No Nonsense

Date fished 28/10/2023

8am until 4.30pm

100 miles to today's venue. Time to just sit in the car and think about life. Ellis and I decided to fish the Wharfe at Tadcaster today. 

The weather had the rivers up and down but looking online, asking the right questions on Facebook and watching Shane's video all helped us pick this venue!

We arranged to meet at 8.30 but as is my way, I am always early. I arrived just before 8am. Two minutes later Ellis pulled in to the car park. Perfect!!

Feeders in three, four and five ounces were packed, but I actually could of got away with using two ounces. The river was quite slow and looked perfect for a barbel or 12-15! I informed Ellis we would get a net full of five to seven pound fish. He calmed me down and said, let's just see..... 

We walked to the river, three ledger rods between us, plenty of bait of various flavours! The river was full of anglers, I think I counted about 20 at the end of the day, great to see a club full like that. I think it's down to geography, this venue is in the middle of town, so easily accessible, add to that only £5 on the bank and the chance of a good few barbel, I would certainly fish it a lot if I lived closer! 

It was foggy at first and the steep banks very slippery. I manged to clamber down and fish my single rod from a ledge. Ellis opted to cast from the top of the bank with his two and clamber down to land any fish. The baits were soon in the water and we waited patiently. 

A change from luncheon meat to my home made sausage and I got a definite knock. 

We are not sure if the Wharfe is tidal at this point, but soon where I was stood was getting wet. I retreated up the bank. I went to see Ellis, this was not a place we could chat together, we were sat 50 metres apart! 

Can you spot him? 

Whilst we chatted, he had two knocks. One I saw, one he did. Neither his bite alarm noticed! Hoping for more action, I went back to my swim. 

A change of baits and hooklink length made no difference. The barbel were not on the feed. We chatted to some local anglers and even asked Shane for his secrets. It was no good, nothing worked. We just had to keep casting and try harder. 

Some barbel were caught across the stretch by other anglers but sadly it ended in a blank for both of us. Next time, for sure. 

Before I go, I just wanted to share the best part of the day. It wasn't catching up with Ellis. It wasn't watching a large bird of prey circle really close above us. It wasn't the constant noise of the A64. It wasn't the "history" associated with Ellis's bait. 

Last time we fished, Ellis noticed my jealous gaze of his lunch. He got Carole, his wife, to make me, my own "all day breakfast butties" today. DELISH!! 

As John Smith would say - " Have it!!" 

No words, just pics. Barbel

Chances missed

Date fished 1/8/2019
11.30am until 20.15

Before I start with the blog, I must apologise for the current river levels and flooding. I can only assume that my decision to have 3 days off this week and potentially do 4 days fishing on 3 different rivers has prompted the deluge!!

Having written a Swale trip off from Wednesday due to the heavy floods, the planned Wharfe trip on Thursday was going ahead. Literally spending the day before glued to the river levels website, the level had dropped and looked fishable.

Packing the kit included some large 5.5oz weights, strong tackle and of course Doritos, Lucozade and pasties!! Yes, I was fishing with Aidan!

Picking him up after work at 10 (ish) it was a chatty 100miles to the river. Aidan has fished this stretch on many occassions and knows it well. He always gives me great advice and puts us on the fish.

The river looked good. High but dropping off and a good colour. We baited up our rods and cast out. I started with cheese paste and garlic meat, Aidan was on pellet and boilies.

After little interest, I swapped to double pellet on one and meat close in on the other. It was now after 1pm and we were getting to grips with the flow, rig position and hoping for some fish. I just thought I would have a drink of coffee. Flask out and pouring, it happened.
My rod arched over and line started peeling off the baitrunner. Dropping my cup, I was on the rod. I was in. The double pellet doing the trick. I felt the strong pull of the fish, definitely a barbel. And snap. My hook link snapped. Gutted.

The river was dropping quite fast, an area in front of us full of fry was quickly receding. A pike keeping the fry trapped until she was ready to lunge at them all making a splash. The kingfisher whizzing back and forth along the tree line.

Aidan was casting about, as we were holding bottom easily now. He must have had extra Lucozade today as every cast was dropping perfectly inches from the trees on the far side.  I nearly called the blog " The Cast Master".

A few biteless hours passed (6) and then Aidans rod bounced in true chub bite style. He was in. Quickly bringing the fish to our side of the river. When it got close, it woke up. Suddenly lunging down and diving deep. Unfortunately this was enough and the hook pulled out. We were both on a downer, like the river!!

As the evening drew on, conditions looked perfect. The hatch came alive, the wind dropped and the river looked calm. We fished on but sadly no more bites.

As we packed up, we remarked on the day. Aidan sure that the Barbel would have fed heavy as the river rose, and would be holed up somewhere now.
Me?, well I was just glad to be out. We agreed that although we " were happy just to be on the bank" a fish certainly makes the drive home more palatable. After all....

"A  week day blanking is always better than a day at work not fishing"

Lovely Chubley a Mc"Source" PB

Date fished 20/08/2018

Today I was fishing with Aidan on a stretch of the River Wharfe he knew very well, but I had never fished before. We headed to Boston Spa at 6am on a Monday morning, happy that we had the day off work to be fishing!!

In fact, I had never fished any of the Wharfe before and as our target was Barbel, I was hoping for one of these amazing creatures from a third river! We would not be hampered by Chub, Aidan confirming " aye, it's just Barbel in here!"

After a quick chat under an open window in the street, we loaded the car and headed off. The 2 hour journey flew past as we chatted all things fishing. Only stopping to get some Mc sausage delights from Ronald.

We parked up and Aidan got us day tickets for the stretch we were going to target, at £4 it was a bargain!

A quick walk along a picturesque path and we were at our swim. It looked amazing, just Barbelly perfect. The river was up a few feet from what Aidan usually has seen, but the colour looked good even though the river was bombing through.

Aidan gave me first dibbs on swim position, I picked the down stream part of the swim and we tackled up. Both of us ledgering two rods. Me using pellets and Aidan with boilies. Aidan was using small pva bags, and he had let me know before, so I too was armed with these.

We cast our rods. It was hard to hold bottom with the weights we had. We tweaked slightly, adding two weights, doubling up on baits and altering hook link lengths. Suddenly it all was perfect.

It was about to become even better.
After a few patient hours, Aidan had a "bite" it was more a drop back bite with the fish then swimming towards him. He picked up the rod, wound in and thought the fish had gone. As he wound in, the fish did it's best to pull back!! Aidan was in. A superb looking silvery Barbel of about 5lb was his reward.

This gave us both the buzz, we tinkered and tweaked. Me trying different baits and pva bagged goodies, Aidan confidently keeping to his source boilies. I had never heard of these, but a quick Google and click and my letterbox will soon be consuming some!!

A short while later as I sat filling pva bags my rod started to twitch, bend over and the baitrunner started singing! I was in. Again, a perfectly torpedo shaped Barbel lay on the mat. At just under 6lb, I was a "three river" Barbel man!!"

Another angler appeared on the opposite bank and started fishing just below our lines. Not sure if we were encroaching, we decided it was time for a move. The river was dropping and we thought we could hold bottom in a swim we had seen on our walk in.

We quickly set up, Aidan not giving me first dibs on the swim position this time. Very telling me thinks!!

Another strange "bite" on the source, (with these weird bites, I genuinely thought Aidan was on the other sauce!!) and Aidan was playing a . . . . . . . . . Chub!
Just like he said, not in here! It was his first proper chub, and at 3lb 13oz it was great to share this pb with him. His grin really saying it all as he sat down exclaiming "lovely chubley!"

As the rain came, we tried to tempt a few more. Not even Aidans "sauce" was enough...... then a real bite. Aidan watched as his rod performed the famous 3 foot twitch, and he was in again. Another Barbel and we were happy.

Finally we packed up. A 3-1 home win for Aidan! It was a great day, sharing tips and tales as we hardly stopped nattering. I learnt alot, found some great new tactics and will be sat by my door waiting for my "source" or maybe "sauce" to arrive!