River Rother (Yorkshire) Double, That's A Wrap!!

 

 Well....it has been a poor start to the season, eight trips since June 16th - mostly on the Blackwater and being plagued by hoards of Crayfish, thankfully up north crayfish aren't a problem...or so I thought.

 I set off nice and early from home around 5am and with a 206 mile drive to Sheffield I got on with chewing into the miles and by 8am I was popping into a Morrisons to get my grub for the next couple days. 

 I opted to target some water that was free to fish and just as I arrived I bumped into a local angler Steve who has had some fantastic results over the last couple years and given his returns I felt fairly confident of success. The plan was to fish one or two rods static and stay in each spot for 45-60min per swim, drop some bait in and move around if I didn't have any indications of fish in the swim, my usual tactic.

 The crayfish unfortunately were present and in good numbers too, 3 had met my size 10 by lunchtime which coincidentally was when something finally happened after my 5th move. I was sat chatting to Steve around lunchtime as he popped in to see how I was getting on and out of absolutely nowhere my margin rod slammed around and I was on it and within 5 secs or so this fish had torn off downstream so quick I didn't get the chance to adjust my clutch on the reel which was possibly too tight and the fish went past some rocks and it was gone, just like that my 12lb hooklink was cut just below the swivel.

Barbel crack! The Source.

 Gutted doesn't even cut it! Hard to tell just how big it was but I was really pissed off with myself as mistakes like that should not be happening now after 30+ years of angling experience under my belt, yes the rocks didn't help me but with a fractionally slacker clutch the line may have tracked higher up in the water column thus possibly away from danger. Fuming!

 Once I lost that fish I moved off and tried to put that loss to bed but another bite was not forthcoming and moved around a fair bit until I arrived back in the peg I lost that fish in around 6hrs later on, the idea was that if there was one Barbel present then there should be more so I introduced a few loose 15mm source boilies and also small glugged PVA bags on my hookbaits and fished the exact same lines as I did previously. I got in the peg around 730pm and the plan was to stay in there beyond dusk and then move again. 

 Just after 830pm I had a couple of gentle taps on my outside line rod so my interest was peeked and all of a sudden I could see my lines entry point into the water was edging upstream, straightaway I knew what was happening, I picked up the rod, wound down and struck, then all hell broke loose! 

 A fight straight out of the top drawer ensued and a big Barbel really gave me the run around, big powerful runs up and down stream, numerous times she went under the far bank bushes / trees which I could do little about and also ploughing her head down into the bottom looking for rocks to dislodge me with huge clouds of substrate wafting up in the meagre flow. However, the outcome of this battle was not going the same way as the previous chance, she finally slipped over the cord of the net and I knew immediately she was going to be WAY over 10lb, I knew river number 29 had been completed and in fine fashion.

 After resting her well whilst I got my camera set up and sling / mat / scales ready I got her on the scales and registered an incredibly pleasing 12lbs 1oz, a Y.Rother 12+, I was over the moon massively, my task on the Rother was done and I could plan my next move, quicker than I thought too. Also incidentally this was the final part of the South Yorkshire treble ( Don, Dearne and Rother ), piece by piece I am completing vast sections of the country.

Number 29, Bloody wicked!!!

Another Yorkshire bar of bronze!

 

 Over and out :) yaaaaay!