Feedback & Reports

6 Barbel all in evening session. Spent 2 hours in the morning trotting with the pin but should have known better as normal summer levels starting to rise and colour tinge getting in and no bites from anything. Adjourned for lunch and siesta.
I needed the recharge as the evening was eventful. A 7lbs 11oz barbel fought so long and hard (amazing power-to-weight ratio of 7lb'ers generally) with barbel rod bent full 180 degree arc under a bush right in the flow, it widened the gape on a strong size 8. I used a big bait. Another huge and overlong effort required with what I believed to be a VERY big fish on had me in bits as I had, unnoticed from the 7lbs 11oz battle, frayed line grinding in the rings. It was a sack-of-potatoes in fast flow and no wonder, 9lb7oz hooked in the belly. Barbless size 8 so no significant damage except to my nerves. Then an 8lbs 5oz bent off the landing net head though fortunatley I could get down to water level and use the net. Had a spare in the vehicle.
In between all this were 3 5-6lb'ers.
It was hard work!

Arrived at 8am, 0.84m on the gauge. Fell to 0.74 by 4pm with a rapdly rising barometer. Should have been perfect but river was carrying too much colour even after 8hrs of steady fall. Saw two large fish running through neck of Rock. Where are the grilse this year? No pulls but another lovely day. Single speycast is not a total disaster now!

1 chub approx 2lbs no barbel. River level high, coloured, lots of debris. Not the best of conditions.

Welcome to the Jungle baby! Apart from the first meadow, the beat is really exhausting. Never made it anywhere near the begining, perhaps the farmer will cut the sides of the fields soon. I like the overgrown cover on the banks, but stumbling through waist high jungle without a Machette to find the river was a challange! Managed one Grayling, one Brownie and lost two, all in the ten inch range, returned as usual to fight another day!

Could only fish for short period-nil return but beautiful beat- will try again soon.

Fish hard today nothing seen or caught

River was low and clear so not the most conducive angling conditions. Fished pellet and feeder for the day. Second cast of the day in a meadow swim saw a 7lbs 6oz barbel come to the net. Followed 30 minutes later by a beautiful conditioned 5lbs 2oz chub. Thinking we were in for a great day faded as time ticked by. After 3 hours and a swim move no further bites were forthcoming. So we tried the swim feeder grave yard wooded stretch. This time we found a few clear area's and caught 2 chub over a 3hr period. The barbel just didn't want to feed.
Thinking that they might feed as evening approached we returned to the meadow. This proved right as at 5pm the barbel came on the feed. 3 more barbel were landed, 7lbs 6oz, 8lbs 4oz and 7lbs 14oz.2 were lost, one to a snag and another shredded the hook link on a rock. Canoes were no problem and we caught one chub when the canoe was directly overhead the bait. So a good days angling again.

Washed off. Nil. Gutted.

18 barbel to approx 8.5 lbs and 1 chub on pellet baits

River was coloured but falling with very little surface activity. During the day 3 fish to nymphs with another couple in the evening on a Sedge. Largest fish just over a pound.