Barbel on the Trent

[andyp 9]

The railway bridge is the east coast main line bridge downstream of the Nether lock at Newark, we were Pike fishing from what is known as the concrete pier, and casting in to the slack water pool on the far side where the waterboard barges are moored.

Main problem is that you are about 25-30ft above the river and when you hook something one of you needs to climb down the bank at the side to land the fish, extremely dangerous if it has been raining, one slip and you are in and it would be very difficult to get back out.

I have fished this section for most of my life and have had some cracking fish from it, the barbel here do not like static baits, you need a large chubber float fished about 10 ft deep (2/3ft overdepth) and trundle it down the side of the barge holding it back to lift the bait and as it reaches the end of its run near the last barge get ready for the bite.

[NEWSBOY 306]

cheers andy, our club as the water other side of the tube bridge, nobody ever goes down there, u ad big barbel from there?

[andyp 9]

To be honest i only used to live 5 mins walk from that bridge and have fished both sides of the river, all the way to Holme Marsh and back and most of what we used to call the "Old Trent"

 

I used to play in all the A1 pits as a youngster before they had water in them, and can remember having a right discussion with a lad i worked with about which way the gravel bars ran, he was adamant they went one way I told him they went the other, and a few years ago they drained pit 6 and some one took an aeral picture and put it on the net, you should have seen his face when he saw it.

 

I have had a fair few barbel up to 14lb and big carp up to mid twenties when trotting meat baits, especially those small cooked cocktail sausages from the cooked meats section in the supermarket, we used to warm them up in a pan and add some spices to them so they coated the outside.

 

I hooked a monster fish which i never landed on a large black slug from under neath one of the bushes under the railway bridge, even to this day i wonder what it was.

 

I can remember seeing 2 salmon leaping the weir on Christmas morning in the early 70's when i was trying out a rod and reel i got for Xmas, my uncle came down at 2 in the afternoon to tell me that Lunch would soon be ready, he wanted to see what was in my keepnet, he couldn't believe how much fish was in there, it took 2 of us to lift it out of the water, and i got a right royal rollocking for nicking the xmas cheese out of the fridge.

 

So many good memories of living in Newark, most of them associated with fishing.

[NEWSBOY 306]

good fishing and hunting around newark andy, sounds like u have hooked catfish , 1 or 2 get caught in the trent, u still fish tube bridge? cheers

[andyp 9]

Not been since late on last year, still take a walk down there every now and again, just to see if anything has changed, there have been rumours of cats lurking down there for a long time, there are several stretches where the banks are deeply under cut and one day some one is going to get the surprise of there lives if they manage to land it.

 

I have never seen a real live catfish but my old boy swears that the fish that grabbed hold of that 12lb Pikes tail was "BIG"

 

I have caught Marlin that didn't pull as hard or as fast as that one which picked up my dead bait then shot off downstream with it.

 

I was using Northwestern 3lb test curve rods that day, it bent right down to the handle and i just couldn't stop it, get yourself down there later on this year and have a go, all the pike i have caught down there were all on dead rainbow trout, and if you go give us a shout and i will come and show you where they are.

[NEWSBOY 306]

cheers andy, will do, if u want a day on the old river, staythorpe to crankley let me know i will take u. cheers

[Rik 49]

only had this one about 21:30 saturday evening 7ib on on mark

 

 

photo taken on mobile