The Sessions June 2014

Mequinenza, Spain

During the close season I didn’t get to fish much due to other commitments, my fishing amounted to a tough two week trip to Spain in March after Catfish where I caught 12. The biggest two saved the trip at the death and went 188 and 189, so it ended well despite going five days without a take.

In April I had a couple of blank Perch sessions and one trip to a special little venue I found where I fish for Sturgeon and was lucky enough to have two at 33-03 and 46-06.

In May I didn’t fish at all so was itching to get back out again. I wanted to catch a big Crucian for some time but had never found the time to try so the decision was made to try for a 3 pound plus but locally which made it a challenge…
I had the first week of the season booked of work and was really looking forward to it.

June the 16th - Fields End Fishery

A good friend told about this little venue out in the Fens so I drove up for my first visit of the season full of excitement arriving when the gates opened at 07:00 hours, it was quite warm at 20 degrees, cloudy with sunny spells. There were pictures of “3” pound plus fish on the wall so all looked promising.

I had a walk round and it soon became clear you had to get there early as it’s on a caravan park and the people staying there get on the lake early, however I got in a nice looking swim that was lined with reeds and felt confident. Being a commercial fishery it was quite obviously full of fish so I started with two rods on maggot feeders on helicopter rigs, short 3 inch hooklinks and size 16 Drennan wide gape hooks. I fished them just over the marginal shelf and started feeding with hemp and maggots over the top with double reds on the hook.

The first fish was a swim recking 7 pound plus Mirror and then it was non-stop small Roach, Rudd and Perch, it was that bad I was soon down to one rod. Finally at 11:30 I caught my first Crucian at 1-11. I tried the other rod on meat and caught two quite quickly but as soon as I put bait in all I got was Carp and Barbel. I carried on with the maggot feeder and finished with nine Crucians to 1-14 and lord knows how many Roach, Perch, etc, but a good start.

June the 17th – Fields End Fishery

I drove back up for another session and started in the same swim as I’d got there late and the other swims that looked good were taken. I went with one on maggot feeder and one on meat. The meat rod produced straight away but Carp, Tench and Barbel, I put some pellet and ground bait out and it seemed to kill it. The maggots were producing loads but no Crucians until late morning. I felt I needed a move so went for a walk to find a guy catching one after the other on Prawns!! He said he was going so I moved into his swim and fished Prawns on a small float tight to the reeds and fed chopped Prawn and maggots. This worked well and I had five with two over two pound at 2-01 and 2-05 before having to leave.

June the 18th – River Trent

I wasn’t feeling to well so made a change of plan and drove up to the River Trent for my first visit of the season arriving at 17:00 hours, the fishing would be a little more relaxing once the baits were out. It was hot at 24 degrees and the river was quite low and clear. I fish the tidal Trent and it’s definitely not for the faint hearted, barren with steep rocky banks, I went to an area I know quite well to find it not busy and I got my first choice swim.

From previous experience I adopt a little and often baiting approach when fishing here and use pva bags of small mixed pellets and recast every hour. My set up was my tried and trusted 15 pound mainline, I use the lightest lead possible which on this occasion was a 5 ounce flat lead on a lead clip. Hook lengths were 5 feet of 12 pound ESP ghost fluocarbon attached loop to loop to a 3 inch piece of 15 pound Drennen Carp Silk, a size 10 Drennen Barbel hook completed the set up.
Following a phone call from Mark Leonard of MAD baits asking me to trial a bait for him my hook bait choice had me pondering. The baits I used last season were very good and gave me a lot of confidence however Mark said to trust him and the new one was magic……

So I put one rod out on each to let the Barbel decide. So much for a relaxing session, I fished through to lunchtime the following day and had 6 Barbel to 8-10, 5 Chub and lost 3 of which two cut me off near the swivel. All the fish came to the new 10mm dumbells, River Spice, so that was my bait choice sorted.

June the 20th – Fields End Fishery

I was feeling normal again so went back to Fields End for Crucians. I got there nice and early and got in a new swim that was a small reed fringed bay armed with maggots and bags of Prawns. My set up was 5.8 pound Drennan Supplex mainline straight through to a size 14 Drennan barbless wide gape hook, fished on a small waggler tight to the reeds. I fed maggots and hemp little and often with a Prawn on the hook. I caught straight away and had my best day for numbers catching 11 Crucians to 2-02 but had at least 80 Perch, 80 10ounce plus Rudd but no biggies. I got through lots of bait and after catching 28 Crucians over the three days but only 3 over 2 pound I came to the conclusion it would be pastures new for a 3.

June 24th – River Trent

Finishing work at lunchtime gave me the opportunity for quick over nighter so I drove the 74 miles to the Trent buzzing after the first session on the new bait. After chatting with the MAD baits lads and a couple of friends, I decided on a barbel challenge for the season that would be a good one for me and good advertising for the bait, a double for each month of the season.

It was hot at 24 degrees, a little cloud and the odd shower. The river was as low as I’d ever seen it and clear, not the best Barbel conditions. I dropped into one of my banker swims for a 19:00 hours start. I’d given my fish losses a lot of thought and made a change to my rig that I hoped would stop it happening again. I dropped the loop attachment to my swivel and tied it with a Palomar knot and covered it with a silicone kicker, my thinking was that the lead was knocking the line against the rocks during the fight and cutting me off, (for info this worked and I’ve had no problems since)

MAD baits gave me some bag mix to trial, I gave this some thought and came up with my “special” bag mix that I’m convinced has helped shape my season. It incorporates a lot of smell and attraction but not much solid food. Once the bait is released in March I’ll publish my bag mix, by then I will have hopefully emptied the Trent and the Ouse. I fished through till 08:30 hours the next morning and had a fantastic session catching 10 Barbel, the best ones going 9-01 and 9-11. The bag mix definitely worked in not ideal conditions.

June the 30th – River Trent

Due to work and other commitments I hadn’t been able to fish and only had one day to get my June double, there was no way I wanted two failures in one month. I made the drive up for a 16:30 start, the weather hadn’t changed and was still hot at 24 degrees with a little cloud, the river was low, clear and running hard. There was no one about so I went back in my banker swim, I’d lost good fish there in the first session and the 9’s were big and empty so fingers crossed.

I didn’t have to wait long and had a fish within 30 minutes which was encouraging. The bailiff dropped by and told me there was only me and a couple of lads catching any fish so far this season so I was super confident with the bait now.
I had another an hour later but again it was average stamp for the Trent at 7+.

At just before 21:00 hours the rod went over and I new this was the one. The Barbel fight real hard on the Trent, with the deep strong current its often heart in your mouth stuff but I eventually got it into the net and knew I’d done it, the challenge was now on. The take and fight are so addictive I couldn’t get enough and that was my season set up.

The fish went 10-15 and was followed by two more 7’s then it went dead for the night.

June catch status– 3 trips to the Trent, 22 Barbel / 1 double.

Tight Lines

Julian Barnes