Saturday 8 March 2014

Too Many Fishermen Spoils My Day


Less than a week to go now until the end of the season, sods law that the rivers are looking the best that they have done for months. The Warwickshire Avon still has a foot or so more than normal levels but the colour is dropping out of it and will continue to do so (if the forecast is to be believed!). I felt confident of catching today and unusually was setting my stall out for two different species, Pike in the morning and Chub in the afternoon when conditions had brightened up.
Two rods were set up for the Pike, one with a small Roach as bait and the other had a Herring on it. It was a slow start but I was entertained by three Roe Deer cautiously feeding in the field opposite. Sadly they were too far away to get a decent photo. I remained silent in the hope they would venture closer but they took flight when a couple more anglers noisily trudged along the bank.
Eventually I had a run on the Herring. A small Jack had taken the bait, not it's mother as I had hoped for. The Jack had seen better days battered and bruised and with only one pectoral fin. Hence I only got a head shot.


The rest of the morning played out with little incident but what was noticeable was how many anglers were out making the most of the pleasant weather. A lot of them were lure anglers roaming up and down the banks, quite annoying when they cast everywhere including my swim. They certainly deserved the few choice words they got, not sure they understood English though!
After lunch I moved swims in the hope of finding a bit peace and solitude. I found a deserted section and baited up a run that was slightly downstream and across from the peg where I actually sat. It looked the part for a Chub, overhanging branches covered in flood debris creating a raft of cover over the Chub's heads. Just what they like.
Within an hour an ignorant bloke plonked himself in the next peg down and proceeded to fish the same area I had baited. There was no courtesy of 'alright if I fish here mate?' or 'whereabouts are you fishing?' Some people eh!
After that my heart wasn't in it so I went home and did all the Sunday jobs a day early-brownie points galore from 'er indoors! Maybe enough to get one last session in before the end of the season? We'll see.

It'll soon be spring and we will be treated to lots more of these stunning sunsets.

3 comments:

  1. I know exactly what you mean there Joe, no respect or courtesy among some anglers, a big shame that it curtailed your trip too being that there are only a few days left, well in on the Esox though and let's hope they all drew a blank!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The difference a day makes.

    I fished the same swim as your first photo today and there hasn't been another angler on the stretch all day. A couple of ignorant boaters who thought the narrow boat they were in was really a speedboat in disguise but at least the weir stops them storming through your swim. A pike, a zander a couple of chub and a bucket full of dace when I ran out of sprats and resorted to the stick float and maggot added to to a very entertaining last day on the rivers for a while.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unlucky Joe, there are a lot of stretches I know hold some great fish but they attract the kind of anglers (type & numbers) that don't cut it with me so I give them a wide berth......
    Peace & solitude any day of the week!

    ReplyDelete