The Sessions - December 2016

Bad weather and a strange occurrence

1 December – River Trent
November had been a bad month for me getting out on the bank due to work and the bad weather. I was coming to the end of two weeks leave after cancelling a trip to Spain which I was gutted about and had only had a day’s Perching.

The Thursday finally saw me able to have two nights out and the conditions looked favourable for a bite or two. The three days previous had been cold with frosty nights so the water temps would still be low but with south westerly winds and warm day temps at 9 degrees I was hopeful of some action.

I drove up the A1 and arrived on dark, the car park only had two cars and one was just leaving, he had been on the weir all day and had blanked, I wasn’t too worried as I have seen this before and moved in and had a real red letter day. I went up to the weir and dropped in peg 2, the same time last season I caught nine doubles!! It was still cloudy and warmish as I set up, two rods went out on the Pandemic and pPVA bags and I put a third out on a third of a tin of Garlic Spam. Well I’d love to be writing that the Barbel crawled up the bank but unfortunately it was the polar opposite, the cloud disappeared at 19:00 hours leaving the sky still and clear, the temperature dropped and it was freezing, everything that was not forecast.

I kept up my two hourly baiting until 02:00 hours, the river was dead with nothing showing. I carried on until 09:30 hours without a touch, I couldn’t believe it, the first time I got the swim all season and I blanked but as ever I always enjoy being out.

2 December
I made the decision to move up onto the middle Trent, my thinking being the tidal water must be cooler as the tide comes in from the sea. I moved to an area that is sheltered with deep margins and is always good for a bite. I arrived for midday to find the level up from my last visit with a tinge of colour. I swung out two rods on Pandemic and bags and set up my camp for the night, it was cloudy and felt warm and I was convinced it would lift the water temp that little bit to get the fish moving again.

18:20 hours – the first bite finally came during a period of constant drizzle, so I got soaked as it would not give up, finally it went in the net and was a full fat fish at 9-02.
21:05 hours – it took a while for the next bite but the same rod went again and this was another strong fish but it felt heavier and I wasn’t disappointed at 10-14.

23:55 hours – the right hand rod went over resulting in a fish for the future at approx. 6 pound. The short feeding spell came to an end, it rained most of the night, dropped to 3 degrees and I packed up at 08:00 hours happy with my success in difficult conditions.

13 December – River Trent
Following another long cold spell it had warmed up over the weekend with lots of rain and southerly winds. I had a window of one nights fishing so left work and started the drive up the A1 at 18:30 hours. The day had been warm at 12 degrees with drizzle and southerly winds, perfect conditions for this time of year. I went on the middle Trent again and was swinging my rigs in at 20:30 hours and trickling a few baits down the section. There was no one around so I put a third rod out with a third of a tin of Garlic Spam.

21:40 hours – the first bite came to the Pandemic and the rod smashed over violently resulting in a very fat double at 10-14.

22:20 hours – I heard a Delkim going mad but my rods were not moving and then I realised it was the meat rod positioned down the bank, I quickly slid down and picked up to feel heavy resistance and a strong fish. It fought hard in the strong flow but eventually went in the net and was a real old warrior at 11-13 (3oz under my target weight grrrrrr) and it was crapping out bait, who knows how much it may have lost during the fight??

22:40 hours – the right hand boilie rod went over resulting in a fish at 8 plus.

01:10 hours – the same rod went again and I’d hooked another strong fish that was trying to head down the Trent, I was winning the battle when it lunged again and the hook pulled. I don’t lose many and I think this was my forth of the season but gutting all the same.
03:05 hours – the left hand rod crashed over resulting in another double at 10-09.

Two more takes came early morning resulting in an 8 plus and a splasher to finish of a great nights fishing. It was so warm I slept on top of the bag with just a cover over me, crazy for December.

20 December – River Trent
The weather had been cold and clear and the day was 9 degrees but clear and sunny, not great conditions but it was the only chance I had left to try to get a December “12”. I rang the bailiff to be told it wasn’t fishing well, all the swims in the weir field had been fished over the weekend and no Barbel caught at all.

Ah well its worth a go anyway so I drove up to the middle Trent and dropped in the same swim as my last session. Well all I can say is despite my best efforts it was a complete blank, the river was dead with nothing dippling and showing.
The only thing of note was a strange occurrence in the morning, I woke up to the sound of my bait box being dropped on the floor a metre outside my shelter, I shot my head out the bag to see the box laying there and no one or anything in sight. I retrieved it and then found my hook bait tub had gone from under the bedchair. Both had been picked up and lifted over my boots, kettle and stove. I got up and looked round but couldn’t find my hook bait tub, I looked again at first light and found a fox earth under the bridge, so that was the obvious culprit, very cunning in deed as he very nearly got away with both…….

I love all wildlife and being out regularly allows me to see stuff you just don’t see sitting at home. Back in 2009 during a very cold January Carp trip to Spain I was lucky enough to hand feed a wild Fox that I tempted over with halibut pellets, even the camera flash didn’t scare him away once he was confident, what a great experience it was too.

December turned out to be a difficult month, totally different to last year, my season target won’t be achieved after missing a “12” by 3oz but I can’t complain after the season I’ve had so far. Dec – 9 Barbel / 4 doubles, four nights on the Trent.

Until next month tight lines and happy new year.

Julian Barnes