Back to reality this week but after the capture of a big fish last week things don’t seem that bad. The high pressure and full moon coupled with a couple of extremely cold nights towards the end of the week put paid to any consistent sport.

Tuesday, father and l took a trip south to take a look at the river Arun at Pulborough. This Cemex stretch offers some fantastic pike sport but this was our first trip so armed with a few pints of maggots we set of to pastures new. The countryside and wildlife is spectacular and after a few yards onto the flood plain life slows down, it really brings back what angling is all about. The three hour session worked around high tide saw a fish a chuck on both the stick float and feeder, nothing special but lots of variety. Roach, dace, bleak plus a pike and a rudd kept us busy and the change of scenery was pace was extremely rewarding.

Thursday and Friday evenings saw me back after the barbel but with the temperatures plummeting after dark very little happened, just the odd knock. It seems other anglers are experiencing similar results so it’s just a case of keep trying until things improve.

The next week I’ve decided to leave the barbel alone. With the first frosts and the leaves falling my aims have changed and the predator kit will be dusted down as well as a visit to a lake that might just throw up some decent roach.