Blue Tit
I decided to forgo the Trent this time around as I need to be up early Saturday morning for babysitting duties and that outing is not conducive for an early night. So the Swale it was and hoping for my first Winter Yorkshire Barbel and my first ever Barbel from Topcliffe. I arrived some time after 11am to find an angler in the swim I hoped to fish but nonetheless I had a good chat to him. It turns out he was Jeff Metcalfe who I've never met before but was a very nice chap. We have a number of fishing related buddies in common and he does fly fishing tuition when not Barbel fishing, see here. In fact he told me it was he who taught Conrad fly fishing. He explained he would be leaving in the afternoon and I was welcome to jump in that swim as he left. The day was pleasantly warm and with the willows starting to bud the Tits were making a meal of the new shoots
I set up a couple of swims upstream but despite Jeff's warning of a new snag brought by the recent floods I found it with both rods first cast. I did have a couple of knocks and was briefly attached to what I think was a Chub but spent more time retackling and chatting than fishing. I moved into Jeff's swim at 2pm as he packed away but the Barbel weren't playing and the Chub were toying with their food. I did manage to avoid a blank and snaffled a couple of Chub as the light faded. A pleasant day to be out, the forecast rain having held off, plenty of bird and insect life and the willows just starting to bud showing that spring has definitely sprung.