Summer/Autumn barbel campaign (part 3)

As October approached opportunities for time on the bank dried up, work around the house that (should of finished in the close season) needed completing before we could get new carpets fitted, so any spare time was spent decorating, fitting skirting boards etc...  I only managed two sessions throughout the whole of October both for barbel, both in flood conditions and both hard work.

First up a visit to a localish river, only my fourth visit to this stretch so am I still learning the ropes. The river was on the verge of bursting its flood banks when I arrived, loads of extra warm water, south westerlys blowing but I struggled to present a bait for more than 10 minutes at a time and blanked.

Next trip was a trip to the tidal Trent, planned well in advance and was very nearly cancelled at the last minute as the river was 10ft up on normal levels. One of the lads dropped out, but the rest of us went down, persevered with the conditions and managed a few fish between us, including a couple of p.b’s.

11.07lb

A few ounces added to my p.b, but not one of the Trent monsters I was hoping for. I’ll hopefully head down for a few visits next year to try and tempt one of the outsize barbel this river often produces.

After that last trent trip the urge to roam the banks at night after barbel subsided and my thoughts started to turn to predators.