“Life changing” is probably the polite way to describe the past five weeks or so of upheaval. Correct, as most regular readers will have spotted, I am now a dad. It’s a wonderful thing. It’s especially wonderful when you finally get home after an early scare and nearly a fortnight in hospital; I’ll spare you… Read more

As much as I enjoy wild places and peaceful fishing, coming back to match angling has been one of the best things I’ve done in recent seasons. It has involved some serious adaptation, however, and I’m still learning some big lessons along the way. Competition tends to have this effect; it quickly highlights any lack… Read more

With a baby due in just over a month now (so, God help me), I’ve been trying to snatch every chance going to make the most of the calm before the storm. As usual, my tastes have been pretty mixed, too, with both local match fishing (more on this in my next post) and some… Read more

Did you ever get the feeling you’d hit a great fishing location but got your timing off? I’ve been exploring beyond my regular haunts this month and found some fine locations, albeit not during any kind of fishing rush hour. Even so, I’ve managed to extract some lovely wild fish while enjoying that excitement that… Read more

With both glorious sunshine and bitter winds, spring has felt like as Jeckyll-and-Hyde as ever this year. I guess one of the universal rules of fishing is that you have to adapt to the conditions; or save your efforts for another day. Those first really hot days of the year can be a golden chance… Read more

Getting back into the swing of things is never easy after a holiday, I find. It’s a bit like having a hangover. Especially when there’s still the back end of winter to get through… and you have raging tooth ache! After several days of the sort of head-splitting pain you wouldn’t wish on your worst… Read more