Rising to the challenge

Difficult couple of days on the river Dove but managed to winkle two immaculate barbel out, the first at 9lb 1oz taking me by surprise in mid afternoon on Saturday then at 5am this morning the alarm screamed off on a very swollen tea coloured Dove but after a couple of minutes and a shaking of the head it was off and I'd lost it.

I dropped a fresh bait in under the rod tip the extra water giving me about 5 foot of murky cover, no freebies just a single 14mm dumbell holding with a heavy grippa lead. At 7am it was off again and what a fight in the heavy flow, eventually I had him resting in the net whist I set the camera up and zeroed the scales, 11lb 4oz the Avon's said so that'll do for me my fourth eleven pounder in as many weeks.

The amount of rubbish coming down the river was incredible so with the final fish of the day returned it was time for a quick bit of breakfast and a quick exit in between the heavy showers.

The ever faith full Spicy Fish Pro was the hook bait and micro pellet in the block end feeder with a small bag of the HBC 5mm salmon pellets to get some scent in the area.