After a good day on Saturday on my local River Loddon I had a few hours to spare on Sunday so I decided to head back to the fishery to see if the barbel were still in an obliging mood.  By the time I had finished my work the sun was high in the sky, not exactly textbook barbel conditions.  I arrived at the fishery to find I had the whole stretch to myself so I headed straight back to the areas that had produced the day before.  I baited both with a mixture of the new Elliptical pellets from Sonubaits and decided to leave both swims to rest for half an hour. 

After moulding some damp Elliptical pellets around the lead I lowered a 13mm halibut pellet into the first swim.  After 20 minutes I received a few line bites and fish were evident in the swim but after no positive indications I decided to rest the swim and go back in an hour.

I moved into my second swim and introduced a ball of pellets containing a hook bait under an overhanging willow.  The bait was in position for no more than 10 minutes before the tip flew round and a barbel weighing 7lb 14oz was soon being netted.  Soon after I moved back to my first swim and missed a rod wrenching bite after only a few minutes of casting in.  With time up I headed off home for dinner.

After heavy rain on Monday I headed off to the River Blackwater for a few hours fishing in the evening.  The river had risen 6 inches during the day.  I deposited a tin of Sonubaits Hemp N corn into a run I had been visiting regularly.  As the sun dipped behind the trees and darkness began to fall the line bites started.  A bite was on the cards and a chub weighing 4lb 13oz fell to my 13mm pellet.

I returned to the swim Wednesday evening after work and after introducing a mix of Elliptical pellets and a tin of Hemp N corn I lowered two rigs onto the patch.  Most of the action I had been receiving had been coming after dark so I was surprise when shortly after casting the tip flew over and a fish was hooked.  After a great fight in a heavily weeded river my first River Blackwater carp was soon being netted.  A lovely looking low double figure common was the culprit.  Just on dark I received another bite this time from a chub weighing 4lb 12oz. 

Friday evening I couldn’t keep way and after completing an article for Coarse Fisherman magazine I decided to head off to the Blackwater for a couple of hours.  I arrived at the river after dark and headed for my usual swim.  After depositing some 6mm Sonubaits Elliptical pellets via a bait dropper the line bites started almost immediately.  The problem was they were not from the intended species and after spotting what looked like a bream in the swim it didn’t surprise me when the tip pulled over that a bream was soon being netted.  Weighing around 7lbs not a bad fish for the river but certainly not what I had been hoping for.  Now where have those barbel gone…