Land of the Giants

Barry the Mullet Man text me about 08.00, saying he'd had an 8lb 4oz bream and a 5lb 13oz chub in the first hour. What a start.

The river he was fishing is in my self imposed "exclusion zone" and I've only fished it twice in my life. The reason for this is my absolute hatred of the drive there, only forty minutes, but along the worst road in the world.

Come down and see me said Bazza. I "ooooh'd" and "arrrr'd" and by the time I'd decided to go it was midday.

I text him. "Where are you?"

"A bit further upstream" he said.

I walked and walked. No sign of him. Nothing.

No matter. I selected a couple of likely looking breamy spots, a slow, straight, deep stretch with far side cover and deposited seed, dead maggots and corn with the feeder. Not much though, maybe four or five small feeder fulls.

I tackled up with my "catch anything" rig              ( anything decent that is ) of 8lb line, size 10 Guru super strong hook, worm hookbait and a very small cage feeder. That would give me chance of a bream, chub, perch or even a rogue carp. In theory anyway.

First swim, no activity,  so after half hour I moved into next one. Couple of rattles, looked like small chub to me. Re baited, more small rattles, so I struck, whereupon the clutch shrieked and a very powerful fished surged downstream, towards some far bank snags.

Piling on the pressure, I turned it and gained some control. It could only be one thing, a carp. After a few minutes plodding around I netted it, an immaculate common of around 20lb. I say "around 20lb" as my batteries in the scales were flat.

I know, schoolboy error.

Whatever, it was a clonking fish.

I rebaited, left it a while and next cast had a decent chub. That'll do.

By now it was getting dark and still no sign of Bazza. More texts, no reply. 

Just as dark was descending a made out a headlight. There he was.

" I walked a bit further that I intended" he said.

You don't say ? 

A really enjoyable day with some cracking fish.

The other two blokes fishing both had very big fish, one a 6.10 chub and the other a 22lb pike. 

Blimey, you don't get that on my local river.