Chasing Chevins Part 4.

 

 I should give up on the title...

 ...although I am actually targeting Chub the Barbel seem very happy at my presentation and at times not giving the Chub a chance! Not often that happens I'll tell you. 

 Recently I have found myself heading down with a couple of hours to use, the trotting gear was however revamped for this visit and although I was using the rod the centrepin was respooled with low diameter 8lb line to continue trotting, which would hopefully give me a fighting chance at landing Barbel should I tempt them. 

 So I think it was obvious how this visit went! Nothing big landed, given the loss of those two big ones recently it is bit of a kick in the plums that I now can't contact anything much over 7lb. The above Barbel came on my second trot, on the first through I saw a Barbel flash on the gravels that I was targeting, the fish I see roll wasn't the one I'd hooked. This one a low-six pounder.

 A nice photo opportunity with the float setup in view. It took a good hour to see another Barbel or Chub and after a small Chub of 3lb or so I moved upstream and as I was wading upstream a good shape eased up off the bottom and moved upstream about 10ft, luckily for me I could see it, just tucked along side some ribbon weed and as I got into a casting position the heavens began to open, completely out of the blue and the timing could not have been worse, as now I was fishing blind, right in front of me. 

 I very quickly got soaked through and the thought of giving up now on this opportunity was not in my mind, eight trots of around 10ft culminated in a Barbel sucking my flake off the bottom as I was fishing about 10inch overdepth to get the bread to bounce over the bottom and work the small depressions, this lovely Barbel slipped into the net as the rain began to ease off. 7lb 1oz.

 That for the afternoon was that, not bad, but no decent Chub, another day I suppose it may be very different.

Chasing Chevins Part 3.

 

 ***More Chasing Barbel, but they aren't necessarily the target.***

 Building a head of steam on this one, the heat of the summer is slowly but surely being dominated by a distinct autumnal feel and as the late summer floods have thinned out the thick weed beds its now time to dust off the trotting gear.

  A few days back as the high water pushed through and colour began to filter out I headed off to a southern chalk stream for a blast at a Chub, armed with a few loaves of bread I set about "crumbing the runs" and trotting through any area that looked worthwhile. 4.4lb line certainly sounds light but have had numerous big Chub fishing lite and often found big Chub shy away from thicker lines and more cruder approaches, with limited time I wanted to make the visit count.

 With my first couple of trots through my first peg a small Chub fell to my trotted flake, but at only 2lb not the size I was after, however nice to get one on board quickly. A move upstream provided a bite almost instantly. A firm strike was met with a solid fish and a darn sight heavier than any Chub I could have wished from, by that I knew it was a Barbel and it didn't take long to get eyes on it as she powered upstream past me (a good 25 yards) a certain double, long, thick set and very strong. I tried to keep calm knowing I had very lite gear on for such a fish and about two minutes the fish was level with me and in the blink of an eye the let go of its grip and the float/shot and hook came flying back at me, I was totally dejected and could still see the Barbel holding bottom level with me.

 Tough one to take that was! Coupled with what happened next really got under my skin as on the very next trot, two hundreds yards upstream. I got into the cutout and shallowed up my float probably six-inches as it was a slightly shallower run. I must admit I approached this run with slightly more caution owing to the numerous banks of ranunculus and ribbon weed but that still didn't help me when my rod hooped over once striking into a very good tug on the float, the resulting Barbel rolled on the surface immediately and looked colossal ( not one to exaggerate either ) certainly bigger than the one I lost just ten minutes previously possibly 12/13lb, the fish then powered upstream towards after initially heading downstream, it came up so fast I could not keep up with it and by the time I regained complete control she dived into one of the weedbeds I hoped I'd avoid, that mistake on such lite line spelt disaster, a few seconds of solid tension began to ease and out came the fish.

 Danger averted! Enough pressure had been kept on her to slowly ease her out, now the fish was into open water and clear of most of the weed, I was beginning to breath a sigh of relief and my mate Stu was starting to get excited as was I, then, out of nothing my float came flying out the water and a giant tail pattern broke the surface as the Barbel stormed off. 

 On inspection it appeared that the fish must have passed across something sharp on the bottom and cut through the line, the barbless hook will be gone in no time but the memory of losing two massive Barbel on the float stills hurts now, 2 weeks later! 

 My resolve almost broken and the rod tossed in the bushes following that crushing blow I seriously thought about sacking off the rest of the trip, dejection of the highest order and it would take something very very very special to even paper over the cracks.

 I tried my best to remain positive however and within half an hour I had finally managed to build a swim and get some enquiries without being smashed up by a big Barbel. Second fish to make it to the net was another Chub of 4lb 14oz and a good looking fish, then the float slipped away with what turned out to be another Chub a little bigger but over five pound barrier @5lb 3ozs (pictured), quickly followed by another barn-storming tug on the float which turned out to be a nice Barbel, just a little over five pounds.

 The Chub averages on this river are doing so well and it will hopefully be just a matter of time, yet another five pound specimen and catches like this give me a great feeling. 

 The rest of the afternoon drifted by with very little action until the evening when I slipped the net under another Barbel @6lb 1oz

Chasing Chevins Part 2

 Who'd have thought that by the 16th August that I would have only visited a river five times! it astounds me I'll tell you. However, going by what I have seen and heard in terms of rivers not producing hasn't given me any added impetus to get out. Now, as we enter late Summer and Autumn isn't too far away now I can start to make provisions to target some of my favourite species as it gets cooler and given the cold rain and boost in oxygen coursing through the veins of the river I have decided to give it a go a little earlier than I would normally.

 Friday just gone I decided to give it a couple of hours and start my baiting campaign, hopefully one I actually stick with, as normally I run out of steam as I lose concentration when conditions improve for fishing for species such as; Pike, Zander and Grayling.

 As dusk approached I set about cutting hopping, hoping to get a bite or two and I did manage a couple of raps (likely to be Chub) and a few indecisive taps as smaller Chub were looking to whittle down my 15mm boilie ( Garlic Nimrod - HookBait Co ) which I am going to use for this campaign when I get the chance to get down, but on this occasion I ended up with a blank, which is quite often what I have come to expect as the numbers in this particular section are low.

 Fast forward to yesterday afternoon when I got a few hours down on the river to pick up where I left off. 

 Conditions again looked good, storms brewing all around me, the level up around 6 inches and heavily coloured, it was ideal for Barbel and Chub. All I needed was a fish to find my bait!

 I spent roughly an hour in my first cutout and although I felt confident all I got was the odd little tap-tap on the tip, so I packed away and moved downstream and it was an inspired decision. I quickly leaded around to find a clear run of gravel amongst the weed, I popped the rod down on the tree trunk and turned to grab a handful of 6mm pellet and the rod tip slammed around and the pin roared into action. Talk about right place - right time.

 Not a biggie but a fish.

 So I moved again further downstream and spent a further hour and a half sat on my hands as small Chub attempted at whittling my bait down. As the storm got overhead and the lightning was flashing at such a rate I felt like I was on the red carpet at a Leicester Sq premier!

 But that didn't stop this thick set Chub taking a bait and doing its absolute best to lodge me in a large weed bed that ran parallel to me, not that she looks it but she weighed 5lb 1oz and was quite surprised by it so I weighed it a second time before getting a shot and releasing. 

 Then as 2100 approached and the storm was dumping loads of rain on me I had another take which resulted in a 5lb 5oz which I didn't get a good photo of owing to the rain and did lose a fish just beforehand in another large bank of weed which was almost certainly a Barbel. 

 I really hope thats the last of little Barbel as I'm not really here for them, big Chub & Barbel is the target.

Chasing Chevins Part I

 A fair few years back I used to open the season up with Chub in mind. Many hours spent hauling mediocre fish in the 2-4lb range, one after another on various tactics, but the prospect of a big fish back then was practically non-existent and even playing the numbers game, a 5lb+ specimen was something you achieved maybe once every other season amongst season long hauls.

 Some bags could exceed 50lbs, especially back in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Unfortunately as the local areas began to play host to a large influx of people from the East of Europe, those fishing had very different intentions which meant stocks were declining rapidly and areas where I could have a great days sport were now empty, literally an hour of building swims would result in nothing more than the odd little fish, those 2,3&4lb fish were no more. As table fodder the Chub and in fact, any fish big enough to eat (typically anything over 3oz) were being taken and no matter how much the beats were policed the sheer numbers and tenacity of the thieves at work, the damage simply couldn't be stopped.

 So naturally my attentions turned elsewhere. Fast forward twenty odd years and I find myself still dropping in on these same areas, a lot wiser, a lot more cunning with my approaches and with the majority of "the dregs" now gone (possibly owing to the fact they ate just about everything and it got too hard for them and they left) I can get on with trying to get amongst some big fish that have now managed to grow on unmolested.

 Opening day I was on the Fens somewhere so my first trip on my childhood stomping grounds was a few days later. Barbel and chub fully spawned out sometime ago and with the warm spring the fish should have had time to pig out and recover some weight.

 My first trip was only going to be short as I was on my way to work, so a spare hour or so was all I had to find a fish.

 A bright sunny morning, crystal clear water and my polaroids on I got to work. My first two peeping gaps amongst the nettles were not fruitful, third gap was unfishable owing to a load of snags that had probably moved in during the 6 months of rain we had over the winter! I crept into the fourth swim and straight away I could see a large dark shape over the gravels, roughly halfway across and I knew exactly what it was.

 I spent a couple of minutes watching the fish which appeared to be unaccompanied before deciding to go with the tactic I had employed in the other gaps in the nettles. Well upstream I cast the meat and proceeded to roll it downstream, right in the path of the chub and within seconds it was right next to it in the swift flow and the chub gently sidled up to it and watched the luncheon meat vanish, the anticipation of the strike was incredible and with one stern strike a powerful chub headed straight downstream, stripping twenty yards of line with no hesitation, the fish knew it was hooked.

 Thumbing the pin the chub was halted before making a mad dash back upstream, hugging the far side treeline, typical by chub standards and the remaining fight was either played out against the far-side or near-side treeline before easing into the awaiting net...this was a bloody good fish for the river, in fact up there in the top 1% for certain.

 But the moment of truth would reveal it was the biggest fish I've ever had off this particular river by an ounce and not a fish either myself or partner in crime recognise which is even better news, three different sixes present, its getting interesting now!.

My best off this river, weighing in at 6lb 4oz!

MEGA! start to the river campaign.