be perfect despite the Chub usually putting two fins up to a hair rig.

Why wasn't I connecting ?

I decided to stay past my allotted time and sure enough a small pull, then a tug and then a foot long bite where the centrepins ratchet was engaged a fish was on.

Within a split second though even though I'd caught the bite within a fraction of it happening the fish carted to my left headed towards some thick cover.

With as much side strain as I could muster with the rods bent double, the fish did me over good and proper.

It had managed to get himself wedged underneath a fallen trunk and the inevitable happened and I lost the fish.

The moon by this time had risen so much and now away from the clouds it was beating down on the swim like it was being illuminated by torch light.

Maybe that put the fish off and back in to hiding but no more bites were forthcoming after leaving the rods for another fifteen or twenty minutes.

On the way home the gritters were out in force, so another cold night, maybe even a frost, so water temps may dip again from its 6.7 degrees tonight.

Another blank to add to the many over the winter months. Not all lost though, at least I know where the Chevin call home. Maybe I should take a leaf out of Nic from Avon Angling UK YouTube Channel book and act as a 'feeder' to fatten these fish up, because they are certainly a good stamp that may well get that monkey off my back with just a odd desert to two to go with their main meal.

Detail on 'George' for those interested 

3 comments:

  1. Unlucky Mick. A close encounter by the sound of it. Good luck chasing the five.

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    Replies
    1. If you fancy a fish-in in to dark before the season end Sean's give me a shout, it really does come alive when the bats are out.

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