I arrived at the car park just outside ringwood to be met by Pete Reading who is an expert barbel angler and knows the water well. As I am a complete novice on the Avon, but like a ramble he suggested that I walk a round the back of the lakes and over the carrier to fish the salmon seat pool.
When I reached the river, I was met by what appeared to be bank to bank eel grass. I was hoping to get my centre pin out for a quiet trot but there was no route between the patches of weed, as the river was down about 6" on normal level (or so I was informed).
However, the reason the Pete had suggested that swim was because there was a hole of about 10 foot long where the river ran deeper and there was no weed. Apparently (I found out during the day) that the way to fish it is to anchor your bait in the hole and then loosefeed to draw the fish up to the bait from under the beds of grass. This was a great theory, just a shame it didn't work.
I then moved further upstream to an area where a tree had fallen in and fished under the raft that had developed from the dead grass that had flowed down the river, and continued to collect during the day as clumps floated downstream adding to my difficulties. I fished here for chub and again had no success, as was the pattern through the day as I tries two other areas. The highlight had to be watching a big salmon, probably over 20lb move through travelling upstream.
I blanked, but the other anglers on the stretch that I spoke to also blanked, so for one day at least I was the match of some very good anglers.
I finished at about 5pm to collect Sandy and attend a fund raising dinner in the evening at Tyrells Ford Hotel. The meal and company was good, and at the auction I purchased a signed Venables print for display in the shop, plus a day fishing on the Wilton stretch of the Wylye and a day guided on the Windrush next year in the mayfly season. Let's hope I am more successful there.
The event, organised in the main by Trevor Harrop (pictured with a soft lens so he looks a bit handsome - it's not my blurry photographs - honestly!!)and Budgie raised nearly £4000, to be shared between the Avon Roach Project and habitat improvement for the Barbel Society. If you get chance to support these worthwile causes, please do because the fact that nobody out of 45 anglers fishing caught a roach or a barbel shows just how badly this work is needed, and the members do striling work without significant recognition.