RMC Angling Boss, Ian Welch, kicks our Specialist World series back into gear and covers a varierty of species...
Welch's Specialist World | Specialist World
Welch's Specialist World
My Month
January has been a tough month as far as my fishing is concerned and a combination of incredibly variable conditions and the fact that I've had very little time to actually get out has made for a decided case of the New Year blues.
Having not fished at all during December, with the exception of filming a grayling feature for Improve Your Coarse Fishing, I was keen to try to get back into the swing of things as 2004 dawned and with the first signs of semi-serious flood conditions all season and rising water temperatures it looked like it might be barbel to start the New Year.
My first trip was a short after work sortie up to the River Loddon where I spent a couple of hours wandering about trying a few different swims to begin to get to know a river that I've never really fished before. Believe me the Loddon has massive barbel potential and with a far better water quality than the Kennet it could well be the river that eventually takes over the crown from the Ouse. It holds far more big fish than people realise and several giants are being kept very quiet indeed with current rumours suggesting a 17lb fish has been on the bank!
Although the water temperature had crept up to 45F I never had a pull but at least I was able to earmark a couple of areas that warranted further exploration in daylight.
As temperatures continued to rise the following day the rods were in the back of the car again and I was pointed towards the Kennet as soon as I got out of the office. I knew exactly where I wanted to be and after an hours drive I was on the stretch where I had been fortunate enough to track down a 'missing' 15lb 5oz barbel a couple of months previously.
The big fish had a couple of slightly smaller companions who were caught a little more regularly and both of which topped 14lb and might conceivably make 15lb given good feeding towards the back end of the season. Neither of the girls had been seen for over a month and conditions were ripe for them to be on the prowl.
I set up in a relatively featureless swim but one that I knew from summer spotting had an area of deeper water tight to the near bank. The barbel would pack into areas like that during the winter floods and there had to be a fish or two in residence. Meat Approach
For bait I had abandoned my usual paste and boilie approach in favour of meat. Many of the pressured stretches of river have seen so very much pellet, paste and boilie during the early part of the season that it can pay to be different towards the back end of the season. Results from the Ouse had demonstrated just how true this was over the past couple of seasons with meat catching over 75% of the barbel that were caught in the post-Xmas period.
Rather than opt for a great big lump of the pink stuff I used a bait punch to cut a small core from a can of Bacon Grill and married it up with a size 10 hook. I wanted to keep loosefeed to a minimum and just put a can of Bacon Grill through a maggot riddle to shred it. After dusting the meat shreds off with a little marine pellet groundbait I formed it into a 'Dynamite stick' and simply nicked it onto the hook before casting it into the marginal hole. Dusting the shredded meat is all important as it absorbs the oil from it, which if left would seriously slow down the breakdown rate of the pva - not a wise move in cool water conditions when breakdown is not fast at the best of times.
Within five minutes of casting out the rod pulled round and after a brief but lively scrap I netted a small barbel just a couple of ounces short of 10lb. I hoped this little scamp hadn't spooked the bigger fish in the swim and I carefully returned him a couple of swims downstream and well out of the way of the holding area.
Rather than put another full stick of meat into the swim when the contents of the first one would still be out there I just rebaited the hook with a cylinder of meat and lowered it back into the swim. With just three hours to fish I couldn't risk overfeeding, even though the fish should have been feeding hard in the prevailing conditions.
Within an hour I had the second bite of the evening and whilst the fight was a little more ponderous and had less of the head shaking of the earlier specimen I knew that it was still not one of the better fish. Nevertheless at a weight of 11lb 7oz it rounded off the evening nicely.
As the month progressed so the temperatures begin to drop off and I only managed a couple of one hour evening sessions in half reasonable conditions which resulted in a couple of chub to about 4lb 8oz and another barbel of around the 10lb mark. By the middle of the month the high-pressure weather system really bit and the temperatures plummeted as low as minus five. I toyed with the idea of a pike session or two but in the end just put my feet up, chilled out (literally) and hoped that February would bring bigger and better things. Little did I know what the month had in store for me
Around the Scene
An interesting month for big fish anglers saw the chub record fall to a stillwater fish of 8lb 14oz taken by Rob Tough. The lake in question was always going to break the record and there are probably bigger to come from the venue.
Although the season still has a couple of weeks left to run I think we have already seen the best catch of the season in the shape of the incredible brace of roach caught from the Hampshire Avon by Colin Gilson. I heard of the capture shortly after it had been made and was rather taken aback by the enormity of it - A brace of roach from the most historic roach river of all time scaling 3lb 15oz and 3lb 8oz.
Now a single 3lb Avon roach would have been the catch of a lifetime but to take both in a session and to have one just an ounce shy of 4lb was incredible. However the most staggering fact was that both of them were taken on the float! Proper roach fishing! None of this chucking a feeder into a gravel pit that some specialists call roach fishing but proper roaching in the mould of the Avon greats. Bloody marvellous!
I know where my Drennan Cup vote is going this season.
Small Objects of Desire
As part of this monthly look into the specialist world I shall be taking a regular dip into one of my tackle or bait boxes to look at a few rigs, baits and general bits and pieces that do it for me.
First off is what has over the years become one of my very favourite bits of kit - the Solar Tackle Fluoro baiting needle. Lockey is a total genius when it comes to adding tart factor to ordinary bits of kit and this little gem is no exception. A sexy little number in a range of fluoro colours that houses interchangeable barbed, crooked and safety needles to cover every baiting situation.
The needles not being used are stored within the fluoro body and there is room enough inside to pop in a betalight so that the needle is easy to find when you drop it in the middle of the night. No need to fiddle for hair stops as they are dispensed one at a time as needed from the other end of the body.
Sex in a stick and total tackle tart that I am I have one of every colour! Brilliant!
Ian Welch
Sex in a stick! The totally tarty Solar needle.
3lb 15oz of Avon glory and my vote for the catch of the season.
The Dynamite Meat stick. Perfect when they have had enough of boilies and pellets.
