Since my visit to the Yorkshire Rother and Idle my 40 Rivers Challenge fishing time has been met with hours of motionless tips and the blanks are beginning to rack up again. For a moment back in late August I thought I had turned a corner and things were going to get better, however the Blackwater chiefly has been a major thorn in my side and I've really struggled to engineer bites, the Barbel seem to be on holibobs somewhere because they aren't where I'm fishing.
That said my visit to the R.Teme the day after my R.Wye jolly up ended up a Chub fest with 13 coming to the net, all on the 8mm robin reds with nothing over the 4lbs, plenty of action and walking done but not one Barbel seen and the same can be said about the Blackwater until last night when I decided to go lamping and somehow managed to briefly spot a Barbel about 6/7lbs on a gravel shallow, but my god there seems to be so few fish around!
So when I've got a bit of time I'm going to go back for that and yes, I know it's not the target fish but a Barbel off there this season would be a sight for sore eyes, they've been extremely elusive and theres nothing I have been able to do about it.
9 trips to the BW equating to 76hrs of angling in sunshine and rain!
I have just got to keep trying and moving around stretches to inevitably I WILL catch my target fish!
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| This is full winter flood is one hell of a beast, fishing here you feel so small! |
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| Comfortable! |
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| Nom Nom |
Lamping as in shooting rabbits is that allowed there by the river at night
ReplyDeleteNot sure if Rabbits live in the river and look like Barbel....
Delete🤷♂️🤦
ReplyDeleteTell me about it, bloody clown.
DeleteIt's feast of famine for you James, it'll turn again soon.
ReplyDeleteI see you're not a vegan, good lad.
That seems to be the way it has gone during this challenge, nothing for a while and then pow, two rivers in the bag, it's really strange how it has happened, the conditions have to play a big part in it.
DeleteWho will crack first? You or the barbel?!?!
ReplyDeleteOh I won't give up on it, the Barbel will have to crack first, even if the BW ends up being the 40th to fall, it will fall.
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