Last year at the fundraising weekend for the Avon Roach Project, I won a days fishing for 2 rods on the Hampshire Avon with Pete Reading, one of the top barbel anglers in the country.
We met up on the Ibsley section fishing just above the bridge in a heavily weeded area. Pete's technique to pin the bait in the areas where there is no weed, usually slightly deeper, is simplicity itself. Use a large (3 or 4oz) through lead with a swivel below. Two pellets are glued to a hair rig tied with a knotless knot on a short braid section of around 6 to 7" long. A PVA bag is threaded on before this is attached to the swivel with a long baiting needle containing pellets that had been ground smaller to prevent overfeeding the fish. This is then dropped cast into the hole in the weed.
The rod is set in rests and the check switched on using a centre pin. it is a semi bolt rig and when the rod pulls round hard or the reel runs, the rod is lifted and the fish is on.
The river was low due to the prolonged drought and the sport slow, but although we didn't encounter a barbel I caught 3 chub between 2.5 and 4lb plus a nice dace. The weather was fine and spending time talking fishing to intelligent people like Pete and my fishing buddy Reg merely adds to the pleasure of the day. Sandy even allowed me to take Fred J Taylor's storm kettle to brew up on the banks and toast Fred's memories.
Reg had one chub but it was his personal best chub, a beauty of 5lb 6oz - not too many that size in the Midlands where Reg lives.
I stopped overnight and had a session the next day, but I think the fish were aware of my presence by then and all I caught was a stonking dace of over 3/4 lb possibly 14 oz. However, the time wasn't wasted as there was so many water birds around including one swan which drifted past me appearing to be fast asleep. I wondered how far he'd drifted.
On the Sunday, I went to a charity barbecue at Anglers Paradise at Halwill in Devon. Also there was Matt Hayes who I last met over 10 years ago when my son fished the Glebe Fishery ay Mallory Park having won the "Improve Your Coarse Fishing" Mission of the Month. Also there was Richard Lee who used to be Editor of Angling Times (at a time when my son Lee did his work experience there). They are working together promoting Matt's guiding service. It offered a great opportunity to fly the flag for Angling Heritage, spreading the word about the work the trust does, in a convivial atmosphere. I always like pending time in Ziggy's bar looking at the cased and replica fish, memories of his adventures around the world. It is well worth the visit.