River up again

Level 10.9m and falling slightly.

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Arrived around lunchtime for an afternoon session through to dusk. Fished peg 25 again. Having got a new 17ft float road, I was really hoping for a float session today but the high river level put paid to that idea.

So, it was the usual 2 rods. One out in front of me, about 3/4 of the way across on halibut pellet with PVA mesh bags and one downstream on the same bait.

First signs
After about 30 minutes I started getting good strong taps on the downstream rod. However these did not turn into hittable bites. So, after 40 minutes I switched the downstream rod to luncheon meat in case Chub had been tapping the pellet but not taking it.

Bream, a first!
About 50 minutes into the session I got a bite on pellet and hit into a solid fish. As I brought it in I expected that it was a Barbel that had yet to wake up so was expecting a lunge at any time. Imagine my surprise when it broke the surface and was a lovely river Bream. This is my first on the Ure and my 1st on halibut pellet: -

No action on meat
I did not get any interest in the meat so decided to switch to lobworm, this could pick up Barbel, Chub, big Perch or the Bream that were obviously now in the swim. I got a bite within 5 minutes and hit into a decent sized Eel. Thankfully I lip hooked it so was able to unhook it and return it. So, an Eel, that’s another first on the Ure.

Barbel lost
About 3 hours into the session I got a Barbel bite that nearly took my rod. I just managed to grab it. This was a typical Barbel fight and I thought that I was going to net it. However, when it got close, it lunged down to a sunken tree to my right. I tried to stop it but my line snapped. I am glad there was no-one around to hear my swearing!

Another Eel
After a couple more hours, my lobworm rod went again and it was another Eel. Slightly smaller and lip hooked again. I then decided to go back onto halibut pellet on the downstream rod as I didn’t really want any more Eels.

Twilight Barbel
The light was failing fast and I was about 15 minutes away from leaving when I got persistent small taps on my downstream pellet. I waited to see if it would develop into a proper pull around suspecting that a Bream was mouthing the pellet. However it continued to tap so I had to hit it and was surprised that it was a Barbel. It was solid and heavy like a Barbel but didn’t strip line off. As I got it close I was prepared for the lunge but none came so I netted the fish first time: -

This fish took a long time to recover in the landing net and I released it after a few minutes. Then it rose to surface again and was struggling. I was able to net it and spent several more minutes holding it to let water flow through it’s gills. It seemed to want to go so I released it and, yet again, it popped up to the surface. So I netted it again and found an area near the end of my peg where I could stand in 8-10 inches of water and cradle the fish to help it right itself. After a while I noticed that it was blowing bubbles out of its mouth and it’s gill covers. That’s obviously what had been causing it distress. I also noticed that the skin around where its dorsal fin met it’s body seemed very pale as if the fish was ill. This is perhaps why it hand’t fought the way I expected. Eventually I was able to release the fish and it seemed to swim away fine.

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log

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

Trying a new peg
I arrived just after mid-day, planning to fish until dusk. I decided on peg 25 at Ellenthorpe - middle stretch. Other than the fact that there seem to be Barbel around here, another plus is that it is a very short walk from the car which is parked just the other side of the flood bank. This means that I can take lots of stuff with me just in case e.g. brolly, extra feeders, leads etc and even an extra rod in case I want to give the float a go. These can all stay in the car until needed.

Peg 25 was a very comfortable peg. It had a nice flat area to each side of my chair and a small promontary just in front of my chair which gave plenty of room to stand, play fish etc. Caution is advised though - the water is about 10 feet deep right at the water’s edge!

Plan for the day
I decided to fish the Barbel rod straight out in front of me, about 3/4 across the river (with halibut pellet and PVA mesh bag) and my Chub rod further downstream and roughly mid-river. On this rod I would start with lobworm in the hope of either Barbel, Chub, Perch or Bream and then alternate with luncheon meat that I was also trying in PVA mesh for the 1st time.

Pellet is king
My first bite came about 3:40pm on the Barbel rod with halibut pellet. I was actually just changing bait on the Chub rod when I saw the Barbel bite. This was fortunate as I did not need to worry about getting snagged up in the second rod/line.

The Barbel, as usual, fought really well. However, the deep water close in seemed to spur the fish onto continual lunges into the depths whenever I thought I was about to net it. I was just hoping there were no bad snags down there. Thankfully it seemed clear enough and I eventually netted this lovely 9lb fish: -

I decided to use a keepnet for the Barbel. This is not something that I would normally do but I have seen many club members using a net and the fish seem non the worse for wear. This would allow me to photograph several fish together if I was ever lucky enough to catch more than one - I haven’t so far on the Ure.

Having got a fish mid afternoon I was hopeful of getting at least one more before the session ended. However it was a very long and uneventful afternoon and evening. I did not get a single knock on the Chub rod and only that one bite on the Barbel rod. I did notice that the halibut pellets fell off the hair a couple of times before I even cast in - I need to find a solution to that otherwise I will be sat there for ages with no bait on the hook!

Late appearance
I decided to pack up and had just pulled up my keepnet (Barbel not yet released) when my Barbel rod crashed into the water in front of me. I initially thought I may have hit the rod rest and knocked it off but then saw the tip bending around and heading downstream. I quickly released the netted Barbel and was easily able to grab the rod and had a relatively calm fight (in Barbel terms) with this 7lb 4oz fish: -

This one had a noticeable nick in the bottom of it’s tail fin.

A new first
This is the first time that I have managed more than 1 Barbel in a session on the Ure. I wasn’t able to get a photo of both together due to the unfashionably late arrival of the second fish. Maybe next time I will go all out and use halibut pellet on both rods so see if I can beat 2 in a session.

Two days later, up again

Level 13.4m and peaking.

After a lousy Saturday where we all experienced a lot of rain, the river was rising most of the day on Sunday. It looked to be peaking around 4pm so decided to try a couple of hours until dusk. Whilst I was expecting it to be up by 3 metres from Friday, I didn’t really appreciate what that meant having not fished this stretch very much. When I got there the river was well over it’s normal banks and working it’s way up the flood bank. The following photo shows just how high it was - I would normally be fishing in that line of trees that are 10m out in the river!

I was only able to fish one rod due to the strong flow and did not get any bites despite trying halibut pellet, luncheon meat and lobworm. I did manage to loose one lead but it was a lovely evening once I got sat under the brolly for the occasional shower that showed up. The river looked lovely as the sun was dipping down over the trees: -

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log

Recent Sessions
For the past couple of weeks I have been focussing on the Ellenthorpe stretch. Last Friday I spent 8 hours at the Corn Dryers in a very strong wind (too gusty for the brolly) with frequent showers. The river was also up about 1.5m. It was a miserable day without a single bite.

So, my next trip focussed on Perch at the Corn Dryers. I also put out my Barbel rod with halibut pellet - just in case. Nothing on the Barbel rod but I did get quite a few Perch. I was certain that one of them would break my 3lb target as it looked huge - it turned out to be 2lb 6oz. Still a nice fish but not the catch I thought it was. I then spent a lovely evening on the stick float at the Corn Dryers in the hope of picking up Perch, perhaps Roach, Bream or Chub as I was using lobworm. However, I only managed a few smallish Perch. The weather was really nice and the river was very calming after a busy day at work.

Tonight’s session
I nipped out for a 2 hour session after work (it gets dark so early now). I went to Ellenthorpe middle - peg 26. I fished one rod with halibut pellet and a PVA mesh bag of freebies and one rod with lobworm. Both were fished in mid river.

My best Barbel on the Ure
After about 45 minutes (about 6pm) I got a solid bite on the halibut pellet and had a great fight from a feisty 11lb Barbel. This equals my best ever Barbel (on the Swale about 30 years ago - yikes!). It also has a very noticable nick on it’s tail fin.

I have seen a few reports of Barbel at Ellenthorpe and weighed a friend’s Barbel as I arrived tonight. His was a shade under 10lb. Hopefully I have re-located the Barbel. I am expecting a plumber tomorrow, I hope he comes early so that I can go back and try for more on a longer session.

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log

Summary
I have not had many trips since my week off work which also co-incided with a week of heavy rains. I have had an average of one trip per week rather than my usual three per week whilst I caught up on some jobs that I needed to do around the house. Even on these weekly trips the fishing has been hard. I have really struggled to find Barbel and big Chub. This post summaries these recent trips.

The upshot is that I think the Barbel and Chub have now moved down river so I will concentrate my efforts one the three Ellenthorpe stretches from now on. Hopefully I can locate the big fish again.

New Backpack
During my week off, one of the straps broke on the backpack that I had been using. This was probably because it was getting soaked every day. To be honest it was a cheap backpack from Amazon that I purchased with the purpose of seeing what pockets/features I needed. Fortuitously, on the last trip of my week off, I bumped into a friend on the bank who had a rather good bag/backpack. It was a Korum Transition Ruckall. I decided to get one and then hit the current problem of seeing “out of stock” everywhere that I tried. I ended up ordering from eBay and it arrived soon after. I really like it. It is more of a blocky shape than a traditional rucksack (a bit like a small suitcase). However it is well equipped with large side pockets and a very large main area. Korum sell “Transition” pouches and tackle boxes designed to fit well. I ordered a few pouches but continued with my existing tackle box as it fit well. It has some clips for attaching a Korum chair but mine is not Korum so does not fit. This was easily overcome by purchasing some webbing and a range of clips from the internet and making up my own chair clips that work rather well. It is very comfortable to carry. The main problem is the temptation to fill it with all of your feeders, leads etc but it then becomes too heavy. The best thing I like is that it is designed to lay flat next to your seat so will not slip down the bank and provides a useful working area/table next to your chair.

Trotting
I had intented to have a day trotting during my week off but the heavy rains destroyed that idea. So, I headed off to the Cricket Field stretch one evening (peg 6) in the hope of catching plenty of small fish and perhaps a few bonus Roach and maybe even a Chub or two. I did manage several small Dace and Roach but I was plagued by Pike. They were chasing the hooked fish causing me to pull them out quickly and they also attacked my keepnet twice (causing damage). No large Roach or Chub turned up and I did not get any bites on the ledger that I left out with large baits. To be honest, I did not enjoy this session as I felt like I was just a feeding station for the Pike.

Bream - attempt 2
I then had a session at Ellenthorpe far lane. This is close to where the Swale branches off from the Ure. There are reputed to be some large Bream in that area so I put in plenty of groundbait and put out two rods alternating between Sweetcorn, Worm and Caster. Not a sniff! I managed a few smaller fish (Perch and Roach) but nothing that required the landing net.

Pike again - arghhhh
I had an evening at the Cricket Field stretch (peg 5) in the hope of locating more Chub and Barbel. It was extremely quiet until about one hour before dark. I got a bite on luncheon meat and expected it to be a decent Chub. However, after a brief fight my hook length snapped. I put on another hook and cast back into the same place with another piece of luncheon meat. It had been in less than a minute when my tip shot round again. A bloody Pike had taken my meat and I had hooked into the lip and managed to get it out. It was only small, perhaps 3lb. This made me think that my first fish had been a Pike and that’s why the hook length snapped.

I did manage three Chub but they were all in the 2 to 2.5lb bracket. The last one suddenly got very heavy as a very large Pike grabbed it. I managed to net the Pike and estimate it being close to a double. I am still not keen on photographing Pike, especially ones that are caught by mistake. Maybe I will have a Piking session one day but I don’t really like them.

One last try
There had been a team match on the Ellenthorpe stretch last weekend and a few Barbel had been caught as well as a 6lb Chub and a 4lb Bream. Before I divert my attention to Ellenthorpe I fancied one last try in my favourite peg 14. I fished my usual Chub rod near the downstream bush and my Barbel rod mid-river with Halibut pellet on the hook and a PVA mash bag of free offerings. I did not get a single bite near the bush - I can’t believe as this was a “banker” just a few weeks ago.

Thankfully I got one bite on the Barbel rod and it resulted in this 7lb 4oz Barbel.

It’s been nearly three weeks since my last Barbel. I really hope that I can locate them again at Ellenthorpe. With Autumn approaching and the river being slower and deeper there, I also hope to get some good fish on the float.

The seasons turn and the river changes it’s character - I look forward to the next chapter on my local river Ure.

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log

Average session with a cherry on top
The river had been near normal for the last couple of days and it had been a mild and bright day. So my attention turned once again to Perch fishing at the Corn Dryer part of the Ellenthorpe stretch.

I fished my Barbel rod mid river with a hair rigged Halibut pellet for bait and a PVA mesh bag full of free offerings. I did not see any sign of Barbel but did get a long slow pull on the tip that resulted in a foul-hooked Pike that I netted. This was only a fish of about 3-4 pounds.

Most of my concentration was on the Perch line that was fished about 1/4 of the way across the river in the slow, shallow area where Perch are known to hunt. I fished with Lobworm in the hope of getting a large Perch or even a Chub. As it turns out, bites were much more sporadic than I expected. I ended up with half a dozen small-average Perch a three 6-8oz Roach.

I had kept the Perch and Roach in a keepnet but they started getting restless as the light level diminished. I was wary of a Pike attacking my net so decided to release the fish before that happened.

Just as I resettled into my chair, my tip started to rattle and I struck into my personal best Perch of 2lb 8oz. I have never had a Perch over 2lb so this brought a big smile. It’s a shame I didn’t frame myself correctly in the photo but at least the Perch looks proud: -

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log

Near normal level
The river level was only a foot or so above its usual level so I decided on the Cricket Field, peg 6. My plan was to fish the usual downstream bush with my Chub rod, alternating between Cheese paste, Lobworm and Luncheon meat and to fish my Barbel rod out in the main flow but, and this is a first for me, using a PVA mesh bag loaded with broken Halibut pellets, small cubes of Luncheon meat and my mix of hemp, micro halibut pellets, micro meat and micro cheese cubes. I would hook this dissolving bag ensuring that the loose offerings were close to my hair-rigged Halibut pellet.

Quick fish
I started fishing about 4:50pm and got taps on my Cheese paste straight away. I missed the first but at about 5:05pm I hooked a fish and I initially thought I had hooked a large Chub. However it turned out to be a slender Pike of about 30” in length. I had hooked it on the outside of its lower jaw and managed to land it and unhook it successfully. Unfortuntaly there were signs of abrasion within a couple of inches of the hook so I changed the hook length.

By 6:30 I hadn’t got any more positive bites near the downstream bush. Neither had I any bites in mid river. I was contemplating fishing the Barbel rod near the bush from 7pm on a large chunk of meat for the last hour or two just in case the usual twilight Barbel turned up.

Hold it
Around 6:40 I saw a bump on the Barbel rod in mid river. A few minutes later this developed into a proper bite and I hooked into a Barbel. This was my first mid river fish. As with all Barbel, it gave a great account of itself before I netted this perky 6lb fish. This is the smallest that I have had from the Ure: -

When photographing the fish I noticed another hook in its upper jaw. This was a smaller hook with thinner line so had probably snapped someone that was not after Barbel. I removed this hook.

Bouyed by mid river success I decided to leave the Barbel rod out there and continue with the Chub rod near the bush. Unfortunately the rest of the evening passed without incident but it was nice to be back amongst the Barbel again and with a new location (mid river) and a new technique (PVA mesh bags).

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log

Lots of rain, few fish
That sentence sums up my week. I took a week off work and had plans to fish lots of different swims and tactics including trotting for silvers, Perch fishing in the shallows and a session at the lake for Bream. However the weather put paid to those plans. We have had lots of rain, strong winds - some very cold from the north, resulting in very high water. So, no trotting and no shallows for the Perch. However I wanted to fish the river when it is near flooding to see if the Barbel were in a feeding mood. Suffice it to say that they weren’t. In fact fish of any species were hard to come by. Therefore I decided to write a single post to cover all of these difficult sessions.

24th Cricket Field - dinners in the dogs!
I fished at first light on a river that was about 4 feet over its usual level. I decided on peg 14 because the level meant that it was more comfortable to fish from the usual high plateau of peg 14. I made up some stodgy groundbait using Vitalin that I ran through my blender and mixed with Hemp, meat, cheese and casters. I was able to mould the groundbait around my pear shaped lead and decided to fish this mid-river. I had noticed that most people fished for Barbel in mid river so decided to give this a try - thus far I had no success mid river. I fished for 2 hours or so wiithout a bite either mid river or near the downstream bush. I then went to chat to another angler who had also been struggling. Unfortunately I got back to my peg to find three dogs munching through my luncheon meat, groundbait, hemp and bread. They had also scattered my gear all over my peg - so much for keeping dogs under control! The only thing they didn’t destroy was my cheese paste. I managed to find a few bits of meat amongst the grass and bankside vegetation so was able to carry on a bit longer. I managed the following 2lb 10oz Chub about 9am: -

I had no other bites.

However, as you can see from the Chub photo, the sun did come out a bit and that brought out many bees that love the Himalayan Balsam. The bees are black with a blob of white on their backs. I took the following photo and sent it to a friend (who is a bee keeper) to find out what they are. It turns out they are Honey Bees and are black. The white blob is the pollen/nectar that the Balsam deposit on the back of the Bee where they cannot remove/eat it.

25th Ellenthorpe far lane
I had heard of some large Bream being caught on the Ellenthorpe stretch not far from where the River Swale joins the River Ure. The forecast was for heavy rain, strong south-easterly winds and cold so I decided to fish this stretch because it was a relatively short walk so could carry my brolly and warm clothing it is also southwest facing so the wind should come from my left so I looked for a peg with a tree to my left to provide some shade. Here is what I had for the entirety of the session: -

Despite putting in plenty of groundbait laced with hemp and caster I saw no signs of Bream. I did manage a few small Perch, Roach and Dace but it was a disappointing session.

26th Cricket Field - very high water
All of the heavy rain of yesterday had made it’s way into the river today. The level was about 11ft over it’s normal level. I made use of the reconnaissance that I had done previously and selected peg 7 because it would have a fairly large slack area that was devoid of bushes and trees. The following two images show the difference between the normal level and today’s level. Although it is not obvious from the angle, that peg is about 12 feet below the top of the bank where I sat today: -

At about 9:35am, my tip bent over and I hooked into a Barbel. I was fishing up against the crease between the fast and slower water. The Barbel immediately took off into the fast water and it was several minutes before I could draw it toward the slack. Just when I thought I had it beat, it went head down straight in front on me and buried itself in the bankside vegetation which was now underwater. I thought I had got it out a couple of times but, alas, my hooklink broke.

I have never really had to use the hook and hold technique but vowed to do so on the next fish. There are just too many underwater snags when the river is up. Unfortunately the next fish never came.

27th Cricket Field - very wet
On the evening of the 27th the level looked like it would be perfect for peg 14. The forecast was for the occasional shower. I therefore dispensed with my brolly and instead relied on my kagoule. What a mistake (and bad forecast) that was. I suffered torrential rain for the whole of my 4.5 hour session. The seat of my chair was a puddle: -

I did get one bite and one fish. A Chub of about 2.5lb at around 7:15pm. I could not bring myself to take a photo of the fish because I was so wet. The most positive part of this trip was that I proved the waterproof quality of the new Daiwa Retex suit that I had purchased a few weeks ago. Unlike some waterproof clothing, water does not bead on these and appears to be soaking in. However the fabric is made of multiple layers and this worked a treat - even when sat in my chair/puddle, my bib-n-brace kept me dry. Unfortunately I had not taken my Daiwa Retex coat, instead relying on my Kagoule. Whilst the kagoule is great for showers, it cannot cope with over 4 hours of incessant rain and I could feel my arms and shoulders getting wet and cold.

28th Corn Dryers
On the morning of the 28th I could see that the level had dropped a bit but would be rising later in the day. It was also forecast for more rain and northerly winds. I decided to try the Corn Dryers as the wind would be from my back and I would be able to make use of the brolly. I had to turn on my heating when I got home last night. Not because I was cold but rather to dry out all of my fishing clothes.

When I arrived and parked the car, the rain had already started and was quite heavy. So much so that I had to put on my waterproof clothing and wellies whilst still sat in the car. Otherwise I would have been soaked before I started!

Even though Perch fishing is not ideal in a rising/coloured river, I chose a spot where there was a slack against my near bank (the cattle drink) in the hope that they would be hiding out there. I also had to fish from the top of the bank due to the already high water. I also put out my Barbel rod into mid river just in case a Barbel happened upon my luncheon meat.

I fished mainly with Lobworm and fed chopped Dendrobaena worms via a bait dropper. I also loose feed maggots occasionally. I started to get bites almost immediately and managed four small-ish Perch and one that was maybe a pound and a quarter. The bites started to dry up after an hour or two as the river started to rise quite quickly. I perservered and thought I had hooked a large Perch at about 10:35am. However this turned out to be a lovely (and lively) bronzed Chub of 4lb: -

I was delighted with this because it is the first sign that I have seen of bigger fish appearing in the Ellenthorpe stretch. I look forward to seeing more of these.

I also managed 3 Roach of about 6-8oz each but the Perch had given up. I did not get any bites on the Barbel rod and decided to pack up about 2pm because the forecast was for more heavy rain about 3pm and I didn’t want to get caught in this when going back to the car.

Summary
This has been a hard week both in terms of weather and the lack of biting fish. I have chatted to a few other anglers that have had similar experiences. The only positives that I can take from this are: -

• Managed to hold bottom in a flooded river and hook a Barbel
• Heard of Bream in the river so look forward to more sessions in search of them
• Managed a Chub from the Ellenthorpe stretch. This is a nicer stretch than the Cricket Field due to the lack of dog walkers and rowdy kids
• I made up some stodgy groundbait with Vitalin that will be great for fishing in the flow in future

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log

Weather forecast not good
I planned to fish from mid afternoon until dusk on the Cricket Field stretch. The main problem was that very strong and gusty winds were forecast and that always makes fishing difficult. On top of that there had been quite heavy rains up to lunchtime so that would necessitate taking a brolly - which is also difficult in strong winds.

The river level had been up but was dropping again. I recalled from my last roving session that peg 6 may be a good bet because it is in a bay that is sheltered by trees both upstream and downstream and the steep bank behind. Thankfully the wind was coming from behind that peg so I should get some shelter but still be exposed to swirling gusts. The plateau of peg 6 is also very close to the water level so I should be able to keep my rod tips very close to the water to stop them being blown around and making bite detection difficult.

I was getting blown every which way on my walk down to the river. However, my plans seemed to be working as I descended the bank into peg 6 and entered a very sheltered area.

Promising start
I decided to throw some stodgy groundbait out into the main flow and throw my usual loosefeed mix near both the upstream and downstream bushes. There was a back-eddy in the bay of peg 6 so it was quite easy to loosefeed by hand.

I started fishing near the upstream bush with cheese paste and out into the main flow with a lobworm. I got a really good bite on the cheese paste within 10 minutes but missed it (I have no idea how). This got me excited for a good session ahead. However nothing else happened near the upstream bush.

I wasn’t getting any interest in the main flow so decided to try cheese paste near the downstream bush. Yet again, within 10 minutes I got a really positive bite and missed it again - arghh, what’s going wrong. Still, that’s two good bites in the first hour so bodes well.

The long wait
Thankfully the rain stayed away so I did not need to use my brolly. I was also sufficiently sheltered that I was able to sit in just a t-shirt, especially when the sun kept putting in an appearance.

No matter what I tried I was unable to get any more bites from any of my three baited areas. It was approaching 7pm and I decided to fish luncheon meat on both rods, one near the upstream bush and one near the downstream bush and wait it out.

A change in bait size
I generally fish with large hand torn pieces of luncheon meat. However I had been throwing in small cubes of meat as free offerings. These were barely big enough to hide the size 8 hook. However I decided to give them a try on the hook. The one near the downstream bush had been in about 15 minutes with no interest. It was now 7:15pm and I was just thinking of reeling in putting on my usual large lump when the rod tip shot around and line screamed off the reel. I connected with the fish and it ran downstream under the bush. After about a minute I had managed to turn it and get it heading back toward me and out into mid river. Just as I thought I had got the fish into clear water and could therefore relax and enjoy the fight - ping, the line broke about a foot from my hook and the Barbel was gone. I was gutted, this was a 10lb hook link that hadn’t shown any signs of wear. The only thing I can think is that the initial dart under the bush must have rubbed against the line and weakened it.

So, I threw out more loosefeed and I put on another hook length. I casted into the same place but did not expect anything for a while, assuming the fish had spooked any others that may have been around. How wrong I was, after just 3 or 4 minutes I had another bite that was a carbon copy of the first. This fight followed a similar pattern going first under the bush and downstream, taking lots of line, before I could turn it and bring it back toward me and out into mid river. This time the hook length held and I was treated to the strongest fight that I have yet experienced on the Ure. Could this beat my personal best of 11lb or was it just a very spirited fish? By 7:30 I had the fish in the net. I could not believe that I had lost a Barbel and netted another Barbel all within a frantic 15 minutes! My reward was this perfectly conditioned (and quite plump) 9lb 3oz Barbel: -

I returned the fish once it had revived and I then took a moment to revive myself - what a scrap! Both of these bites were classic Barbel bites where the rod bent over without warning and line screamed off the reel. This made it quite a challenge to actually lift the rod at first.

That’s all folks
Despite fishing on until 9pm I did not get any other proper bites. I did get two twitches on the downstream rod. I am amazed that I did not get any other bites on the upstream rod after that one I had within minutes of arriving.

Looking forward to next week
I have the next week off work so plan to try a few different tactics. I will go back to the lake for some Bream or Carp (not been since the river season started!). I will also go back to the Corn Dryers armed with plenty of worms for a Perch session in the hope of catching a personal best (never had one over 2lb). I also plan a day on the Cricket Field stretch with the stick float and lots of hemp and caster. The aim being to net plenty of Dace and Roach but hoping that a decent Chub or two puts in an appearance once I build up a consistent stream of hemp and caster.

No doubt I will also sneak in at least one evening session after the Chub and Barbel again - its too good to miss!

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log

Super light this time
After Sunday’s blank session I decided to have another roving session. This time I would take only 1 rod, 1 bankstick and my landing net (no keepnet). I also used a bait pouch that attaches around my waist (like a bum-bag) and has several different sized pouches that all seal with velcro. In the pouch I took: -

• Mix of hemp, micro halibut pellet, micro luncheon meat cubes and micro cheese cubes for loose feed
• Cheese paste
• Larger strips of luncheon meat for hook bait
• 1cm cubes of luncheon meat for free offerings
• 3 slices of thick white bread
• A steak strip (more of that later)

I prepared an evening meal yesterday that included beef steak strips. I decided to keep one for fishing. My idea was to find a peg where the Chub were pecking at my normal bait and then try a piece of steak to see if that induced a quick bite.

I had a very comfortable walk down to the river in reasonably nice weather. It had rained quite a lot earlier today.

River level up but falling
I had been monitoring the EA river levels website and the level should have remained low despite the recent rains. However, when I got there I could see the customary white foam that flows down the main channel when the level has been up. I also had a chat to a couple of anglers that had been there all day and they said that level had been higher and flowing very fast earlier in the day.

New pegs
I decided to try a few new pegs this evening. The plan was to start on peg 6 (I had already fished pegs 1 to 5 quite a bit) and work my way down to spend the last hour or so in my favourite peg 14. I would spend roughly 20 minutes in each peg after having baited up the next peg in turn. I would fish next to nearside bushes/trees and should get quick bites if there are any Chub around.

I made a note of pegs 6, 7 and 9 as these all had sizeable bays behind or between large trees that should provide excellent slower water when the river is in flood. This is where the Chub and Barbel would be likely to rest.

Pegs 7 & 8 had been fished during the day so I spoke to the anglers before they left to see where they had been feeding their swims. I would spend a few minutes in each just in case anything bigger has moved onto their feed.

The first bite
I had a light knock on luncheon meat in peg 7. I therefore decided to try the steak. I was able to cut the steak strip into 3 hook sized pieces. The steak actually stayed on the hook very well so allowed me several casts. However it did not result in any bites.

On peg 9 I had an overhanging tree upstream of me and nothing downstream. I fished near that tree with cheese paste and got a bite and my first fish within a few minutes. It was a Chub of around 2.5lb. I tried the steak again but to no avail.

I skipped peg 10 because I couldn’t actually find it. So onto peg 11. I had fished this earlier in the season when I was blanking every session. It has a very comfortable plateau just above the water line and there is a submerged bush just downstram of it. The flow was quite strong on the nearside bank and I had to put on more lead to avoid being pulled into the submerged bush. I did get a quick pull on the rod tip after about 10 minutes but it did not amount to anything else.

My favourite
I got to peg 14 just after 8pm. I fished next to the downstream bush as usual and got a bite almost straight away on cheese paste but missed it. I then tried steak again - to no avail. Next was a piece of luncheon meat. This was soon snapped up by a small Chub of about a pound. It amazes me how they can take such a large piece of meat! As I did not have my keepnet I would have to return the Chub and just hope it didn’t spook the swim.

I then missed another bite before getting into a nice Chub of 3lb. This was a very strong fish and took me into the bush. I had to alternately apply pressure and then release the pressure to encourage the fish to leave the bush. Eventually this worked and I got it into clear water so I could net it.

Darkness approaches
It was now getting dark. I got, and missed, another bite before hitting one that took off like only a Barbel can. Once it woke and started a proper run, my hooklink snapped and I lost the fish. I was kicking myself as I hadn’t learned my previous lesson when a Chub had frayed my line when trying to free it from the bush and I had lost a Barbel as a result. This had obviously happened again because the hooklink snapped a couple of inches from the hook.

So I put on another hook/hooklength and hoped there might still another Barbel around. The previous one had gone straight for mid river so I hoped it hadn’t spooked any fish near the bush. Sure enough, another 10 minutes later and my rod tip shot round with another Barbel. This one was quite relaxed (but heavy) for the first few minutes before it got it’s head down and gave a very good fight. The end result was this lovely 9lb 14oz Barbel: -

So I ended up with 3 Chub (1lb, 2.5lb and 3lb) and a nice Barbel. Even though most of the fish/action was on peg 14 I still enjoyed getting to know more pegs and enjoyed moving around a bit.

Fishing Targets	Fishing Log