Every season I set myself targets with my fishing, this season being no exception, my normal to catch a Barbel in every month of the season was set, but I added another twist this year with the extra task of trying to catch Barbel from at least 10 different rivers during the season. Some anglers say targets detract from their enjoyment of fishing, for me they just spur me on and make my fishing more enjoyable and challenging.

With just a few weeks of the season gone I had already achieved 4 different rivers, with number five the Teme firmly set in my sights. My chosen stretch was the Barbel society fishery at Bransford, a really scenic section of the river, lightly fished and home to some very big Teme Barbel. The season had started slowly at Bransford, and on arrival I began to think I may have bitten off more than I could chew. The river was low and clear and a few minutes spent looking at likely spots resulted in not a single fish being spotted.

With the sun already high in the sky it wasn’t going to be easy, I decided to fish a deeper pool immediately downstream of some faster shallow water. The theory behind the choice being the Barbel would prefer the cover of the deeper water with the faster water providing plenty of oxygen.

Travelling as I do all over the country to fish it is difficult to keep fresh hemp in good condition so canned hemp is a godsend for me, I wallowed in the nutty hempy aroma as I cracked open a can of Sonubaits Hemp, I often cook hemp, but as yet have never been able to beat the quality and flavour of good quality cooked hemp. To the hemp I added around half a pint of mixed 4 and 6mm pellets, the juice from the hemp would soften the pellets, making them breakdown and release flavour as soon as they hit the water.

My plan was to catapult the mixture just above the pool, little and often, with just a few grains of hemp and an odd pellet in each pouch. I try to visualise just what happens in the swim, where my loose feed might end up, how the fish react and most importantly where to place my bait to catch them.

For the next hour I trickled in the hemp and pellet mixture, soaking up the atmosphere of the Teme valley as I did, crows mocked a screeching buzzard and a brown trout stalked insects from the rivers surface at my feet. I was enjoying the whole scene and it was with little confidence that I finally decided to introduce a hookbait to the swim.

A Sonu  pellet "O" in 8mm hair rigged under a size 14 Korum S3 hook, a 3ft hook link and an ounce and a half gripper lead completed the rig. My lack of confidence was misguided, after a tap tap the rod wrenched round as a hooked Barbel raced off downstream, at around two pound not the monster I had hoped for none the less a Barbel and from river number 5 for the season.

My confidence was much higher when I recast after resting the swim for 30 minutes, whilst I continued to trickle in the mixture and enjoyed a mug of tea. A few minutes after recasting the rod again leapt into life as a bigger fish was hooked and headed for the cover of some far bank bushes, the rod did its job and I soon had a nice Barbel of just over 5lb in the net.

I repeated the pattern, trickle in some bait and rest the swim allowing the fish to regain some confidence in the clear water conditions. The next Barbel was bigger again at just over 8lb the fight had me realising why Teme Barbel are often referred to as Teme Tigers. The next cycle produced a chub of just over 5lb, a welcome interruption to the Barbel, the next cast though was back to the Barbel as another 8lb plus Teme Tiger was landed.

With the light now fading fast I called it a day, my fish and chip supper in Worcester was most enjoyable, my lack of confidence had been unfounded, by slowly building the swim and resting it between fish I had managed 4 good Barbel and a bonus Chub, from fantastic surroundings, River number 6 here I come.