My earliest memories of seeing fish in the wild are up on Dartmoor (Devon, UK). I was on a school trip and my teacher told me the fish were brown trout.
They were so cool. They spooked really easily and shot off if your shadow covered them whilst peering down at them but they looked sleek, elegant and full of beans.
Continue reading “2019 Fishing Diary. Mission accomplished. Wild trout lure fishing.”
I truly hope that deep within every fisherman or woman there is a want to learn and understand everything possible about the nature of these scaly creatures. A driven desire to do right by the fishes and their species and above all else a true pride in caring about the environments we tresspass into to cast a line. I know, I am dreaming and see all too often that there are those who do not deserve to catch fish, but for those of us who have that respect for what hides beneath the surface, we are blessed with an ever growing amount of information readily available about everything we could want to know about fishing.
Continue reading “‘The Lure of The Bass’ The new bass bible?…. “
Since buying my first lure/lrf rod, I have gone on to buy another 3 in the same year all from the same brand and 3 of which are almost identical in there usage.
No I have been lucky enough to get 3 of these 4 incredible rods second hand at less than £20 each and the first I bought brand new and it was still only around £40-45. So whilst these aren’t as cheap as the very competitive Shakespeare agility series they are still bloody good value budget rods especially if you can get hold of them second hand!
After over 10 years of shore fishing I have grown to realise that my terminal tackle/rig/lure etc is far more important to catching fish then any fancy rod and reel combo. I have also come to appreciate that a good reel is more important than a good rod. But who doesn’t love a shiny new rod?
I remember during my first year of fishing I picked up some nasty rods (still have them though haha) but found myself admiring the 10-12ft beach casters the people around me were using to launch a string of feathers 100+ metres. Looking back now I know that most of those rods were pretty poor in quality but the length made me feel they were special. So when I finally invested in a decent rod (£80), mine had to be 13ft long.
So my fishing targets for 2018 went out the window pretty early (miserably) and with 2019 well underway, I can look back on last year’s miserable species count and reflect on how not fishing hardly at all this year is possibly driving me bonkers.
On a positive note, 2018 wasnt all bad from an anglers perspective. Wels Catfish, Puffer fish, and Scad are completely new species to me and I was able to capture them all on artifificial lures. Herring on a lure and squid from the shore are also firsts. So whilst I haven’t got to tick off my targets, I have still had some achievements to look back on
Here is how the season went in species count format:
20th January (First session of the year)
Start as you mean to go on!
Decided to grab a quick half hour before dark today on the Basingstoke canal. Half heartedly flicked a small creature bait around whilst chatting to 2 local guys about crayfish trapping, and local venues. Once they decided to pack up, moved I to the spot I wanted fish and 3 casts towards my most productive bridge and I hooked into a decent lump of a perch. It was so dark by this point that I couldn’t see a great deal. So I lead the fish well clear of the bridge and into some light so I could land it. I kept the tension on whilst prepping my mat and net which were still clipped to my rucksack and then landed my first fish of the year. Not a bad way to start 2019.
Species Count:
Last year I publicly shared the below resolutions. Here is how I got on!
1) Personal – Do something I enjoy every day. Life is short so enjoy it.
I think I managed this. In 2018 I started to watch more of the TV shows I enjoy watching by downloading episodes to my devices and watxhing on my commute. I read a lot of non fiction books about fishing and survival etc. travelled a fair amount and spent a lot of time with both my fiancee and family.
‘We can always walk on the canal and you can fish’ she said.
Must have been Christmas. 😂
So we decided 2 days running to get out of the house and explore new areas of the canal on foot to get some daylight, excersize and my dose of fishing related activities much needed. I really wanted for My fiancee Emily to catch her first Perch and was pretty confident that she could do so if time and daylight permitted.
Continue reading “That awkward moment when you catch a fish…….”
So if you are reading this then either you haven’t been to Japan, or have and managed to survive the pavements!
One of the biggest culture shocks for me in Japan was the sheer amount of cyclists. None more so than in Osaka where I swear there were more cyclists than cars or pedestrians on most streets.
Continue reading “What they don’t tell you about Japan, blog 3. The cyclist epidemic 😀”
It takes an absolute age to boil a kettle. I am not exaggerating at all. If you want a quick drink, have something cold!
Hotels pretty much come with a kettle as standard. Which is great if like us you love a hot drink. Take your own brand tea bags or coffee if you are fussy or have the green tea which is provided in most places but remember that it takes maybe 5-10 times longer to boil a kettle of water than at home. I swear it. No exageration at all.
Continue reading “What they don’t tell you about Japan, blog 2. Hot drinks”
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