Do They Get Any Better?
With consistent weather forecast and the Mrs away for a few days with little one I set some time aside after work to get out on the bank. Following last week's session I wanted to fish an area that I focused on at the beginning of last season, the outside of a classic Tidal Trent sweeping bend.
Cooking a big batch of hemp up the night before and blending to a pulp, to this I add trout pellet powder and red bread crumb. I purposefully blend the hemp to cause a milky cloud that will carry downstream, the red bread crumb to act as a binding agent to allow balls of ground bait to be thrown some distance and the pellet powder to put a big scent trail into the water but with no free offerings.
Arriving at my chosen swim I parted the nettles and reeds to make a way down to the water's edge, negotiating the sludge covered boulders. Setting up a feeder on the upstream rod and PVA bag set up on the down stream rod they were cast onto the mark. Once I had determined that the 4oz feeder was going to hold comfortably I began to throw 6 or 7 balls a peg upstream of the feeder rod.
Sitting back amongst the overgrown bank vegetation, mice scurried through the long grass and what felt like thousands of mosquitoes provide a constant dull humming buzz overhead.
It took around 45 mind and a little more ground bait to be introduced before the right hand down stream rod to slam over and the bobbin swung loose. The fish rose very early and made several runs utilising the flow. With the rod arced down stream I started to make line back on the fish, working it back up steam consciously keeping the fish up in the water to avoid the boulder lined banks. With the rod bent over double the fish exploded again downstream, by far the best fight a Tidal Trent barbel had given me. Making line up again I brought fish just upstream of where I was balance between the boulders allowing me to let the current drift the fish back over the lip of the net. Peering down into the mesh net the fish looked pristine with the 20mm Hookbait Co test bait hanging in the corner of a huge mouth. Resting the fish for several minutes after the nature of the fight I hoisted the net through the nettles, up the bank and onto the mat. Removing the hook and holding the scales up, she went 11-02. Transferring the fish to a sling I rested her again before return back to the mat, setting the tripod up and mounting the camera, a few quick self takes and she was back in the coloured water; head upstream and soon kicking powerfully back to the flowing water of the Tidal Trent.
The rods went back out and I continued to feed steadily on both rods though no more indications followed. Loading the barrow back up at 9:30pm I had a steady walk back to the car.
Returning to the same stretch the following evening i fished an area I hadn't cast into before as I heard a few rumours it was very snaggy. Although this session produced a blank I learnt that this area is in fact fishable. An area that I may focus some time on as it isn't a popular area….the ideal area for a colossal wary fish….right?
Following the blank I went back to the Tidal for the 3rd evening on the bounce and set up in the swim the 11-02 came from. It only took around 20 mins for the upstream feeder rod hoop over and line stripped from a tight spool. Picking the rod I felt the fish for a split second as the line went tight and I was snagged up. Looking back at the take and the smoothness that the rod hooped suggests that the feeder was already snagged before the take. After walking up stream and down stream I managed to free the feeder and recovered the rig as well. Intending to fish until around 11:30pm the session was cut short as my head torch refused to work.
Onto next week…..
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