Barbel Chaos

I had my most manic fishing session ever on Friday night.

I arrived on the Trent on Friday teatime and set my stall out to fish into dark, hoping that in these conditions I would get a few after dark.

I steadily built up the swim as the evening progressed and was thoroughly enjoying myself. It was breathlessly hot and humid and Mother Nature was alive. I even had a couple of small fish when the sun was up, which surprised me.

Then, around 11 O'clock, it was like someone flicked a switch. I just knew things were starting to happen as my tips started bouncing shortly after casting. I made a real effort to get lots of bait out in my feeders, keeping my discipline and casting and recasting repeatedly.

Bang! The downstream rod was away. I landed a decent fish around 7lb. Before I recast, the other rod was away. For the next three hours I couldn't even keep two rods in the water. Fish were hitting the boilie within 2 minutes of it landing. I had barbel after barbel after barbel, with the odd chub thrown in, all between about 5 and 8lb. No monsters, but all good fish. I had to abandon one rod, I was soaked to the skin from wading out to net and return the fish. I ripped my landing net in the undergrowth and had to stitch it up in a panic. I booted my bait bucket over repeatedly.

Fast forward to about 2am and I am kneedeep in the Trent, wearing nothing but shorts, playing a barbel while lightening lit up the sky around me.

I thought to myself "It doesn't get much better than this"

If one of those bolts would have hit my rod and zapped me to the great wierpool in the sky, then I would have died a happy man.

Superb, absolutely superb. Barbel fishing at its best. God knows how many I had. Maybe 20 fish? I left at 2.30am with them still feeding like mad, gutted that I couldn't carry on but exhilarated at my best ever bag of barbel.

Great fishing, hope you have many a more happy session!

The barbel numbers in the Trent are now approaching those that were found in the mid Victorian era when massive catches were made. In some cases upwards of 100 fish were taken by 2 anglers in heavily baited swims.

On occasions I have had to give up using two rods and the fish came one after the other.

My most hectic session took place beween 1-30 am and 3 am one September morning where I took 5 fish. first one weighed about 12oz. The next four went 10 1/2 lbs, 10 1/4 lbs 10 1/4 lbs and 11lbs 6oz.

The largest bag of barbel Trent Otter ever listed was a catch of 32 fish taken in one day by one angler a certan "Poor Old Owen - a Newark Tackle Maker." "Five of these fish weighed from 12 to 15 lbs each, about a dozen more weighed beween 6 and 10 lbs, the whole lot going 224 lbs. This catch was taken in 1848 or thereabouts from Crankley Point.

Ron
If that is the case, then I will have to enquire about hiring a local serf to visit the river for me every day with a sack of lobworms. See if I can up my catch rate in the traditional style!

Ron, Did you go to S/Africa before or after the Victorian era?.

Hello Spiders --Welcome back!!

I was with Livingstone when he met Stanley and heard the famous words: "Dr. Livingstone I presume."

The trek into the Ituri was the worse. Huge hairy spiders, jumping crotch crabs, The Purple Ague, Screaming Squitters, millions of warring pygmies, and the perpetual **** drip combined with itching that sent you mad.

Ah those were the days, we were men then.

"we were men then"


so what are you now?

Old.

"Huge hairy spiders, jumping crotch crabs, The Purple Ague, Screaming Squitters, millions of warring pygmies, and the perpetual **** drip combined with itching that sent you mad."

And thats only in Rotherham ...

And then see what you can pick up in Liverpool.

"And then see what you can pick up in Liverpool."


That depends on how much you've got on you, Ron.

A nasty little itch.
Pons.

Huge HAIRY SPIDERS ED, WHERE?