7am until 1pm
A solo trip today to the Tees. I would like to catch a barbel from this river, so am going to try and target one. Likely, I will get bored and try for everything else, but let's see.
I did my usual and was outside the back door of the tackle shop about 6.20am. They were actually taking delivery of the days fresh maggots. I was let in and bought some bits.
4 pints mixed maggots
Small tub worms
8mm Robin reds
Sonubaits groundbait
2 packets hooks to nylon
Total £30
Yes, I only needed maggots but when you have a good, reliable tackle shop, I missed out local, it's worth spending some extra quid!
I parked up just as another angler was unpacking. He was off to find a swim before I could enquire into his welfare!
I had some spots to try down stream, but couldn't not have a trot with the float in the faster water first. Second trot through a good sized trout. I put him back and fished on. A bite a chuck and quickly I had half a dozen chublets of a similar size.
A few grayling and I was smiling. The float went under and I struck into something bigger. It didn't feel like a loony trout. I saw it was a good sized chub. It slipped into the net from the fast flow.
I saw it seemed to have a piercing, so I removed that. Not quite sure how the size of that was snapped off, but it's out now.
I fished on catching chublets and grayling on the float. An angler came and spoke to me, he was after salmon and sea trout, we chatted and he asked about catching perch here. I dont think Ellis and I have ever had a perch up this way, so I told him quite confidently "no perch up here mate!"
Eventually I headed off to search for barbel. I was expecting to sit behind the ledger rod, so was glad to have had an active start.
The wind was warm and strong. I sat on a beach, which was prime dog swimming territory. Most owners, seeing me called their dogs and carried on splashing down stream of me. One running dog owner didn't seem to care and the dog carried straight through me and actually went under my rod! I moved on.
Finding a recommended spot, I sat with my meat in a hole (Jason's words, not mine).
I was putting the bait and stop on the hair, not as easy nowadays without my glasses, which were at home. I reeled in the slack and noticed that I had cut the main line and now the rig was not attached!!
I set the rod back up, but this time decided to hair rig three worms instead. I put the rod down and it instantly swung around. I was hopeful of a barbel, a chub even but I feared it would be a trout. I saw the very red fins of a perch as it came to the surface!
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| 1lb 5oz |
I fished on as the wind buffeted me. It was becoming unclear if they were bites or the start of my rod being blown away. I decided to walk back.
A few hundred metres away, it was sheltered and warm. But that was not the right place for the fish.
I decided I had been rewarded with the perch and nice chub, so will keep the barbel hunt for another time.
