Des Taylor’s weekly diary
The Severn is in cracking form, but now it’s time to recharge the batteries...
ANOTHER great week’s fishing on a River Severn in perfect condition.
It came up a couple of feet and the influx of fresh water sent the chub and barbel into a feeding frenzy. Here’s how it went…
MONDAY
Out with a mate of mine for a few photos for a book I’m working on. Today I floatfished, and we got some nice action shots of me setting up and catching barbel and chub on this tactic.
I do believe that on rivers a static bait tends to catch bigger fish. But I’ve taken orfe to 7lb 5oz, chub to 7lb 1oz, roach to 3lb 1oz and dace to 1lb 2oz, all on the float.
I plan to spend more time in my tackle den this winter finishing off the book. I wanted to get it finished this year but I love going fishing too much!
TUESDAY
A catch-up day preparing bait, replacing gear lost by me and my customers, and giving the car a good clear out.
In the afternoon I went down to my stretch of the canal for a few hours’ jigging until dark. I wouldn’t normally have stayed that long, but I met a couple of youths on bikes who were anglers and watched my Facebook live show on a Friday.
We talked for ages, mainly about jigs and drop shotting which they were into, and luckily for me, when I was showing them the way I retrieve, I caught the best perch of the day, a lovely fish of about a pound. I didn’t tell them it was only my second of the day!
On dark I caught a pike of about 8lb and pulled out of another smaller one. There’s something special about walking with a bag on your back and a rod in your hand, stopping and having a cast at every likely-looking spot.
I’m going to make a DVD there this winter. I’ve not told my cameraman and partner Ross yet!
WEDNESDAY
Took top carp angler Julian Cundiff’s friend Duffy out on the Severn. He’s a PR man for some major rock bands, and in between talking about music he caught some very nice fish including a super chub of 6lb 4oz.
I introduced him to a few of my tricks for baiting up and showed him a special rig that will be in my book, and I think he left the river a very happy man. He was off to the Wye for a couple of days and I hope it all worked out for him. He’s a mad keen angler and all-round top bloke – no surprise, that, as he’s a good mate of Julian’s.
I meet some lovely guys and girls from all walks of life in this game, and every one of them has been a treat to spend the day with. Indeed, some have become very good personal friends.
THURSDAY
Away with my wife Maggie for a few days in Devon to recharge the batteries after a long and hard summer’s fishing.
It was made harder for me because I lost a lot of guiding days early in the season because of flooded rivers, so I had some catching up to do later, sometimes working seven days a week.
A lot of you might think guiding is just a case of spending days out in the country but, in reality, lots of good anglers try it and cannot last the pressure or the pace.
Getting up at 5am and having to produce the goods every day in all kinds of conditions is no easy task – ask all those guides who have thrown in the towel after a short time. So the Devon plan was to have a lie-in every day, eat at nice restaurants, drink good wine and ale and spend quality time with the wife, talking about anything but fishing!