Best laid plans. I had planned to get a jump on my 50 pike challenge this year, hoping to get 10 canal pike during the closed season - plan abandoned when I saw how out of condition they were. Then 10 more over the summer months - plan abandoned due to heatwave.
Now I need 47 instead of 30 over the autumn / winter, that’s made things more difficult as I have to travel a fair distance to catch pike. I did chuck some lures about in a local pond a few days ago - not even a follow - but I’m not sure there are pike in there!
Three foot twitch. But it’s still a bit early for pike, and with a drop in temperature and a bit of rain washing through the river every now and again I thought I’d stick with the barbel for a few weeks. The water levels are still low, but I’m sure the winter floods are coming!
I fancied watching some rod ripping bites so fished ledgered luncheon meat in the fast shallows. Bit of a mixed bag; 6 barbel, 2 chub and two eels - I should really have photographed an eel as I don’t see many these days, but both could be easily unhooked in the water.
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Can't remember my last eel. It's a tragedy but does save a lot of slime wrestling I suppose. Managed my first two barbel of the year yesterday, about four pounds if you added them together :o)
ReplyDeleteEels are pretty rare and delicate, didn’t want to mess them about if I didn’t have to - gone are the days when I’d have to photograph everything I catch.
DeleteIf the barbel are playing the same game they are here - they are shoaled up tight - there will be more!
don't knock it and keep doing what you're doing.i've only had 3 barbel in 7/8 night sessions on the same river and fished into daylight just in case.certainly not where they were.the eels however,are omnipresent during darkness!
ReplyDeleteI only fish daylight, having given up night fishing a few years ago, but I’ve found they prefer a static bait so far this season - so I’m bound to bump into the occasional eel - remember they used to be a right pain when night fishing.
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