Still
catching on the lower Severn
I don't know what it
is, but there is a definite pull that the lower Severn has on
many barbel anglers, myself included. You can't really say it
is the quality of the fish, as the middle has more than caught
up in the last season or so. And although we often talk about
not knowing whether the next rod movement will result in a real
big fish coming out, in reality you can say that about most rivers.
And I've certainly had bigger barbel elsewhere - and with less
time involved as well. I guess it's love. You can't fully describe
the emotion but you know when you have it. And many of us would
say quite openly, and boldly confess, that we are indeed in love
with the lower Severn.
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Upper,
middle and lower
The
Severn is very conveniently divided into three sections -
the upper, middle and lower. There are no hard and fast rules
as to where each begins and ends, but my own understanding
is that the upper is from source to the confluence with the
River Vyrnwy. From the joining of the two rivers, the Severn
becomes much wider and deeper and takes on the characteristic
of the middle reaches, which takes it all the way down to
just above Stourport.
It
is there that the river becomes navigable to larger boat traffic.
So from there to the Bristol Channel is the lower, although
of course at Weston-Super-Mare you are going to encounter
bass and cod as opposed to barbel and chub. But there are
sub-sections, so you get anglers describing the lower upper.
Is that the upper reaches of the lower or the lower bits of
the upper? Confused? Join the club. And what about the upper
lower middle? I wouldn't know where to start on that one.
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The
lower lower looking very autumnal
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The
lower lower
I used to regularly
fish a section below Worcester that had a view of the Malvern
Hills slightly downstream. But on the present stretch, where
I have been a member of the syndicate since it started three
years ago, the range of hills are a distant blob on the
northern horizon. So I guess that makes it the lower lower.
Not the lower lower lower, that's where the tide comes in
and out and you catch flounders as well as roach. Just the
lower lower.
And talking of
syndicates, since I revealed that I am a member of the dreaded
S word ( I almost typed a dreaded member) three weeks ago,
I have not received one single abusive e-mail. Certainly
to many barbel anglers, joining a syndicated piece of river
is on a par with selling your soul to the Devil.
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Tip
of the week
If
you're a barbel novice, avoid cutting your teeth on venues
such as the lower Severn.
Instead
learn the ropes where you are more likely to get amongst
the fish.
Lots
of blanks can be disappointing for beginners, but part of
the furniture for experienced specimen anglers.
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Anyway,
the fishing session in question, before I use up all my space rambling
on about nonsense. And assuming that you are still with me and not
fallen asleep. The river was about normal level and had colour to
it, looking quite good for barbel in fact. The recent floods are
but a distant memory now, although the bankside trees still carry
the colour and debris as a memorial to how far the river rose. Strong
winds, plus minimal rain in the meantime has dried up the edge of
the river meaning that not only was fishing more comfortable but
also that I could drive to the swim and park there as well. Where
you deposit your car is a big issue for anglers, and having it just
a few feet away takes away a lot of concern for a vehicle that otherwise
could be in a quiet spot somewhere.
Just
the one, but better than nothing
I
had just the one barbel, although as you can see from the
photograph it was decent enough. It all depends on venue
of course, but I would consider a quality fish anything
from 8lb plus. However, the way that the syndicate section
has been fishing so far this season, any fish is a result,
regardless of size. We have a private discussion board for
syndicate members and there are certainly more blanks than
red letter days being posted.
I
have had barbel on my recent (including this one) three
trips to the lower Severn, but just the one fish on each.
That's why I called the article 'Still catching..' or should
that be 'Just about catching...' as that would be perhaps
more appropriate. I guess it just depends on how you look
at it. A bit like the lower upper.
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Still
catching on the lower Severn
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YouTube
angling videos
In
last week's video I spent some time showing the rig that I use and
also explaining the components, so if you're interested in that
side of fishing then check out the video. If you are a regular reader
you will be aware anyway that each weekly article has an accompanying
clip. I have recently updated my You Tube site so that there is
a playlist for all things angling, which makes it easier to navigate.
In addition I tag them all with venue and species, so if you type
'barbel' or 'lower severn' for example into the search engine, you
will get all the relevant clips. Just out of interest, I did it
myself and including this week's there are 14 to go at. If you enjoy
them, why not subscribe and that way you won't miss a single update.
Click
on the icon for this week's video clip
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The
week ahead
I
will be switching to pike fishing over the next seven days.
In addition I want to get the spinning rod out and have
a short session or two on the canal for perch. They seem
to respond to the colder weather, and as it's local, an
hour or two is just the business. So it's predator fishing
for me then in the week ahead.
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