2021/22 round up

 Each season I generally set myself a number of targets, usually aiming for a fish over a certain weight from a specific venue. 2021/22 targets were a p.b eel, a river best barbel, a river best pike and a 5lb plus chub from a certain river. For the most part my season was focused on these targets with the odd deviation for some river perch.

Eel

My season started mid May, eel fishing a couple of venues but mainly focusing on a large gravel pit. I managed two eels from the gravel pit, the largest about 2lb, not the targeted personal best but a good sign for future seasons, maybe.

 

Barbel

As usual my focus shifted towards running water not long after the rivers opened, another season when I should of held off and spent more time eel fishing as the local barbel weren't playing ball. It was early August before I managed to get some decent results, a trip to the wye produced my first wye double and I also added a few oz to my best wye chub.

New wye best - 10.01lb

Locally I also managed to increase my river best barbel from a venue I rarely fish, a good river with a good head of fish but its a bit of a trek so I only fish it occasionally when I'm frustrated on more challenging venues.

A few oz added to a local river best

Things didn't really take off until late autumn/early winter when I had a few visits to the trent, two average sessions, followed by two epic sessions. During the last 2 sessions I landed 18 barbel, 12 of which were doubles, I beat my pb on 3 occasions finishing with a new best of 14.12lb.

14.12lb

Chub

I struggled with chub this season with all my best fish coming whilst barbel fishing. 

I achieved my target by default catching a few chub to over 5lb from the targeted river on barbel gear, I also managed my first 5 from another river again whilst barbel fishing. All my attempts at chub fishing this season have been in vain as I didn't land a chub whilst fishing for them ! 

To be fair I have been fishing for them on a stretch that holds very few chub, however the fish that do occasionally turn up are massive by local standards. I'll be back next winter, aiming for a 6lb plus fish.

Perch

I landed on some good perch fishing so I decided to take advantage and gave the area a number of sessions, I managed a good number of 2lb + fish, a few 3lb + fish topping out at a new best of 3.15lb.

Pike

Time spent barbel fishing during some unseasonably mild weather and taking advantage of stumbling across some good perch fishing left little time for pike, I can count the number of pike sessions I had on one hand. Despite the lack of sessions I caught a twenty pounder from my local river and caught my first pike from another river (both doubles).

2021/22 highlights -

Barbel  - 14.12lb

Bream - 6.08lb

Chub - 5.04lb

Eel - 2lb (unweighed)

Perch - 3.15lb

Pike - 20.01lb

 Overall a very pleasing season, despite a few periods of no fishing (various reasons) I managed 3 out of 4 targets, beat a number of p.b's and capped it off with a local twenty, something I have been pursuing for a good number of years.

Plans are in place for next season, a couple of new club tickets have arrived this week, recces planned  and after another month or so I'll be out eel fishing, cant wait!

Festive sessions

Back down to earth after my last couple of sessions on the Trent, a quick Xmas eve chub session with my nephew Will and then a few hours barbel fishing on a falling river a few days after Xmas.

I’ve taken Will out about a dozen or so times and we are yet to blank, but I wasn’t so confident this time around as we only had a couple of hours and couldn’t get to my preferred stretch due to the amount of Xmas traffic.

We started getting interest in the second peg and soon had a nice 1.5lb chub in the net.

Will’s largest chub so far

The chub were a little cagey due to an otter also working the stretch and we struggled to connect with another fish.

Waterproof jacket left in car, the world noisiest carrier bag to the rescue

My barbel session was on a river I’ve had a few from this season. I had planned on a chub session but given the mild conditions I couldn’t pass the chance up. The river seemed in perfect condition 2 to 3ft up, falling and still holding a little colour.

3 pegs an hour or so in each, one pull from a chub and that was that.

Probably the last time I’ll have a go for barbel until the end of the season. I’ve got my eye on some local perch fishing, possibly p.b territory, hopefully the river conditions stay reasonable so I can have a few sessions after them.

2021 highlights

Barbel - 14lb 12oz

Bream - 6lb 8oz

Chub - 6lb 7os

Eel - Approx 2lb

Pike - 13lb 6oz

No need for a full yearly review as I hadn’t blogged until the Christmas break. The start of the year was successful for chub increasing my p.b by an ounce but more importantly catching a six pounder from a river I had been trying for one for a couple of years. 

The rest of the year I seemed to be (unintentionally) fishing for barbel, a local river best, first wye double and then 2 hectic Trent sessions resulting in 3 p.b’s to 14.12lb.

Hopefully 2022 will see no covid restrictions and plenty of time on the bank!

Covid catch-up part 1

Approaching 2 years since the last update to the blog, plenty of reasons why I haven't posted anything, the main one being that I couldn't be arsed! 

I have half an hour spare so thought I'd try and bring the blog up to date, maybe get back on track with some regular posts.

End of the 19/20 season

Like most my season was cut short by the pandemic, but a few local pike were had before any lockdowns etc….

19lb 9oz my best from this river

19/20 highlights - 

Barbel - 11.07lb

Chub - 5.08lb

Pike - 19.09lb

Perch - 3.06lb

20/21 season

During the start of the 20/21 season, time on the bank was limited, travel restrictions, home schooling, blah blah.....

Some local sessions produced river best barbel and chub, nothing huge, but decent fish for these venues.

As autumn arrived the focus changed to pike and perch, again a number of river best were beaten.

My nephews first pike, live bait in the margin, last cast of the day.

A few stocky pike were landed during a difficult November barbel trip to the Trent. The best of the bunch being these 18 and 19 pounders.

With a number of more modest pike from rivers closer to home.

After the turn of the year, I focused on catching a 6lb chub from one of my favourite local rivers. A number of nice 5lb plus fish were eventually followed by a new p.b of 6lb 7oz.

20/21 season highlights -

Barbel - 8.03lb

Chub - 6.07lb

Perch - 2.09lb

Pike - 19.03lb

New Years blank

I couldn’t make it out on New Year’s Day, dog walks and a family meal took priority however I was on the bank on my first opportunity, the 2nd! For a change my closest river was looking good, a nice winter level carrying a slight colour and stable weather in the preceding days. I took a chance and headed to a difficult stretch, feast or famine!

A ball breaker of a stretch, long walks, steep banks, massive snags, no fish.....

When its fishing well this stretch is very rewarding, however when it’s bad I question if the stretch has been polluted as it seems lifeless. I knew what type of day it was going to be after dropping in on a banker peg! Anyway I worked hard, enjoyed the time on the bank but didn’t start the year with a bang!

Backend chub and pike

Amongst the perch sessions I’ve had the odd short pike session and a few flying visits to the river for a quick after work chub session. I landed pike on every session, mostly on rivers but I also had a first pike session on a large gravel pit, which produced two of the skinniest jacks I’ve seen. 

One of the gravel pit pike

Almost a double from my local river

The chub fishing was steady, with a good average size fish of 4lb + on most sessions, but it was often only a single fish landed, not too concerning as these sessions are very short, 2-3hrs maximum. My last session of the year was a bit better, two fish landed with one being 5.08lb and a new river best. I’ll be continuing to target the chub in this river throughout the winter, with the long term target of increasing this river best to over 6lb.

5lb 8oz with plenty of room to fill out, potentially a very big chub at the right time of year

The 5.08lb next to a low '4'

First cast on a flying visit after work 4.14, only bite of the session though.

2019 highlights 

I don’t have the time or motivation for a full year review, so I’ll just stick a few highlights up.

Barbel - 11lb 7oz

Chub - 5lb 8oz

Perch - 3lb 6oz

Tench - 5lb 2oz

Any other species were either not weighted or are not worth mentioning.

The overall highlight of my fishing year was the capture of a double figure barbel from a river I’ve been working hard on for a couple of seasons. At 11lb 3oz it equalled my then p.b and really did make my fishing year, doubles from this river are definitely few and far between and they seem to be getting rarer each season. 

The highlight of my angling year, despite catching larger barbel from the trent this capture definitely brought me the most pleasure. I'll be surprised if I ever catch a larger barbel from this river. 

2018 - a quick review

A look back on 2018 and a chance to bring the blog up to date.

January

Flu caused a delayed start to the year but 4 pike to 12lb 8oz on my first session of the year was a decent start. Big floods made the river difficult and unpredictable, my attempts for barbel, chub and pike went unrewarded.

February

An enjoyable month chasing chub and pike on my local rivers with chub to 5lb 3oz and pike to 18lb 2oz.

March

The rivers were up and coloured and I was pushed for time towards the end of the season, I managed to get out 4 times catching chub to over 4lb, pike to just over 10lb and a very satisfying final day barbel before the rivers closed.

A couple of still water trips with fish caught each time, nothing of size but these were my first fish from these venues so a decent way to end my pike season.

April (and May)

Any spare time I had was spent visiting stretches of river, walking the banks, making notes for the coming season and very occasionally spotting fish. I visited eighteen different stretches, some were flying visits, but most were in depth recces with a castable fish finder making copious notes for future reference.

June

A few short sessions on a french river whilst on a family holiday, barbel were the target but they were hard to locate I did manage a good bream and a wels catfish my first of the species.

Unable to fish opening day, my first session was a few days later, a frustrating blank. By the end of the month I was regularly landing barbel.

July

12 barbel plus the odd chub were taken on short after work sessions. 5 landed during one session, my best haul from this river so far.

 

Other sessions included a double figure net of silvers from my local river in bright sunshine on a very low river and a daytime sesssion stalking chub.

August

A memorable session straight from work, 12 casts, 10 barbel hooked, 8 landed and 2 chub. Catching barbel was no longer an issue but they weren’t the size I was looking for. The minor floods of the summer made things difficult, almost unfisheable as the summer weed growth made its way downstream.

September

I was still targeting barbel on a local river, numbers of fish had reduced but I increased my seasons best to 8lb 11oz.

A tough trip to the tidal Trent produced a couple of chub and a single barbel.

October

The month started with a barbel trip to the middle Trent then a pit stop at a Nick Peat PAC talk on the way back north.

Back on my local rivers, the targeted barbel were gradually replaced with pike.

12 pike in 4 sessions from a different stretch of river each visit.

November

Another 9 pike in November including my first twenty.

More relief than a sense of achievement as it has been along time coming.

December

21 pike before December, more than my total from the previous season but then the first winter floods came. 4 blanks in a row until I finally got a chub and a pike during my last two sessions of the year. The pike, a jack of 5lb or so, was taken on a small trotted bait. After taking my offering it must of grabbed a decent grayling before I struck as it had a fish of about a pound hanging from its mouth when  I landed it.

2018 highlights -

Barbel - 8lb 11oz
Chub - 5lb 6oz
Perch - 1lb 15oz
Pike - 20lb 6oz

No other species troubled the scales!

Thoughts on 2018

Generally a good year, regularly catching pike from new rivers, an upper double from my closest river plus my first twenty. My barbel campaign went well in terms of numbers of fish caught but I fell short of the double I was chasing.

Plans for 2019

From now until the end of the season I’ll be out on the rivers as much as time allows, when conditions are good I’ll be targeting the pike, not so good I’ll switch to chub, as a last resort I’ll head to a canal or still water. I am hoping to get amongst the larger chub on a certain river I’m fishing, hopefully I can find a six pounder before the season ends.

I’ve got a couple of Trent barbel trips planned for next season, but other than those I’ll wait until the close season before deciding next seasons direction.