First Session of 2017

Thursday 16th February 2017
Dayhouse Farm Fishery, Old House Lane, Romsley, B62 0EX
Bottom Pool
Weather - Overcast with some light rain
Temperature - Freezing !!!!!

After last years disastrous fishing adventures I am determined to make amends this year and get out as many times as possible.  Last year my first session came around the 23rd February with Luke and John over at Friezeland and it was a bit of a rubbish day with blustery winds and freezing temperatures that didn't help anyone.  The only highlight was when Luke ordered three Sausage & Egg cobs from the bailiff who comes round for the money and takes sandwich orders which are then bought to your peg.  After a short time the bailiff returned and handed over everyone's food but because Luke had ordered three sandwiches his order came in a carrier bag.  Luke didn't bother to check his bag when the bloke first arrived and continued fishing and we all sat and watched as the bailiff, an oldish and hard of hearing chap, walked around scratching his head trying to work out how he had ended up with an extra sandwich.  There were only five adults and two kids fishing that day and we'd all had our sarnies, so a mistake had been made somewhere along the line.  He came up to all of us individually and asked if we wanted an extra butty but no-one did....except Luke.  He figured it would be a shame to let it go to waste (and he had a point because they are lovely sarnies) so he shouted across that he'd have it and duly paid for the extra roll.  The bailiff took his money and happy that he wasn't going to have to throw the extra roll away, he left.  It was at this point that Luke decided to hand out the cobs to the two kids and upon opening his carrier bag discovered just two Sausage & Egg rolls and the realisation that he'd just bought his own sandwich dawned on him.

Anyway, back to this year's first session.  After spending the winter reading the fishing magazines and watching YouTube videos, the excitement has been slowly building and I have kept an eye on the weather just waiting for that little rise in temperature that usually arrives towards the end of February and means that spring is just around the corner.  I had decided that the time would be right when the first of the early spring daffodils pops from beneath the surface, so after seeing a few promising buds appear on the roadside as I have been driving about the excitement had reached new highs and my thoughts had gone from matters relating to work and had been slowly usurped by what tactics should I employ ?, what bait should I use ?, should I go all out with the method feeder ? and am I going to beat a few of my PBs this year ?.  Tuesday and Wednesday had been quite mild compared to other days and the forecast had promised more of the same for Thursday, so I made my mind up.  I was going fishing !!!!!!

I spent Wednesday night humming and arrhing about where to go.  Hunnington was closed until mid-February, the canal was an option but I never do well on canals and I didn't want my first session to end with a blank, I could drive around and find a new fishery and give that a go but that meant the risk of a blank as well not knowing what worked and what didn't.  I needed somewhere familiar and safe, somewhere I had caught in the past and I had an idea of what was needed to catch.  I decided on Dayhouse Farm's Bottom Pool, one of my favourite fishing venues and a place where I knew I would catch something.  There are two pools at Dayhouse, the smaller Top Pool where I struggle every-time and the larger Bottom Pool where you are guaranteed to catch something around he margins.

Dayhouse Farm Bottom Pool

The day arrived and I spent the first few hours getting my gear sorted, preparing the bread I was going to use (microwave for 10 seconds and roll flat), I took the hand blender to a few more slices to get some breadcrumbs for the cage feeder, checked my bait tub and made sure I had enough ground-bait left from last year and lastly I got my trusty old flask from the cupboard and filled it with coffee.  I just needed a pint of maggots and some micro-pellets from the local branch of Angling Direct on Long Lane, Halesowen and I was good to go.

I arrived at the fishery around mid-day and after dipping both the keep and landing nets in the disinfectant tubs I made my way down to the Bottom Pool where I could park the van and get setup.  I had decided to start the session with the Maver 12' feeder rod with a small cage feeder and the hook-length setup with an anti-tangle rig to prevent it from getting caught up during the cast.  I went for a number 16 hook and got everything ready at the peg.  It was a little muddy and I almost went into the lake when my foot slipped as I made my way down the small bank, but with the grace of an elephant and a little girlie squeal I managed to prevent myself from having an early bath.  The peg I went for was dry enough and I placed the seat-box on the concrete slab provided so I had no concerns about sinking in the mud.

I filled my feeder with the mix of micro pellets, groundbait and breadcrumbs and put four medium punches of bread on the hook and I was off.  As soon as I made the first cast I could feel all of the frustration of the last few days lift from my soul and I relaxed for the first time in days.  It has been a bit difficult at home since Sunday because my eldest son has come back to live after he split from his partner and it hurts me to see him so upset, especially when she is putting some horrible things on social media about him.  As usual in these things, she is selective with the truth and is painting a picture of him that is far from the truth and it has led to some heated exchanges between us as I try to reach out to him but he pushes away.  Don't get me wrong, I'm no saint and in the past I've reacted badly and ended up punching him, but I'm determined to avoid that this time even though he says some pretty nasty things.  He takes offence when I tell him he's better off without her and he defends her and it all gets a little messy.  Anyway, once my feeder hit the water all of these issues went and I was happy to just sit and watch the tip of the rod, relaxed, chilled out and oblivious to everything.

I sat for about 10 minutes when there was a bit of movement on the tip, nothing major, nothing huge, just a slight knock as if something was investigating what goodies were on offer.  With my hand poised over the rod I waited and waited but there was no indication of anything to suggest a bite.  After another 10 minutes I reeled in and saw the bread had gone so something was down there so I refilled the feeder and put more bread on the hook.  Same as before, lots of line bites and nudges but no solid bites.  I decided to give it a few more tries before swapping over to the maggots to see if they could tempt a few more positive bites but before that happened the rod tip, which had a slight bend on it as I've been taught to have, went loose.  Something had picked up the hook and so I struck gently and could feel the fish on the end of the line.  I reeled in and saw a lovely Roach around the 2 or 3 ounces mark and I managed to get it out of the water and into my eagerly waiting hands.  Now to me this counts as a catch because I landed the fish, unhooked it and it was clearly out of the water, but some may disagree that it should count because when I went to throw it into my keepnet I missed and it went sailing down the side and back into the lake.

Happy that I wasn't going to blank I decided to continue with the bread for the time being and see what else would fancy a little bit of Hovis medium sliced.  The trend continued with loads of little knocks and nudges and after about 45 minutes I decided to switch to maggots with plugs of my mix at either end and a maggoty treat in the middle.  Four yellow maggots on the hook and the delicious concoction (which had benefited from a shot of Halibut glug) and I was back in action.  The results were startling and there was far more activity on the hook than before.  Another decent Roach sacrificed himself for my entertainment and then the big one, the one that got away.  The rod tip shot round and as soon as I struck I could tell this was a really nice fish.  It made a dash for the centre of the lake and I knew it was either a Carp or a Tench from the way it was fighting me as I tried to bring it into the landing net.  Closer and closer it came until I could see it was a Common Carp of about 4 or 5lbs and it's head came out of the water....then disaster....one quick flick of the powerful neck muscles and he was gone.

I decided that it was time for a change of tactics and set up my 12' Maver float rod with one of my favourite clear loaded waggler floats mounted on a swivel with two stop beads to prevent it from slipping up or down the line.  3 No 8 Shotz below the float and a quick change bead on the end was topped off with a Drennan No 16 hook on a 6 or 7 inch hook-length.  By this time the rain had started to fall, nothing heavy just a steady drizzle, and I set up my umbrella on the back of the seat box with one of the adjustable arms I had bought from Dragon Carp just before they closed their Tamworth clearance outlet.  At £2.50 a throw they have proved to be a bargain and hold the brolly stem fast and should prevent any repetition of my experience at Drayton Reservoir when my brolly was lifted by the wind and dumped unceremoniously in the water where it slowly sank beneath the waves just out of reach accompanied by howling laughter from Damian.  I sat there under the brolly with my flask close at hand and happy despite the weather and the one leg that was soaked as it caught the rain.  I suppose it is a feeling of contented elation that only someone who has fished in the rain will appreciate.

I had told Ryan Shields, a young lad who had played football for me back in the days when I ran Warley Albion and turned out to be one of the best right-backs in our league, who loves his fishing that I was going to Dayhouse and he turned up in his little Chav Mobile and I spent the rest of the afternoon just sitting there chewing the fat with good company talking about fishing and the impending arrival of his first child with his gorgeous fiancee Lily.  The change of tactic worked better than I could have wished for and there was bite after bite and the sight of the float tip disappearing under the water was indescribable.  It has been missing from my life since August, and to me it beats that bend in he tip of a feeder rod every-time for excitement.  It's fishing at it's traditional best.

I ended the day with about 9 or 10 silvers (mostly Roach with a juvenile Perch, Skimmer and Gudgeon as well) and left the lake just before they closed at 5pm, tired but very, very happy.

My catch

Not the best picture but I didn't care...I hadn't blanked

With frozen hands I took everything apart and packed all of my gear away and went home looking forward to that hot sweet cup of tea and the couple of slices of toast that mark the end of every fishing adventure....

See you on the bankside.....

Getting Excited Now....

Friday 10th February 2017

When I began my journey through depression I found that with a few hours on the bankside with good company helped me huge enormously and pretty soon I was relying less and less on the medication to make it through the day.  I would still be visited by the black dog and would plummet to the depths of despair, but a quick trip to a local fishery would soon lift my spirits and I would be back on track. 

Unfortunately last summer I was involved on a roll-out at work for a large national toy store chain  and it slashed my time on the bankside to the very bare minimum.  I managed just one session with Luke on the Moira Canal just outside of Swadlincote and I made a vow then that there would be no repeat of this happening again and I was going to try and get out at least twice a month or more next summer.  I have toyed with the idea of going out through the winter, but I haven't done so yet because of various reasons at home.  However, I have just been informed that the latest project I am working on has been suspended for a week and I had 17 days worth of annual leave to take before the end of March or I would lose them.  The forthcoming week has been booked off and I am hoping to hit the bankside at a local fishery next week to experience a spot of winter fishing.

To say that I am excited at the prospect is putting it mildly and I have been reading all about fishing with method feeders, banjo feeders, cage feeders and every other type of feeder that the experts claim to be the best approach.  I guess my next decision will be what bait to go with and I have dug out all of my old Improve Your Coarse Fishing magazines, quite a few Anglers Times and Anglers Mails, and Saturday looks set to be spent sitting in front of the fire, cuppa in hand and the biscuit tub close by, as I trawl trough them.

The Problem Is.....

I was hoping that there would have been far more in the way of piscatorial adventures than I have had this year.  I would have liked to have been out on the bankside with far more frequency than I have managed this year so far but work has to come first in order to keep a roof over my head and food in the stomach.  There have been other factors which have not stopped me from getting out there, but have made the times when I have a little less enjoyable.  I seem to have lost the friendship of one of the group and their absence from the odd fishing trip I have managed to get out on has been very noticeable and saddened me.  I have to respect their decision though and feel to go into anything further would be disrespectful so I will leave it there.

This time last year I was thinking of stopping fishing for the Winter and planning my tactics and approaches for the warmer months.  I was reading whatever articles and blogs I could find and planning my adventures on the bankside with thoughts of breaking personal best records every trip but as Robert Burns said "the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry".  I have managed a handful of excursions to the local fisheries and canals this year which is very disappointing and hopefully not something that I will repeat.

Luke has mentioned giving Winter fishing a go and a few other mates have said that they find the colder months far more productive when it comes to Roach, so maybe I will give the local canal a try before Spring arrives, it just depends on work.

Finally....

Sunday 28th August 2016
Ashby Canal @ Moira Furnace Museum, Moira, Swadlincote, Derbyshire

My first session on the bankside for over two months finally arrived on Sunday, and I was able to spend some time just sitting in quiet reflection of everything that has been going on over the Summer.  It has been quite an eventful period in my life, both personally and work wise, with lifestyle changes that were so badly needed happening and a new role at work that is proving challenging and very rewarding.

A few weeks ago I made the decision to shed some weight and get fitter and also to become more active in general instead of wallowing in self pity at the thought of having reached the weight I have (24 stone) whilst shovelling another pork pie or sausage roll down my neck.  I joined a local Slimming World group on Saturday mornings and have to face the scales every Saturday morning, to see how much I have lost or gained over the previous 7 days.  My previous attempt at following the Slimming World plan had been moderately successful, but the consultant left the area and moved her group to her new location, so after just 3 sessions and a total loss of 6lbs in weight it all came to an end.  This time round I have settled into the group and find following the plan easy with the result that in just 5 weeks I have lost half a stone and my confidence is rising with each loss.

Another change I have made is that I have stopped taking my anti-depressants and whilst I still have the odd day where I slip back into the darkness and get stressy, I have learned a few coping strategies which enable me to navigate the gloomy waters of depression quickly and effectively and emerge from them happier and more resilient.  I should have really consulted the Doctor before stopping but I just found myself in a place where I thought I was ready to stop the medication, so I did.

The work thing has been something of a double edged sword though because on the one hand it has given me more responsibility and purpose, but on the other hand it has seen a very much valued friendship stall, briefly I hope.  I'm not going to say any more about the situation, just that mistakes were made and maybe I should have handled things a little differently, but I stand by my reasons, though it does seem to have had a damaging affect which was what I was hoping to avoid.

The fishing came just at the right time for me after a very hectic few weeks at work that has stretched me but I have risen to the new challenges and faced them head on with a new found confidence and belief in myself.  I had mentioned to Luke that we hadn't been fishing for a while and he suggested that we went on the Bank Holiday Sunday.  There didn't seem to be the usual discussions about venues and somehow we ended up deciding on giving the Ashby Canal at Moira a go.  I did the usual reading up on the web and found out that it is regarded by many to be one of the best silverfish venues in the Midlands, or even the UK. The canal is now landlocked and offers over 2 miles of water to go at, though we decided to stay close to the museum because of the car parks. Despite the growing reputation of the canal you'd be forgiven for thinking you had come to the wrong place, there will probably be very few people fishing, which was the case when I arrived at 07.45 on Sunday morning.

Luke, who lives about 4 miles from the museum, had been down to the canal a few nights previously and began to bait it up with a mix of particle baits and sweetcorn and had parked his car on the car park of the local Co-op, about half a mile or so along the canal from the museum.  I arrived and found myself in the middle of a convoy of vehicles all waiting to get into the museum grounds and set up stalls for some sort of craft fair that was being held there.  At first I couldn't see Luke where I thought he was going to be so set off for the short walk along the tow path to the Co-op, to see if his car was there.  Apart from a few people walking their dogs, the only others I saw were two blokes fishing on the far bank on a bend in the canal.

With no sign of Luke's Mondeo on the car park, I set off back to the museum to see if I could get hold of him on facebook or by text.  It was only when I was half way back that I remembered that the Mondeo had died a few weeks ago and he had a new car but I couldn't remember what type, so I carried on with the original plan and sent him a text when I got back to the van.  It turned out that I had been looking for him at the wrong bridge and he had already set up and had caught a few fish.  I made my way round to him and he was in a highly excitable state, very excited and for a minute or so I thought he may start doing a little jig or something.  The reason for his joyous state was that after all of his years fishing, he had finally managed to catch himself his first Tench.  He had been after a Tench for a while and had been most disappointed when I had caught one last year but chucked it back in before he had seen it, but now he had his own, safely stored in his landing net (he'd forgotten his keep net).

Ashby Canal @ Moira Furnace

Luke had two of the tribe with him, the ever present Reece and Cam, and the boys were busy fishing in their shared peg.  Reece is one of those kids who will carry his love of fishing onto his adult years and he is quite an accomplished little angler already, though you sometimes look at how he has set up his rod and wonder just how he catches anything.  His set up for the day looked as though he was after some huge Carp, but he was pulling out loads of small Roach, Perch and Bream with ease, though his counting needs some work on it because to listen him him talk you'd have thought he'd caught thousands.  He's a great kid and willing to learn from everyone though he does have a reputation of being a jinx for me.  On one of our trips everytime he walked over to my peg and started talking any fish I had on the line would come off or they would disappear from my swim for a while.  This resulted in having to ban him from the peg or run the risk of getting himself chucked in......

The fishing was great, though the Carpers would disagree, and we were pulling out a mixed catch of Perch, Roach, Bream and the odd Dace.  One of my best fish was a Perch which was in the 1lb weight range, but having no scales (I really should buy some) this is just a rough estimation.  Someone in the museum has put some thought into the fishing here and anglers have to use the far bank and the joggers and cyclists use the main towpath.  This means there are no disagreements between anyone and anglers don't run the risk of getting their kit damaged.

All in all it was a great way to spend the Bank Holiday Sunday, with glorious weather and we weren't baked to a crisp in the open because Luke had selected pegs that were in the shade all day.  I can't think of a better way of spending a Sunday, though as stated earlier events elsewhere did mean that it was a trip that tinged with a little sadness because people were missing from the bankside with whom I have shared some good times.....Maybe one day we can again.

See you on the bankside.....

I NEED A DAY ON THE BANKSIDE

Sunday 14th August 2016

I haven't been able to get out on the bankside for 2 months now and the strain is beginning to show a little.  The reasons behind the lack of fishing stem from several places, working all week and being knackered at weekends, people changing plans, a general lack of funds etc, all of the usual reasons for not being able to drown a few maggots.

Hopefully I will be back on it over the Bank Holiday weekend and get a few hours in at the Moira Canal, Derbyshire....Unless someone changes the plans again....

Under a blazing sun......

Sunday 5th June 2016
Hunnington Coarse Fishery, Hunnington, Worcestershire, B62 0JX
Mallard Pool

After a disastrous Bank Holiday weekend when I discovered that I had a leak on the central heating system, a ceiling collapse in a cupboard and a faulty gas meter, I was looking forward to losing myself on the bankside for a few hours either through the week when I had no scheduled work or on Saturday or Sunday.  I just needed some time to recharge the batteries and indulge myself in a bit of maggot dangling.  It was going to be a solo trip because Damian had arranged a weekend climb of Snowdon for work and both he and Luke would be trekking up the mountain.  I never feel as confident fishing without the lads with me and even though John and Richard were not going on the walk/climb, it would have been too far for Richard to have come and John's little scooter wouldn't have made it with all of his gear.

I absolutely love this fishery, it was one of the regular haunts from last year and I have learned a lot from fishing there, it is a great place to learn how to fish and has a good regular bunch of anglers who are only too willing to pass on advice, hints or tips.  It has a lovely family feel about it which I suppose comes from it being a family run fishery on a working farm.  The site has five main pools and unless there is a match on it's very much a turn up and fish wherever kind of place.  The only thing you MUST be mindful of is closing the gates because of the sheep that are often in the field grazing.  Other than that it's the usual fishery rules that are the same almost everywhere you go.

The weather app on my phone promised sunshine all day, though these apps are sometimes far from accurate, so I decided to venture over for an afternoon next to the water once I had done my household chores.  One of the things about living on your own is there is usually just one plate, one cup and one set of knives and forks to wash up so that didn't take too long, I threw a load of work clothes in the washing machine and let that run and generally cleaned up a bit and I was ready.  A quick stop at the local Angling Direct on Long Lane, Halesowen, for 2 pints of mixed maggots, 2 bags of 2mm micro pellets, a bag of silver fish groundbait and something I had never used before, a bottle of Halibut flavoured additive and I was ready.  I was also going to try out a new approach for larger Carp and bought a can of chick peas and hot chilli powder from the local Tesco Express, to see if that would tempt them to sacrifice themselves for my amusement.

The sun was blazing down when I reached the fishery and made my way down to the pools and there were obviously quite a few who had had the same idea as me but they were all concentrated on the big main pool, so I went into the field with the sheep and had a look at the other two pools in there. 

Mallard Pool

Only two blokes were fishing on the top Mallard Pool, so I chipped up there and set myself up well away from either of them so we wouldn't run the risk of encroaching each others swim.  As I was setting up I thought it was probably a good job young Daniel hadn't come with me  because he's a bloody nightmare for casting his feeder into your swim if he sees you fishing in the margins on the waggler.  You always know he's done it when you cast the float out and then hear a splash somewhere out in front of you.  Anyway, the hairy beast wasn't here so there was no danger of that today.

The Carp were patrolling the edges and you could see their shadowy shapes just below the surface, but this pool held some big Tench and I wanted one of those if I could get them interested in the maggots with added Halibut flavouring.  I set up the feeder rod and cast out to about two rod lengths from the peg and waited.  It wasn't long before the rod snapped round and I had to grab it before it was dragged out of the rest and into the water.  I didn't have to strike, the fish had hooked itself so it was a case of just keeping a calm head, using the clutch on the reel and bringing the fish in.  Whatever I had on the hook, it was putting up a great fight and took me a good 4 or 5 minutes before I got a glimpse of it under the surface.  I managed to get my new landing net (if you remember I slammed the van door on my old one on the last trip and snapped the handle) underneath it and hauled it in.  It was my first ever Ghost Carp, almost white with the lustre of Mother of Pearl, I had seen them on TV and in books, but to actually catch one and see just how wonderful their colours are was fantastic.

My first fish bought a new PB, nothing huge in terms of weight and I didn't manage to get a photo because I had left my phone in the van, but a very rough estimate (I had no scales) would put it around 2lbs.  Over the next hour or so I managed to catch a nice Rudd and a couple more Carp, but it felt as if feeder fishing was going to be slow with the big Carp high in the water.  Time for a change, so I set up the Carp rod with the pellet waggler and tried the chick pea approach.  At first I had difficulty getting my range with the catapult and overshot the area where the fish were gathering and they disappeared from view for a while.  I must have spooked them, so I reduced the length of cast and fed some freebies just in front.  Straight away the waggler bobbed under the surface and came straight back up.  I reeled in, remembering what I had read in my Steve Ringer Guide to Fishing Commercials, to cast just beyond where I had been feeding in case any fish were hanging back a little, then draw the waggler into the area, thus enabling two chances of catching.

The tactic bought me loads of interest but no fish, the waggler would disappear almost as soon as it hit the water but when I reeled in the chick pea had gone.  They had worked out that by taking the bait and giving it a good shake, it was coming off the hook, they're not daft these fish.  I had to try another approach so decided to start reeling in almost straight away and hope they would hook themselves as the bait travelled through the water.  It worked a few times and I landed another two Carp, around about 3lbs each.  The sun was blazing and I was starting to feel my arms burn after nearly 3 hours under its glare and not being a sun worshipper kind of person I was starting to feel a little jaded by it.  I thought about packing up but as usual I always have to have 'one last cast'.  I tried the same tactic and began reeling in and had almost reached the bank when out of nowhere, a big Carp shot from the depths and wolfed down the chick pea.  It set off for the cover of an overhanging tree next to the peg on my left and I had to strike hard to stop it in it's tracks or I would be in tree roots and branches.  The line was flying off the reel and I had somehow got a huge tangle hurtling along the rod through the guides.  Thankfully the diameter of them didn't stop the tangle from going through them and I decided that the time to worry about it would be later when this fish was in the net.

I had to fight hard to stop it from heading further out into the middle of the pool and just let it tire itself out and just pull it back bit by bit until I could get the net under it.  I managed to get it within range of the net but it saw it and made another dash for cover, three times it did this.  I'd heard Luke saying before that they got spooked by the sight of the landing net bit had never experienced it myself before, but eventually I got it over the net and pulled it in.  I hadn't realised just how big it was, I suppose the adrenaline had kicked in and I had concentrated more on the fight than the fish, but now as I lifted it out of the water I realised just how much of the net it filled and how heavy it was.  This was either a new PB or close to my current PB of 8lbs.  Having no scales I couldn't claim a new PB, but I was happy enough with the catch.  I later posted the picture on facebook and Damian commented that it was around the 8lbs mark judging from the photo, so I was happy with that.

 I'm still not sure what type of Carp it is, hardly any scales on it except for by the tail, and they have the look of a Mirror Carp about them, so I'd say it was a Mirror.

The fight to land this fish in the heat had taken its toll on me and I was exhausted so I decided to get a drink from the van.  The sheep had been grazing around the peg and even come and had some of the chilli infused chick peas off me, but I hadn't seen much of them for about an hour so thought they must have gone off to another part of the field.  Imagine my surprise when I walked around the back of the van and there they were, about 15 of them all sheltering from the sun in the shade of the van.  I'm not sure who was more surprised, me or them.  I jumped out of my skin and they all bolted in different directions.  Most of them were lambs, but one or two of the ewes were there, but they all split up and went flying off in all directions.

After getting a drink I decided to have the last hour on the float rod and so put the feeder rod away, laid the Carp rod down next to the landing net and set up the waggler float.  I'd been feeding the margins with freebies all through the session and within seconds I had interest in the swim.  I finished off with a total of 9 x Perch, 5 x Roach, 1 x Rudd, 4 x Carp and a small Dace.  Now usually I have some sort of disaster on my adventures on the bank side and today was to be no exception.  I had got a fish on and stood up to keep it from the reeds and stepped to the side, realising at the last moment that my landing net handle was there I managed to move my foot back but stood on the reel on the Carp rod and snapped the bail arm off...Oh well It should be easy enough to repair and it wouldn't be a good days fishing if I didn't step on something.....

I took this as sign to leave and packed all the gear away and made my way home, tired, sunburnt but very chilled out and relaxed....

See you on the bankside.........

Stu's Fishy Blog Spot Rating

It's Been Way Too Long.....

I was trying to remember the last time I sat on the bankside and lost myself in the age old contest between men and fish.  I was shocked when I realised that the last time I dangled a maggot was when I went to Cudmore at the start of May, and that despite making plans to go fishing, something had come up and scuppered my plans.  Over the last few weeks I have been rushing around doing favours for others, working away from home or extensively travelling back and forth to jobs with the end result being that I was too shattered to do anything much on weekends apart from sleep and try to catch up with myself.

This weekend Damian and Luke have gone on a works event to Snowdonia and have climbed up the mountain.  It wasn't for me, I don't seem to mix very well away from work except with those I trust implicitly like Damian and Luke, and the thought of being around some who went filled me with dread.  I've done Snowdon before but that was when I was a lot fitter and thinner so I told myself that it was the best that I didn't go, kind of making excuses to myself for again avoiding a social situation.  I guess that is one aspect of the depression that I am going to have to work on more.

I have decided that I will be going fishing tomorrow now, maybe to Dayhouse Farm or Hunnington, just to get away from the house for a few hours and find a bit of peace and quiet that only fishing gives you....

See you on the bankside....