Zander or Barbel ?

Tue 24th Nov

After debating whether to fish for either Zander on the T&M Canal or Barbel on the Trent or Dove. In the end I decided on the Trent which looked in good form with some mouthwatering slacks. Considering the ideal conditions we've been having over the last week (mild temps, rain and flood water) I thought that I would regret not giving it a try. 
The Dove on the other hand was well in the fields when I glanced at it from the A38 bridge as I drove over, definatly a no go. 

I tried a new stretch and even though I blanked it was still nice to try the stretch out, as I had been meaning to for ages. There was easy access to some good looking swims and plenty of them. I opted for a couple of slack areas on my near bank so I wouldn't have to deal with the speed of the main flow and the debris, weed/leaves etc.  While setting up my gear I was encouraged when I saw some silvers topping in the first slack and hoped there would be some of thier bigger bottom dwelling cousins nearby!

The river had been over the banks a little but fortunatly was now just below the rim. It was coloured but not thick with mud, and was fining down nicely, however the temp at 10c was down from last Friday's 11.5c which may have meant the fish would be put off the feed by the falling temperatures ? Later the temp fell another 0.5 deg eventually settling on 9.5c for the rest of the session.

By the time I packed up at around 7:00pm, I wished I'd gone for the Zander option as I'd originally planned, still they can wait for my next trip.

I think I need a break from the Barbel blanks for a few weeks.  A well earned moral boost is in order, after the most difficult season I've had so far in my pursuit of Barbel. I will be trying for Zander, Perch and Grayling over the next few trips, to see if I can improve my catches. I will also be buying a BAA ticket again in the new year so I can get back on the Severn, Teme, Avon and my local River Anker whenever I need a change from the Dove and Trent for the remainder of this season.