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Fishing Week: Day 2 (0530-1800)
Location: Local River
Target: Barbel (Roach Backup Plan)
The day we've all been waiting for has finally arrived - the river season is open! In what has become tradition I headed for the local river in search of a barbel. For the last few years this hasn't proved successful, but this year the barbel had already spawned and split up - would they play today?
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I know I said yesterday I'd wait until after breakfast today, and I did, I got up at 4am (waking before my alarm), had a sausage sandwich on the bus and was on the riverbank at 5.30am. And my very first cast was nailed by a little barbel - mission accomplished! What could be better than a barbel first cast? A better barbel second cast - brilliant, they were on the feed...
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In fact by 7am, an hour and a half later, I had landed seven barbel to
6lb 11oz, above. So I thought I break it up and decided to try and find a shoal of roach I'd seen the week before - but they weren't where I was expecting them...
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After a bit of wandering about I found them, and they were mad for a bit of bread. Once I got the hang of float fishing with a fixed spool reel (it's been a while) it was nearly a fish a chuck, roach after roach. Over the next 3 hours I had 40-50 fish, nearly all over 8oz with the best two going about 1¼lb (I'll bring some more accurate small weight scales next time). My best bag of roach ever, interrupted only by one monster gudgeon. I could have sat there all day - but I fancied trying to find a chub...
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I'd seen some big chub but they were a fair walk away - I had plenty of time. On route I had a few chucks for barbel, landing two more small ones - tally now at 9 barbel, with ten very much on my mind. I did a lot of walking and found chub landing three;
1lb, 2½lb and another
2½lb - great fun but not the monsters I was after...
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I walked back down the river, I wanted 10 barbel and thought a recharge in a waterfront pub would do the trick!
James phoned, he was sat on the roach shoal from earlier - but you'll probably read about that later on his blog. I made my way down to meet him - taking barbel number
TEN on route! And number 11!! And number 12!!!
I sat down, we chewed the fat for a bit, had something to eat. Tired, I wished him luck (like he needs it, especially with roach) and made my way home...
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As I walked away the light changed - that's enough of an excuse for one more cast isn't it? Bam - barbel number
13 was in the net.
Now, I didn't want to start my season on an unlucky 13, so I continued - finding number 14 then 15 and number sixteen - the best of the day, a
7lb 8oz barbel...
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OK, twenty was on my mind as she slid over the net - after all, I still had six hours left until it was officially tomorrow. But as the
Glorious Sixteenth found her way over the net it broke. My day was done. I was knackered. What a day!
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2½lb, 5lb 9oz, 3lb, 6lb 11oz, 4lb 2oz, 2½lb, 4lb, 3½lb, 2lb, 2½lb, 4lb 12oz, 4½lb, 4lb 6oz, 4lb 3oz, 4lb 14oz & 7lb 8oz.
Right then, tomorrow was going to be spent in search of a perch - but I walked a lot of miles today in search of these fish (worth it) and even my blisters have blisters, I have to work tomorrow morning because I couldn't drag myself away today (worth it), and I have to go and buy a new net tomorrow (worth it), not sure what to do...
A relaxed afternoon on The Farm chasing crucians or heading to The Hook in search of predators..?