You’ll have to forgive another lapse into pure self indulgence but for a Boss fan like myself the news of this release in a couple of months time is manna from above!  This box set goes straight to the top of my Christmas list.

For fellow devotee’s here’s the LINK.

The dogs on Main Street howl
’cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man
And I believe in a promised land

FAMILY BUSINESS

Back in London and a trip down to the wedding dress shop with my wife and youngest daughter. I sat quietly as Katie, my youngest,  tried on what seemed like dozens of dresses but in truth were no more than half a dozen! She looked stunning in all of them and this is just the preamble, the wedding is not till July next year but highly organised is our Katie!

Next day meant a visit to the wedding venue and attending the evening church service. All I can say is that the venue is one of the best I’ve ever seen, I’m under strict instructions from my daughter not to reveal the location and I know better than to disobey! What I will say is that it is in an  idyllic location and is one of, if not the best, venues I’ve ever seen ……………….I’m beginning to look forward to it all, even making notes for my speech!

Then after  lunch in typical English country pub it was off to the Tea Rooms to catch up with James’ ( Soon to be son in law) family to round off a perfect weekend that didn’t include any fishing at all!

For all you dads out there with young daughters enjoy every single minute with them because they grow up in the blink of an eye.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST

On my way down to London I stopped off at the caravan for a few hours and decided to call in to the pub for the carvery. Sitting at the table with my missus a family of five came into the room and sat at the adjacent table and as I glanced across at the man he seemed vaguely familiar but I was not sure.

He certainly was a striking character not unlike that bloke Bill Bailey on the telly, resplendent in shorts, beads and rockstar teeshirt. As we came face to face going up for our grub he turned and said to me, ” Are you who I think you are?

Well thats always a difficult one just in case you give the wrong answer but I knew at that moment that this was indeed Steve Sumo Carden a long way from his South Coast base!

“Well I think so, How you doing Steve?” says I.

It transpired that Sumo was staying at Martin Cullen’s place just down the road and was hoping to get some fishing in as well as checking out the surrounding area which really is rather pleasant.

I knew Steve from Barbel Catcher’s days.

We touched base on BS and BCC stuff and wondered just where the last fifteen years had actually gone.

And then it was time for me to go leaving Sumo to dig into his roast dinner, he kidded me he was on a diet but I think we all know better!

It really is a small world, this barbel world!

And to end this short piece with more barbel info, if you check out the Articles section you’ll find a new article from Fred Crouch. HERE

Loads of fishing coming up over the next couple of weeks, so plenty of updates to check out. Thats half a dozen in the past month, I’ll be giving Bob Roberts a run for his money at this rate!

All the best,

STEVE

            The full impact of the programme to reintroduce and assist spread of otters across our waterways has yet to be felt although many highly disturbing incidents are being reported on an increasingly regular basis.   In my opinion this is a multi-facetted and extremely serious situation with some aspects not yet fully considered.   The first and obvious concern is the direct killing of fish, including barbel where present.   But here are some other issues that are equally worrying though kept somewhat in the shadows by the enormity of direct predation.

There is no doubt that far more otters have and will continue to populate our waters than would ever normally exist in their pre-programme habitats.   The claim that each individual needs many miles of bank is based on rivers that have had historically low fish populations.   They have now been established on rivers where anglers, angling clubs and other agencies have worked hard to encourage high populations!   Why would these fearsome, top of the food chain predators need to cover five or six miles of river bank while they have all they need on their doorstep?   A predators ‘territory’ is directly linked to food availability.   That is a fact displayed throughout the animal kingdom from birds of prey to big cats.   This over-population will continue and even increase and only begin to decline in line with diminishing fish stocks.

Another aspect which will impact on the angler is the very presence of otters.   Swims that regularly hold good numbers of fish will quickly become the target of these large mammals just as shoals of silver fish attract pike.   The result will be dispersal as each barbel seeks personal safety.   An otter simply moving through an established swim on a regular basis will cause the fish to desert the area, maybe permanently.   As these fish will probably seek some protective cover it would make sense to fish for them there.   Areas such as weed beds and in-stream tree growth would at least make the fish feel a little safer.  Frightened barbel are almost impossible to tempt with a bait so if otters are nearby the angler will almost certainly struggle for a bite.

Now for a third problem and one that may well have the greatest impact.   Between mid-March and mid-June when the barbel gather up to spawn and the angler traditionally keeps his distance the normally suspicious and highly observant otters will, in the main be left will be left undisturbed to harass the fish to their hearts’ content.   Even if they killed only one or two fish their presence will ensure that all spawning attempts will be aborted.  

Our rivers are under threat as never before and things are much different to those in my earliest days.   Generally lower levels as a result of more efficient drainage and natural bank erosion and future use as green energy sources look towards hydro-electric schemes.   And then course the spread of mink cormorant, signal crayfish and now otters.   As I entered the sport of angling it appeared all the fish had to worry about was the heron and kingfisher but things have changed so much.

However I along with millions of others came through a frightening war and just had to get on with it.   As an unshakeable optimist I believe we will see our way through these troubled times.   I don’t quite no how yet but I will always believe.                

Coming soon, a bit more on signal crayfish.       

FRED CROUCH

September is pretty full but there are a couple of dates still free.

October is the last month for these days and can often be the very best in terms of catches plus there is a reduction in price to allow for the shorter days, during July, August and September the day can last 14 hours!

The diary is still pretty free for October so if you’ve been thinking about it contact me now for some great offers!

I know Christmas is still a long way off but I’m getting enquiries all the time for days next year as presents for dad, son, brothers and friends; Birthday presents as well, so once again don’t hesitate to get in touch.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re sixteen or sixty six a great time is guaranteed.

The Wye venues are sorted out for next summer and the prices for great days on this prolific river are extremely competitive.

All the best,

STEVE

THE BEST LAID PLANS………………..

Of mice and men often go awry, or something like that. When Rabbie Burns, Scotland’s favourite son, penned that line, he certainly knew what he was talking about………….barbel fishing!

However, there is a lot of truth in that old adage that says you learn more about your fishing when you are not catching than when the barbel are positively crawling up the rod!

Monday afternoon saw me loading up the car for the ninety minute journey to my stop over base near Worcester in readiness for two full days on the Kennet.

Arriving at my caravan I made a quick beeline for the river to see what affect, if any, the rain up in the hills had made to the water level on the lower Severn. Well, there was definitely an extra foot on, and as I walked along the bank I came across a mate of mine who had been fishing for an hour or so and to my and his absolute joy, I noticed there was a nice barbel resting up in his landing net. This was his third barbel in little more than an hour…………..at long last they had finally shown themselves!

After the pair of us had waxed lyrical about how those few extra inches of  water had made all the difference I watched as he cast out again after safely returning his prize. Within minutes the rodtop was over and heading for Upton as barbel number four picked up the pellets and tore off in determined fashion.

If ever confirmation was needed as to how the Lower Severn responds positively to a sudden increase in level this was it, up until now you could count the barbel caught here this season on the fingers of one hand.

I was sorely tempted to have a go myself but knew I needed to get some sleep as I would be up in the morning at 4am for the next ninety minute drive, to Newbury.

A DAY IN THE LIFE………………..

of a barbel nut!

Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head…………..and set off for the Kennet to meet up with Gerry.

Well we had a great day even though the barbel were totally conspicuous by their absence!

I tried everything I know but a gallon of casters failed to produce a single fish, and to add to our woe the south westerlies were blowing and howling with a real vengeance and the trees around us were shedding branches at an alarming rate! I thought August was supposed to be summer, you could have fooled the pair of us, I was wearing as much clobber as I would in October……………..just crazy!

As if to rub salt into already open wounds, Pete Reading had managed to winkle out a couple of really nice fish from my second choice swim, I consoled myself in the thought that the fish had moved from my swim to his but subconsciously reluctantly accepted the truth that Pete is far more competent than me!!

We packed up at dusk, beaten but undetered, I would be back tomorrow and Gerry assured me as he prepared to drive off that he had enjoyed a wonderful time. But I’m still worried about what he is going to say to Gary Knowles when they meet up on the Ribble in a few weeks time……………………………….I dread to think!!

ANOTHER DAY…………………….

In barbel fisher’s paradise?

Well not quite. Yesterday it was the wind, today it was the rain, and boy did it rain!

Rob was my guest for the day and when we met bright and early in the morning, with the sky displaying no hint of what was to come, we were both full of unbridled optimism………………….

Well that soon faded to a distant memory when we were faced with the harsh facts of reality as the heavens opened around mid morning and did not close all day. It was still pouring down as we packed away just before dark.

We were soaked through from head to toe!

Once again there were no barbel to be seen, caught or heard, they had simply vanished.

One explanation could be that the otter spotted last week has caused the barbel to leave one of their favoured haunts to seek out safer water further downstream, it seems plausible.

Another reason may be that the barbel have simply wised up and are hanging well back waiting for the casters to roll down the current well away from the baited hook. As there are definitely fewer fish about at the moment that too seems a possibility but I’m not totally convinced.

As I said at the beginning the times when you are not catching force you to think things through  a little more and this can definitely advance your knowledge, it’s always possible to come up with something new that may at first seem daft but then all new ideas can seem silly until they work and they then they are called genius!

Off to London once again at the end of the week but may well cast a line into the Severn on Friday if the level is still up and even if I don’t, I will definitely be on that river next week.

Back again in a week or so.

STEVE

This is coming to you direct from Old London Town, a place that I find myself being drawn to more and more now that I have moved far away, heck I’m actually enjoying the place, much as any tourist would!

Any excuse to get a Bruce clip on to the site and it’s a great song as well. I was at the Hyde Park concert, right at the front for most of it until my missus and daughters wanted to move further back as it was getting too much for them in the pit!

Sagalouts eh, they just don’t know how to behave!!

The dvd of the concert is brilliant and my brother can be seen quite clearly bopping away near the front, made of sterner stuff than my clan!

Anyway, back to the London connection. The past fortnight has seen me based in Docklands catching up with family and helping my daughter move house. My youngest daughter’s place by the docks is also a very convenient base for hitting the Kennet, not much more than an hours journey early in the morning along the embankment and on to the M4, and I had a number of guiding days to fit in while in town.

I know I’ve said it before but once a Londoner, always a Londoner, it never leaves you no matter how many miles you travel.

However after ten days I was more than ready to escape back to my country retreat where people are few and far between and traffic is non existant save the motorbike riders who defy death on every bend and the tractors who are pretty much a law unto themselves! Mind you I’ll take that any day in preference to sitting on the M25 going nowhere, the road to hell just gets worse every time I’m on it which is never again if I have my way!

THROUGH THE EYES OF A CHILD

I had been promising to take my young nephew fishing for far too long and every time we spoke he reminded me in a way that poured guilt on me for not getting it together sooner. I had previously bought him a fishing kit for his birthday and that was twelve months ago, my brother had done his bit by taking Connor to Centreparcs and the local river but Jeff is not a fisherman, the day had arrived and we were at last going to fish on a local commercial.

We arrived at the A12 Fishery just as the heavens opened and the rain fell in buckets, in no time we were all soaked in the deluge!

Did this dampen our spirits?  Of course not, when you are eight years old it adds to the sense of fun and the fact that you’re out with dad and uncle means they will cop the blame when you get back home and mum starts moaning!

A couple of pints of maggots, a short pole, a float, line and hook and I was back reliving childhood days as Connor fished away catching lots of ever obliging roach and perch…………wonderful!

And when he had mastered the catapult hidden away at the bottom of his new Aldi bag that we picked up on the way, his day was complete as he expertly fired maggots around his float and everywhere else!

The afternoon flew by and as we packed away in the pouring rain I promised young Connor that we would do this again very soon, it had been a magical afternoon.

And you never know, one day when he is a bit older we may fish together on the Kennet and then he really will be hooked for life.

MORE KENNET DAYS

The first of the four days I had planned on the river was with Dave, and although the fishing was slower than usual he managed to christen his beautiful new rod expertly put together by Bob Gill and also catch his first barbel on the ‘pin………….another convert!

Pete Reading was on the river as well and when Dave met him as we walked the stretch he remarked that Pete reminded him of Mick Fleetwood! I have to admit that I hadn’t thought of that before but as Dave spent most of his younger days growing up in California – Me jealous?  You bet! – and Pete stands well over six feet and always has the colour of someone who spends their time in Malibu I suppose the connection is there,.

Day two and I was meeting up with Trev, someone I’ve known for a number of years and a great Barbel Society supporter.

Now I usually arrive at the river an hour or so before I meet my guest but no sooner had I arrived just as the day was dawning when another car came down the lane and it was Trev, he was keen!

We had a great day, Trev caught his first barbel on his Pete Reading centrepin that he won in a raffle, for those of you who don’t know Trev, he always wins in a raffle!

Dave and Marilyn Brown were on the river as well and with four barbel, the biggest a few ounces off double figures a good time was had by all.

The third day on the Kennet was spent with Mark, a really nice fellow who has been catching loads from the Wye, he lives in Hereford practically on the riverbanks – Me Jealous? Course not!!

I enjoyed another excellent day in Mark’s company and Mark like Dave earlier, caught his first barbel on the pin, another convert. Seems like there are quite a few who have yet to discover the joys of playing a barbel this way, I’m on a mission over the next few years to see that changes!

As the afternoon merged into eveningtime we witnessed an amazing site. An otter swam downstream through the swim no more than a foot from the bank in the most nonchalant style you could possibly imagine. It was not fazed by our presence one iota, indeed it almost stopped to look up at us as if to say where’s my dinner! I just prayed it wasn’t going to be the big thirteen that lives close by.

Thirty minutes later it swam by again, going upstream to its family no doubt, without a care in the world. I knew otters where already on the stretch but this was the first time I had seen one so close and personal. A good friend of mine has recently seen  the remains of a barbel on the Kennet a bit lower down from this stretch and it had obviously met its fate at the claws of an otter, it remains to be seen how big a problem this will be.

The next day was taken up by moving my daughter from Southend to London, hard work but it will be much easier seeing her now, two daughters in Central London and one in Sydney makes for a hectic family life I can tell you!

Day four was once more in the company of good friend Paul Garner and this time he had brought along his dad, Fred.

What a character, a special bloke is Fred, we had a fantastic day, the stories just kept on coming and the fishing was good as well!

The idea was that Paul would get enough together for an article for Angling Times and I think we managed it so keep an eye out in AT, it should be in over the next couple of weeks.

Fred is one of the coolest guys I’ve ever seen when it comes to hitting a barbel take, he takes it all in his stride or I should say seat because he only gets up when absolutely necessary, but he knows his stuff make no mistake!

During conversation the subject of cats came up. Now I’m no great cat lover but when the girls were growing up we had a rather special cat along with a golden retriever. I mentioned to Paul that we had a Birman and was completely taken aback as he scrolled through his phone and handed it to me saying, ” What like these?”

Paul and his wife are proud owners of two of these majestic creatures, all I could say was something like , great minds………………..!

I have rarely met anyone who even knew what the breed was, the usual repsonse being, ” You mean Burmese  don’t you?”

Here’s a couple of pictures of our much loved feline;

OTHER NEWS

I really am chomping at the bit to tell you some news about my old mate Fred Crouch. However I’m under strict instructions not to say too much just yet, suffice to say it involves his family, a very well known TV show and the scariest woman on TV!

Keep watching this space and more importantly your TV in the late afternoon!

Rich Frampton is having a great season, two more doubles came his way on the Kennet along with real proof that barbel do indeed eat crayfish, albeit rather small and vulnerable ones. I’ll get Fred Crouch to put a piece together to go on here about this topic and then I can include the photo’s that Will Smith took for Rich.

The story of the sixteen pound plus barbel from the Severn was really pleasing to read. The photo was excellent and puts the Severn back on the map and I’m also hearing news of more big barbel from my favourite river which I hope to validate as the venue is closer to home!

The last part of my trilogy with Paul Garner takes place in a few weeks time on the River Wye, I’m really looking forward to that and I may well be catching up with John Found when he hits the river around the same time and then there’s Phil Buckingham, now firmly ensconsed near Hereford…………the Wye is calling louder and louder.

BARBEL SOCIETY NEWS

There have been a few changes to the Barbel Society committee.

Peter Reading has taken over as Secretary from Mike Osborne. Pete is a well respected and very well known angler and has already transformed the work of the Research and Conservation side of the Society. His great knowledge and experience is now brought to the fore and will no doubt help to attract the new generation of barbel anglers that are out there.

Dave and Marilyn Brown have taken on the role of joint Membership Secretaries and they are the ones to send your application to when joining.

Rich Frampton takes over their previous role as Regional Co-ordinator.

These are exciting times for the Society as we embark on a concerted effort to attract new members.

The Barbel Society has much to offer those who have taken up barbel fishing in recent times, there is a huge wealth of experience from one end of the country to the other in our ranks.

There will be further press releases detailing new initiatives in the very near future so keep checking out the BS website, the Angling press and on here.

Well that’s all for now, off down the river again for a couple of days, I’m really enjoying meeting lots of great characters on the guiding days and judging by the enquiries I’m getting looks like I’ll be meeting up with a lot more good folk.

 And then it’s another trip back to London and a visit to the North Essex countryside to see the venue for my youngest daughter’s wedding next year, it’s a busy life!

Good fishing to you all.

STEVE

FISHING WITH LOL!

Yesterday after what has seemed an eternity I finally managed to meet up on the riverbank with a great friend of  mine, Lol Breakspear.

I don’t really want to think about how long it has been since we last met up to fish but lets just say if the next time takes as long we may both be sitting in our rocking chairs in that lovely home for barbel fishing old timers, similar to the one where the old football managers get put out to grass, and thats if we are lucky!!

 Lol is the epitome of the thinking angler. You only have to read the excellent articles he has written on here to realise that. His results over many years confirm that his approach works, Lol really does make sure that every piece of the jigsaw is in place before he casts his line. I remember when Lol first hit upon the big meat method as a way of being selective on the River Teme. Twenty years ago this river was the place to go to catch lots of barbel but you would be very lucky indeed to catch a fish approaching nine pounds or so. The main reason I moved from the Teme to the Lower Severn was because the odds of catching the bigger fish were greatly improved.

Lol soon sorted it out and started to catch bigger fish on a regular basis from the Teme. He went into every detail as to how to present the bait, how to position the rod, the precise weight needed, how to cut down resistance, the list goes on. If you check out Lol’s articles on the site you will see just what I mean.

Back to the present, I pulled into the carpark of the bikers cafe just outside Bridgnorth, Lol was already there and he had the phone attached to his ear, I mention the phone because it may well have been the last call Lol was to get on that handset, the story will unfold!

Anyway, turned out it was Des on the line, Lol and Des Taylor are great pals and have been for many years, they go way back, long before Des became a household name.

We shook hands and both of us agreed it didn’t seem as though twelve years had passed since the last time we had fished together, time unfortunately waits for no man.

Pulling out of the carpark we headed back towards the town to eventually park up on the side of the road, a very short distance form the mighty Severn. The Danery on the BAA card was our fishing venue for the afternoon and evening.

There were a couple of lads already fishing and so we walked along the stretch checking all the likely looking swims, the river looked in great shape and every swim screamed barbel. The BAA have put excellent platforms in and although the banks are steep , getting down to a safe, solid structure did not present any difficulties, even to me with my dodgy left foot which today had seen the right one join it in sympathy. I was in some pain I can tell you!

As we strolled along the path a chap came towards us and my first thought was that he was a walker, he wasn’t carrying any fishing tackle and wasn’t dressed for fishing. As he approached us he said, ” You’re Steve Pope.”

My immediate thought was that he was then going to say you’re the guy who gets all that stick on the Internet!  But no, much to my relief he turned out to be one of the ninety nine point nine percent of good guys whose only interest is the fishing.

” Love reading your articles, what are you doing up here?”

I explained that I live pretty close by now and quickly directed his attention to my companion Lol, explaining,

” This is the main man, this is Lol Breakspear, one of the finest Severn anglers you will ever see!”

The fellow turned to Lol having made the connection and we all chatted together for a couple of minutes before going on our way.

Made me feel good I can tell you, not because the guy recognised us but because he was a genuinely nice guy and was sincere in his words.

Internet warriors should take note, you are in a tiny minority, the nice guys really do rule!

We settled into our swims fifty yards or so apart.

I put some hemp and mixed pellet close in with the intention of pulling the barbel up and away from the good tree cover in about five feet of water.

Then it was up to sit and chat with Lol.

 We spent the next couple of hours reminiscing, putting the world to right, catching up with the goings ons of mutual acquaintances and generally rolling back the years.  Blue remembered hills ( The Malverns) when we both suffered and almost paid for what had become a mutual obsession, somehow we’ve both survived but there are many tales to tell.

Today though was just about enjoying each others company on a river that has been very kind to the both of us and hoping that a fish or two would come along to set the seal.

Lol is even more convinced today in the power of the big meat and his plastic bags full of  chunks of the stuff infused with sweet aromas bore testament to his faith!

As the afternoon gradually faded into the evening sky Lol missed what he said was the perfect run!

The slight nod on the tip, the steady click, click, click as the barbel moved slowly away ( They rarely bolt) with the meat safely engulfed in its cavernous mouth, the calm pick up of the rod and easy pull backwards that usually meets with solid resistance, this time nothing!!

And to add to lol’s woe, his mobile phone which was in the waistcoat top pocket, somehow removed itself from its usual safe place of residence to end up in three feet of water!

Good job it wasn’t a blackberry or i phone!

Back in my swim just as the light began to fade the reel gave out its battle cry and a barbel eventually ended up in my landing net. It was only a small one but that was not of any importance, it had brought a perfect end to a few hours spent once again on the Severn in the company of a loyal friend.

There was only one rod I could have possibly used for the occasion………my Teme Tamer, one of a series that Lol had put his name to back in the early nineties. This rod was one of the very first produced and Lol gave it to me fifteen years ago.

As we shook hands once more to set off for the short journey home through the winding Shropshire country lanes we knew we we would be meeting up again real soon.

As I’m always saying friends are so much more important than the fish and today I had that confirmed once again.

All the best,

STEVE

Putting this update together on the last day of the month and at the end of a very busy and somewhat tiring week.

However, it won’t be going live till the first day of the month so hence the title!

But then once you’re as involved in as many different aspects of the scene as I find myself it shouldn’t come as a big surprise I suppose.

I seem to find myself the subject of all sorts of things on the various fishermen’s blogs that have proliferated in recent times.

Oscar Wilde once said, there’s only one thing worse than being talked about and that’s not being talked about. From a personal perspective and up to a point I can go along with that but it can have a negative effect on others and also the organisation I’m involved with.

I’m not going to dwell on all of that but it leads me nicely on to an interesting article my old mate Bob Roberts has recently posted on his blog. You can find it here.

Why write a blog in the first place?

Well I know why I do it, it’s to keep my website vibrant, up to date and to encourage the many who enjoy what I put on here to keep looking in. Simple as that really, coupled to the fact that I enjoy writing and sharing some aspects of my life and giving a window to the world for good friends of mine.

I enjoy the feedback and the fact that it reaches a very wide audience, to the other side of the world as well.

I said when I first started this that I would not court controversy and go looking for the audience that thrives on that kind of stuff, I don’t want it, don’t need it, and I’m sure the great majority of people out there who look in are just not interested.

Writing that piece about friendships in my last update has turned out to be quite prophetic with the recent goings on especially the part that makes the point that you just can’t please everybody.

Luckily the main body of the piece related to actual friends and I’m fortunate to have more than my fair share, trying to fit fishing trips in with all of them this year is going to test my organising skills to the limit but I’ll get there because I put friendship above anything else fishing wise.

A COUPLE OF DAYS WITH THE DOC!

So following on from that point I shared a couple of days this past week on the banks of the Warwickshire Avon with Dr. Paul Garner.

I met up with the Doc last Tuesday afternoon to see if we could get a few fish for a feature and we were prepared to fish all through the night to make sure it happened.

The fishing was certainly trickier than it had been on the last couple of occasions for Paul when a good number of barbel including doubles made a very welcome appearance.

It seems the barbel on the Avon are very mobile and the key is to make hay while the sun shines.

Paul works for the marketing team at Dynamite Baits and we are on a mission over the next month to put some features together which will eventually find a home on the new Dynamite website.

I managed to land a couple of barbel, which took a liking to the Source pellets on the hair and we also spent the hours talking about all manner of things.

We go back a long way, I remember the first time I came across Paul, it was twenty odd years ago when he was catching big barbel from the Ouse.

I was in the Barbel Catchers back then and one or two of the lads were fishing the stretch and doing well and Paul turned up with his mop of blonde hair and joined in the action.

When the Barbel Society was formed Paul helped us out by putting together a scientifically based document on the Stillwater barbel issue.

Over the years we have come into contact many times at Shows but this was the first time we had ever managed to meet up on the riverbank.

I managed to stay with it until 1am and then I decided to get a few hours sleep before casting out once again at daybreak.

Paul was already out for the count on his bedchair, he’s far more organised than me and I had to settle for the reclining seat in the car!

Being used to kipping in the car I managed to get a couple of hours or so before waking to a superb sunrise and another barbel.

So the big ones were conspicuous by their absence but we had enough photos and Paul had enough info to put the words together so we called it a day before lunchtime.

The Warwickshire Avon is a lovely barbel water and there are plenty of them around to keep us all happy.

My old mate The Don has a place on a prolific weir pool on the river and he does well, I need to join him some time in the future!

Next stop with Paul, the Kennet, where I’ll have the great pleasure of fishing with his dad as well, really looking forward to that.

Come September and we’ll be on the Wye.

There’s a direct link to Paul’s website on my links page but you can check it out by clicking HERE.

 KENNET

I had a really nice day on the river with Howard and he succeeded in landing his first barbel on the ‘pin. He is now a convert!

When the bite arrived and the reel started to sing Howard took care of business like a seasoned pro, looked like he had been doing it all his life!

Howard was great company and the long day flew by as we covered a multitude of subjects while waiting for the fish on this beautiful stretch, I’m really enjoying these guiding days.

The Kennet has been acting a little differently so far this season .

If you manage to find the fish it really is business as usual but the barbel are not always in their established haunts and it has not been the easiest of tasks tracking them down.

There have been days when just the odd fish has shown and there have been others when half a dozen grace the landing net, there have even been blank days!

Trying to work it all out is part of the fun but it can be frustrating when fishing with maggots or casters. Deciding to stick it out or move after you’ve laid the table can be a challenging call, sometimes you get it right, other times you don’t!

And when I speak to the guys who really are at the top of this game and they have the same dilemma you realise the fish always call the tune!

Someone who did get it right was my mate Rich Frampton, a couple of weeks ago he had his personal best and now he’s gone and upped it again with this beauty. Thirteen pounds and five ounces of  summer barbel, a stunning fish!

Well done mate.

LOWER SEVERN

Thought the rain and the flush through would get things going but it’s still very slow, at least on the stretches I know.

One or two barbel have been out but it hardly seems worth the effort at the moment.

Saying that I will soon be putting a three-day trip together and I intend to put a lot of bait in, just to see if I can attract the barbel on to a carpet of feed.

I’m going for a boilie attack and I’ll let you know what happens.

 PAINS

No not in the rear end, I’ve had my fair share of those this past week; I’m talking about my left foot.

Now I get cramp in my toes quite often, but this time it was something else, the pain was excruciating and I was suffering this at the same time as an Internet forum was keeping me rather occupied, I was far from happy.

Just walking from one end of the garden to the other was a trial, its eased a little now but still not right, well it is left, you know what I mean!

Quick check on the web for self-diagnosis and it looks like a trip to the other Doc is on the cards next week.

Oh well, one of the joys of going past sixty I suppose but jeez it’s barely been six weeks, what else is to come?!

 BAITDROPPERS

I’m going to write an article on this topic, it’s clear to me that although experienced barbel anglers have a good idea about their use many who are just starting out are looking for more in depth information.

Just need to get a few more photos and I’ll try my best to upload it sometime this month.

LOOKING AHEAD…………….

Another busy month about to start, days out with Lol Breakspear, Fred Crouch and Paul Garner to look forward to.

My old mate Phil Buckingham is now in his new home not a million miles away so a trip to the Wye is just around the corner.

I have to spend some time back in London, which I always look forward to, family business, which takes priority over everything.

On that subject it’s looking more and more likely that I’ll be Down Under once again over Christmas and well into the New Year, the though of watching the Test Matches from a corporate box is a little too much temptation to resist.

Lots of guiding days to enjoy and plenty of Barbel Society business to attend to.

Talking of the Barbel Society, I’ve decided to include a piece on here about the Society each time I write an update.

BARBEL SOCIETY NEWS

The new membership year has only just begun so now is a great time to join.

You will have access to some superb fishing on the Teme, Avon, Swale and Trent.

The regional meeting season gets under way in a few months time and there are also fish-ins to look forward to as well.

The top quality magazine, which members receive twice a year, is another reason to join, but the main reason is to meet up with hundreds of like minded barbel fishers who are only too pleased to help out the guys who are new to the game!

You can check out how to join by clicking HERE.

That’s all for now, back again in a fortnight or so, good fishing to you all!

Steve

Just uploaded a few words relating the tale of an Upper Severn barbel caught this week. HERE

The Blog will be updated towards the end of next week after I have a session on the Warwickshire Avon with good pal and colleague, Paul Garner.

Paul has just gone online with his own website which you can find HERE.

All the best,

STEVE.

SIZE DOESN’T ALWAYS MATTER

I bet we’ve all caught hundreds of five pound barbel in our time but I tell you something, not one that has graced my landing net has given me quite as much pleasure as this little beauty did on Thursday evening.

It had been a bad day and I needed to get down to the river for a couple of hours.

So armed with just a few bits and bobs I set off on the fifteen minute run down to the Severn near Welshpool.

The rains had arrived a couple of days before and the river was running about eighteen inches above its painfully low summer level and it had that wonderful tinge of brown which I hoped meant the tiny barbel population would take full advantage of and be actively foraging around for food.

As usual there was no one else there and I cast out under the tree as the clock struck seven.

I had a Dynamite pellet attached to the hair via a tiny bait band together with a cage feeder and the remnants of some groundbait that I grabbed from the freezer in my haste to get out of the house.

Sat there under the canopy of the big willow looking across at the wondrous hills that make this such a joyous place to be I was alone in deep thoughts from the days events.

Now I’d normally say something like out of the blue the rod slammed over, the reel screamed and I found myself attached to a hard fighting barbel but that wasn’t quite what happened!

It must have been around nine o’ clock when the phone rang, it had been the sort of day when it seemed a phone had been permanently attached to my ear , I found myself engrossed in  conversation.

Looking down at the rod, I was perched above my normal staion as it was below the waterline with the extra height, I noticed the line was no longer pointing downstream and had almost completed a  180 degree turn!

Now I may be a little slow at times but I knew what was happening here.

A fish was on and swimming slowly upstream, I tightened up and it was barbel on.

The phone had been despatched by now with the standard sign off of I’m in!

And so it was that my Welshpool barbel finally ended up in the landing net and I really didn’t care what size it turned out to be.

Back in the car my confidence had now been truly unearthed, not that I was ever in doubt but it makes one heck of a difference when the fish eventually arrives.

The elation I felt was as great as the first time my reel screamed at Adam’s Mill, the barbel here are every bit as cagey as those although the size may not compare…………..as yet!

There are much bigger barbel to be caught here and it really is just a matter of time, confidence is key and mine is running a lot higher now!

STEVE

With Bob Roberts updating his blog every couple of weeks and with thousands of words to boot, the bar has been set a bit too high for me and so I’ll settle into a more relaxed mode with regard to my blog entries and as I said I’ll be doing a fair bit of fishing. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

Don’t worry though because the articles will be coming thick and fast now that the season has finally arrived so keep dropping by, there should be plenty of useful information from my fishing friends as well as from me.

First off though and inspired by what has been said elsewhere I thought I’d start by talking about those very friends and a few more besides………………………………

FISHERMAN”S FRIENDS!

My very first fishing friend had to be my dear old dad, I expect I’m not alone there. Along with Mr. Crabtree who is a friend to us all, he introduced me to fishing and a wonderful world that set me off on a journey that still has many rivers to cross and paths to travel. He also knew what he was doing because I arrived on this planet on the first day of the fishing season! Born to Fish.

Back in the early sixties at senior school, being keen on  fishing meant it was easy to pal up with others who had  a similar interest. I suppose there must have been ten of us out of the yearly intake of about sixty boys who enjoyed fishing. Three of us bonded instantly and spent many hours on the banks of the River Lea, Walthamstow Reservoirs, the Northmet Pit and even the Norfolk Broads during our summer holidays. Steve who was one of the three is still my great friend today, thats fifty years, practically a lifetime. Well it is a lifetime, we’ve shared all our ups and downs and will be mates until our final days.

We both lost touch with Gary the other member of the trio, but to show just how small this fishing world actually is, his brother Kevin became quite well known as an underwater photographer and actually provided many photos for John Bailey. Incredible when I can recall being around Gary’s house in Tottenham back in 1964 when Kevin was still in short trousers!

After school and during the studying years, I met up with a couple of lads, Derek and Neil, by now I had a real love for barbel fishing and so too did this pair. We enjoyed trips to Throop together as well as fishing the local River Lea. I lost touch with both during the seventies but a couple of years ago I saw Neil at an Angling Show at Wembley, he is still barbel fishing but on the Ouse near to where he lives. Be nice to hear from either of them again, so if you look in, get in touch!

During the ten years from 1975 till 1985 fishing took a back seat as I concentrated on other priorities, I had the odd day out and even built a small lake in my ( rather large!) back garden and stocked it with carp and tench……………don’t worry, there were no barbel in there!

All my mates at this time revolved around the kids, you know,  friends parents you met at the school, I was Chairman of the school PTA so that took care of much of the social scene.

Serious fishing came back into my life in the mid eighties and I have my brother in law Roger to thank for that.

A visit at that time to Walthamstow sticks in my mind because it highlighted the massive changes that had taken place in the Angling world during my hiatus.

There were so many anglers sitting around the banks of the Lower Maynard, I couldn’t believe it. In my day it was just the old man and me disturbing the wildlife in this East London oasis.

The fellow carp fishing, because this is what had taken over, must have thought I was mad when I asked him what all the contraptions were, a dough bobbin used to do it for me! I knew just how Rip Van Winkle must have felt but I was inspired enough to give this carp fishing a go.

I tried it for one season and made some new friends, Roger and Leigh. It wasn’t too long before I decided it wasn’t for me and the barbel bug bit once again, I was soon fishing on the rivers having converted both of them. Leigh was a talented graphic designer and did work for the Anglers Mail and Fishing monthlies, we had some good times on the Kennet.

Roger was a director at Kodak and so I had no problem with getting copies and enlargements for my photos! He was a very interesting man who apart from fishing was heavily into steam trains and helped to restore them to their former glory.

After joining the Association of Barbel Enthusuiasts and then the Barbel Catchers I started to make some new friendships which would have a massive impact and pretty much shape my life for the ensuing years.

My first connection with the BCC was through Chris Holley and Ray Walton, met up with them across the river ( South of the Thames)  and became part of the fledgling London Region. Top bloke Chris, we keep in touch and I’m really pleased that he has firmly established himself on the fishing scene down on the South coast.

The region had some real characters back in those days, the most prominent was Chris King, Kingy we called him, the man who took the Ouse apart well before others came along. The only angler I know whose face graced the packets of sunflower seeds…………don’t ask!

But for me the most important member of the region was Fred Crouch. When Fred joined we clicked straight away and formed a friendship which is as strong today as the one I have with my old school chum Steve. The man is an absolute legend.

I also enjoyed the company of guys like Ray Kent and Phil Buckingham as well, Phil will be moving to my neck of the woods in a couple of weeks time and I’m looking forward to spending days on the Wye with him.

On the ABE front people like John Found, Gordon Scott, Steve Smith and Dave Collins all became pals and some would become key players when we eventually formed the Barbel Society.

Frendships were cemented in the mid nineties as the B.S. was born, guys like Mike Burdon, Lol Breakspear and Mike Ball became really good pals and we enjoyed many trips to the river. Mike Burdon sadly passed away a few years ago and I’ve lost touch with Mike Ball but Lol is back in my life again and putting together fabulous articles that I know reach a very appreciative audience on here.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to meet and fish with most of the very high profile anglers, guys like Matt Hayes, Des Taylor and Martin Bowler. They have all been great company and if everyone’s hectic schedules permit I would hope to catch up with some of them once more on the river.

Likewise the friendly journalists who work for the Angling Press, I count them all as friends having developed an excellent relationship with them all over the years.

 My involvement with the Society has enabled me to forge many more friendships, indeed I consider everyone who joins up to be a friend, the only problem is that there are far too many to fish with but I would happily have a drink with the vast majority!

Being involved  with the actual running of the Society I have been fortunate to build working relationships with a good number of people. Many colleagues have become close friends, something I’m really proud of because its not always easy when you might have differing views to keep relations intact!

Friendship needs something more than just barbel fishing as a common factor and it’s not humanly possible to be mates with everyone. The old saying about not being able to please everyone is very true but thankfully the vast majority of those I’ve come into contact with through barbel fishing are people I would happily spend time with, either on the bank with or in the pub.

These days I often fish with Rich Frampton who I met quite by chance on the River Teme and who has since become a really good pal, then there are the guys who I fish on the Kennet with including the very well known Mr. Tarrant who I see on the river now and again.

And now that the Guiding Days have taken off I find myself meeting up with a whole new group of smashing people who I will do my utmost to keep in touch with. The guys who come out on my guiding days are all excellent company and it’s nice when we keep in touch, the fishing may just be a day but the connection is ongoing and so I’m going to have lots more e-mails to answer, calls to take and more days down by the river but you won’t hear me complain!

So although I told myself I have more than enough fishing friends, seems like I’m finding myself with a whole lot more! Not forgetting those out in South ( East) Australia where I’ll certainly be spending more time in the years ahead!

The point is though that fishing mates are far more important than the fish we catch and sharing special times with those pals enriches the Angling experience.

I was going to add a little piece about Fisherman’s Foes, but remembered that this is a friendly site and it would be out of place on here and anyway there’s no real point in focusing on the negatives!

VIVA ESPANA

Brilliant to see Nadal winning at Wimbledon, hope he goes on to claim the U.S. Open as well, a truly great champion. This man knows how to conduct himself on the court and off it as well, footballers take note!

And not forgetting the World Cup, Spain were the best team and it was good to see them triumphant especially as the Dutch seemed intent on kicking them to pieces! This tournament seemed to go on forever and have to say I am pleased to see the back of it. We have far too much football on TV now and the World Cup loses some of its magic because of this.

AND NOW FOR THE FISHING……………………

Well the first couple of trips were to the upper Upper Severn and as I expected bites were nowhere to be seen! Now that’s not to say I had negative thoughts, I was fishing with a very positive frame of mind, but this is not the easiest of venues and that’s why the rewards when they eventually arrive as they surely will, will be so much sweeter!

I’m tempted to go down each evening for a fortnight and put some corn and chopped meat into a couple of swims. I have yet to see anyone else fishing the stretch apart from Rich so it won’t cause any problems for fellow anglers and it just might pull the very low head of barbel into my chosen area. My only sticking point is that I’m away on other venues for half the week and so I’m not sure if I can keep the bait going in on a regular basis, we’ll see.

Down at the other end of the river it’s pretty much the same. My Lower Severn venue has not produced one single barbel this season! Now I know it’s always a slow starter and the Lower Severn comes into its own in Autumn and winter but I would have thought one or two might have shown!

The river like most others is in desperate need of a flush through and until the rain comes I doubt if I will bother to cast a line there just yet.

The swan eggs hatched but the family by all accounts moved away immediately, I hope they come back, I’ll get some pictures if they do. I did notice another family though, Mrs Duck and her eleven chicks! Very brave they are too, coming out on to the bank and meandering about without a care, I hope that bravado doesn’t come at a price otherwise their lives will be acting out that Agatha Christie story……………………….!

I ventured on to the Teme with Mark from London and we put a lot of effort in for scant return! We fished a few likely looking swims but the barbel did not want to play. To be honest the river looked completely devoid of fish, we did not see any visible signs whatsoever and we fished till late!

I’ll catch up with Mark again in September and we’ll sort the Kennet fish out instead.

The problem with early summer Teme fishing is that so many areas are practically impossible to get to,  the vegetation adds to the wondrous scenic value of the valley but it makes access tricky especially when you’re not quite so fit and agile anymore!

I’ll be back in a month or so and I’m sure the results will be better, the barbel are there, I’ve just got to find them.

I then ventured south for a couple of days and met up with Ron, a chirpy cockney sparra whose company made for a splendid day, the barbel responded to a degree but I struggled to convince Ron on the virtues of using a ‘pin!

I get as much pleasure these days seeing others catch as I do myself, must be an age thing. My old mate Fred Crouch said exactly the same to me a few years back and I couldn’t understand it then…………..I do now.

I fished the following day for a few hours before setting off on the long drive home but not before half a dozen barbel had fallen for my tactics. The bigger fish didn’t show but I managed one of nine and a half pounds which strangely enough gave the poorest account of itself. Fish half it’s size battled far more strongly for their freedom!

I’ll be back again next week when I hope the doubles will start to make their presence felt, here’s hoping!

Here’s a couple of fishy shots, one is only halfway there and the other is not quite there, but it will be in a couple of months time!

Back in a couple of weeks time, good fishing and keep looking in.

Steve