BACK ON THE BANK – AND THE FISH!
...And I can’t wait to make a return to Chew
AT LAST I’m starting to feel better after three weeks of feeling terrible. I’m starting to enjoy looking at the photos of what I actually caught in Thailand and go fishing again on a regular basis. This is how my return to the wild went!
MONDAY
I prepared for my first pike session of the season at the mighty Chew Reservoir later in the week.
I’ve had a delivery of deadbaits from Baitbox which should last the winter. Good bait in pike fishing is a must, like it is in any branch of angling. I have a lot of faith in small smelts at Chew and hopefully it will catch me a fish or two over the weekend.
It’s strange how some pike anglers get their knickers in a twist over Chew pike. I’ve heard it said that pike from there ‘don’t count’ because ‘beginners’ have caught monsters there. My reply is “so what?”.
Just because a lad who has caught very few pike before catches a big ‘30’ or even a ‘40’, that does not make him a better pike angler, it just means he has been lucky enough to fish the greatest pike water of all time.
It doesn’t demean the catches of the likes of Eddie Turner, Nige Williams or Dave Horton. The hardest thing to get your head around on Chew is that every day a big pike will be caught there. The thing is, most anglers will blank – Chew is not as easy as anglers who have never fished it think it is. I’ve only fished it a few times because I was always too idle to sit on the phone all day to get a ticket. I probably went chub or roach fishing instead.
I have also heard it said that the ‘in crowd’ there are a bit ‘cliquey’ and will not help you. Well, I’ve got news for people who think like that. Big pike are so rare that most information is hard gained and not given away easily. On the few occasions I have been there the atmosphere was really friendly. I can’t wait to get back!
TUESDAY
An afternoon on the stretch of canal I am renting with Jonathan Reed of Bells Mill fishery. I had a lovely few hours catching perch to 12oz and a pike about 6lb, all on soft rubbers on a jig worked slowly on the bottom of the canal.
There was still a bit of weed, but a few more frosts should see this canal fishing well. My mate further up had a small zander on a dropshot set-up which is great news for us lure anglers. Don’t worry you match anglers; we’ll be keeping a close watch on zander and silverfish stocks. Everyone will be catered for.
WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY
Two excellent guide days with David Ellis and Steve Osgood who caught some beautiful barbel and chub. Steve made the effort to come out with me in really bad weather when I would not have blamed him if he’d cancelled. The the wind and rain was the worst I’d witnessed all year, but his efforts paid off with some lovely chub and barbel.
FRIDAY
Over to the Warwickshire Avon after a big barbel and with the river nicely coloured, 6ins up and dropping, it was the best I’d seen it all season.
Unfortunately the barbel had not read my ‘perfect conditions manual’ and I blanked. The river was dead and after 14 hours I drove home. Was I unhappy? Of course not, because as I have said in the past any blank sessions are another ticket nearer to my next big-fish session. I am confident in the area I am fishing, the bait I am using and I have already taken barbel to 14lb, so one bad night will not knock my confidence. I can’t wait to get back to it!
SATURDAY NIGHT
A talk for Fenemere and Rowley AC at the Baschurch village hall
in Shropshire. I did one last year which they must have enjoyed because they asked me back!
In the first half I talked about the Severn and its grayling, chub, roach, barbel, perch, zander and the pike.
After that it was all about two great trips this year to Holland and Thailand which seemed to go down well.
I enjoy these talks, especially the small ones that are more intimate. I try not to be too serious.
I prefer to make it entertaining with the audience having a laugh as well as learning stuff that will catch them more and bigger fish.