Cracking the Calder

 Sorry for the lack of updates recently but since the capture of my first Calder barbel I've been having a bit of a lean spell, a lot of which I'll blame on the weather and low water levels in the rivers. A couple of days after that fish and into August I returned to the same area for another evening session, the water level had now dropped a fair bit but it was still holding a fair colour. It was not to be though, one chub around 3lb hit the net and all I could muster at dusk was a series of chub wraps.

 The middle of the month saw me heading southbound on the A1 to the tidal Trent for an afternoon into dark session, the tides were good but again it was warm although not scorching hot and the river was clear. nothing much during the day and as darkness fell the bream came on the feed. No barbel and half a dozen snotties to show for my efforts.

Another evening was spent on the Calder, this time lower down river so far as a different town even and my first down here since opening week. The session was cut short with nothing but a small chub to show as a torrential down pour passed over. Last week I headed out one evening for a bit of surface fishing for some local carp but the weather again played a part. Not the high heat and bright sun that has played havoc with my river fishing but a drop in temperature and a stiff breeze. This sent the fish down to the depths instead of cruising around on the top. Should have gone barbel fishing! And Friday I headed to the same local pond with my youngest for a couple of hours bit bashing finished off with a pedalo ride and ice cream too.

 Yesterday was again fishing day, with small tides and clear water the Trent went out of the window and I decided to stay local. Another reason was I was starting to feel the lack of fish and knowing the barbel were unlikely to feed till later on I decided to take a leave out of a fellow anglers book and spend the afternoon trotting, I would then head back to the car for a change of gear and get settled for the evening.

I made my way out to a large pool below a weir and set about trotting a fast deep run, it soon became apparent though that the wind was going to be a problem as it dragged my 4 gram Avon away from the features. Fish were coming regularly though, dace, roach, the odd small chub and in the couple of hours there I had 3 chub that were well over 2lb. The wind only got stronger though and forced me to move on.

 I dropped down into the next pool where I have done very well from before, this one is right under a road bridge and the wind was even worse as it was funnelled through the arches making it one big wind tunnel.
I persevered for a while and again the silvers were quick to find the bait before two good trout in two trots muscled in and as I had left my coat in the car I was starting to feel that wind. I had a mooch around some other pools but with the water level again been so low and the temperature dropping the fish had clearly started to leave their summer quarters.

 This had forced me to make the change a little earlier than I had planned, I headed to the car and down to McDonald's for tea (there are perks to inner city fishing). On my return I dropped into a swim I have not fished before but always fancied. You adjacent to the weir sill and can drop into the fast water below fishing over the top of a large washing machine like eddy that just screams fish, only down side is there's a humongous obstacle on your right that stops you going or casting any further down stream and it was this that saw me moving again.

 A huge raft of rubbish made up of general inner city stuff lobbed into the river, pallets, beer barrels and broken trees has been building up above the weir for some time and it now looks like its broken free and cascaded down stream. Lots of the smaller stuff is now going merrily around in the huge eddy and due to the huge feature on my right meant I was unable to fish the water I wanted and keep my lines out of all that rubbish. I persevered for a while and picked plenty of small stuff up when I tried maggots including some monster gudgeon.

 I was in my next swim and fishing for around 6pm and after taking advice from my mate JD about small baits on here I was soon into a few small fish, however my feeling was that the barbel wouldn't get a look in while fishing maggots. JD then arrived and told me he never gets pestered down there on maggot! I swapped and changed a bit and at around 8pm as the light was fading with 2 6mm donner kebab pellets I hit what I though was a good chub wrap. I was wrong and my second Calder barbel and first from this length was trying to get into the tree roots, constant pressure soon saw me win though and a splashy almost fin perfect 3 pounder lay on the mat.

 The next hour soon passed and I had baited a couple of hooks ready and packed most of the unrequired gear away to make it easier in the dark later. I wound in and swapped my hook link for one baited with a homemade donner kebab dumbell boillie, I nicked on my last tiny pva bag of pellets and flicked my rig out mid river just above the tree branches. I didn't have to wait long and after a couple of knocks came the 3 foot twitch. This fish gave a good account of its self in the fast water to the point where I was surprised to see its lack of size as it went in the net.

 Anyone that says Calder barbel don't fight needs to get out and catch a few more cos this young fish was well rammed up on testosterone. This been my 3rd of the season now, the target this year been to catch one. My first from this length and also my first caught on a homemade boillie.

Almost fin perfect 4 pounder