anglersmail.com 9 JULY | 19It hugged the bottom,
swaying from side to side, using
its streamlined body to its full
advantage, flanking and rolling
in and out of the flow, all the
time putting Steve’s tackle to
the test, just like Izaak said.
Moments later, the fish was
expertly netted, and we could
now get a good look at its huge
frame.
This was a proper piece of
Bridgo’ muscle, its tiny scales
looking like a bodybuilder’s vest,
being too tight and waiting to
bulge out, and its head was hard
and big, like a dog’s. It really was
a pleasure to see it on the bank.
After marveling at the beast,
I had to pay huge respect to
Steve, as he just ‘knew’. He knew
the rig, the spot and the size of
the bait would produce a proper
big ’un. What was even more
‘amazinger’ was the fact that
this took place within only a
matter of minutes of arriving.
I get to see a lot of anglers,
good and bad, and you can just
tell Steve is a no-nonsense,
no-messing, qualified student
of the River Severn. He’s a
pleasure to watch.
Although I remained fishless, I
was still taken aback by the fact
that he had caught a fish on a
piece of meat the size of a small
tumble dryer.
I didn’t get much more time
to dwell on it, as I rose out of
my seat with Ninja-like speed
after seeing a little knock on
my rod tip. A bit like a drive-by,
something was there. Knock,
knock. This was a definite chub
bite, so I struck, and somehow I
was attached to a barbel.
After a right old tussle, she
was in the net, nowhere near
as big as Steve’s, but a barbel
nonetheless.
The next part, and probably
the most important part, was
getting her snapped, papped
and put back quickly and safely,
and Steve waited for her to kick
and swim away strongly.
I’m a little bit worried about
the barbel population in
these parts. Everyone seems
to be spending more time
photographing small fish
than releasing them, and for
what... a few Instagram likes?
Pap ’em, by all means, but
is there really a need for a
picture of a 4 or 5 lb fish in the
summer? We all know whatthey look like, so just get ’em
back. Leave the handling to a
minimum, and maybe we can all
enjoy them when they are as big
as Steve’s.
Maybe otters are not a
problem, but the just-add-water
Instagram famers are?
For me, I was more than
happy with one fish on a
summer’s evening, but we had
more Wolves talk to do, so I said
I would have one more chuck,
before talking about the transfer
window.
I didn’t even get a chance
to say “West Brom will be
relegated,” before the rod
hooped over, and this was no
chub, folks.
My legs turned to jelly, as
this fish did the same thing as
Steve’s, staying low and slow.
Using the current to bring it
slightly upstream, the barbel
held its course, and fought hard.Again, using the fish and the
current to my advantage, not
his, I managed to net it safely.
What a fish! It was another
perfect specimen, much like
myself, but with a penchant for
Squid & Octopus.
We decided that was enough,
as we are not fishmongers.
We came to catch one or
two, and we did. We talked
football, women’s handbags,
haberdashery – the usual stuff- and went home. How can you
better that. What other sport
could you do that in?
I still can’t get my head
around the size of the bait, so
I’ve been reading through Izaak
Walton’s musings, to find out if
he also used half a tin of meat.
“Upon ye river I wandered
and - ‘boshareth’ - half a tin of
ye olde Primrose findeth thy
barbel. My Instagrameth yields
not one barbus.”
Look at the head on it.A barbel pick ‘n’ mix.
Steve showed he can catch
‘em conventionally as well.A chub with a taste
for squid.