Back on the Avon.....

Clear as gin

Well, I didn't get the chance to fish last weekend, due to one thing and another, and with every river in the land still low and crystal clear, it was never going to be easy. I opted to leave work early, and spend the last few hours of daylight, and the first hour of darkness on the river. Venue of choice was a new stretch on the WA, below Pershore, which offered deeper water, which I feel offers a better bet in clear conditions.....and clear it most certainly was, probably the clearest I've ever seen it.

A walk along the first few swims and I could see the cabbages three or four foot down.

I found a swim with a bit of extra flow close in, about ten feet deep, and comfortable too, so I chose to drop in there. I droppered about three pints of hemp in, spread over two areas of the swim. Hookbaits were pellets on straight leads, just 1.5oz was all I needed, elips on one rod, and a single 12mm crab pellet on the other.

An autumn gold bar

Twenty minutes in, and still on the first cast...a screamer on the upstream rod, a fish that gave a good account of itself for such a small fish, it was probably somewhere between six and seven pounds, I didn't weigh it, but it was a stunning fish, beautful bronze flanks and perfect fins, one of the best looking fish I've taken this season, beautiful.

No other fish decided to put in an appearance, although I got a few twitches on meat as the light faded, I think the river is just too clear right now. I'll be back to this stretch though, I know for a fact it holds some very good fish indeed, and once it's coloured I'll be after them!