1 Bite, 1 Fish.

 

 Yesterday night I popped to the upper Thames for a catch-up with my mate Adam and decided to put a couple of rods out each with the hope of a Barbel. We nagged away for a few hours but all that came my way was a Bream and Adam was plagued by Crayfish and small chub, although one of his takes certainly looked Barbel-esque. Alas he didn't make contact.

 My plan was when we finished on the Thames I was going to jump back on the Blackwater and continue my quest for a BW double. I was fishing before 2am and first light was only a couple hours away. I hopped between pegs as I always do when Barbel fishing but the only indications I got were from Crayfish nipping away at my boiliee.

 As first light tinted the sky I was welcomed with a beautiful wash of pinks, reds and orange glows, it really was special. 

 I was really hoping to get a barbel during this time as it would have made a wonderful picture for sure! Sadly it wasn't the case and sunrise had come and gone and I'd made numerous moves and dropped little heaps of boiliee and pellet so I could go back to them on rotation, amazingly I didn't get a bite until 1050, it was a good bite too and fishing right under a raft of fallen willow in 5ft of water and clear gravel, the sort of place I would expect to find a Barbel, this time around though it wasn't but it turned out to be a really big Chub! Bigger than I thought they went in the Blackwater.

 A summer "six" anywhere is big but a 6lb 1oz Chub off the BW is a really big fish and she was in great nick barring a big scrape on the other flank. I couldn't be disappointed with that, two trips I have had a nice river Carp, now a big Chub, the BW really is full of surprises. 

 Next time around will a Barbel finally let its guard down? My fingers are crossed.