Barbel and Chub Fishing with Martin Bowler

Martin Bowler revisits Riverside Lodge in his attempt to tackle Chub and Barbel in the River Avon.

‘Lob in a worm and prepare to do battle’ is how this feature piece in the Angling Times begins, as Martin touches on natural bait whilst filming for an episode of FishFlix.

On a recent trip with Laurence Hanger, Martin stayed at our very own Riverside Lodge on the River Avon, where you can find some of the country’s best chub and barbel fishing. For the fishing break, Martin would use a freelined or quivertipped lobworn in his quest to catch both of the species, and potentially more.

With the lodge just a dozen footsteps away from the river, the pair woke early after a peaceful nights sleep, enjoyed a coffee overlooking the river and meadows and were ready to wet the line.

Stealth-like fishing!

After setting the lines and donning the polarised glasses, Martin was ready for the day of fishing ahead. An unintended trout took the line first, followed by a 1.5 lbs perch, both very pleasing catches, however, it was time to focus on the Chub, if any could be located.

They would require a stealthy approach and even though they will eat just about anything, any disturbance and they’re gone! Climbing trees, peering around bushes and avoiding any heavy footfall were some of the techniques used in stalking the chub, and he was soon rewarded.

Half-a-dozen big chain-mail clad specimens drifted into view and from their leisurely behaviour, it was apparent they didn’t know Martin was there. Wanting to present the bait naturally, he slid behind a tree trunk and poked his rod out over the Avon with a little ‘plop’ putting the chub shoal on red alert.

Eventually the bait was taken, and the focus for Martin was to prevent the chub from smashing him under a raft of debris. Plunging the rod-tip deep into the river, he was able to hang on and slowly gain the line. Fantastic stuff!

Riverside Lodge has a fully equipped kitchen, which beats soggy sandwiches, so after a spot of lunch, despite fighting the urge for a siesta, he returned to the river.

The elusive barbel!

Although chub were the mainstay of the afternoon fishing, he also caught a bonus dace which was excellent fun. However, the desire to catch an Avon Barbel grew. One final time, Martin cast a worm, just under a fallen branch.

The bouncing of the tip as the split shot shuffled across the bottom , told him that he’d got this one right. As the light started to fade, he got exactly what he wanted, but now the barbel was intent on showing him who’s boss.

Martin, thinking he had secured the fish, was scuppered by the Barbel’s masterplan. As he was wielding the landing net, the barbel dived for the tree roots under the bank and smashed me up.

The barbel didn’t have the last word, as Laurence, who had stayed another day, sent Martin a picture of him holding the prince of the river! The bait, of course, was a lobworm!

The read the full article from Martin, click here. If you’d like to subscribe, visit Angling Times. He also created a video on his channel, FishFlix. 

Riverside Lodge is run by Short Stay Homes and if you would like more information visit the website listing, contact info@riversidelodgenewforest.co.uk or call 01425 517311.