A lump from the Tidal Trent...

Well it was a last minute decision to venture down to the Tidal Trent on Saturday to see if i could tempt a big whisker or two, as I had been planning to fish a reservoir for pike all week. With the river levels dropping slowly and after speaking to Nick who had recorded the temperature rising on the middle Trent at the back end of the week the decision was made.

Unfortunately I was unable to get down to the stretch I had been targeting all summer as the field car park still had standing water covering it. Plan B was to target a stretch I had previous success on at the back end of last season. Arriving to a high Tidal Trent I chose a swim that allowed cover on the down stream rod as the flow diverts around a bank feature.

Setting up both rods on running feeders I balled in a mix of blended hemp, bread crumb, mixed pellets, CSL and lots of other barbel goodness! At the business end 2 x 10mm Minke Ambergris Baits boilies were poised to tempt a big whisker.

After setting up around 4pm I recast hourly and balled in 3 grapefruit sized balls over the top of each feeder each cast, carefully not over feeding but ensuring enough attraction to the swim. It wasn’t until 7pm that I received 2 bleeps on the alarm and I picked up the rod and tightened down into a fish that had clearly been quite wary and not made a clear run on the free running rig. After a short fight she soon kited down stream into the shallows and I was able to net her easily. On the scales she went 9-08 and a very welcome first barbel of 2014.

Repeating the same procedure I balled in more feed and the next run I received was around 10pm when the right hand rod slammed over and line was stripped instantly, lifting into the fish I had the fish under control fairly quickly as I had walked down stream allowing me to use the current to bring the fish into the shallower water then allow her to drift into the net whilst maintain tension. Netting her first time she was a short fish but her depth and girth was a clear sign she had been feeding heavily in the floods. Tipping the scales to 12-10 she was both fin and scale perfect and probably the cleanest barbel I have caught from the Tidal. She like the previous fish had fallen to the Minke boilie a combination of shrimp and spicy pepper that not only works well through the summer months but is a clear favourite through the colder ones too!

Settling back into the bivvy i was hoping for another run shortly after in keeping with a feeding spell but this didn’t materialise and the next fish I landed was a bream at 3am. From then on the wind picked up and whipped up all the bank debris from the recent floods over the bivvy which sounded horrific sat inside! Fighting with the wind to pack up at 8am I was pleased with the outcome of the session and I am looking forward to the plans I have in place for the end of the season.