The Sessions - October 2014

River Barbel & a trip to Spain

2 Oct – River Ouse

After a month of mixed success I was looking forward to a trip to Spain in October but in the back of my mind I was a little concerned as I wouldn’t get many Barbel sessions in for a chance for a double figure Barbel for my challenge.
I popped down after work for a short evening session and arrived at 19:00 hours. The levels were normal summer levels with no colour in the water. It was overcast and warm at 20 degrees.

I decided to leave my baited spot alone as the Otter was a regular visitor and try in the meadow on the opposite bank. I went in a swim I’d caught from before some years ago and lowered two baits in nice and quietly, close to the near margin next to overhanging trees and sat back with anticipation.

By 21:00 hours I was still biteless and here’s were instinct takes over again, I decided to move up closer to the weir in a very snaggy spot. The bottom was covered with lumps of granite some years ago and slowly it’s being levelled of with gravel washing down and filling in the holes. It’s these holes that are a tackle graveyard so after a bit of thought I came up with a plan and changed my set up slightly.

I took off the lead clip and put on a large inline stonze weight, my thinking here was that it wouldn’t drop in the cracks like a smaller lead weight and would simply lay on top. I made a trial cast and dragged the stone back and perfect it didn’t get caught. The next two casts had PVA bags attached, one onto the plateau in the main flow and one on the crease of a back eddy.

21:50 hours, 20 minutes after casting out the rod on the plateau smashed over and tried to head down stream, as soon as I picked up I knew it was a good one and to be honest I thought I may lose it as initially I had no control. Slowly but surely I coaxed it back upstream and into the margin, but this gave me another problem as there was a lot of weed under my feet and a five foot deep margin, luckily the pressure told and it popped up and straight into the net. I was over the moon, my Oct double on the first trip and a new PB at 14-06. This was my target fish for the stretch and at a record weight so I went straight home a very happy man.

9 Oct – River Trent

I’d been trying to arrange a trip with fellow UKMA team member Andy Loble for a few weeks and we finally got our schedules in order for an overnight session.

I had the day of work so I drove up to the Trent feeling quite confident after a few days of rain and arrived at 11:00 hours. It was still raining when I arrived but was starting to clear up and was warm for Oct.

I was the only person there, the levels were up and it looked perfect for my favourite swim so it was a no brainer and I had my standard Trent rigs in for 11:30 hours.

Over the next 6 hours I lost two to hook pulls and had Barbel at 4+, 10-04, 10-05 and was playing a 10-07 when Andy arrived, his first words to me were “your showing off now” and we both cracked up laughing and didn’t stop talking for the next 7 hours.

I carried on catching and had Barbel at 9-07, 8-10, 8-09, 5+, and a Chub and at approx midnight it went very cold, still and clear and killed the action for the night.

Andy had a 5-13 Chub which was a new PB so he was happy. I carried on till 09:00 hours and packed up after another great session in good company.

13 Oct – River Trent

It hadn’t stopped raining all weekend, was low pressure and monsoon conditions and just screamed Barbel so I jumped in the car after work and made the journey up arriving at 16:30 hours. The levels were still up the same as the previous session so I was straight back in the same swim and fishing by 17:15 hours.

It was pouring with rain with strong easterly winds so to try to gain some shelter I parked the car as far down as I dare and set the shelter up in front of it.

I stated catching after 45 minutes and by 00:20 hours I was soaked through to the skin, the rain was through the shelter, all over my water proof bag and I was asking myself what I was doing… fishing was supposed to be fun!! With Barbel at 5+, 8+, 8-04, 8-06, 7-15, and another cracker at 11-03 I reeled in and went to sleep.

Through the night the weather was really bad and I thought the wind was going to take the shelter. It started to ease a bit by morning but continued to rain. I put the baits out again at 07:20 hours full of confidence.

07:40 hours the right hand rod smashed over and despite the rain it was a great start to the day at 10-11.

The action carried on all day, I finished with two Bream, one was 8-06, Barbel at 8-06, 9-04, 8-09, 7+, 8-10 and another real good one at 12-02. I had to pack up at 16:00 hours but went home happy again. What a month already!

19 Oct – River Segre, Mequinenza, Spain

For those that haven’t read my previous pieces I’m part of the CatMaster Tours team and the company owner Colin Bunn has been my fishing partner far and wide for the last 15 years. Over the years we have had some fantastic and at times historic captures and I try to spend at least six weeks a year in Spain on the Ebro System searching for the monster Catfish and Carp.
I arrived early evening and it was still hot at 31 degrees, Colin told me the weather had been quite changeable over the previous three weeks and this had knocked the Cats off the feed. With that we decided to carp fish the first few days and see how the 18 clients we had fishing were getting with the Cats.

Monday 20th

After a good look around we dropped in a swim we know well that offers a deep channel approx 50 yards out, it’s a channel the fish use to pass through heading up the Segre, for a 19:00 hours start.

My set up was a lead clip and 4oz lead, a nine inch hooklink to size 4 G-point hook. My hook length material was a soft Drennan Carp Silk on one and I was trialling the Kryston Synx Dark on the other. Hookbaits were single 22mm halibut pellets attached via a sliding loop knot. A small PVA bag of small pellets was attached and a handful of 22mm pellets catapulted to the area. Too much bait attracts Cats, so we bait sparsely for the Carp.

Colin had a 23 pound Common almost straight away and this looked like a good start but that was it up to midnight.

Tuesday 21st

Night fishing is illegal in Spain but we decided to fish the night to see if fish were feeding then, but apart from a lost Cat to Colin and a 15 pound Common to me not much happened at all.

By mid morning we decided on a move and went for a drive round looking. The key to fishing these big rivers is the same as everywhere find the fish, so this involves a lot of driving and watching the water. The wind was really strong which would make fishing the Ebro difficult so after food and a shower we went to a spot on the Segre that doesn’t get fished. There is a large weed bed growing all down this section of the river about 80 yards out, it was five feet deep and we had seen fish moving there earlier in the day. The weed there was thick in places but had holes that would be safe to place a rig in, so that was the plan, row out drop the rig in and bait up with a few pellets and a few handfuls of maize and tigers. By 19:00 hours we were set up and fishing.

Up till midnight we had three takes a 29-00 Common to Colin and Commons of 23-02 and 30-06 to me.

Wednesday 22nd

Due to the great start and being in a spot that doesn’t get fished we decided to chance night fishing again. For those that don’t know fishing at night in Spain is illegal and you chance having your tackle taken and or a fine.

The next 7 hours produced some fantastic fishing and we were up most of the night rowing out baits, playing and photographing fish. I had Commons at 21-00, 30-12, 34-01. 2 hook pulls and a cut off. Colin had the better night with Commons at 42-04, 31-00, 30-01 and a huge CatMaster Tours record at 59-08.

The river is dam controlled and the levels were dropped by a couple of feet but the area was still fishable so I carried on till lunchtime without another take. It was hot and sunny at 30 degrees so we rested the spot until 18:00 hours.

The evening was not so productive, just a low double Common to Colin. The flow was back and forth due to the dam control and this was towing the weed through the lines constantly which made presentation almost impossible so we wound in and went to sleep.

Thursday 23rd

After a chilly morning it was back to a hot sunny day. The levels were still down and we hadn’t seen any fish so we were out in the boat looking for deeper water along the weed line. We found an area 250 yards down stream that offered deeper water along side the weed bed further out.

We got baits out for tea time but from the off were having the same flow and weed problems so had to move if we wanted to fish. We moved back to the first night swim as this area is deeper and doesn’t get the flow problems.

Friday 24th

We fished through the night without a touch. I carried on for the morning and didn’t see a fish. The water temp was a constant 17 degrees but the fishing was very quiet, the clients had only caught one Catfish.

I spent the day in the sun constantly recasting trying to locate fish and in the middle of the afternoon had a take that certainly wasn’t a Carp but another of the Ebro System successes a Roach at 2-05.

By tea time the levels were back up to normal so we moved back to our hot spot and got baits out for 19:00 hours. The flow and weed problems only seemed to happen on the evening and were a real problem. Both my rods were wiped out straight away so I reeled them in, Colin’s were going too so I went to reel one in when his other rod tore off, I struck it and it was definitely a fish, I called him over and at first he didn’t believe me but then took the rod to land a prize jewel for the Segre a Fully Scaled at 39-00.

We waited until 23:00 hours but there was no change to the flow problems so to try to keep rods in we pit on 10oz leads. They seemed top hold ok so we carried on.

Saturday 25th

The nights started really well when Colin landed a Common at 42-00 and quickly after I had one at 30-14.
The rest of the night was quiet. The morning was chilly in the northerly wind which continued all day. I fished all day and tinkered with my set up, I upped the hook to a size 2 too try to avoid the hook pulls. I extended my hook link to 12 inches as the heavier lead pulls it all down in the silt and settled for both on the Synx steamed straight.

I’d been using a trial pellet and noticed Colin was getting more takes than me and so decided to go back to the normal ones.

In the evening Colin had a Common at 24-08 and while he was talking to the clients I had one 37-04 on his rod… cheers mate!

Sunday 26th

The changes worked well for me and at 01:20 hours while Colin was fast asleep I had a cracking Common at 47-08.

In the early hours Colin had a Common at 30-01 and I had another at 30-10. We were so tired we packed in for the night.

Colin went on the airport run and I got my baits out again in the morning and carried on with the baiting pattern. We re-baited every six hours if no takes had occurred, 12 pellets and half a kilo of maize and tigers each time.
At 14:00 hours I had a take out of the blue and landed and another good Common at 35-15.

A strong south westerly wind got up and disrupted all the weed, the Carp were crashing everywhere but with the flow and wind the weed was all over the swim making it unfisheable so at 20:00 hours I gave up and went to sleep.

Monday 27th

I woke up feeling unwell, after popping to the chemist I had to go back to sleep as I felt rough so didn’t start fishing till well into the afternoon.

I made another slight change due to the stiffness of Synx I tipped my pellet with fake corn as I felt the loop was coming undone, by putting on the corn it ensured the pellet stayed on longer.

The wind had been changeable which caused more weed problems and by the evening we were out in the boat clearing the lines every 20-30 minutes. We persevered and I was rewarded at approx 21:00 hours with a lovely fat Common at 37-15.

We carried on in and out of the boat and again lady luck shone on me with a huge long Common at 48-14 just before midnight. Although a great fish…..if only it had the belly of a lake fish. The weed got so bad we wound in at midnight.

Tuesday 28th

I fished all day without a touch, the weather was lovely, overcast, and warm with a light south westerly, it all looked perfect but the fish were not playing ball.
The wind dropped by late evening, the levels were right and it was still warm and it wasn’t until 22:20 hours before we had a take, it went to Colin’s rod a Common at 32-08.

Wednesday 29th

Shortly after midnight Colin was in again, another lovely Common at 40-08, with that we were definitely fishing the night. The next two takes were to my rods both Commons at 31-00 and another forty at 46-0

The trip then took a turn for the worst and this is where it’s crucial to always take care when out fishing. Colin was playing a fish and I slipped the net under it when things went wrong. The levels had dropped about two feet overnight and the boat ramp we were landing the fish from was like a skating ring, we were laughing at each other because who ever went to retrieve the fish was going to get wet feet, Colin lost and went down to roll the net up and bring the fish up when his feet shot out from under him and went down with a crunch.
When I got the head torch on him he was sitting in the river up to his waist and in a lot of pain and couldn’t speak, of course I cracked up laughing like you do, that set him off which made his injury hurt even more. Eventually I got him up and he had damaged his upper ribs and back and it was hurting him to speak.

There was a terrible smell that I thought might be where he had been in the river but it turned out to be the fish, it was a Common at 24-00 that had been nailed by a Catfish and smelt rotten but was still feeding!!

Colin went off to hospital first thing and that was the end of his fishing. Luckily there were no breaks but they advised six weeks rest.I fished the day and managed another forty in the early evening at 45-15.

Thursday 30th

A frustrating day spent in the boat trying to keep lines clear, the weed and flow were nightmare making presentation impossible, by midnight I gave up and went to sleep.

Friday 31st

I packed the swim down in the morning and spent the day in the boat above the dam with another friend John Deakin. We lure fished for Perch and Zander without to much success, a small one of each to my rod.

That was the end of a trip that was tough going but rewarding with 9 thirties and 4 forties to my rods.

A great month with some fantastic sessions and my season target was still very much on!

Oct – 2 trips to the Trent and 1 to the Ouse, 22 Barbel / 7 doubles.