Return to the pool

Well as much as i tried not to i returned to the magical pool on the Thames yesterday to find someone sitting in the hot peg. So putting a brave face on it i went and said hi and broke my own rules and asked what he had caught to which he replied "nothing mate not even had a bite".
Now i became a bit happier at this news which is wrong but well hey what you gonna do? i then thought discretion was the better thing to do and wandered around the weir sill and set up thinking that i would pick a few off by a willow tree which was hanging over the bank. Well after a hour i still hadn't caught and the other guy came around to tell me he had packed up and did i want to go to the peg he was leaving.The words hadn't left his mouth before i was moving.I asked him what bait he was using and he told me maggots and that he had not caught a thing,so i pinged out a few boiles which is what i have been catching a few on from this peg and sat down and rested the swim for a bit and made my first cast.
true to form i then had a clonking great bite and after a good fight a 6lb barbel graced the net.I didn't enjoy catching this fish as i had foul hooked it in the pelvic fin which was not on purpose but i feel it suggests a few barbel competing for the freebies in the swim.
so the next cast didn't produce too much but then the last cast of the afternoon produced a fine bream which just about made my day.

Next trip to the river will see me there for a longer session going into night and will see what i can find few more of these size bream would be nice though this one went 8lb very fat dark fish which was the broadest bream i have seen for a while.