Trusty sidekick

Date fished 17/6/2025

8am until 4.30pm

Prologue

In a fraction of a second, my rod was bent nearly double. Line was peeling off the reel, fish on! Unfortunately I noticed the line was caught around the ear of my rod rest. I picked up the rod but wasn't connected to the fish. I scrambled to free the line off the rest, this was hard as the fish s was pulling! Suddenly, the hooklink snapped and my fish was gone. It was certainly a barbel, definitely a lost fish. Expletives followed!! 

A day guest with Ellis on the Swale was the second day of this season. Arriving at 7.30am it was much cooler. Cloud covered the sky and it had a little chill. We walked the whole beat as the last swim is good, of course there was someone fishing it. 

We settled on another swim with a large bush we could both cast towards. Lots of knocks, we assumed Ronnie and Reggie. Ellis deciding, when he had sorted his reel out, to fish the maggot feeder down the middle. Instant bites and a nice dace his blank saver.

The sun was now bright and getting much warmer. We walked back and saw some chub "partying" with eachother in the shallows. 

We soon found another swim where we both could sit and cast towards a deeper area by an overhanging bush. When I reeled in the luncheon meat, a large pike followed it in right to the bank. No pike gear was carried today though!! 

The bites started when the cloud came over. Suddenly getting darker, we assume the fish were more confident not being seen in the clear water. Both of us getting taps and rattles. We sat for a while and I needed to stretch my legs, I declared to Ellis I was off for a walk and his rod gave the tell tale sign. He played the fish towards the net deciding it was a barbel, then a chub and confirmed as a barbel when we saw it. 

6lb 2oz

It was a great fish and well deserved.

My bite as described above, came a short while later. I had already had a bite and struck far too early. We waited for another cloud coming over to top up the mole hill groundbait and the ever faithfull spicy sausage. Interest for sure to both of us, but the yawns were getting larger as the heat took hold and we decided to call it a day. 

I never did stretch the legs with a walk, but the landing, unhooking, weighing, pictures and resting all needed a trusty sidekick.