Holiday

Day 1

All I am going to divulge at the moment,is that I'm on the banks of a Prince Albert water, but I can't fish it!

Our temporary abode is in a group of farm cottages in a valley,we are both tucking into a complimentry bottle of red and looking over the river.
I'm not fishing tonight,but I have been introduced to the stretch of river,where access through Forestry Commission land, brings you to a wooded steepish bank which after a few hundred yards levels out. It apparently has not been fished for some years.
Tomorrow afternoon will be my bank side walk swim hunt, being on a short break with The (non fishing)Boss means a bit of compromise is needed.
Meanwhile tonight on with the wine and a bit of bank walking of the PAAS stretch, and bird watching.


Day 2

Fished from 4pm 'til 8pm a few chub rattles,but no sign of barbel.Lost all my worms yesterday in the heat despite moving them into a barn when we arrived.
Met a BS member from Devon, apparently the mile and a half stretch is a £500 a year syndicate stretch, he is part of it. Most of the stretch is high banked and swim access is difficult,there are no swims cut, access is easiest at a cattle drink.
We setup in the cattle drink,after 3 hours the cattle came down. Cows, calves and a bull!
He gave us a fright!
After he drank he wandered up to us, about ten feet away he started kicking earth back, snorting and showering us with sand. He was a big bugger.
Six feet away from The Boss, still giving the earth the occasional back kick, now he was digging deep.
We both remained still and quiet,apart from my taking a heavy bank stick from my quiver, my thought was, any closer and you'll get a nose tap mate!
I don't know why but he stopped,probably no reaction was good,he was so close though.
Pauline amazed me she didn't blink,but she said she didn't look him at all. "Well maybe a quick peek out of the corner of my eye".She said she thought he would get bored and go.
We left earlier than I wanted to, well he may have come back for more!
Back tomorrow,I spotted a nice gravel run to have a go at,the only problem is, it's off a cattle drink!!
  
Day 3

Fished from 5.30 to 10pm.New swim, access would be difficult in the wet, dog spikes and rope needed for most of this fishery.
Following catch reports from fellow guests,I switched tactics and went for small bait and a light feeder approach.

Result 13 barbel between 2 and 6lb, chub of all sizes up to 3lb.
My cane rod is still a virgin, I fished it on the inside line, with big meat. A couple of tugs and one big pull resulting in a few scales, line bite !
All in all I'm very happy, but I knew all along there were loads of barbel in this river,all you need to do is find them.
Last day tomorrow.


Day 4
The first thing I did yesterday was to bait under the rod tip with 4 or 5 pints of hemp and small pieces of spam. I kept coming back to it, but no fish had moved in.
Back today, somebody in the swim, and he's hauling on double pellet underneath the rod tip!!
So, I find myself another swim, a precarious one access wise,but comfortable.
Fished until 9pm when it started to rain,feeling that the slope down to the swim would be even more difficult under damp conditions, I decided to get up to the top .
No barbel today but I was kept busy with the chub again up to 3lb all on elips.

So, I've had 3 days of fishing the River Wye in the shadow of Yat Rock on the Tunnel Beat, staying at Mainoaks Farm Holiday Cottages.Listening to the peregrines and ravens up on the rock.
As I'm trying to tie up some advertising for Barbel Fisher while I'm here, a review of the cottages will be forthcoming.What I will say is, the cottages are first class.

A view to Yat Rock

I had my first close view ever of a Little Owl on leaving the cottage, it came out of an old barn and may well be nesting in there judging by the detritus on the stone floor.

Note: I also have pictures of a rather furtive fellow, on the opposite bank of the PAAS stretch, who was spinning until he spotted us, and then started adding boulders to an in stream feature,which I am sure has a name, in salmon angling river management, but alludes me at the moment! He was joined by another, who's greeting was,"Oy what do you think you're doing" before "fishing" with him!


One for every Blog entry, maybe you've seen them already:

...and that's how the fight started

One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift...
The next year, I didn't buy her a gift.
When she asked me why, I replied, "Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!"

And that's how the fight started.....