FOR SALE

Too many rods!  

Just leave a comment if interested.


DRENNAN - Power Barbel - 2 lbs Test


"Light , well balanced and a perfect power play shock absorber, this excellent blank is equally at home on small rivers or big waters like the Trent or Severn. designed to fish the increasingly popular and successful modified carp style, the Drennan Power Barbel will handle big leads or feeders and has exceptional reserves of power for extracting big fish from snaggy swims. the large diameter guides improve distance casting and reduce the problem of weed and debris build up in floodwater conditions.
26" EVA handle - Fuji DPS reel seat - Full SiC Guides and a powerful isotope ."

Supplied with a padded ready rod sleeve
RRP £129.99

Yours for £115 including courier, £100 collect unused fully labelled..





J.W YOUNG: Ray Walton Barbel 1.3lbs Test

"Designed by Ray Walton, for his innovative style of rolling baits. This 1.3 tc version rod is slim and lightweight enabling it to be held for long periods without fatigue- essential when using Ray’s deadly method. " Supplied in it's original hard case

YRW11013 11ft 2 piece RRP £99.95


FOX: Barbel Duo Floodwater rod 12foot 2.75lb Test

ARD008
NOT THE DUO LITE
Paid around £140 about 5 years ago still has shrink wrap handle hardly used.
"Probably the first barbel rod to be specifically designed for floodwater fishing, on both large and small rivers.
The powerful test curve makes it the perfect tool for hit and hold snag fishing!

This model has a solid 2.75lb top section and lighter quiver top which comes complete with 4 interchangeable tips. Features exclusive FOX-DS16 Lined Fox Sliks, ceramic lined guides highly durable even when used with braids. FOX-DS16 16mm reel seat."

Fishing

Itchen

Managed a day out yesterday by joining the guys I cancelled earlier.
Biggest problem with the location is that it's 4 hours away and 4 hours back so a 4am start.
Anyway the fishing was on the £20 a day Lower Itchen Fishery at Gaters Mill,  West End, Southampton .
We arrived at the fishery after meeting up at Winchester services on the M3 for breakfast.
The river had quite a bit of colour in it, but was fining down almost before my eyes!
We drove to the top end of the fishery parked up, and moved upstream, or down stream from the area where no coarse fishing is permitted.

The group which was arranged by Geoff Maynard was, Martin James and Barry (who's surname I've forgotten, who drove Martin), Rick Humphreys (Thai giant stingray guide) Steven Buss (Spanish cat and carp guide) Ian Gemson ( Smartcarping carp coach) Billy O(fishing website builder) and Ed Adcock (a relative newbie to fishing) who had over 50 grayling just 200 yards downstream of my first swim, almost one a chuck when the river had fined down.
A couple of Geoff's friends had the only chub of the day the best of 3 on a pike bait, at 4lb8ozs.


















I chose to walk down stream and was rewarded with two new species for me, a brown trout and a salmon parr, trotting maggots. Many fish were caught between the eleven of us with plenty of grayling ,some sea trout and at my last count one salmon of about 4lb!

A great days fishing on a new beautiful meandering chalk stream of a river to me, with a group of guys without any edge to any of them.None from Yorkshire!
Not far off a hundred fish between us, mostly on trotted maggot, and mostly grayling.
Sky Sports were filming Martin Porter fishing the pin  close to the entrance to the fishery , something to look out for in the future.

Fortunately I had tied in with mum for a Friday visit to the hospital, so the 4 hours return was reduced to only three hours(usually two), the M25 from the M3 to Romford is almost all roadworks!



Next week
I'll be out on the "local" rivers as often as I can get away with it, also the lakes for the perch and roach mentioned earlier.



  The week after I have at least one day lined up with Martin James on the Kennet, and I shall possibly be doing another radio spot with him, to talk about this years Barbel Show.
With any luck a chance to promote and the new Barbel Society, Barbel School,which is to be run by Dave Mason and Rob Swindells. On the Teme, Kennet and tidal Trent.

Catch up

First of all the latest on mum, she has been advised by the specialist/consultant that all the cancer has been removed.
At the age of 88 she has now a decision to make. Does she want to go through the stresses and strains of 5 treatments a week of radiotherapy for 5 weeks. The first indication is that she doesn't!
A visit to the Oncologist in early March, to find out why she has to, and what happens if she doesn't, is our next move.

Fishing

I was intending to have a day on the Itchen next week, but things have changed as a result of the ongoing trips down south.
So before the end of the river season I shall be getting out on the Trent, or the Idle at every possible moment and maybe,although it can wait, a trip to a nearby fishery where the lakes are now producing BIG perch and roach to 3lb plus.
Fishing reports should commence shortly!

Essex Man

RIP Trevor Bailey

Sad to see that Trevor Bailey died this morning in a fire at his house in Westcliff aged 87

Trevor earned 61 Tests caps between 1949 and 1959 and played county cricket for Essex for more than 20 years.


Trevor is perhaps best remembered for his defiant partnership with Willie Watson at Lord's in 1953, in which he batted for four-and-a-half hours. This innings from the all-rounder helped secure a draw which proved pivotal in England reclaiming the Ashes after a 19-year break.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/9393503.stm

I'm back...well for a little while.

Mum

Good news, she's had the mastectomy operation at Queens Romford, and has recovered well beyond our expectations, a tough ol' girl.
Operation friday 8:30 am, home monday 5pm with drain removed from breast area, and a small drain left under the arm where lymph glands removed.
On wednesday the District Nurse removed the drain and changed bandages, friday another DN removed bandages !!
NHS at it's best,even for an 88 year old.
We were with her until today, she gave us a week and got fed up with me cooking for her, and wanted her house back.
We still need to keep an eye on fluids from the under arm wound building up, otherwise just a visit to the specialist middle of next week.

The Garden

We appear to have suffered from this years winter quite badly, many plants affected including the well established mahonia.
It looks like a remodel may be required in the close season. I'm tempted to fill in the pond adjacent to the mahonia, but will wait until the green leaves of spring start to show just to be certain of what has been lost.

Books

I took three books with me to mum's. The Chub Study Groups second book Chevin, Practical Barbel Fishing by Graham Marsden and Mark Wintle, and last but by no means least, Blood Knots by Luke Jennings.

All three books, I highly recommend and will review them elsewhere, save as to say you can't go wrong with the first two when it comes to knowledge of the species and how to fish for them.
In respect of Blood Knots this is a very fine story of a mid-50's born lad from a well to do family,growing up in the sixties fishing and mentored by his Military Cross winning tank commander father, and (Captain) Robert Nairac!


Last... but by no means least


Rest in peace Gary Moore