One Small step - One Giant Leap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zudbz4hOcbc
David Guetta - When Love Takes Over

" If you can imagine it , you can achieve it "
For as long as I can remember , I have always set myself a little angling target at the start of each and every Season. Nothing to Impossible , certainly not breaking a British Record or becoming an Angling Guru , lol , but a little personal goal all the same , that , if achieved , usually fills a large hole in your Wanted Fish List. A kind of Angling Puissance if you like , where the bar is set that little bit higher from the norm. I never take them too seriously or beat myself up if unfulfilled , but they are always there in the back of my mind ticking away until the time is right. Examples from past years gone by have been , that first 20 lb Carp , and , as equally important , that first 20 lb Pike. A Double Figure Barbel , A 2lb plus Rudd or Roach a 3lb Crucian or even that first Salmon capture. They are all there together , sitting cheek and jowl in the slack waters of my mind , waiting for the flood water to abate . Let's face it , most anglers PB Species Wish List is endless, but we have to be realistic of what we have or where we fish . We don't all live on The Great Ouse.

I still have many unfilled dreams left to experience over the next 30 years. Whether or not I achieve them all is another matter , but it will never stop me trying or having fun along the way trying. If achieved , the bar is of course immediately raised to the next level , but that doesn't stop you feeling that tremendous sense of pride and achievement. After weeks , months or even years of trying , all of a sudden any tinge of doubt - disbelief or wondering , after numerous blanks , are evaporated in an instance. That Inner Angling Coach Wraps his warm strong arm around your shoulders and squeezes you uttering those mortal words " I Told You , You Could Do It ". Reality hits home and you soon realise that were on the right track after all. Ask any 100m Sprinter what it must be like to break the 10 second time barrier for the first time. You may get the same kind of reply that I have just given you. For me , catching any New Personal Best Fish , brings the same earth shattering Adrenalin rush every time. The Sprinter , only has five or six seasons to produce , whereas I can continue peaking and achieving right up until I disappear to that far off river in the sky.
We all love to achieve , it is human nature to improve and better oneself. Man is incredible at adapting and attaining many good things. This can only be good for the soul and maintains individual self belief. We work hard and invest a lot of time and effort into our Angling , so why shouldn't we feel Good about our achievements. There is , as with most things , a downside to any of these major achievements, and normally you are quite oblivious to realise it at the time. That is .......... until you finally view your photographs. And there, splashed right across your face , it is ............. That Silly - Crazed - Out Of It - Look. A look so Balmy that if it is spotted by any unsuspecting member of the public , walking the dog for instance , normally sees them quicken their stride immediately to flee that obvious Freak or Nut. Whatever the case , this little personal challenge , just adds a bit of spice to an already highly flavoured menu.


The Home of Many a Big Chub

This season , as you may have guessed , from my previous posts , I had set my heart on achieving a long time ambition. I served my river apprenticeship many years ago and I still craved the Capture of an illusive River Chub in excess of 6lbs. This is certainly not the easiest of fish to find or catch for that matter , and as I live in the North West of England makes it doubly difficult. That however has not me trying for over thirty . I have never given up. Like most things in life I knew it was achievable given the right time and conditions. The Chub is a Predator in every sense of the word and that , unfortunately for the fish itself , is it's major downfall. Chub have a never ending insatiable appetite that normally sees it as the first fish out of the day or not at all. From time to time this constant hunger can see it forget itself for a split second , the result being the fishes downfall or an Anglers Joy. Chub are not every ones cup of tea, ask the Specimen Barbel Angler ( cue - Slash ) lol , For me , however they open the door to both species as normally there is always One Monster Chub in any shoal of Barbel so I can have the best of both worlds. The most important aspect in catching these Awesome Fish , as with any Specimen Hunting , is to ensure that the water you are fishing holds such quarry. It sounds so simple , but many thrash away at waters that just don't hold the stature of fish that they aspire to catch. I am guilty and have done it myself, but now I was fishing the higher reaches of the River Severn where chub of 5lbs + are fairly common but do grow much bigger , certainly 6 and even 7lb + fish have be caught.


Otter Prints in the Dry Severn Mud.

The river here is wild and just screams Big Chub. Saying that it is never easy and stealth is an incredibly important aspect of the game. Being Mobile searching miles of River go hand in hand. Occasionally you may be able to find a Hot spot where Large Chub reside with equally large Barbel. If you find one of these spots hold on to it. Having said that , this is quite rare , and should not be taken as the norm. I had three trips out this week all planned around my shift pattern. The first of these would see me just above Shrewsbury that really has seen some colossal Chub captures in the past.

A Whacker of 6lbs 6 ozs . I don't call him Lucky Bruce for Nothing ;o))

My first session started last week after I had finished my second day shift. I had made my way down to Shrewsbury after work. I was both keen and eager to get started for I new this stretch had produced many Big Chub in the past , one notable fish to my good mate Lucky Bruce who had managed to extract a pb fish of 6lbs 6 ozs whilst chasing Barbel. It can happen quite easily of course with both sets of species living in harmony in the same swim togetrer. A truly fantastic capture certainly as a river fish and I would be lying if I said I was not a little bit in ore. During the 5 hr session , I went on to use a wide selection of baits to track down my Chub quarry. This included a wide selection of natural baits , boilies plus the ever reliable pellet. I had started to think like a Chub during the last couple of weeks and picked up a few self taught tips along the way. Incredibly long hook lengths were certainly the order of the day , my quarry disliking any type of resistance whatsoever. Picking up on the the many natural chub haunts along the stretch , that evening , I went on to land numerous fish around the 3 lb mark , but unfortunately , No Monsters. I did manage to land a bonus Barbel that had everything else fleeing from the swim once it made it's mind on reaching Bristol in double quick time. It had been a dark night with little moon yet I had witnessed an Otter swim right under my rod tip. I had also watched a Barn Owl hunting on the other side of the river at dusk , for a good 30 seconds before She spotted me and drifted off into the next field and hedgerow.


My Second Trip of the week was much further up the river and I arrived in bright sunshine. I decided to walk the stretch searching out the slacks and eddies with various baits for unsuspecting fish. This time I got lucky , and after a few taps , I decided to hold my rod feeling the line in my left hand for pulls. It worked , and I managed to extract a super fish of 5 lbs 8 ozs from a classic swim, a great reward for the touch method. I felt the fish pick up bait before I struck. The Fish fought hard and true , searching out the roots of a nearby willow tree. However my nerve held , and I finally got to see her in all her glory. She was an absolute Stunner with her Bright Orange Fins and Silver Flanks glistening in the bright Sunshine. It was hard to let such a Magnificent Fish go , but back she went , as they all do , and I gazed longingly at her she drifted back , possibly with a silly grin on my face. I stayed into the evening and well into dark , and managed a few more fish around the 3 lb mark plus another pesky Barbel that wrecked the swim intent on never giving in.An empty 5lbs 8 ozs Summer Fish , and My Best Chub of the season so far , or was it ?

Another Pesky Barbel :0)

My final trip came two days later and I found myself on a fairly new stretch of water that I had fancied for some time. I had arrived in plenty of time now being on my shift break and walked the river bank, keeping well off the skyline , whilst adding a bit of bait to favoured swims as I went . One spot stood out a mile , and it screamed both Chub and Barbel. I decided to add a good quantity of hemp and micro pellets using a bait dropper well up stream from some nasty looking snags . I left it well alone for a further 2 hours just to allow anything present to gain full confidence. It really did look the dogs do dars. I started fishing in a totally different swim much further upstream. It was now 21.30 and I cast the first rod into position. I was just starting to put a bait on my second rod when first rod sprung into action. The rod tip travelled the full 36 inches and the baitrunner screamed into action. From this tiny observation I immediately guessed that the culprit had whiskers. After a torrid tussle , as is always the case with Barbel , I managed to land her. As always seems to be the case on the upper river She was well over the 8lb barrier. I think they are born at 8 lbs up there. I allowed her to recover before slipping her back after a quick pic for the blog. Barbel always give their all and with levels as low as they are you should always ensure the fish is strong enough to be returned safely. The last thing you want is a bellied up fish floating off downstream. Never be afraid to retain them that little bit longer in a steady current so they have max oxygen passing through their gills. They will soon let you know when they are ready to go as they glide upstream out of the net of their own free will. I carried on fishing for another hour without any further action before deciding it was time for a move to the gonads swim.
Nothing happened for the next 2 hours , but I knew that fish were there from the odd flick or line movement. At 01.30 am I returned to my van for a bait that I had mistakenly left in the boot by mistake. I arrived back at my swim and attached four of these baits and cast in. It really was pitch black , The moon phase being a New Moon. No Sooner had I placed the rod on the rest than the tip shot round and I was fighting a hard heavy fish intent on reaching the Willow roots of the tree opposite. It really did fight hard and tested my 10 lb double strength to the limit, my drag being my savior. This was not a Barbel but it felt really heavy. I wondered to myself. I could barely see the fish as she surfaced it was that dark but as I guided her closer to my waiting landing net , I could just make out a large open white mouth. Fortunately for me , She went in first time of asking and I said my thank yous out load. I allowed the fish to recover in the net whilst I set up the unhooking mat. I new the fish was a Chub and it was certainly a good one at that , but it was only when I lifted it out of the water that I new I certainly had something special. I peered down in the gloom , some 20 yds upstream from my swim and flicked the torch beam on. My Jaw immediately hit the floor and I grinned at the prospect of what just might be. She was Colossal and was certainly the biggest River Fish I had ever caught. The question was , would she go 6lbs ? I checked my scales carefully and held my breath as the needle started to turn clockwise.

Am I just a Crazy Guy ? You Bet !! A New PB River Chub at 6 lbs 1 oz

A Hollow Summer Chub. I was Over The Moon. Can I catch you again in December Please ;o)

Round and Round and Round it went before stopping just at the number 6. By this time my reading glasses had steamed up completely and I peered hard at the needle. It was impossible , I would have to wipe my specs. With trembling hands I place them on my face and stared at the needle . " Yes " I uttered. The needle was just beyond the number 6 but only just. I wiped my glasses again after steaming up for the second time and checked again. I grinned I had done it My first 6 lb + Chub. 6lbs 1 oz on the button and an Empty Summer Fish at that , I was overjoyed. I allowed the fish to recover for a good 5 minutes in the good flow , whilst I set up my camera. Four Pictures later and she was ready to go back. I stared hard and long at her Wide Silver Flanks and Enormous Scales , She really was a Warrior. If I'd have had longer , I would have asked her to tell me of her many tales of the river and it's ways and how she had managed to become so large. She was a True Wild Welsh Fish , Simply the stuff of legends and many an Anglers Story and back she must go and so she did. I was Over The Moon. It is at times like this that catching anything else kind of peels into insignificance, but there is always that chance of another fish of similar proportions could also be there , so I carried on. I did at one stage nip back to the van again to check my scales with a set of Avon's that I have for very special occasions. They were smack on with my flyweights , and boy was I a happy chap.Nothing else happened for the next 3 hours , until just after dawn had started to break at 04.30. Suddenly and without warning my downstream rod hooped over and something shot off at double speed. Once again I guessed it was a Barbel , and so it was. This fish really was intent on reaching a nasty snag but on two occasions I just managed to turn it in time as the rod went the full 90 degrees. Another Powerful Clean and Empty Summer Fish graced my net once more and once again the scales went well past the 8lb mark. All this from a river less than 20 ft across.I stayed until 6.30am only to witness what many may have witnessed before , but for me it was a first. I heard a high pitch whistle and watched as two electric blue shapes raced towards me. As they passed one of the birds , an obvious Kingfisher suddenly stopped , did a loop the loop and landed right on the top of my rod tip. I stared in disbelief as the little bird sat and watched me with it's head cocked on one side. It uttered a load whistle calling it's departed mate.It's chest was bright orange with it's beak long and dark and pointed. An Angler Supreme and just yards from me. In an instance it was gone , off after it's mate. What a Night it had been. As most of the Uk slept ,I was having the time of my life. Maybe some should get a life and simply Go Fishing. They may see something they are missing. On the other hand don't bother , Sleeeeeeep On.

Tight Lines Roamers !!!



Video - 5lbs 8 ozs of Summer Chub