Another season is in the history books. Once again it was light on pike, and once again the local barbel provided the main distraction. A few away days, roach, bream, a magnificent trout and even a few pike - so here it is - the traditional season review, my thirteenth since I started the blog, written monthly as I went along...
June: I managed to hit the Small River five times during the opening two weeks (one full day and 4 afternoons). Action was explosive with 62 barbel landed - plus a small carp, a pound plus eel and about a dozen chub! The bigger barbel are eluding me but hopefully I'll track them down. Cracking start to the season!!
July: Extreme weather; a heatwave followed by storms and flooding. The barbel fishing was still hectic, small fish, but I cracked my Barbel Challenge - 104 barbel! And mission with the stick 'n' pin resulted in a mixed bag including some lovely gudgeon. With the 100 barbel target in the bag I really need to locate some bigger specimens...
August: Still trying to track down a bigger barbel - best of the month was a 7lb 3oz beauty. I did land a surprise new PB eel - on bread! As a break from the barbel, a trip to the Itchen resulted in a couple of pound plus roach and five bream. And a wander along a neglected chalk stream provided some cracking wild brown trout.
September: A return to the chalk stream produced the most stunning wild brown trout I've ever seen. A quick mission to the Small River saw a double figure barbel added to the season. And three days on the very low, clear River Wye produced some fantastic chub and barbel action. Small River summer barbel count: 140.
October: I was continuing to catch barbel - including a double. And landed barbel number 1,200 of the twelve seasons I've fished the Small River - taking my season average to 100 barbel! The other highlight was a fantastic away-day stalking grayling in a little chalk stream - great stuff. But I need to catch a pike!
November: Started with a bit of prospecting - three trips searching for a pike in a new little river. Two runs, one lost pike but none landed - I will be back - the search for local(ish) pike continues. And a couple of quick barbel missions to get a bend in the rod rounded out the month. Oh, and I caught a fifty pound note!!
December: Not much fishing! A couple of trips chasing winter barbel resulted in 10 barbel and 3 chub. Almost out of time to land a 2021 pike - a trip to the Kentish Stour provided the run I needed. And a trip back to my home turf River Wye proved tough going, just one pike landed - but a Christmas cracker at 18lb 10oz.
January: A couple more Wye pike sessions saw Paulos bag a 19lb 4oz beauty and I added 2 more including a double. A wander down The Itchen saw grayling, trout and 15 stunning roach landed. Back to the Small River saw four more barbel added to the count in cold conditions. And a new river, Bourne gudgeon for good measure!
February: A stormy month; gale force winds and most of the rivers in flood - plans to target pike were hatched and then foiled a few times! And the chalk stream dace proved elusive - but the chub, roach and trout were obliging! A couple of barbel trips also provided a welcome bend in the rod. Onto the final two weeks of the season...
March: An afternoon on the Small River took my count up to 180 barbel (or 194 including the ones from The Wye). And a three day mission to some southern rivers added three jack pike, a stunning season's best 5lb 8oz chub and six more bream to the season. Looking back it was another cracker - roll on the next one...
.jpg)
