River Blythe.
3:15pm to 5pm.
!#☆%ing Cold (-2C).
Water a little coloured, normal level.
Fished 1 swim.
Blank.
River had dropped nicely in the week, following severe flooding across the whole county at the start of the week Cold weather remained all week though - by far the coldest snap of the winter so far.
Probably madness to even attempt it. Rod rings icing up towards the end of the short session.
In a change of habit for 2025, I'll attempt to post something after each session. Very few words, mainly pictures.
River Blythe.
3pm to 5pm.
Cold (1C).
Water clear, normal level.
Fished 3 swims.
1 chub at last knockings. 3lb 15oz. Legered meatball.
Not much fishing done in 2024. Just a few pictures:
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| Warks Avon, 8lb 1oz |
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| Warks Avon |
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| Leam |
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| Napton Rese, low double |
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| Tame |
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| Syndicate pool |
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| Blythe |
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| Estate lake |
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| Warks Avon |
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| Warks Avon |
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| Blythe, 5lb 4oz |
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| Warks Avon |
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| Yorkshire tench, 6lb 5oz |
I won't dwell too much on the last 6 months of angljng inactivity. Fishing has been sparse. Life's responsibilities, challenges and niggles all too often conspiring to prevent piscatorial escapism.
Priorities took over, naturally. Fishing sat on the back burner, but never far from the mind. Reminded of what I was missing through social media connections, waiting for any brief opportunity.
The enthusiasm hasn't wained though. Far from it. As I drove towards the river on a windswept late December afternoon I passed a couple of joggers caught in a rain shower. "They must be mad" I chuckled to myself. Then I remembered what I was about to do!
But despite facing a gusty 3 hours with periods of rain cascading almost horizontally across me, I was as happy as a pig in muck. I've genuinely appreciated every ounce of fishing I've been able to extract.
Most of my short sessions have been on the River Blythe for convenience. I still haven't hit my 5lb chub target, having gone close earlier in the year (previous season) with a fish of 4lb 15oz. The best so far this season is 4lb 5oz, but the better opportunities to expand on that probably lie in the weeks ahead.
I did manage my first Blythe trout over the summer, which was a pleasant surprise.
No barbel at all in 2022 for me, although I think I only spent about 2 hours after them! Hopefully I'll find more time in 2023 for them. The same applies to predator fishing. Just one short session in December which ended barren in chilly conditions.
Total number of sessions in 2022 was 22 - an increase of 3 on 2021! Total bank time was still well under 100 hours though.
I won't set any targets for 2023, other than to spend more time on the bank. I'll be culling a couple of tickets, but will still have a clutch of others in my wallet. Still far more than I'll ever need, but like a woman is drawn to buying shoes, fishing tickets are my weakness! And rods and reels...
Just the one brief moment where I let my hair down during the 3 month hibernation period.
It wasn't planned well. In fact it wasn't really planned at all. It was late on a Saturday afternoon. With no boozy companions available for the evening and a toddler acting compliantly and sleepy, I declared I was going fishing.
I lobbed some gear in the car and headed for the car par park peg on a local club water. Nobody else there at all. Technically I shouldn't have been either, as the day in question was a closed day - for work party duties.
I genuinely didn't realise until I consulted the vast rule list on arrival, but I figured I was there anyway and the work party ship had sailed many hours earlier, so I decided I wasn't getting in the way.
All I caught were a skimmer and some of the many ugly carp (battered mouths) that call this place home. Nothing pretty! Fair reward for my lack of effort I'd say.
It gave me a quick fix though, put a bend in the old Avon rod and gave a robin a bit of company (or was it the other way around?!). Total fishing time 2.25 hours. Closed season resumed.
Thankfully the rivers are open again soon. I'm not sure exactly when I'll get off the mark, but I've booked a week off work from the first Monday, so I'm not too bothered about rushing out on the 16th this year. I'll be working that day.
Early season plans are simply to get around different venues (particularly those I've neglected) and to mix it up a bit. Definitely a series of catch anything and everything sessions - no doubt interspersed with the usual blanking. Looking forward to it...
River Blythe - 2.5hrs
Another season draws to a close. For me it hasn't been particularly active due to other commitments, but that's probably meant I've appreciated every session all the more.
My season finale typically ended in a whimper. Thinking back, I honestly can't remember having a red letter day to finish off with. Probably a measure of my general inability to trouble fish!
Another short session was all I could muster and I decided to follow up on the previous week's pioneering visit to a new stretch. This time I'd stretch the legs even further. If nothing else, it would serve as much needed good exercise.
Zilch from the starting swim, ditto from the one I fancied but didn't fish last week and more of the same from the third port of call - which provided the only action last time out. Hmmm! With the clock ticking, blank panic set in.
On to swim 4 and I finally had some interest just as I was checking out the football scores. Coventry hit 4 was the headline and I got as far as seeing the 4-1 scoreline when the rod tip started bouncing around.
A quick strike and a spirited battle ensued. I was quite surprised when it surrendered in front of me that it was only around 3lb. It gave a right old scrap and was a short, chunky fish.
I tried a couple more casts before heading off to try 2 more swims. A pointless exercise as it turned out in terms of adding to my tally, but I guess it left me closer to the car.
The search for a Blythe five will continue next season...
Hibernation until May is on the agenda.
River Blythe - 2hrs.
Another short excursion this week. I very nearly opted for a stab at a local pond for convenience, but my brain kicked in and reminded me there's only one more weekend left. It had to be a river.
The Blythe was the best bet time wise, but with a match using part of the water, I opted for a stretch I hadn't fished before.
Largely open and lacking in features, it's not as obviously alluring as some waters, but I found myself quite captivated by it. It was just nice to be strolling through pastures new, looking for something that screamed "fish me".
I found a handful of likely swims, but chose to ignore the one I liked most. I'd actually already selected another swim to start from, but I couldn't help wandering further on for a brief look. I'll revisit it when I have more time.
Any concerns of blanking were dispatched first cast. A couple of tentative plucks were met with a hopeful strike and a small meat loving chub was soon on the bank.
