The Sessions - November 2020
Angling Times front cover 😊
I signed off last month having had a lottery winning Barbel session during the first week of my leave and launching my website which has been epic so far. Thanks again for your kind messages and support.
1 Nov 2020 – River Trent, Cromwell
I spent the weekend with Julie; we didn’t get up to much apart from lots of relaxing and some walking as the weather had turned very wet with lots of wind and rain. The weather was due to change and go very cold later in the week so I wanted to make the most of the last few mild nights so headed back up the A1 late Sunday afternoon hoping to find the banks reasonably quiet.
With 40 mph winds and rain forecast I knew where I wanted to be, an area that offered shelter from the wind as it goes over your head on a south westerly with shelter from the trees behind. I arrived in the dark and walked the section to find it busy but the swim I hoped to fish was empty so that made swim choice easy and with no one on the other bank or downstream it looked a good bet. It was due to be a warm night at 15 degrees and I felt very confident as I cast the rigs out at 19:30.
I put both out on single Elips pellets, fixing them with a band tied onto the hair, the reason I use the band is they will last longer than a drilled pellet put onto the hair in the normal fashion. A small pva bag of mixed pellet was the only loose feed, as I found the previous week the fish caught were all very fat, putting excess bait in would reduce my chances of catching fish that were already full.
20:25 – it didn’t take long for the first bite, the left hand rod tapped a couple of times and I struck and what a fight, it would not give up and hugged the bottom all the way in, I genuinely thought I’d hooked another monster and was being really careful my size 12 hook didn’t pop out. It went in the net first time and I was surprised when I saw it, during the fight I really thought I may have another PB but you can’t be disappointed with a 14-07.
I recast the rods and noted the river level had started to rise and with it the leaves started coming down in earnest, I was using 8oz leads and they started to get dragged round really quickly so I had to bring them in a little closer fishing two rods length out on the crease line.
22:15 – the left hand rod went again and another hard fighting double came to the net at 11-00.
The wind was howling and so bad that the anglers on the weir all left, I was chuckling as from where I sat it looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings as a line of head lights was marching along the far bank to the car park.
2 Nov 2020
I had two more high singles but the level continued to rise and the leaves were relentless. The swim I was fishing is a great high water swim and normally ok but with the late autumn drop of the leaves it was a nightmare. I continued to recast and keep trying but as I’ve written before I believe the leaves give off a smell or something the fish do not like and they stop feeding.
I fished through the day and next night without another tap and packed up at 07:30.
4 Nov 2020 – Willow, Lawn Farm, Cambs
After arriving home on the Tuesday I prepped the Perch gear and planned on two days Perch fishing. The temperatures had dropped and with the leaf issue I didn’t feel the Barbel would be feeding so hoped to break my Perch hoodoo, they have been my bogey species for some time and I really want to catch a 4 pound plus.
I’d done a bit of research and found Lawn Farm had produced the odd four pound fish in matches. I often hear this with commercials and on further investigation find it is smoke and mirrors but on this occasion it looked legitimate so was worth a go.
The conditions were not ideal with a frosty morning and a cold clear day forecast but I got there for the 7am opening and walked round the lake. As with most commercials it was very well kept and bigger than many I’ve visited with 38 pegs, nice bays, points and reed margins. I got the leading rod out and walked round again and found it was not as deep as suggested and fairly uniform, so the next thing was to find the bait fish, they soon gave themselves away so I had an area to start with.
I set both rods up with 1oz running leads with run rings to keep resistance down, 5 pound hooklinks to size 6 hooks, one baited with King Prawn the other with Lobworm. One went right in the margin, the other at the deepest point at 10 feet, I then baited with red maggots and a few broken prawns.
After a few hours of nothing I moved to the other end of the lake by an overhanging tree and tried again. A small Perch hung itself on the worm, so that was suitably hooked and cast back out again off the end of the tree.
I packed up on dark without a touch, my boots had split and my feet were wet and cold, I loaded the car to find my battery flat, not the start I hoped for but did experience this stunning sunset.
5 Nov 2020 - Willow, Lawn Farm, Cambs
Another very cold morning with thick fog and I arrived on opening again. I decided on a different approach this trip and got the whip out and quickly caught 10 livos. My intention was to fish live baits on float paternosters and move regularly to try to find the Perch.
I fished one in the margins and one in the deeper water in each swim. I tried all the corners, bays, over hanging trees, reedy margins and didn’t get a touch for a lot of effort, packing up on dark again.
13 Nov 2020 – River Trent, tidal
I’d suffered a two night blank for Barbel the previous weekend knowing I should have stayed with the Perch fishing but the two weeks annual leave had been brilliant on the whole so no complaints from me, blanking is all part of the journey.
I had been back at work for a week and recharged the fishing batteries and was ready to go again so drove up late afternoon arriving on dark. The river levels were back to normal winter level, it had been cloudy and a warmish day at 12 degrees so conditions looked good for a bite or two.
I went to a favourite section of mine further down the tidal and chose a swim I hadn’t fished before called the Willows. I know the area well and knew how deep it was so was confident to cast out without putting the leading rod through the swim. I put one on a single Asbo hard hooker and the other on a banded Elips pellet, both with size 12 hooks and attached pva bags before casting out. I was fishing a long straight so was casting half way out into approx. 10 feet of water. The tides were due to be big at 7.3m so I was set up well back so that I would not end up being flooded out. The area does not get the angling pressure and constant bait like the Collingham sections so I did put 20 Asbo through the swim to start with.
I found the Mitten Crabs were active and pinching the pellet so I changed that to a Pandemic hard hooker so I knew I would always be fishing.
Mark at Madbaits has done great job with the hard hookers, they are an excellent addition to the range and take on the glugs and food dips really well, with the Asbo food dip being my favourite and a great little edge.
01:00 – the Pandemic never lets me down and that rod crashed over resulting in a very long fight, it all ended well and the little size 12 did the business again with a lovely Barbel at 13-03.
I only had the one night as it was my birthday weekend and Julie had plans to spoil me so I packed up first thing before the rain started and headed home happy.
16 Nov 2020
Julie had really upped the stakes this year and spoilt me rotten, even in these difficult times we had a lovely weekend, she is my soul mate and the perfect partner for me.
We were walking round Rushmere Country Park and I had a couple of messages come through wishing me happy birthday from fishing friends that included this picture of me on the front of the Angling Times, it’s always been a secret ambition of mine and it was now reality, what a great way to cap off a brilliant birthday and thankyou to everyone that sent messages congratulating me and wishing me happy birthday.
21 Nov 2020 – River Trent, Collingham
Fate played its hand again and I was offered a cancellation on Collingham Weir for 48 hours. Ian couldn’t come this time, Phil was up for it and I made calls to Jerry and Judd, Jerry couldn’t come so it was the three of us that met in the carpark for change over time.
When we arrived it was bivvy city and not what you want when you arrive at a fishery, but we had pegs 1A to 9 so plenty of room in the right area and with some big fish about I couldn’t turn down the chance to have another go. I spent some time chatting in the car park and it was good to catch up with Lee Penmam whom I haven’t seen since sitting in a bar in Mequinenza a few years ago.
The forecast wasn’t great with very cold nights but we all felt we had a chance of a good fish. After barrowing the gear down we looked to choose swims, I had 1A last month so it was Phil’s turn to choose first and he went for 1A and was already fishing by the time I got down there, I went in 2/3 and Judd went in 4.
It was cloudy, warmish at 14 degrees with a strong south westerly at 25mph which made setting up difficult but we all got there in the end.
I took my time as it hadn’t been fishing well and unless you’re in the weir bites tend to come in the dark hours, Phil had started straight away and was getting plenty of bites but unfortunately not from Barbel, the Bream were there in numbers and hammering him.
I started with two rods cast up into peg 1, one on a banded Elips the other on a Pandemic hard hooker but apart from two Bream the day was uneventful. Judd’s rods were quiet but Phil just kept catching Bream.
I moved my rods down to peg 3 for the night and kept one on pellet and put an Asbo hard hooker on the other both with just pva bags.
Phil’s rods had gone quiet but Judd had three takes during the evening that unfortunately all ended badly, the first one came off quickly, the second the hook pulled as I was about to net it and the third which looked a big fish found a snag and came off. The snag became a problem for Judd and I throughout the session, I think it was wedged branch with lots of trailing line and it was the line tangling up our rigs and eventually pulling up to the branch, very annoying. I did lose two rigs but got back a lot of excess line from the water including full set ups.
Once we knew where it was it was easy to avoid but definitely something that needs removing from the river.
Something else worth a mention that I spoke to Kia the bailiff about, the angler that turns up totally ill equipped for the tidal and spent more time walking up to us with cans of Heineken in his hand than watching his rods, he was drinking all day, left all his rubbish and then drove home at 01:00 in the morning. I like a drink now and again but that isn’t right and is just dangerous on the river and certainly on the roads.
22 Nov 2020
02:10 – the Elips rod tapped and the alarm bleeped once, I was awake and struck and the fish was on, again it was a really strong fight and had me thinking I may have a big fish but it went 12-07 and was very welcome.
The night was very cold, Phil’s rods had gone quiet and Judd had no more takes though the night. As soon as it got light the Bream were on Phil’s baits again and he finished the session with 29 Bream and a few lost. Judd and I fished all day without a touch.
At 22:35 I had another take and landed another Barbel at 12-07, I thought it must be the same one but on inspection of the photos it was a different fish and that was it for the night.
We got up and packed up at 07:00, it was freezing and everything covered in frost. There is a lot said about Collingham Weir but when the fish are not feeding it does not matter how many are there. I’ve no doubt fish were in front of us in numbers and they had not moved downstream but when conditions are not right and they are not having it it’s as tough as anywhere else.
As I finish writing this piece I’ve been reflecting back on a great couple of months, some big fish, 49 pound 2oz for three Barbel something I don’t think I’ll ever beat, front cover of the Angling Times, another feature in Catch Cult and to cap it all I’ve been asked to write chapters in two LEP books, one of which I’ve completed and sent to Wayne, what a great season and long may it continue.
Until next month, tight lines and be lucky 😊
Big thanks to my sponsors for their continued support,