Tue 6th, River falling fast
Level 10.5m and falling.
The river was falling fast since its very high level on Sunday. I have heard that the Ure fishes better when falling rather than the norm which is to fish better when rising (for Barbel). I was therefore keen to head out again to peg 25 for a couple of hours after work.
I decided to fish both rods on the halibut pellet and PVA mesh bags. One almost straight out in front and one downstream, both between 3/4 across and the far side.
Quick fish - lost!‘
I got a bite on my downstream rod after about 25 minutes (around 5pm) and hit into a Barbel that seemed relatively calm. That is, until it got near to the surface. It then lunged down and I could not stop it’s run into the depths just in front of me. After a few seconds my line snapped. Upon inspection, about 5 - 6m of line had suffered major abrasion. I suspect the Barbel took me through an underwater bush/tree before snapping me. So, I discarded that line and set up again.
Missed bite
Around 5:30pm it started to rain so I began to put up my brolly. The Barbel must have been watching as that was a stimulus for my downstream rod to go again. I managed to get to it and struck, fully expecting to connect with the fish but there was nothing there - arghhh!
Tap tap tap
From about 6:15pm until dark (7pm), I was getting taps and little pulls on both rods. These tended to happen after I twitched the bait a bit. None of these turned into hittable bites. Whilst I had not banked any fish tonight, I really enjoyed it because the Barbel were around and I felt that I had found another good stretch after my very unproductive September.
I have also ordered a 17ft float rod so that I can have a few float sessions and hopefully get some nice Roach, Chub, Perch and maybe Bream. It is very deep at Ellenthorpe so the long rod should really help.
Wed 7th, River almost normal
Level 9.8m and falling slightly.
I was still full of expectation from my previous evening so could not resist another couple of hours in peg 25. When I got there I could see signs of someone else having been in the peg but then noticed that the overhanging bush/tree had been cut back a bit. So I was not sure if it was a fisherman or a working party preparing for Sunday’s match. I decided to fish peg 25 anyway.
Despite my heightened expectations I did not get any signs of fish until about 6pm. I then got little taps on both rods but no firm bites. Again, this was after twitching the bait a bit.
I decided to pack up at 7pm (a few mins earlier than my previous visits). However, at 6:55pm my upstream rod bent over and I hit into a very hard fighting Barbel. After a good scrap I landed this lovely 9lb 10oz fish: -
It is interesting that this fish also has a nick in the top of it’s tail fin. I have now had 3 fish with similar nicks (2 of them were similar weights so could have been the same fish).
| Fishing Targets | Fishing Log |