It’s been a couple of weeks since the blog was updated but I haven’t been idle. Been working quite a lot but have still managed 2 overnighters on the Severn. I wasn’t planning on returning to this river until the autumn but with it carrying a couple of extra fee of water and being coloured I felt it was too good an opportunity to miss. Monday the 20th and I was on my way through the Worcestershire countryside, accompanied by my dad. I already knew which swim I was going to fish providing it was free with dad fishing 100yards downstream. Thankfully both swims were free and we started getting organised. Dad was set up with a single rod on elips pellets and pellet/groundbait feeder. I felt that this was the best approach for him to give him the maximum chance of catching several species.
For this visit I had decided to bring my 2 man JRC Quad bivvy, I usually use a storm shelter/brolly but with heavy rain forecast I wanted a bit of extra protection. Whoever said these things are easy to put up must have been joking I think. An hour of huffing and puffing and it was done.......................sort of. The groundsheet was a different shape to the bivvy but there was no way I was taking it down and starting again. That sorted and it was time to fish.
It wasn’t long before dad was into a few bream which kept him happy and busy. He then went one better and landed a barbel of about 6lbs, swiftly followed by another of about 8lbs. I was fishing a 2 rod set up with pellet/ groundbait feeder and 12mm boilies as hookbaits. It was 4 long hours before I had a bite but it resulted in my 1st double of the season off the Severn at 10lbs 10oz. I was quite possibly the strangest shaped and ugliest barbell I have ever caught. It had a severely ‘broken’ back with the head of a 12lber and tail of a 6lber, very strange. Fought like stink though and went back ok so obviously healthy. That was it for Monday and after a quiet night it was time for a breakfast of sausage and eggs (always tastes better cooked on the bank) washed down with a nice hot cup of tea. Sport was very sporadic throughout Tuesday. I landed a further 2 barbel and dad managed 2 more with us both getting amongst a few bream.
Mid afternoon came and it was time to go home so we could avoid the rush hour traffic. We had been bite less for a couple of hours when out of the blue my downstream rod tore off. Lifting into what was obviously a good fish I felt that horrible grating feeling. The fish had found a tree root and after 10 mins of trying everything I could think of the line parted. With the fish long gone the only consolation I could think of was that there wasn’t a barbell swimming round with one of my hooks in its mouth.
One week later and I find myself back on the banks of the Severn, alone this time. I decided to fish the same swim as the previous week as it had produced the goods last visit. The level had dropped but it still held some colour so I felt confident a few fish would grace my net. I started by balling 1kg vitalin, 1kg groundbait and 1kg 3mm pellets into my swim which had been doused with a liberal amount of CSL. I again fished a 2 rod set up on the same vein as the previous week. 1st cast and I landed a bream of about 7lbs. It was a full 12hours before I had another bite but at 2am the downstream rod hooped over and the alarm sang. I lifted into what was obviously a barbel and a few minutes later 8lbs of fish lay in my landing net. I would like to say that was one of many but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. I did land one more barbel of about 6lbs and a couple of bream but with the fishing so slow and sporadic I thought it was time to give in and go home. My decision turned out to be the right one, as I was leaving I saw a friend and he fished through the night for 5 bream and it wasn’t until he had been fishing for 24 hours that he landed a barbel.
The Severn...................................quite possibly the moodiest river in the county but I shall be back there next week to try again.
Thanks for reading
Lewis
For this visit I had decided to bring my 2 man JRC Quad bivvy, I usually use a storm shelter/brolly but with heavy rain forecast I wanted a bit of extra protection. Whoever said these things are easy to put up must have been joking I think. An hour of huffing and puffing and it was done.......................sort of. The groundsheet was a different shape to the bivvy but there was no way I was taking it down and starting again. That sorted and it was time to fish.
It wasn’t long before dad was into a few bream which kept him happy and busy. He then went one better and landed a barbel of about 6lbs, swiftly followed by another of about 8lbs. I was fishing a 2 rod set up with pellet/ groundbait feeder and 12mm boilies as hookbaits. It was 4 long hours before I had a bite but it resulted in my 1st double of the season off the Severn at 10lbs 10oz. I was quite possibly the strangest shaped and ugliest barbell I have ever caught. It had a severely ‘broken’ back with the head of a 12lber and tail of a 6lber, very strange. Fought like stink though and went back ok so obviously healthy. That was it for Monday and after a quiet night it was time for a breakfast of sausage and eggs (always tastes better cooked on the bank) washed down with a nice hot cup of tea. Sport was very sporadic throughout Tuesday. I landed a further 2 barbel and dad managed 2 more with us both getting amongst a few bream.
Mid afternoon came and it was time to go home so we could avoid the rush hour traffic. We had been bite less for a couple of hours when out of the blue my downstream rod tore off. Lifting into what was obviously a good fish I felt that horrible grating feeling. The fish had found a tree root and after 10 mins of trying everything I could think of the line parted. With the fish long gone the only consolation I could think of was that there wasn’t a barbell swimming round with one of my hooks in its mouth.
One week later and I find myself back on the banks of the Severn, alone this time. I decided to fish the same swim as the previous week as it had produced the goods last visit. The level had dropped but it still held some colour so I felt confident a few fish would grace my net. I started by balling 1kg vitalin, 1kg groundbait and 1kg 3mm pellets into my swim which had been doused with a liberal amount of CSL. I again fished a 2 rod set up on the same vein as the previous week. 1st cast and I landed a bream of about 7lbs. It was a full 12hours before I had another bite but at 2am the downstream rod hooped over and the alarm sang. I lifted into what was obviously a barbel and a few minutes later 8lbs of fish lay in my landing net. I would like to say that was one of many but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. I did land one more barbel of about 6lbs and a couple of bream but with the fishing so slow and sporadic I thought it was time to give in and go home. My decision turned out to be the right one, as I was leaving I saw a friend and he fished through the night for 5 bream and it wasn’t until he had been fishing for 24 hours that he landed a barbel.
The Severn...................................quite possibly the moodiest river in the county but I shall be back there next week to try again.
Thanks for reading
Lewis
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