Monday 28 September 2020

It's Cold Up North


Stepping out of the car it was cold. Really cold. I hadn't bought thermals but I did have a couple of changes of clothes and a rain-suit - I put them all on! Our second annual visit to The Tidal Trent, company was James & Richard and a 48 hour quest for a 15lb+ barbel.

It was windy. Ferociously windy. And cold. We found three adjacent swims and set up - each putting our plans in place. And I'll cut a long, cold story short - no barbel - not even a bite between us! And it was busy, we didn't see anyone else land a fish or even get a bite.

I did have a bit of a wander with the light lure gear to warm up - it was like sea fishing. I landed a blank-saver perch about 10oz (camera back at base camp) and nearly landed my first pike of the season - but unfortunately she spat the lure during a spectacular tail walk.

We fished hard for 32 hours - but it was almost a relief when we called it quits and headed back to London. Great company, and a rare away day this season but conditions were tough (and cold) - but we'll do better next time. Until next time. Next time? Guys??

6 comments:

  1. At least you were able to retreat to the warmer climes. The Trent is South for me, and its defo cold this far North! especially when you are from Berkshire!!!

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    1. It was a taste of winter - and one I was underprepared for - it really did feel like retreating to warmer climes as we traveled south - the sun was shining when we got back!

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  2. Maybe you should have tried floating crust?

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  3. it's been winter there for about a month.bivvy,skin,sleeping bag,cooker all required now!it's very low and as such,all the fish are packed into cromwell weir,just pockets of fish elsewhere..very little happens in daylight.the word on the street is 8mm baits,even at night.

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    1. I was surprised by the conditions - I’ll be more prepared next time. Yeah and surprised by how low and clear it was, thought a bit of rain in there might have stirred it up and kickstarted the barbel.

      We heard about small baits and fished a variety in 8-15mm, I even tried rolling meat. I heard the guys fishing Cromwell Weir had 2 or 3 barbel while we were there - very slow for the top pegs. And only heard of one other out on the rest of the stretch. We’ll try again next year :-)

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