Barbel & Curry

The barbel
A visit to the tidal Trent was on, I still wasn't certain of the tides but guestimated it would be around 10:30 am for high tide at the Sutton on Trent fishery.
That would give me about 6 hours as we had a curry lined up at 18:30. It would also be my first Trent trip after barbel this season.
As it happens when I arrived at about 10am,the tide was just on the way out so it stopped me hurling big balls of vitalin and pellet into the swim, it could have ended up at Gainsborough!!
So I decided on  a bag of Dynamite method mix along with a mixture of their hali pellets of all sizes blended in.
A 2oz open end feeder stuffed with the damped down mixture, and a couple of Teme Severn elips glued to a hair.
I also put out a sleeper rod with a quarter tin of bacon grill.
Both rods remained stationary, not even a chub snatch! Not strictly stationary of course, my feeder rod was regularly cast in to replenish the swim, and also to ring the changes on the hook bait.
We had decided to call it a day at 5pm so that I could pack up and make our way to Market Rasen for the curry.
I had packed up my sleeper rod, tidied everything up and heard the baitrunner zip out!!
Landed my first Trent barbel (at 5:05pm) of the season a sprightly 6lb fish, and packed up!! Caught on a pair of the elips.
I know it all seems a bit short, but I can tell you I was well chuffed, shame we didn't have a bit longer, but the deed had been done. I was more than happy.
Having not eaten since 8am the curry was well needed and the nearly 50 mile drive, in what was unusally light traffic, was short!!
The curry
We decided to miss the poppadoms and wade into a starter and a maincourse.
I had downed the first pint of Lal Toofan, before the starter arrived so lined up another

My starter 3 lamb "chops" with a bit of shredded rabbit food and a yogurty thing dressing was excellent,in fact finger licking good, I always gnaw  meat bones!!
Oh by the way, Pauline was with me all day.
My main course duly arrived, just as well too as the second pint was diminishing at an alarming speed and I had to drive the 8 miles home.
I had a lamb badami,with cashew nuts sprinkled over it, a cauliflower baji and a bindi baji. No rice.
I don't think I've told you yet have I?
Well I've been on a diet, 6 weeks of no rice, spuds, bread or pasta and it's knocked 7 kilo's off,mostly from my backside.The zip fly on my fishing trousers now stays put when the trousers are put under pressure.
I'm drinking loads of water something I have never liked doing. Well you know what fish do in it,don't you?

Still having the odd proper beer or two.
Anyway, this curry house is the best we've found since our move up 8 years ago, for freshly cooked, and great flavours, and not swimming in gee.
I wonder if our then favourite curry house Eatern Paradise in Wolverton is still there, and as good.
Tonights was no different, enjoyed very muchly, always down to the chef though..




.......and that's when the fight started (err.... ten?)


I tried to talk my wife into buying a case of IPA for £14.95.
Instead, she bought a jar of cold cream for £7.95.
I told her the beer would make her look far better at night than the cold cream.


and that's when the fight started....