This entry was posted on 19th March, 2021 by Anna Cooper

It does not seem like it was over a year ago that we first went into lockdown, changing the whole world and the way we live our lives. With the many limits put on social mixing and travel it has been a very difficult time for my wife; Tjitske and I, but no different than from the rest of you. With the inability to visit friends and family over the last year and the relying on visitors from all over Europe to keep us active in the summer in France, it has certainly been testing.

How Angling Relieves Stress

Luckily, like so many anglers, I find fishing to be my safety valve. In the most difficult of times even in the worst of weather, just a few hours spent by the water fishing is all that’s needed to clear my mind. As it is often said …

“A bad days fishing is still better than a good day at work!”

Winter River Fishing in France

Early in the month and after some very cold weather, we had a few days of very mild wet weather. This was perfect for finding a big barbel or two feedings, incredibly we had an overnight temperature of minus 13 centigrade followed by a day of warm sunny weather with the thermometer reaching 17 centigrade, a 30-degree swing in less than 24 hours, absolutely perfect fishing conditions.

The river was carrying a lot of extra water along with loads of floating debris, I knew fishing conditions would be difficult but if I could find the fish it would be worth it. I have been very busy with some major issues at home (more on that later) so I could only manage a few hours in the afternoon fishing, just into the first hour of darkness.

With my heavy feeders, I managed to cast and hold in the strong flow feeding a mixture of strongly scented mashed pellet to attract and hold the fish in the heavily coloured water.

I really wasn’t surprised when the rod whacked over on the first cast and a barbel around 6lb made it a great scrap in the strong current. Another fish a little bigger a few casts later along with 2 chub both over 4lb made for a welcome stress-free break.

I had already packed one rod away and was about to call time on the other when again a proper whack and a heavy bend in the rod tip saw me into another barbel, it soon became obvious I was this time attached to a better fish. Ten minutes later, my good lady came to give me the heads up that food would soon be ready, just in time to slip the net under an absolute stunner of a winter barbel and at 11lb 2oz a fantastic fish.

The next day with a mounting list of tasks, so I was up early and jobs completed by just after 4, so I could get back to the fishing. I was glad to be fishing again and another 3 barbel landed all in the six to eight-pound bracket. Highly flavoured mashed pellet in the feeder and  14mm Sonubaits Spicy Sausage pellet on the hook again the successful combination.

The weather continued mild but became very wet with lots of heavy but mild rain adding to an already swollen river, but like I have told you before this is perfect winter river fishing conditions. The extra flow was bringing with it loads of debris, including whole trees, and broken branches by the score, making fishing very tricky. At one point even my 6oz feeders weren’t enough so with nothing heavier available I cobbled a couple of extra heavy feeders by using the leads from 2 four-ounce to make an odd-looking but effective 8oz.

What is the best fishing rod for casting heavy feeders?

I am often asked what rods do I use to cast big heavy feeders with, I have only seen a few rods that can handle it, the Korum 13ft barbel rods being the best both in value and performance I have seen.

See More Information... Korum Barbel Rods

The fish wasn’t put off by the heavy feeders or the heavy flow with the numbers climbing every afternoon. The best session accounted for 7 barrel, 3 of which were double figure fish, with the best scaling 11lb 07oz.

How Snow affects Angling

Unfortunately, the weather went back to cold easterly winds and a few hours of heavy snow sadly putting an end to what had been a very productive few days fishing 25 barbels including 5 doubles and countless quality chub.

I did fish after the snow but the decline in temperature coupled with a bitterly cold wind was just too much and after a bitterly cold 3 hours called it a day and that was to be it for the foreseeable future as far as the barbel fishing goes.

Leaving France: The End of an Era

During my time in France, I have been very lucky that I have lived by a river for the last 5 years.  In that time I have reported some brilliant fishing through these blogs. See all Ade Kiddell Blogs here. Unfortunately, after Brexit it soon became obvious to us it would become very difficult to remain in France. The visa required to remain was difficult to obtain along with the very high costs of healthcare and the French tax system, we have sadly chosen to sell up and move on. Not surprisingly our dream house by the river in France went on the market and sold in just a few days, leaving us to find somewhere to live.

The Next Angling Chapter…

With my wife Tjitske being Dutch, a move to Holland seemed a good option and within 48 hours of applying, I was given the good news. I had been accepted and my visa application approved. We just needed to move the contents of our home across borders closed by the travel restrictions caused by the Covid pandemic. After 6 weeks of continued worry and stress, we finally managed to move to our new home in the south of Holland.

Sadly, there is no river in the garden, but luckily we are surrounded by plenty of fishing venues. Rivers, lakes, ponds and huge shipping canals all within a few minutes’ drive! I am really looking forward to a new challenge and of course reporting them to you as it happens.

I manged my first trip out this week, the conditions were not great but I did manage one good bream from the river, hopefully, the first of many to come!