Barbel fishing diary 2006-2007 part 2

5th November - Hazelford

Another short morning visit, the river was clear and running off but it was a nice bright sunny morning. The water was now at 8.6c.
Today I tried everything bait wise to tempt a bite to no avail, so decided to give bread flake a go, this induced an immediate take which I missed, so I cast out again to the same spot. Still holding the rod felt a tug gave a little line by moving the rod forward, felt the next pull,struck, and landed a chub of about 4lb.
No other bites so off home at 11am.

14th November - Hazelford

I arrived at first light somewhere around 7am to a clear bright start to the day and a water temperature of 9.3c, and set myself up by the weir wall.
I had decided before hand that I would dump a big bag of hempseed off the footbridge in the hope that it would ground bait the swim. I wasn't certain if it would work, but it had been left out of the freezer and was starting to mature, so why not give it a try!
Once again I went through all the baits I had with me in attempt to lure my November barbel, but all I managed to hit was a chub of around 4lb8oz on garlic Spam at around 11am..
Almost immediately after with one of those donkey choker Dynamite pellets fixed on the hair, on my down stream rod had the 3 foot twitch, at long last a barbel of 9lb4oz!
After this nothing happened, although the Reverend Hugh turned up, we had a short chat and he headed of down stream.It started to rain so I packed up and headed home.

18th November - Hazelford

It was windy cold and cloudy when I set myself up at around 11.30 the water was 9.6c. and was about a foot on from my last visit
A tough day again with no bites, so I packed up at 4o'clock with just a 2lb chub for my efforts.

28th November - Hazelford

On arrival at 10am it was obvious that there was even more water in, it was about 6feet higher up the bank and was running off  fast, and quite coloured.
I set myself up about 10 swims down from the weir wall, the water was again 9.6c,  the water going in was obviously warm, so no temperature change.
I set up two rods and had one barbel by 2pm a pup of about a pound on garlic spam.
A little later I lost a fish  which felt good, but on inspection one of my knots had parted!
I continued to fish with a pair of halips pellets glued back to back on the hair on the upstream rod and was soon into a barbel of 8lb 2ozs, which took some time to recover, and shortly after a fish of 5lb10ozs.
The downstream sleeper rod showed no movements, but it was more in hope than anything else as I had baited it with garlic Spam and margin fished.
As was on my way at 4pm.

5th, 26th 29th and 31st December - Hazelford

Four trips and four blanks, the water temperature had dropped to the 7's, and there had been more water going in following a wet month, and air pressure was falling throughout the month so my quest for a barbel a month failed.

15th and 30th January 2007 - Hazelford

Two days on the river,one morning and one afternoon session produced no bites whatsover. I had started taking air pressure levels by this time to add to my information, whether this will tell me anything is yet to be seen.On both days the pressure was dropping and water temperature dropped from 9.3c to 7.9c

24th February - Hazelford

Arriving at first light about 7am the river was high and running fast, so I decided to fish on the fishery limits downstream towards Fiskerton in swim 84.
It was misty start to the day but warmed up to be sunny with occasional cloud and rain. The water temperature was 9.1c the air pressure was rising  from 990 during the session.
I started getting tell tale knocks almost immediately and had 3 barbel of 7lb4oz, 8lb 4oz and 4lb10oz by
11 am.
I fished for another two hours, but had no further bites.
I passed by 5 other members on the walk back to the car all of whom hadn't had a fish but had arrived about noon. On reporting later I found they had all blanked.

3rd March - Hazelford

The river was two foot down from my last visit but I still walked down to the end swim in misty rain, that quicly moved off and it turned sunny. The air pressure rose during my stay from 7am to noon from 1000 to 1005, the water temperature 7.9c. I sta it out for about 3 hours before walking back to the car park swim hopping, but ended with another blank

13th March -  Hazelford

A final fling found me down the usual place at around 6am on very bright warm morning.
Air pressure was still on the rise from 1028 and the water temperature was 9.3c.
The river was low but in good colour so I settled in the last swim under the willows.
Just one rod today fishing, and a sleeper down the margins.
I had two barbel on halips between 7.30 and 8am of 5lb8oz and 9lb6oz,and that was it.
I left at 11am having decided that it felt that was all for the day.


So, I failed in my quest of a barbel a month, I had also not caught a Trent double yet.

My barbel tally after 25 trips

June                  1 
July                    4
August               7
September       1
October            4
November        4
December        0
January            0
February          3
March               2 including best of the season at 9lb6ozs!

My target for season 2007/8 was set once again at a barbel a month, and a Trent double.
Did I make it ? 
Are you really interested ? 

All I would say is that June 16th started very well and I was introduced to a new method of bait presentation later in the season that gave me some surprise results.