Back end of Season-part, 1.....

With the river being high and brown coloured with rain water, leaves only one of two options, either fish for barbel and chub or pray the levels drop and wait for the colour clearing and fish the stick, not much of a choice is it?....

So the barbel gear it is, the main approach for the next session, the decision to fish the flat lead and use pva mesh to put a bed of pellets down and fish a 15mm hair rigged boilie seems all but the main method to use for the resident barbel, but worms can have a devastating influence on chub and also perch if they are more obliging to feed.
Bearing in mind I prefer fishing the feeder, as you can put more bait in but in flood conditions a feeder would be more prone to getting snagged up than a flat lead would, has I know too well from my own experiences in the past, apart from that I'm looking to fish for bites and catch at least rather than feeding them and blanking.
Travelling light has it's advantages of covering more ground and increasing the chances of catching in coloured floodwater but if your feeling lazy and prefer sticking it out in one swim of choice, then the chances of blanking increase and at least then you can perch under your brolly, if it keeps raining, it's purely a decision of choice.

I've usually found the back end of a season to be a very productive time of the year "catch wise" no two back to back seasons are the same for me, some more prolific than others with the odd red letter day, others not so good and that's fishing. The only things that have changed are the fact I'm getting older, also my gear and approach has changed somewhat over the years and I now use different bait compared with what I used to use when I first started out, maybe because I've moved with the times, but what used to be consistent yesteryear is not necessarily going to produce the goods in the future. Finding out what others have been successful with has been a key to my own rewards, so being nosy has it's advantages and so will it continue to do so.

Having had a bank side recce on Monday afternoon along a few stretches of the river I'd already decided where and how I was going to fish my next session, sticking it out in a favoured swim and or moving later if nothing happens and time allows me to do so is my choice due to the changing weather conditions. For this I'm lightening the load and not carrying a burden of bulky/heavy weight tackle, taking two rods is more than enough, a chair is essential as is the landing net and handle. I won't be needing the case with the feeders and bait droppers in because I'm using the flat arlesley type leads and pva mesh netting. Shall be using the brolly and be taking the unhooking mat, scales and sling and of cause the box with the terminal tackle in. Do I take the tripod or use a bank stick with a quiver rest? sod it I'll take both just in case one or the other fails, after all this is fishing where if anything can happen then it probably will.
That just leaves the bait oh and the flask, and not forgetting the "camera". So now this gives me the opportunity of moving swims more easily if I need to!

The reason for carrying the unhooking mat is due to fishery rules, but I normally do carry one anyway, whether I sit on it if I'd not took the chair or use it for exactly what it is, I've always got one with me each time I go. Now all that's left is to get down there and see what happens. The day is planned for Wednesday or Thursday and that depends on me and I cannot wait. I've also been taking note of the daily weather forecasts, which show a rise in the temperature, since the weekend which was 4 degrees C and is now "Tuesday" 6 degrees C if this keeps up then the conditions should be favourable, but that doesn't alter anything I'll be going regardless...