Fishing..at last!

A proper guiding experience !


Wednesday last week, 'phone call to Peter of Casterline Tackle Louth, can you do me a gallon of casters by next Monday.....silence..........err....err..... it'll be a struggle, won't have enough older white maggots,but I'll have a go. Never mind Peter whatever you can do, I'll be in Monday.
Come Monday at 9am a call, " it's Peter Casterline, your casters, it's going to be a struggle, not enough damp in the air, I will struggle to do a gallon"  That's ok Peter, I'll call in later, "make it late, but before 5:30"
Anyway, I turn up just after 5, he's looking glum outside the shop, I'm the only customer he's seen since lunchtime, "only done about 6 pints!" Ok mate that'll be alright, my guide will have plenty.
"It's about six and a half Fred, how do you want them packed. Two bags will do I say, what's the damage.
"£16 "
Blimey,that won't pay the rent will it I said "knowhere near he say's"
At this point I make a mental note, must spend more money with Casterline, because with out this little tackle,model and wickerware shop, I'm stuffed with a journey to Lincoln or Grimsby to get maggots/casters.

9pm time for bed, need to get up about 4am to drive about 4 hours down to the Kennet.
I'm 62 , and do you think I could get to sleep?
 No! I still get that anticipation on occasions!
Eventually I do, and then at one o'clock I'm awake, think maybe 3/4 hours sleep, must need a pee. Probably not, a dribble later and I'm back in the folds!
That's it, drift off, wake up drift off, wake up.
Sod it, I'll wake her up in a minute tossing and turning, I'm up.
Leave the house at 3.22am.
7am arrive at destination, a car already in the parking area, so I 'phone Steve my guide, I'm here.
 " Great, ok I'll come and meet you"
You stay there,your getting old, I'll get my stuff together and see you down there.

My guide is Steve Pope, I bought a day with him via the Barbel Society Research & Conservation Auction, not the last one but the one before! (The next one will start on the 17th November.)
 I just haven't been able to tie up a date since then, with all that's been going on.
Which reminds me, I still have a day with Martin James to sort out.
This trip is for two days, one of which is guided, the other me fishing on my own.

The Swim

To cut a long story short, Steve acted in much the same way as the old boy's must have done, in the Victorian day for their masters, he continuously bait droppered all day long, even baited my hook.
My bunch of banana's are not built to glue 4 casters to a fine hair without everything getting stuck!! But, I got there with practice!!
Steve worked like a Trojan, and this is what he always does for his paying customers.
Far exceeding my only other experience of "guiding".
The result?

My first

... Five barbel, my very first from the Kennet at 6lb3ozs, two around the 4/5lb mark, an 8lb 4oz and the best at 9lb6ozs

I did hope to beat my pb, as the fishery is well capable of doing this,but it was not be this time around.

Maybe another time.

This truly was a different experience, and can be highly recommended by me to anybody who wants to gain that little edge on a small river.        http://www.stevepopebarbelfishing.co.uk/?page_id=7

I also met Fred Crouch, he drove down for a chat, we chatted for a while, he tells me he is planning an article for me for Barbel Fisher.
He will be giving his, probably controversial, but logically thought view, on why there are a good few years of young barbel missing in some of our rivers.
It relates to the consequences of the method some anglers have used to attract their fish, but I'm saying no more!

Mum
Stopped off at Mum's last night on my way back, for B&B, she's good at the moment, but suffering the funny colours with Ibuprofen as well!
I told her keep taking the tablets, it probably the old stuff still in the system!


Visitor to the garden

Noted to feed on fuscia, but I needed my book to identify not one but two larvae, they were of the elephant hawk moth

Elephant hawk moth in the making