Monday 26 February 2018

A Big Chill


Day 1. River Frome. Target: Grayling. Temperature -5°C. It's cold out there but plans were in place, bait bought and hotels booked!


A 4am start and on the river by sunrise. The water was dirty, it was going to be tricky, perhaps one or two would slip up. And I fished a centerpin - wet hands touching the metal reel wasn’t a good idea!

It didn’t really work, just one small grayling but a few OOS brown trout warmed me up, James had the camera ready when I caught this one so we grabbed a quick snap - check out the kype on this male.


Day 2. Avon Royality. Target: Pike/Chub. Temperature -3°C. You’d have to be mad to keep going - yeah, sounds about right!


Fishing a slack, only one run on my deadbait all day. Great fight before a low-double was ready for the net, and just as I dared to believe I might bag my first Royal double the hook pinged out!

I also fished a maggot feeder in the crease for chub at the same time, after a couple of hours a rogue bream (hybrid?) took the bait, not the target but better than what was looking like a blank.


Day 3. River Stour. Target: Chub. Temperature -1°C. Warmer? Nope, with the icy wind it was even colder than the last two days!


Perhaps today could save the trip, water height and colour looked good, but we soon conceded we had to fish out of the wind. Only three decent wraps on the meat all day - and I missed them all!

I had a few deadbaits left, ropy looking but I gave up on the chub and wobbled them - thankfully a couple of jacks wanted to play. Time for some spring weather... But it’s snowing as I write this...

6 comments:

  1. Corking brownie. River brownspull dont they? Had one just under 7 lb on Saturday on a light feeder rig.
    I'd say a brid too.
    '

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    1. Cheers, yeah they really pull - on 3lb line on the pin it’s a great fight - shame they’re out of season. And a seven sounds even better.

      Not sure about the bream/hybrid, never caught a hybrid before (and not many bream to be honest).

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  2. Sounds a tough'un Brian, looks some nice clean fresh air to breathe though with the clear skies.

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    1. Really tough, a few non-target species saved it to some degree. The sunshine in the photos makes it look deceptively warm - it wasn’t :-)

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  3. Tough, very tough, although I did find my calling, watch out Van Gogh and Banksy!

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    Replies
    1. Not even The Rolling Stones could destroy a hotel room so comprehensively so quickly - well done, I think!?!

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