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ROB KAVANAGH.
The inside line on fishing.
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I'm Rob Kavanagh, your Artful Angler artist and dedicated angler.
My fishing blog is here to share my fishing adventures, ideas, stories, tips, anecdotes, techniques etc.. tight lines!
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10/01/2008
New Year
Little Avon
Avon Bream
Sunset over the Ham
Matt's Pike
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2008 has arrived and so far I have been fishless! A brief trip to my local Frome on New Year's Day resulted in a couple of fast bites on cheese that I failed to connect with. A few fish were rolling as dusk fell, it was a milder day than we'd had for weeks. It had been bitterly cold with heavy frosts over Christmas and for a couple of weeks before.
A few hours on the Little Avon at Berkeley on a frosty day in late November saw the river low and crystal clear. No bites were forthcoming from grayling, dace or chub. It was very chilly in the shade, but quite pleasant in the bright sunshine. We roved the full stretch but despite trying a variety of baits and scaling down my tackle as low as I dared, I just couldn't buy a bite.
The banks were steep and slippery and I came bit of a cropper. I'd pulled a muscle in my lower back a few weeks before after falling off a bike, and had been laying off the fishing (and other strenuous activity!) for a week or two to let it recover. My unceremonious landing in the mud had twinged the muscle again so I decided to call it a day and staggered back to the car. Serves me right for trying to pull a wheelie on a tiny folding bicycle!
More success was had in late October before Matt left for Oz. We were determined to have a decent day at Tewkesbury and started under the weir. Bites were very few and far between so after a few hours we moved on, hoping to get in under the weir by the mill on the Avon. The best swims were occupied so we needed a Plan B. We dropped off any extra kit at the car, stripping down our gear to the bare essentials and set off exploring downstream. Plenty of bites were forthcoming from little roach and dace. Matt had a couple of thumping takes on cheese, and I caught a small chub of about a pound on breadflake a little further upstream. On the outside of one deep bend, tiddlers were being repeatedly harrassed by an unseen tormentor. I reckoned on perch but added a wire trace in case of pike and cast a small bright orange plug tight under the overhanging tree. No sooner did it hit the water I was attacked in a big swirl. My strike was lame and I pulled the plug out before it was hooked. I had a few more casts but to no avail. Inspection of the plug revealed some mean tooth-marks so it looks like pike after all.
As the sun started to go down we headed back to the weirpool. Upon setting up I realised I'd left a rodrest in my last swim so hurried off to get it before it got too dark. On my way back I was distracted by a beautiful sight as the sun set with a ground mist rolling towards me. I took a few photos and when I got back to Matt he was in the process of unhooking a lovely bream. The only proper sized fish of the day. Nice one!
We returned a week later to fish the weirpool but had to settle for the far bank. Small perch on worm seemed to be all that was biting, but I'd brought a pike rod and a mixture of frozen deadbaits with a view to having a go if all else failed. It was very chilly out of the sunshine and our supply of hot soup was soon exhausted. The car was parked only a couple of dozen yards away, so I reeled in and headed off to fire up the stove. I had been faffing around for five minutes or so when an old chap came tearing up to me on his pushbike. Somewhere in his excited chunter I deciphered that Matt had hooked something decent. The old boy didn't stop long and began tearing back to Matt while I followed as quickly as I could. I arrived to see Matt grinning from ear to ear with the pike rod straining in a healthy bend.
He'd hooked the fish on the second trot down, casting across to some far bank rushes. The float was set a few feet above the snap tackle, and the bait was a smelt. The pike was swiftly played and landed despite a couple of surging runs, and was estimated at 12lb. Unhooking was a doddle as they fell out in the landing net. I'm sure Matt'd have been gutted if they'd dropped out any sooner!
Matt was well chuffed and inspired by his success I headed around the corner to wobble deadbaits in the big slack area. Fry scattered eveywhere as I reeled a joey mackerel through them. Their activity could only draw a pike's interest, surely? I baited up with my last deadbait after an overenthusiastic cast that sent the other off the trebles and possibly into orbit. On the fourth or fifth cast, as the bait was under the rod tip about to be swung in the water below me erupted!. I watched in slow motion as a wide toothy mouth surged at the bait, a low double pike flaring its gills to engulf the mackerel. The hooks touched and the fish kicked hard. I could see right down the pike's throat as to my horror, the hooks pinged free and the bait came off, slipping straight down inside the hungry fish. Amidst a spray of foam the pike slid back into the depths, appetite satisfied! Oh well. Despite attempts to catch a few tiddlers for use as pike baits, the afternoon was quiet, with no further fish to our credit. No matter, it was worth it to see Matt's pike, a long fish and quite lean, but beautifully marked. Matt saves the day once again!
I hope to get out on the banks again soon, I'm currently nursing a badly cut finger. I opened it down to the bone with a very sharp knife and daren't risk getting it infected. I don't want to lose it as it is the index finger on my drawing hand!
Rob, 10/01/2008
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| 1. On 11/01/2008 00:09:28, matt wrote: |
Rob,
Excellent account of our fishing in October. Also great photos. I particularly like the one of myself stalking the little Avon. God I am itching to do some fishing back on the Little Avon, Frome and Severn. Wont be to long and I will be back amongst the fish!!! keep the blogs coming !
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