Bluemoon Angling Thread

I have a tradition where I go barbel fishing every summer solstice because I enjoy experiencing the short night, so I went barbel fishing on a new river tonight. The River Nidd. What a supermodel of a river it was. Small, intimate and beautiful, right out in the wilderness with overhanging willows, pools, everything a river angler could want, and on a beautiful evening. Small river barbel fishing takes me back, and it was really refreshing to use just one soft rod and to bait by hand. A kingfisher took a fish right next to me and nature was absolutely bountiful.

This was textbook. A quiet few hours, then as the sun went down the tip betrayed barbel through line bites. At 10pm it screamed off and I was hanging on to a barbel which shot under the far bank trees. After an intense tug of war I won the day and landed a nice fit dark young barbel. A lovely back-to-basics evening and I’m right back in the barbel groove.

As an aside I went watching owls the night before and saw a long eared owl and then 2 barn owls hunting. The barn owls were incredibly efficient hunters, catching mouse after mouse and carrying them back to the nest.

Nature is wonderful, especially at this time of year.View attachment 47621
the nature makes it for me, working in a concrete bowl(manchester airport) it makes such a lovely refreshing change to get out, i went last night about 830pm after a hot day is was nice and cool ,the boat owners just chilling, not many people about , a lovely walk but sadly no fish
 
Should have recognised that then as I've fished it many times. Tockwith is good for barbel too and a similar stretch to Cowthorpe.
It's a proper "Mr Crabtree" stretch of river. I loved it. I also tried to explore Nun Monkton at the weekend too but when I eventually found the river it was pretty much inaccessible.

A 12lber was caught in a match at Cowthorpe at the weekend ;-)
 
It's a proper "Mr Crabtree" stretch of river.

"Pin head bubbles, dead giveaway for tench"... Mr Crabtree was ace!


I just got back from a couple of hours on the Teme near Tenbury Wells.
16 Grayling and a trout on wet flies.
Brilliant fun on my 3 weight rod.

See, I can catch fish when they are there! :)
 
I have a tradition where I go barbel fishing every summer solstice because I enjoy experiencing the short night, so I went barbel fishing on a new river tonight. The River Nidd. What a supermodel of a river it was. Small, intimate and beautiful, right out in the wilderness with overhanging willows, pools, everything a river angler could want, and on a beautiful evening. Small river barbel fishing takes me back, and it was really refreshing to use just one soft rod and to bait by hand. A kingfisher took a fish right next to me and nature was absolutely bountiful.

This was textbook. A quiet few hours, then as the sun went down the tip betrayed barbel through line bites. At 10pm it screamed off and I was hanging on to a barbel which shot under the far bank trees. After an intense tug of war I won the day and landed a nice fit dark young barbel. A lovely back-to-basics evening and I’m right back in the barbel groove.

As an aside I went watching owls the night before and saw a long eared owl and then 2 barn owls hunting. The barn owls were incredibly efficient hunters, catching mouse after mouse and carrying them back to the nest.

Nature is wonderful, especially at this time of year.View attachment 47621
my god that made me want to go back to the Swale and do just what you described.
 
Timur has been desperate to catch a big fish. I took him last night to a local club lake with the intention of catching a carp. Fished a scaled down carp rig with boilie, baiting a patch tucked away from disturbance in an overgrown corner. I forgot what a nightmare club lakes can be, with blokes in white t shirts talking at the top of their voices and wondering why they aren't catching.

An hour in and we had a run. He hooked a fish and the hook pulled quickly. We sat into dusk for a few hours with him getting desperate. The banks cleared and I kept telling him he'd get another chance. Right on dark, 2 minutes before we left, the rod was nearly pulled in. He was playing a carp which took him all over. I was trying to show him how to backwind and he was just managing but as the fish tired and neared the net it made one last lunge for freedom. He had his rod too low, he didn't backwind, everything pinged tight and SNAP. His first carp was free.

The lad was utterly devastated. There was no consoling him.
 
Crikey ! Hard going on the Wye in atrocious fishing conditions. Yesterday 4 out of the 6 of us had a barbel first cast and no others for the rest if the day. A few were caught in the evening but generally they are very very spooky.

Got up at 4 this morning and, again , had one first cast but no more. First time I've been fishing at that time for ages and, notwithstanding how atmospheric it is, I'm not sure I'll be doing it again any time soon.

View attachment 47525
That looks gorgeous. Something very special about being by a river at dawn. Mist rising in tendrils, heron silently stalking.
 
Timur has been desperate to catch a big fish. I took him last night to a local club lake with the intention of catching a carp. Fished a scaled down carp rig with boilie, baiting a patch tucked away from disturbance in an overgrown corner. I forgot what a nightmare club lakes can be, with blokes in white t shirts talking at the top of their voices and wondering why they aren't catching.

An hour in and we had a run. He hooked a fish and the hook pulled quickly. We sat into dusk for a few hours with him getting desperate. The banks cleared and I kept telling him he'd get another chance. Right on dark, 2 minutes before we left, the rod was nearly pulled in. He was playing a carp which took him all over. I was trying to show him how to backwind and he was just managing but as the fish tired and neared the net it made one last lunge for freedom. He had his rod too low, he didn't backwind, everything pinged tight and SNAP. His first carp was free.

The lad was utterly devastated. There was no consoling him.
welcome to fishing timur :) wont be his last , and the ones we lose are always "bigger" than the ones we've ever caught :)
 
Timur has been desperate to catch a big fish. I took him last night to a local club lake with the intention of catching a carp. Fished a scaled down carp rig with boilie, baiting a patch tucked away from disturbance in an overgrown corner. I forgot what a nightmare club lakes can be, with blokes in white t shirts talking at the top of their voices and wondering why they aren't catching.

An hour in and we had a run. He hooked a fish and the hook pulled quickly. We sat into dusk for a few hours with him getting desperate. The banks cleared and I kept telling him he'd get another chance. Right on dark, 2 minutes before we left, the rod was nearly pulled in. He was playing a carp which took him all over. I was trying to show him how to backwind and he was just managing but as the fish tired and neared the net it made one last lunge for freedom. He had his rod too low, he didn't backwind, everything pinged tight and SNAP. His first carp was free.

The lad was utterly devastated. There was no consoling him.
Hopefully it will fuel his love for many more encounters.
 

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