" The Mack Man " Exploring Pastures New.

It's been a few years since I last went on an adventure with Adam Mack and what a day that was !!!!!!

Grayling.....Link Below.

https://purplepeanut007.blogspot.com/2018/09/chasing-ladies-with-adam-mack_2.html?m=1

Today would have a lot to live up to.

I was putting aside the float rod for a while and trying one of Adams favourite methods....rolling meat for barbel & chub on a

1 -7g lure rod

😲😲😲😲😲

................

The set up is simple.....1 SSG, 1 swivel, 1 hook.

It does not get much simpler than that now does it !!!!!!!

The river was crystal clear and would look barren to most people.....we just stood their for a few moments, waiting for a tell tail shadow to ghost across some of the sandy patches on the bottom of the river bed.

"There Mike there....do you see it.....its a big barbel... and a chub.....

I hitting that straight away".

With an expert flick of the tiny lure rod the meat hit the water about six feet up stream from where the barbel was holding just under and over hanging tree.

With precision the meat was slowly bounced down to the waiting barbel, the barbel then slid over Adams offering and sucked it straight up!!!!

"Fish on"

shouts Adam.......and I'm not even set up yet !!!!!!

🙄🙄🙄

His 6lb braid went tight and the clutch started to sing....The offended barbel shot straight upstream and into a small snag.

"Bugger"

shouts Adam,

"She's done me on a snag !!!!!!

I'm going in to see if I can free her up.

He waded out to try and free her but she was no longer there....

1 - 0 to the barbel.

😔

Adam mooched off down stream while I was left to my own devices.

I was struggling to get the hang of this method and found the accurate casting difficult. I decided to get the float rod out for the rest of this short session, hoping to draw some of the larger chub and barbel out of the snaggy hideaways. Lots of small fish followed on a

"Heavy Irwell Stick"

Roach, bleak, dace and chub where the culprits of my constantly bobbing float.

My silver session was broken by a shout from down stream.

" Mike, come here I'm in again....BARBEL"

I shimmid up the bank.....

(not pleasant watching.....lol)

and found Ads with lovely barbel in his net.

Mate.....thats fantastic....well done.

"Mike....im gonna cast this rod out while I sort some pics out...just hold it for a minute will you".

Holding on to Adams waffer thin rod I watched him prepare for a few photos.

My line was tight and I could see the meat bouncing down past the most minute rubbish raft you could think of when BANG

👊💥

The rod slammed down and I was into a fish to.

" No way are you in Mike....I can't believe it...." said Adam chuckling.

"What is it?".....

the clutch sang and we both grinned.....

" Barbel"

😁

The river here must have only been about a foot and a half deep at the most bar a few deeper holes where the fish lie up.

Old whiskers charged everywhere but I managed to get her under control then Ads safely squeezed her in the net along with the other fish he had just had.

" I dont believe it. A double hook up !!!!!

Looking down we had two beautiful barbel in the net.

👊💥

one of the smaller float caught fish.

Irwell Stick for shallow trotting.

.....................

We walked a further 3 beats looking for fish........Adam showed why this was his method and i was just a learner!!!!!!

I was a little frustrated to say the least!!!!

A big old Billy on lob worm.

I got well and truly BOSHED off a great specimen sight angler but the experience was fantastic.......

however had the last laugh.

😉😉😉😉😉

The river had changed quite a lot so Adam decided to investigate old swims to see if they had changed.

I was getting knackered now as this was 10 hrs into the session and my concentration and body language was showing to the guiding youngster.

I hung back on my phone talking to the casterman while he investigated another run.

" MIKE.......WHAT EVER YOU ARE DOING STOP RIGHT NOW AND LOOK AT THIS".

!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tiptoed, crawled & scrambled my way to where Adam was crouching.....

"SSSSSSSHHHHHHHH !!!!!

he said.....with a stern look on his face. "Look under the nearside willow where the big snag is" !!!!!!!!!!

I could see he was visibly shaking and the tremor in his voice gave away his excitement.

Under the snag shapes started to appear.....one, two, six, ten, twelve, fifteen barbel were all doing a circuit of the twisted snag in front of us.

" We will never get them out Adam"

" You wanna bet"

he said with a grin from ear to ear.

There were two clear pockets where you could flick a bait in. The larger clear areato the left was Adams target, mine was the size of a dinner plate which I struggled to hit but eventually flicked it in.

Adam had a take but the fish spat it out onto the snag so he was snookered as he dare not remove it in fear of spooking the shoal.....it was down to me!!!!!!

I watched intently as huge ghostly shadows began appearing near my bait.

Adam was watching, grinning like a Cheshire Cat....

" This will be one for the blog if we pull it off Mike"

then the rod was nearly ripped from my grasped as the raft irrupted with an explosion of water.

!!!!!!!

Before I could blink Ads was in the water as I played the fish with my rod upside down in the water.

"MIKE GET IN, GET IN THE WATER"

I splashed in while still trying to maintain some control of the fish.

Adam was frantically trying to free my line from the raft as I was tightening up the clutch......

"Where is it, where's the fish"

"Its free, its free to your right, see it"

"Yeah I see it, keep it out if the steamer weed"