Day One - Arley Left Bank
I only had a few hours before checking in to my holiday accommodation so it was more a case of seeing what the river looked like and any fish would be a bonus. The river was the lowest I had seen it which I expected after checking the river levels online, Initially I thought the water was quite clear but it still had an earthy tinge to it and there was very little weed growth, no doubt due to the floods in spring.
I started trotting pellet and was pleased to be getting bites straight away even if they weren't frequent, the roach were typical pellet sized fish with nothing under 10oz and two or three looking like they were around the 1lb mark, there was no big ones but I'd take this all day, throw in a few decent chub and it made for a really nice first session
I returned to the same spot later in the evening and as the sun went down a couple more cracking roach obliged and some more chub, barbel were absent but it was still very bright with the setting sun illuminating the swim like a flashlight, the good roach and chub had raised my expectations for the rest of the trip.
Day Two - Stanley
After a good start yesterday, today I travelled round to the Stanley stretch where I was there early enough to get a good swim, one which had done me a couple of big roach and was usually good for barbel. However the swim looked so different this time with no weed growth on the shallows, it looked so empty and featureless from the picture I had in my head from last time. I waded out to a hole three quarters of the way across where I thought the fish could be. Once again it was sunny and it was in the short cloudy spells where I picked up the bites, all from chub and some nice ones at that. A couple were around 5lb but were unhooked in the water as I was mid river, were I to know they would be the biggest fish of the week I would have taken some photos, it was hard work for the chub but they saved the day, I really expected the roach and barbel to show at some time but they didn't and the chaps who set up below me had nothing whilst I was there, so at least I was in the right spot.
Day Three - A Long Walk
It all started to go downhill from here or should I say uphill. Looking to get back on the roach I went back to Arley parking on the left bank and walking across the footbridge to the Harbour Inn meadow, however this time it was rammed with all the swims taken so I carried on walking upstream. I was getting somewhat irked to see a couple of rods appear in to view each time I thought there was a spot and even after a lengthy walk there were still anglers everywhere, I really need to get up earlier I thought as I finally stopped off at a good swim if only to rest the legs, this time trotting maggot for a change, however I couldn't get a bite from anything and this was very weird, maybe there was a few pike about, either way It was time to continue my journey upstream.
I was now in Stanley within sight of The Ship Inn. Now that's a bit of a trek especially in chest waders. I stopped at the odd stile here and there to replenish my thirst and sure got funny looks off the horses but there were worse places to be out even if my chesties were now wet on the inside through perspiration. Those horses were standing in the shade looking at me like I was mad and I think they may have been right. I watched two Egrets lead a balletic dance in the air and their pure white was a strict contrast to the green background, much more graceful in flight than the heron I thought and the horses agreed, well they didn't say nay, I really needed to stop for lunch!
It was now well past lunchtime and I had gone all the way to the top of the stretch to find all the spots taken and I had still caught nothing. Dejected I went back down to where someone had packed up thinking how it's only a couple of miles back to the car. I was happy to finally get some bites from anything and it was mostly perch in what usually is a barbel swim, even on big bunches it was mainly stripeys although they made a change from the endless hordes of dace that were hammering single maggot, there was very few roach and chub and they were small and a 1lb perch was the only fish I landed on a day where I spent more time walking than fishing.
Day Four - Hampton Loade Right Bank
I drove round to Hampton Loade as I sure as hell wasn't going to walk that far after yesterday, however I did burn some calories going up and down those steep banks there, trotting maggot brought many dace as expected, but very few chub were showing and once again it was busy with other anglers. Six guys went past me downstream so I worked my way back to the car as the canoes started to come down, I caught one decent chub, it was that slow and my expectations was now as low as the water levels.
Hampton Loade wasn't doing it for me which was a shame as it's usually pretty good there but at least there wasn't ten thousand ducks there like last year as a shower come to dampen the spirits further. I made the decision out of desperation to drive back to Stanley in my chest waders with the rod still set up in the back of the car as it was just down the road, it was still a tired sweaty drive. I tried the pellet again as I just didn't fancy more dace as the weather turned and it got cloudy with a bit of drizzle. Finally I'm amongst the barbel and did I care that it was small? You bet I didn't as it was the first bend I have had in the rod for ages and after all that walking it was more than welcome.
Day Five - Arley Left and Right Bank
The last day was much of the same with a mix of silvers, hard work and far too much walking, It was time however for me to get schooled by an expert, I was struggling once again to get through the dace in the shallows when a Kingfisher appeared in the tree beside me, so close I could almost reach it with my rod tip. With a quick 'plop' it had soon caught one of the many fry from the shallows and was proceeding to bash it's head on the branch as I reached for my camera. To my surprise it went straight in again and repeated the action, two in two was just showing off so I was now ready to get that action shot. It sums up the week that it just took off downstream and I now have a rubbish pic of a blue blur, I had to laugh.
Overall the fishing was hard, the river was low and there was lots of people about and evidence of how busy it had been in lockdown with the odd fence down here and there and rather too much litter for my liking, mostly on the paths, it was silly season after all and most of my trips were during the day when it was pretty bright, I bet the Kingfisher doesn't make excuses like that though, mind you out of the two hundred(at least) anglers I saw, I only saw one catch a barbel during the day. The wildlife was spectacular as ever and if anything the whole trip was cathartic, proving that it isn't a given that you're going to have a great day with the barbel or get a big roach, It shows on those days in the past how lucky I've been and if you want a surefire guarantee of catching - Be a Kingfisher.
