Earl of Northumberland

Date fished 16th of course!! 

7.10am until 2.10pm

Forgetting a few hours after work for the elusive Tees barbel on a September evening, I had not fished with Ellis since 17th June 2025!!

Putting that right this week, we started on the Swale. I have joined Leeds, a large and great club. Today we tried their Topcliffe flavour.

Coming from Northumberland, this is why I felt at home

Ellis arrived early and secured a double swim. Today was another social with rods. In hindsight, I could of left the rods at home as they didn't catch today. However  I thoroughly enjoyed the day on a great new stretch! 

I walked it just before we left, and that definitely had me thinking about another trip, soon! 

We ledgered every bait we had, varied everything but to no avail. We even swapped for a worm in the margins as something was constantly harassing something. Ellis caught the culprit, a nice perch. 

I will need to review the boundaries as some other swim parameters seemed 'muddled'.

Some barbel were caught on the stretch today, it was full of anglers. Great to see on opening day! 

Let's not leave it until nearly a year until the next trip please Ellis!!

End of river season poem

14/3/2026

8am until 12pm

The rivers may or may not of been fishable. I didn't take the risk, I went to Tilcon. 

Worms as bait. Cold overnight. Was not in the mood. 

Say no more. 

So I asked chatGTP to write me a poem.

The wind came first, sharp and thin,
Whispering winter across the skin.
A grey sky hung where hope should be,
While waters kept sighing endlessly.

The rod stayed still. The float did too.
No silver flash, no sudden pull through.
Just drifting hours, slow and long,
And the distant cry of a lonely song.

I wasn’t sure why I came that day,
When warmth and rest felt worlds away.
My heart was heavy, my mood was low,
Like winter caught in the undertow.

The bucket empty, the daylight thin,
Only the cold kept settling in.
No fish, no triumph, nothing to claim—
Just numb fingers and a quiet shame.

So I packed my line as the dusk drew near,
Breath like smoke in the brittle air.
The lake kept secrets I couldn’t keep—
And carried my sadness back to the deep.  

Crazy how much it knows. Gets me every time!!

Blank

Date fished 28/02/2026

7am until 11.30am 

Broken scar, Tees today's venue. 0.99m on the guage, fishable but only just in the slacks, and would be tough.

Ledgered worms,  pellets or chesepaste for the hook. 

Accompanied with a feeder stuffed full of dead maggots, bread crumb and pellets.

Not a touch in three swims. A few snags, and even managed to flash a passing dog walker! He still chatted to me after and pointed me in the direction of a good swim. 

Knowing what I know now, would I still of gone?? 

Too bloody right!!

Long shot

Date fished 23/1/2026

9.45am until 1pm

Cold, wet and flooded was my evaluation of the rivers at present. So, I avoided those and decided on a trip to Tilcon. I knew it was going to be tough but needed to just sit and try. After a bacon buttie, I headed to the lake.

Sit and try, I did. I float fished dead maggots about a rod length out or just under a bush to my right. I had thought about ledgering prawns and firing maggots over the top in the hope of hitting a target, 2lb perch. In hindsight, I should have but could not be arsed to go buy prawns. 

I fired maggots regularly around the float and huddled for warmth. The wind was cold but when it dropped, it was like something out of 'The day after tomorrow' and bitterly cold. My feet soon felt like ice blocks.

I chatted to another member who was out doing some avian pest control. It was a blank all round. 

Twixtmas, 'Crimbo Limbo' or 'Feral Week',

Date fished 28/12/2025

7.30am until 1pm

After a busy Christmas, I ensured the southerners left Northumberland, then I was free to go fishing. 

A spur of the moment decision meant I grabbed one rod, the net (new), terminal tackle and a ball of Cheesepaste. I headed to a club water on the Swale. 

I have been in this club for over 10 years, but have decided to switch it up this year and join a different area to target. I am sure I will be back soon. 

Unfortunately today's trip was a blank, well a double blank, more on that at the end. 

I tried several swims and although the river was high, it was still clear and very low in some places (I didn't understand why). 

A mink popped it's head out several times whilst I fished in this swim. 

In one particular swim, three knocks on the rod resulted in no bait. Whether it was chub or crayfish  I will never know.  It was fairly mild, but I still relaxed with a hot drink whilst watching the non moving rod.

I met another angler on my way back to the car. He had lost one fish and he headed back over the swims, I had vacated. 

I headed to a local brewery after checking their opening hours to buy a crate of beer I have recently found. It really is amazing!! 

I parked up, walked to the brewery to find it shut. Checking the date again, I realised I had got confused as to what date it was.  Gotta love the post Christmas, pre New Year period!! Ffs.

Catching trains

Date fished 25/10/2025

8am until 11am

I fished Brian's small river for a few hours this morning in the hope of a barbel. 

Two trains and I was there. I tackled up in a swim where I could see some fish. My ledgered breadl flake got interest but not a proper take. Eventually I got too excited and spooked them. 

I walked along and looked for fish. Not seeing any here but remembering Brian, I fished in a not so secret swim. In the summer the vegetation would cover the entrance.

My line started to tighten, I grabbed the rod and was in a snag. I could feel a fish on too. The fish won and managed to get free. 

I left empty-handed, but I kept my pants on! 

Mk 2

Date fished 24/10/2025

9am until 1.30pm

A trip down south, meant two things. Fireball and zander! 

I picked Jar up from the train station and we headed towards the canal. This time we float fished deadbaits. 

We walked the length and fished likely looking spots in the shade. We started in a turning basin where we saw plenty of fish topping but no predators lurking around. 

Sadly we didn't catch any zander, but we had a great trip. I think on this occasion I will leave it to jars photography..

Tees barbel (6)

Date fished 19/10/2025

7.30am until 11.40am

I envy the anglers that do a proper quest, I am just not cut out for it. I have enjoyed the barbel quest and will put it on the back burner for now. Unless conditions seem perfect on Wednesday!! 

The river looked spot on, but my fishing trip was ruined before I got to the wet stuff. 

I walked to the peg I wanted to fish, realised I had dropped my landing net. I left some gear and walked back. I saw a couple of dog walkers, they said it was on the ground in the car park. I got back and it was gone. Someone had borrowed it. 

I walked back to my gear and started to fish. Conscious that landing anything bigger than a minnow would be challenging, really I hoped I didn't catch a barbel. 

Float fishing or rolling small cubes of meat was employed half heartedly for a few hours. 

Neither produced, and when I lost both new quick change olivettes, given to me by Ellis. I declared game over. 

Not trying to be negative. The highlight of the trip was my mates messaging me on my drive home. 

There is more to life than fishing, you made me smile!!

The afternoon will be spent making online purchases. 😍

Tees barbel (5)

Date fished 24/9/2025

3pm until 7.30pm

I wondered if an evening session would increase my chances. Ellis said "it would, 500%"

Unsure of his maths, we gave it a go. 

A different swim fished. I collected a bag full of rubbish from the previous users.

It looked perfect. The river was dropping and had a good pace going into over hanging willows. One rod with pellets and feeder was cast there and a sleeper rod in the nearside slack with meat for any cruising chub. Ellis joined me after work and had a ledger rod near mine on the far bank. 

After one of his casts, I asked where he was. He said 5 yards from the tree. I declared, OK, I will cast this three yards from it. I promptly deposited my rig exactly where his was!! We didn't get tangled and didn't catch any barbel. 

It was great to catch up, we hadn't fished together since June. He has been doing lots of fishing around the country and had barbel to over 8lb! 

His luck didn't rub off on me, and he was left cursing the blank saver when he wound in the last cast and there was actually a small fish on the end. It had registered a bite a while before but didnt do anything else. He didnt see it properly before it dropped off, but I hope it wasnt a small barbel. If it was, we would of carried on for something bigger!! 

We even managed to avoid the massive dog poo as we walked back to the cars in the dark. The quest continues....

Tees barbel (4)

Date fished 20/09/2025

6am until 9.30am 

Ellis did the right thing and decided not to come as the weather was forecast to be awful. I stubbornly went anyway. 

The river had risen and dropped more times than a (insert your level of humour here)

overnight. 

Arriving pre 6am it was still dark. I tackled up by torch light and cast my 12mm Robin red pellet in whilst my eyes were adjusting to the dim glow. Yes, the river was high but it was fishable. Maybe not with the weights and rod I had brought though. 

I cast again into the slack water, but only managed a snag. This was repeated a few times over the three and a half hours. When I didn't get snagged, I was sat hopeful of a fish. It was fairly mild, if not very wet!! 

The  (three) pictures above are the swim I have been fishing recently. Its about 2 metres below the bank I was now stood on and fishing from. Knowing this well, I avoided snags and fished a while in the nearside slack. No luck. 

I moved downstream and fished another big slack under a big tree. No luck. 

I fished two more spots and got snagged so badly that it was a complete loss of tackle twice. 

The second time  I had found a worm, so tackled a new rig to be able to fish this. First cast, snag, I took this as a sign and headed for a long walk back to the car. 

Walking in waders is not fun and my feet hurt from the few miles trudging along the pavement.

It was comfy laying under the 'golf' brolly

I am now home, showered, warm and dry. I will sit down and hopefully watch the reds beat the blues! If nothing else, I have some lovely poetry to read.

When the sun shines we fish together

Told you I'll be here forever

Said I'll always be your friend

But to fish today you must be a 🔔 end

Now that it's raining more than ever

There’s still a chance of a chub or a fella 🤞

You can sit under your umbrella

You can sit under your umbrella 'ella, 'ella, eh, eh, eh

Under your umbrella 'ella, 'ella, eh, eh, eh 🤣

E. HUTCHINSON 

2025