Lunatic out of the asylum, Nige Williams, has just experienced the highlight of his miserable life … June 16th. “Go forth and be a townie and it’s all free”, he cried! Barbel and chub are the targets for ‘white coats’ and Bridgnorth in the town, where it pulls a bit, is ideal, as is Bewdley, along with Upton, in the picnic area and downstream below the bridge, all of which have faster flowing water than most stretches in the summer. Pile in hemp and casters, or maybe you’d prefer to use a gallon of Niges’ ‘cancer maggots’ (very bronze chrysodine wrigglers). The big tip for big barbel on the Severn at the minute is to open up a standard tin of luncheon meat, split it in half, hair-rig one half of it and wait for the rod to pull round … then use the other half! Matches at Bewdley are being won with barbel at the moment with a hemp and caster approach best unless the water goes really coloured.
